Title: International Value Chain Development Expert
โโRequisition ID: 6549
Grade: ISA-P4
Country: Zambia
Duty Station: Lusaka
Category: International Consultant
Type of Job Posting: External Private Posting
Employment Type: NonStaff-Regular
Contract Duration: 6 months
Application Deadline: 07-Nov-2025
Vacancy Announcement
TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT OF PROJECT PERSONNEL
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. The mission of UNIDO, as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013 as well as the Abu Dhabi Declaration adopted at the eighteenth session of UNIDO General Conference in 2019, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States. The relevance of ISID as an integrated approach to all three pillars of sustainable development is recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will frame United Nations and country efforts towards sustainable development. UNIDOโs mandate is fully recognized in SDG-9, which calls to โBuild resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovationโ. The relevance of ISID, however, applies in greater or lesser extent to all SDGs. Accordingly, the Organizationโs programmatic focus is structured in four strategic priorities: Creating shared prosperity; Advancing economic competitiveness; Safeguarding the environment; and Strengthening knowledge and institutions.
Each of these programmatic fields of activity contains a number of individual programmes, which are implemented in a holistic manner to achieve effective outcomes and impacts through UNIDOโs four enabling functions: (i) technical cooperation; (ii) analytical and research functions and policy advisory services; (iii) normative functions and standards and quality-related activities; and (iv) convening and partnerships for knowledge transfer, networking and industrial cooperation. Such core functions are carried out in Departments/Offices in its Headquarters, Regional Offices and Hubs and Country Offices.
Under the overall direction of the Director General, and in close collaboration with all relevant organizational entities within UNIDO, the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development (TCS), headed by a Managing Director, ensures the Organization's application of strategies and interventions for sustainable industrial development related to environment, energy, Micro, Small and Medium-Enterprises (MSMEs), and digitalization. The Directorate also oversees the Organization's normative contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through industrial policy advice and capacity development. Through coordination in-house and with Member States and industry stakeholders, it ensures that the services provided in these areas contribute to effective and appropriate technical, business and policy solutions and are focused on results, scaling up and positioning UNIDO as a leading platform for industrial development in developing countries and global fora.
The Directorate is responsible for the Division of Industrial Policy Advice and Capacity Development (TCS/IPC), and technical Divisions of Circular Economy and Green Industry (TCS/CEG), Energy and Climate Action (TCS/ECA), Climate Innovation and Montreal Protocol (TCS/CMP); MSME Competitiveness, Quality and Job Creation (TCS/SME); and Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence (TCS/DAI). Leveraging the diverse skill sets of UNIDO personnel and the services provided by the two TC directorates, TCS collaborates closely with IET to develop and implement programmes and projects, aiming at enhancing synergy and complementarity and maximizing UNIDO corporate performance and impacts on the ground. The Directorate also ensures close coordination and collaboration among the Divisions as well as with relevant entities in all Directorates across the Organization.
The Division of Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence (TCS/DAI) promotes digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence as well as associated technologies as part of innovation ecosystems consisting of productive capacities in manufacturing, services and digital firms, with the purpose to advance the competitiveness of industries and manufacturing firms in Member States. It helps industries to benefit from the rapid progress in digital and convergent technologies associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), ensuring a smooth transition towards safe and secured cyber- physical industrial systems and a smart society and mitigating any negative adverse effects on employment and quality of work. Through the Division's services, the productive transformation is the key, by integrating industrial businesses, dynamic entrepreneurship, and acceleration services, and by applying technological innovation to smart manufacturing, smart energy, smart agribusiness and others, in developing countries, transition and emerging economies, with emphasis in developing countries to provide the opportunity to technologically catch up instead of falling behind industries in more advanced countries.
PROGRAMME CONTEXT
ID 240108 - Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access (ATCMA) Programme โ COMESA
The EU-funded Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access (ATCMA) Programme, a Sub-Saharan African initiative aims at sustainably increasing intra-African and EU-Africa trade. In addition to a continental component, the programme comprises five regional components in the ECOWAS, COMESA, SADC, ECCAS and EAC regions, building on existing or previous regional programmes (WACOMP in West Africa, MARKUP in East Africa, PIQAC in Central Africa, RECAMP and SIPS in Southern Africa).
The overall focus of this four-year ATCMA COMESA Programme is to address market access challenges faced by selected value chains in the easter and southern African region, through two pillars:
The programme will spearhead the identification of trade barriers, being those tariffs, non-tariff barriers, as well as regulatory constraints, and support COMESA and its Member States in formulating and implementing targeted strategies to address these challenges. Further it will enhance the regional and national quality infrastructure systems by defining quality-related policies and good governance strategies and strengthening selected quality infrastructure institutions at the national and regional levels. As success hinges on complementing the overall governance with a robust value chain approach, the programme will focus on ensuring market access for specific target value chains to be selected through a consultative process.
The programme will prioritize the enhancement of export competitiveness as a crucial enabler towards trade development, anchoring its interventions around the strengthening of MSMEs capacities and ensuring their compliance with regulatory frameworks. A pivotal role will be played by the private sector and business associations that will facilitate the implementation of services aimed at enhancing export competitiveness and maximizing opportunities for MSMEs. Forward looking and innovative practices will be at the core of the programmeโs approach. Moreover, the intervention will support the development of sustainable (green, blue, circular and climate-neutral) policies, strategies and actions for the target value chains. It will promote the development of clusters and consortia fostering resilient business alliances and reliable institutional networks, and support MSMEs access to innovative financing and investment solutions.
The programme is thematically structured into five components leading to 5 outputs as follows:
In relation to Specific Objective 1:
Output 1.1: Market access barriers identified and reduced
Output 1.2: Strengthened quality compliance and standards
Output 1.3: Value-chain revision mechanism facilitated
In relation to Specific Objective 2:
Output 2.1: Enhanced value addition and diversification
Output 2.2: Enhanced SME capacities and opportunities for business and export
While UNIDO is in charge of implementing output 1.2 and 2.1., ITC is responsible for the implementation of output 1.1, 1.3 and 2.2.
To ensure an overall coherent umbrella ATCMA framework, coordination and complementarity between the Continental component and sub-regional components will be ensured throughout the overall programme implementation.
FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
The International Expert on value chain development works under the direct supervision of the Output 2.1 coordinator at UNIDO HQ and the overall guidance of the UNIDO Industrial Development Officer responsible for the project (Lead Programme Manager) at UNIDO HQ, in close collaboration with the Industrial Development Expert at UNIDO HQ, the Regional Programme Manager in Lusaka, and the UNIDO-ITC project team in Lusaka.
The Expert is responsible for coordinating, monitoring and providing technical advice and inputs for the Output 2.1 of the Programme on value addition and diversification (enterprise upgrading, clusters, digital transformation, centres of excellence, innovative finance and investment, sustainability policies/strategies, etc.).
In particular, Output 2.1 will aim to strengthen the VCs ecosystem in order to raise MSMEs export potential in the high value-added segments of priority VCs and to help them penetrate new markets. In this regard, the programme will promote:
Services and tools to boost the export of MSMEs; Low-carbon transformation throughout the adoption of green, circular and climate neutral policies aimed at bringing transformative impacts across priority VCs; Regional Centres of Excellence promoting the development of priority VCs; Digital production and innovation ecosystem along priority VCs; The capacities of MSMEs, particularly through collaborative initiatives/networks/clusters, upgrading and technological development and technology transfer in priority VCs; Industrial skills for the sustainable development of priority VCs; Access to innovative financing and investment solutions.
The Expert will be responsible for the following tasks:
Main duties
Concrete/
measurable
Outputs to be achieved
Expected duration
Location
Project Management and Implementation
Elaborate the work plan for Output 2.1 and supervise the implementation of its activities from the technical perspective to ensure quality and impact of interventions. Ensure the daily technical coordination of the output in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders. Provide technical inputs to work plans, progress reports, final report and any other reports/documents as requested, and in compliance with UNIDO and the donor guidelines and requirements. Ensure synergies with programmes conducted by other organizations or institutions and with other UNIDO projects in the region. In collaboration with the Regional Programme Manager assist the Output coordinator and UNIDO team at HQ monitor and evaluate the progress and the impact of the programme interventions under output 2.1 as well as the impact on the productsโ quality and on the performance of the selected MSMEs and manufacturers. Report obstacles, problems and shortcomings to the output 2.1 coordinator and team at HQ in order to coordinate the introduction of rapid remedial measures. Supervise and coordinate the work of experts in the field and service providers, guiding and validating their deliverables. Undertake travels as required by the programme activities. Provide briefing, guidance, training and technical inputs to experts for developing and implementing technical assistance activities across the programmeยดs outputs. Lead and/or participatein meetings/workshops/seminars to publicize the project as requested. Support the lead programme manager, output 2.1 coordinator and the team at HQ in the preparation of administrative, technical and financial files for the subcontracting of equipment and services including calls for tenders Support the lead programme manager, output 2.1 coordinator and the monitoring officer in tracking the progress of the project through collecting relevant data and providing necessary information.
Output 2.1 detailed workplan regularly updated and coordination among activities ensured for enhanced synergy.