Description of Duties/Responsibilities The National Project Coordinator will work under the direct supervision of the Senior Trade Facilitation Advisor and collaborate with other Programme Officers at the ITC headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Throughout the assignment, the National Project Coordinator will accordingly perform the following duties: - Stakeholder engagement and coordination • Manage relationships with the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA,) Customs, Ministry of Finance, liaise with the STDF in coordination with the ITC Project Manager, and ensure commitment and support of other local stakeholders, national project partners and beneficiaries in Bhutan; maintaining regular communication, ensuring good information sharing; liaise with the relevant government departments, ministries, offices and private sector institutions to obtain support for project implementation. • Draft and distribute official letters, concept notes, and other correspondence to public institutions to support the implementation of trade facilitation reforms and SPS compliance issues. • Organize high-level meetings and consultations with government agencies and private sector representatives. - Coordination of Project Activities at the National Level • Contribute to the planning, implementation, and monitoring of project activities in Bhutan, ensuring coherence with national development priorities. • Develop and maintain a structured approach to monitoring the implementation of project activities, ensuring measurable results. • Prepare project reports, and annual updates, detailing progress, challenges, and recommendations, copies of which will be shared every six months with the STDF. • Organize and lead project governance meetings, including working groups and steering committee sessions, ensuring follow-up on recommendations. • Identify risks to project implementation and propose mitigation actions, discuss and agree on them with project partners and ITC HQ. - Event Management Assist in preparing workshop agendas, identifying relevant participants, and coordinating invitations and follow-ups. • Support logistical arrangements for events, including venue selection, travel coordination, and participant accommodations. • Act as a facilitator during workshops and conferences, ensuring productive discussions and engagement among participants, and support administration of baseline and feedback surveys. • Document key outcomes of events, including meeting minutes and workshop reports, and disseminate them to relevant stakeholders. • National guidance on Trade Facilitation Reforms and Quality management • Support the design, implementation, and monitoring of trade facilitation and quality management initiatives under the project with national insights, balancing national priorities with project objectives. • Identify key focal points within relevant agencies and collaboratively develop work plans to ensure the effective implementation of reforms. • Contribute to the development, review and finalization of various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analytical notes, reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc. Copyright Clause: The consultant must ensure that they have obtained the necessary permissions with regard to intellectual property rights required to perform their services under this consultancy contract and for the subsequent dissemination by ITC in any form. Documentary proof is to be submitted to ITC. Should any license fee be due for the use of copyrighted materials of third parties, the consultant shall request the prior written permission from ITC. ITC champions workforce diversity, inclusion, gender equality and gender parity and considers all qualified persons - of all genders - equally, including those with disabilities, without discrimination or prejudice of any kind. Expected Outputs and Timelines A monthly report is submitted, outlining key activities implemented in accordance with the approved project work plan and reviewed and validated by ITC.

Bhutan (Home-based in Bhutan)

15.03.25 - 14.08.25

Background The International Trade Centre (ITC) has a unique mandate in the United Nations system to promote increased competitiveness of Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing, transition and least developed countries and assisting them to better use trade as a platform for growth, development, and employment creation. Bhutan faces a unique set of challenges in ensuring the safety – without compromising the efficiency and facilitation – of its cross-border trade in agricultural and food products, including: • Limited capacity to implement SPS measures and, in general, border inspections at border areas through an efficient, systematic and scientific risk-based approach, compromising the quality and safety of products destined to both exports and imports. • Unpredictable cross-border trade requirements and lack of coordination and dialogue among Bhutan’s own border regulatory agencies (BRAs) and between Bhutan and neighboring counties’ border authorities. • Costly delays and waiting times of Bhutanese food products at borders due to non-recognition of Bhutan’s certificates or double testing enforced by neighboring trading partners. • Weak capacity of hard’ and ‘soft’ SPS/quality management infrastructure of Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA) and other concerned agencies – including techniques and capacities for sampling, testing, inspection and certification. In this context, ITC is implementing the project: Modernizing Bhutan’s border management ecosystem to facilitate the safe trade of agri-food products. This project seeks to address some of the issues that Royal Government of Bhutan faces in ensuring the efficiency and safety of cross-border trade in agricultural and food products at, behind and beyond its borders. Implemented in partnership by the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA) and ITC with funding from the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF). This project is uniquely positioned to support Bhutan in responding to its border management challenges, including weak SPS compliance and risk-based controls, as it leverages solutions at the intersection of trade facilitation, border management and quality compliance. The project value is below USD 1 million, and the duration will be 3 years. Therefore, ITC seeks to hire a National Project Coordinator located in Bhutan to serve as the focal point for trade facilitation initiatives and SPS compliance issues under the project. The National Project Coordinator will engage and collaborate with key stakeholders, oversee the planning and implementation of project activities, and ensure their successful execution in alignment with ITC’s objectives and Bhutan’s trade facilitation priorities.

Master’s Degree or higher in development studies, law, international business, international trade, economics, or related fields. A minimum of 7 years’ experience in the field of technical assistance including some in project management, business support and trade, administration or a related field. Strong established networks within relevant government agencies (e.g. Ministry of Trade, BFDA, Customs), and private sector actors. Experience in working with UN agencies or on projects of international organizations such as the WTO, the World Bank or those financed bilaterally by the European Union, GIZ or others is highly desirable. Good understanding of international trade, trade facilitation, quality / SPS requirements, and related policies Advanced project management skills, including planning, execution, monitoring, and reporting. Excellent analytical, communication, and writing skills for high-quality reporting and presentations. Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with government, private sector, and development partners Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks, and meet tight deadlines. Experience in trade development, export competitiveness, and private sector engagement. Knowledge of national trade policies, governance structures, and mainstreaming cross cutting issues. Strong leadership, advocacy, and stakeholder coordination skills. Demonstrated ability to implement results-based management approaches. Proficiency in use of standard digital tools and computer literacy.

Advanced proficiency in English and Dzongkha is mandatory.

Not available.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.