Regional Trade & Gender Specialist at World Bank

Location: West Africa (Exact Location TBD)
Type of Contract: Short-Term Consultancy (STC) Contract

Summary

• The World Bank Group (WBG) received funding from the EU, the Government of the Netherlands, and USAID to design and implement a new regional trade facilitation program in West Africa. The initiative, called “Trade Facilitation West Africa (TFWA) Program”, aims to facilitate the movement of goods and vehicles along six priority corridors: Abidjan-Ouagadougou, Tema-Ouagadougou, Cotonou-Niamey, Dakar-Bamako, Lome-Ouagadougou, and Lagos-Kano-Niamey.
• TWFA activities, currently under design, will be articulated along three pillars: 1) support to regional trade facilitation measures, in coordination with ECOWAS and UEMOA; 2) support towards improvement of selected corridors, primarily from a logistics & transport standpoint; and 3) support to small-scale cross- border traders, especially women. Gender will be mainstreamed across all program components and activities.
• As part of TFWA’s preparatory analytics, the first phase of a Regional Gender Assessment was completed. The exercise was aimed at a) reviewing existing literature and relevant ongoing initiatives;b) assess TFWA stakeholders’ needs, priorities and expectations on gender; and c) preparing a draft matrix of gender-sensitive trade facilitation actions to be supported by TFWA. A regional field survey is also ongoing to generate quantitative & qualitative information on small-scale cross-border trade patterns within the region  considerable attention is given to gender issues under this exercise as well.
• Following the completion of the mentioned analytical efforts, TFWA implementation will start along the six priority corridors, involving activities related to the enforcement of regional trade measures, the simplification & streamlining of border clearance procedures (with emphasis on those relevant for small-scale traders), and capacity building & awareness-raising, as well as broader women economic empowerment interventions.
• To support the implementation of TFWA activities on small- scale trade facilitation and gender, the WBG is looking for a Trade and Gender Specialist to join the TFWA gender team, currently comprising a Senior Trade & Gender Specialist and a group of gender experts.

Duration

• The selected candidate will be offered an initial 30-day contract starting on 1 July 2019, with the expectation that s/he will work on an almost-full-time basis (a 75-percent time commitment will apply). Based on performance, the candidate may be subsequently offered a contract extension up to a maximum of 150 days per year for the entire duration of the project (four years).
• Preference will be given to candidates willing to make a longer-term commitment to the project and to become a stable member of the TFWA team.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical inputs and comments into TFWA program documents such as Terms of Reference (ToRs), work plans, procurement plans, feasibility studies, communications & advocacy plans, training plans, and progress reports;
• Support the Senior Trade & Gender Specialist in conducting policy dialogue on trade & gender issues, by regularly engaging with TFWA donors and co-implementing partner as well as regional/national counterparts;
• Build on the stakeholder mapping done during the small-scale cross border trade surveys to identify adequate CSO/NGO to partner with in the implementation of the program, and maintain regular dialogue with such partners;
• Support development of training materials and delivering of presentations to program stakeholders and beneficiaries;
• Support efforts to mainstream gender into M&E activities and related documents, including M&E framework, survey instruments, and M&E reports, among others;
• Conduct periodic data collection through focus group meetings with the partner CSO/NGO;
• Support relevant TFWA awareness-raising and communications initiatives, both internal e.g. newsletters, briefings, talking points etc.) and external (radio campaigns, roadshows etc.);
• Regularly travel to TFWA countries, including remote locations, to monitor implementation progress;
• Manage local consultants supporting the implementation of TFWA trade & gender activities, as appropriate.

Selection Criteria

• Master of Arts in Economics, Social Sciences, International Development, or other relevant discipline;
• Proven understanding of the issues that lay at the intersection of trade facilitation, regional integration, and gender;
• Minimum 5 years of experience of working on gender-responsive trade facilitation and/or regional integration projects;
• Previous field experience in Africa is required experience in West African countries would a be a strong plus;
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to identify critical program constraints and to come up with innovative solutions;
• Strong communication skills, including ability to conduct policy dialogue with high-level program counterparts;
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team;
• Willingness to take up new tasks and responsibilities as the TFWA gender workplan takes shape;
• Fluency in English and French, both written and oral;
• Willingness to travel extensively within West Africa up to 50 percent of the consultant’s total time.