National Customs Expert

USAID Vietnam Trade Facilitation Program

SCOPE OF WORK

Position: NATIONAL CUSTOMS EXPERT

Base of Operation: HANOI, VIETNAM

Period of Performance: MARCH 2019 – AUGUST 2022 

                                     (subject to extension based on manager’s recommendation)

Project Background:

The USAID Trade Facilitation Program is a five-year project that aims to support Vietnam to streamline and standardize customs procedures, specialize inspection, and to adopt and implement a risk management approach to the clearance of goods at Vietnam’s borders which will facilitate the implementation of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO TFA).

The Program will work with the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) to strengthen Vietnam’s National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC); streamline border clearance procedures, including specialized inspection implemented by other line ministries and agencies; harmonize the implementation of risk-based approach between the national and provincial levels; and train national and provincial customs officers and staff from other ministries on risk management.

Overview

The USAID Trade Facilitation Program will provide assistance to the Government of Vietnam at both national and provincial levels to improve customs procedures to facilitate cross-border trade. In order to achieve this, the National Customs Expert will be to provide expertise to the Program, focusing on customs matters in the Component 2 and Component 3 of the Annual Work Plan (AWP) in particular in relation to (1) the preparation of legislative proposals and policy initiatives in relation to e-commerce, risk management approach, self- certification of origin and classification of goods, valuation, advance rulings, compliance measurement, pre-arrival processing procedures, (2) the implementation of the revised and standardized customs legislation and policies in relation to trade facilitation, including customs procedures, specialized inspection, and risk management, (3) the customs capacity building, including conducting specific training courses, (4) the cooperation with GDVC, local customs departments, line departments, and other stakeholders in the field of customs procedures implementation and capacity building.

The primary role of the National Customs Expert will be to provide technical assistance to GDVC as part of Program activities aimed at support and strengthening the capacity of GDVC. The National Customs Expert will be based in Hanoi and will be required to visit selected provinces as needed to cooperate and collaborate with stakeholders including, among the others, GDVC, provincial customs departments, line ministries and provincial line departments associated with risk management, specialized inspection, and capacity building. The National Customs Expert will assist the Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) in implementing all project tasks efficiently, effectively and to the highest customs professional standards.

Responsibilities and Tasks

The National Customs Expert will support the following tasks:

• Implementation of the AWP with a focus on national-provincial customs activities, including risk management, specialized inspection, training, and other customs activities;
• Assist the DCOP in implementing activities at central level and in selected provinces, including, among the others, customs operations and management as well as customs-related training courses to improve the capacity of local officials;
• Support the review, prioritization, and implementation of customs legislations, measures and procedures as related to risk management and specialized inspection, so as to promote their harmonized implementation at the borders;
• Design, organize and implement training courses to improve the customs technical skills of customs officers and operational staff from other line departments;
• Work with the Training Coordinator of the Program to develop training courses and maintain effective working relationships with key staff of Vietnam Customs School, GDVC’s departments, and other local customs and line departments. In the organization of the training courses the National Customs Expert will mainly deal with the technical-related topics (e.g. identification of needs, content, targeting audience among the different customs departments, identification of the training materials, etc.), while the Training Coordinator will be mainly in charge of liaising the technical and the administrative and operations teams, especially about communication, logistic (e.g. securing the training course is developed in a properly equipped room);
• Monitor the development of national customs policies, regulations, and the enforcement of legislation to facilitate trade;
• Other contributions to the Program as requested by the COP and DCOP.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in customs administration, law, economics, business administration, international trade, trade policy, or similar field (Bachelor degree with more than 10 years of experience in field may be accepted);
• An experience working with Vietnam Customs at Central and/or Provincial levels is preferable;
• Proven knowledge and understanding of requirements under the Vietnamese Customs Law and regulations, border procedures, imports-exports specialized inspection matters, risk management, and the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement;
• Proven experience of working or collaborating with the central and local customs departments;
• Able to solve problems as well as exercise considerable analysis and judgement to identify solutions;
• Familiar with international customs best practices. Experience with customs training is preferred;
• Strong communication, interpersonal, problem solving, and leadership skills.
  Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Proficient in word processing, spreadsheets and office software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Applications; and
• Fluency in English and Vietnamese.

Reporting

The National Customs Expert will report to the DCOP/Senior Customs Expert, Thoang Tran.

Application Submission

Interested applicants can submit their CVs/Resumes at [email protected]

The deadline of applications is February 24, 2019 at 5:00 pm Hanoi Time. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.