Project Information:

The FCDO Trade Facilitation and Customs Support programme (TFCS) is a £15m programme financed by FCDO and operational from 2020 – 2023. The objective of the TFCS 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 across the four workstreams. The Steering Committee will also monitor results and provide policy oversight throughout the programme lifetime.

Cowater is responsible for managing the implementation of this programme on behalf of FCDO and under its supervision. This includes designing and implementing interventions and providing quarterly and annual reports. The Cowater-led TFCS team is expected to identify and implement interventions that will improve trade performance and fiscal sustainability in the OPTs through the provision of grants for technical assistance, policy dialogue, analysis, and small-scale infrastructure (if needed). This will include interventions that will enhance trade logistics, reduce trade transaction costs, build trade-related institutions, create a more conducive enabling environment for trade, and grants to firms to procure technical assistance and equipment to improve their exports and be competitive. The programme will support interventions to facilitate the transfer of custom functions to the Palestinian Authority

The programme is expected to implement between 40-60 strategic and systematic interventions across the workstreams. The Cowater TFCS team will develop concepts and full intervention proposals for the programme’s Steering Committee to approve for implementation. The proposals will include measurable indicators and targets.

Job  Description

The Team Leader will lead the delivery of the Trade Facilitation and Customs Support Project (TFCS), taking special responsibility for the technical design, oversight, and quality assurance of all interventions and deliverables, as well as the oversight of the team as a whole. The Team Leader will also take a lead role in stakeholder engagement, as well as being the lead expert on trade policy and trade facilitation. The Team Leader (TL) will be a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT; consisting of the TL, Deputy Team Leader, Programme Manager, and the Project Director) and will oversee and work closely with other members to ensure high quality and timely delivery of project objectives.

Roles and Responsibilities

  The TL will:

• Jointly with other SMT members, lead the successful delivery of the TFCS project in line with the terms of reference; and ensure client and beneficiary satisfaction.

Their duties will fall into the following categories:

Stakeholder engagement

• Take a lead role in high level engagement and project communications with the PA and International community stakeholders, as well as the private sector. Leads on technical discussions with the IFIs and donors to avoid duplication and find synergies in programming.
•  The TL will represent the project in meetings with stakeholders, donors, grantees and steering committee meetings, and may at times delegate this responsibility to the DTL or workstream leads
•  The TL will work closely with the Project Director and Project Manager to jointly manage the client relationship with FCDO, with the TL taking primary responsibility for technical coordination and reporting.
• The TL will also take responsibility for overseeing any direct communication between the TFCS technical team and FCDO.
• Chair the Strategic Advisory Panel meetings

Technical leadership, oversight, and design

• The TL is the lead expert in trade policy and facilitation on the core project team and is the lead trade policy and global/regional trade institutions technical resource
• Lead the design, implementation and evaluation of interventions, including concept note drafting, planning and conducting any workshops and focus group meetings with organizations, partners and beneficiaries to share experiences and lessons learnt.
• Monitors and response to political opportunities and issues.

Staff, workstream and performance management

• Set the technical strategy for workstreams, including bringing workstream leads together frequently to ensure coordination and a shared vision, as well technical quality assurance of all interventions within each workstream
• Work closely with the Deputy Team Leader in designing and monitoring workplans

Work planning and reporting

• Final responsibility for workplans, in close coordination with DTL
• Ensure that logframe objectives, indicators and outcomes are being met or on track to be met
• Ensure the accurate and timely delivery of monthly, quarterly and final reports to FCDO, working with the Deputy Team Leader and Programme Manager to design and implement reporting processes.
• Work jointly with the SMT in developing and implementing risk management tools.
• Work closely with the SMT and PMU to develop technical donor reports, managing inputs from Workstream Leads where required.

Results management, lessons learning and KMEL

• Engages with DTL, Project Manager and M&E to continuously refine the project’s M&E procedures, ensuring coherence with the logframe and progress reporting templates.
• Supports DTL in ensuring the M&E framework is implemented effectively by team.
• Monitors implementation progress against workplans.
• Reviews deliverable quality from consultants.
• Supports the DTL in her role to convene internal project evaluation workshops as required, ensuring that lessons from all workstreams are shared, recorded, and integrating into the design of new or adapted interventions

Reporting Lines and Managerial Responsibilities

• This role reports to the Project Director
• This role will work closely with the Senior Programme Manager and PMU on programme management, work planning, and M&E tasks.
• This role will manage a selected number of workstream leads (to be decided in conjunction with the Deputy Team Leader).

 Duration

 This role will be full-time for the duration of the project (end-date September 2023).

 Location

 This position will be based in Ramallah. Project-related travel is expected in Palestine and Israel according to project need.

جميع الحقوق محفوظة لموقع جوبس.

Qualifications, Skills and Professional Experience

• Degree/diploma in economics, trade, business administration, private sector development, international development or a related discipline
• At least 10 years professional experience with a minimum of 5 years professional experience working in a related field (e.g trade facilitation, trade policy, customs services, private sector economic development and market systems development).
• Experience with donor approaches to delivery, private sector development, monitoring and evaluation, market systems, gender and social inclusion is preferred.
• Familiarity with FCDO/FCO/DFID programmes is preferred.
• Knowledge of the political, economic and social constraints in the Occupied Palestine Territories (OPTs), West Bank and Gaza.
• Experience with international donor reporting requirements is preferred.
• Excellent writing skills (reports, work plans, proposals).
• Strong managerial and organisational skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent communication skills (formal and informal) and ability to work in English and Arabic is required.

• Immediate start date.
• Competitive salary.
• We are accepting applications on a rolling basis and will be conducting interviews as candidates apply.
• The deadline to received applications is December 10, 2020.

Interested applicants are kindly requested to submit their CVs with a cover letter clearly indicating the position name and explaining how they are qualified to fulfill the specified position requirements.

Completed applications must be sent by email at [email protected]

 We thank all applicants for their interest in this project, however, only those shortlisted will be contacted.