IT/Trade Consultant

***Only candidates with the relevant right to work will be considered***

KEY INFORMATION

Job Title: IT/Trade Consultant - Development of an Electronic Certificate of Origin Platform

Sector: Trade Facilitation

Position Type: IT/Trade Consultant

Duration/Level of Effort: Up to 35 days over three months (September 2023 onwards)

Position Location: mix of home and field-based (approximately 20 days in Palestine)

Reports to: Trade Facilitation Lead

The Project: FCDO Trade Facilitation and Customs Support (Tasdeer)

The FCDO Trade Facilitation and Customs Support programme (Tasdeer) is a £15m programme financed by FCDO and operational from 2020 – 2023. The objective of the Tasdeer is to improve the trade performance and customs capabilities in the OPTs. It will ultimately contribute to increased inclusive private sector-led economic growth and fiscal sustainability in the OPTs. The programme is designed to be flexible and adaptable, and it will work politically and technically to make progress across the four key interrelated workstreams.

• Workstream 1: Support to expedite the movement of goods and reduce transaction costs.
• Workstream 2: Support to improve Palestinian trade-related institutions and business enabling environment.
• Workstream 3: Support to improve the private sector’s skills and innovation to export and create jobs.
• Workstream 4: Support to improve PA’s customs readiness to assume functions from Israel and revenues from trade-related taxes.

The programme is implemented by a Cowater-led consortium on behalf of FCDO. A Steering Committee (including representatives from FCDO, the Ministry of National Economy and other donors) will approve interventions identified and designed by the supplier. Supplier interventions will be reviewed, and quality assured by a Strategic Advisory Panel comprised of experts from the core consortium members.

Development of an Electronic Certificate of Origin Platform

The Certificate of Origin (CoO) is an international trade document that is used to facilitate cross-border transactions. It certifies where goods in a particular export shipment are obtained, produced, manufactured, or processed in a specific country. In Palestine, the certificate of origin process is completed by exporters or their agents and validated by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and endorsed by the Ministry of National Economy regional offices (MoNE), through a paper-based manual process in each responsible authority. 

As part of MoNE’s Strategies and Actions towards a Cross-Border Paperless Trading Environment and a wider single window initiative, it wants to establish an electronic certificate of origin platform as a key step toward improving the trade environment. There is a need to simplify and expedite the exchange of information and digitalisation of documentation for the issuance of the certificate of origin between the public and private sectors and to increase transparency in trade transactions. 

Description of Role: IT/Trade Consultant

Tasdeer’s objective is to work with MoNE and other stakeholders to design and develop an electronic certificate of origin system that will speed up the process of issuing CoO and reduce cost in accordance with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) guidelines, the Revised Kyoto Convention, WCO Electronic Certificate of Origin guidelines and the World Trade Organization trade facilitation agreement. Tasdeer is looking to hire an IT/Trade Consultant to undertake a review of the current process to obtain a CoO and to design an electronic solution for the automation of the process. 

Roles and Responsibilities

Phase 1: Review of current CoO processes

• Stakeholder analysis including engagement with key public and private sector interested parties. Assessment of the challenges involved in the current paper-based process (both from a business perspective and a PA Government perspective).
• Mapping of the current certificate of origin process including each authority’s roles, responsibilities, IT infrastructure, security features and platform linkage in the process.
• Assessment of recent CoO automation programmes in other countries and share conclusions/lessons learnt with MoNE.

Phase 2: Design of automated solution for CoO issuance

• Define business process reengineering requirements to issue an online certificate of origin, the security features and stakeholder integration interface. 
• Identify any procedures in relevant Government departments which will need to be amended.
• Present solution option(s) to key stakeholders and seek agreement on preferred approach/technical solution.
• Develop a MoU/Service Level Agreement (SLA) draft to be signed by all related stakeholders. 
• Develop IT business user requirements, implementation plan scenarios and budget. 
• Develop a ToR (including system specifications) for an IT company for automating the certificate of origin.

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Required Expertise and Competencies:

• Ideally a master’s degree in IT or Trade or a related field.
• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in trade and IT/automation.
• Demonstrable knowledge of certificates of origin and international trade.
• Track record of delivering automation work for trade and customs.
• Experience of delivering trade reforms in multiple countries (Palestinian knowledge would be an asset).
• Ability to engage with diverse groups of stakeholders in the public and private sector.
• Ability to produce high-quality reports in English.
• Arabic language skills would be an asset.
• Strong team player with ability to adapt to different work styles within the team.

APPLICATION PROCESS 

Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, no later than 4:00 pm Wednesday 23rd August 2023 to [email protected]. We will assess applications on a rolling basis.

For your application to be considered, please upload your documents as follows: Candidate Last Name, First Name, date, Title of the Position. 

Cowater International is an equal opportunity employer, basing employment on merit and qualifications as they relate to professional experience and position expectations. Cowater does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender identity, disability, age, or any other basis protected by law.

We thank all applicants, however only those shortlisted will be contacted. 

ABOUT US

With more than 35 years’ experience, Cowater International is Canada’s global leader in management consulting services specializing in international development and has managed the implementation of over 800 projects in more than 80 countries around the globe. We work with governments, partner organizations, communities and civil society to design and implement sustainable solutions that generate lasting social, financial and environmental impacts. Our adaptive approach to management has led to our award-winning work and recognition as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Cowater International also has corporate offices in Montreal, Quebec; London, United Kingdom; Nairobi, Kenya; and Brussels, Belgium, in addition to project offices in a wide variety of other locations across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

We thank you for your interest in building a better tomorrow with Cowater International.