Position Information
- VA No.: UNDP/LBN/VA26/102
- Position Title: Senior Trade Specialist – Supporting trade and SME policy reform, and trade facilitation
- Duty Station: Home based and includes field visits to the Ministry of Economy and Trade (MoET)-
- Beirut.
- Duration: 4 months (without exceeding 10 working days per month)
- Vacancy Date of Issue: 5 July 2026
- Vacancy Closure Date: 13 July 2026
- National or International consultancy: National consultancy
To review the full Terms of Reference (TOR), please follow link:
BACKGROUND
-Led Enterprises in Lebanon is a new project funded by the Government of Canada for a period of 3.5 years. The project aims at supporting gender-responsive job creation and help generating economic opportunities for women-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across various productive sectors with high growth potential. Through this objective the project will be fostering the economic security, stability and prosperity of women entrepreneurs and women-led MSMEs in Lebanon.
The project includes 3 main components:
Component 1: Ensuring that government institutions are more responsive to women’s needs through processes that are more conducive to doing business,
Component 2: Ensuring that women-led MSMEs have access to the financial resources to grow and remain sustainable,
Component 3: Ensuring that women-led MSMEs receive the needed technical support to increase their access to local and international markets.
The project was developed in response to the multiple crises that have hit Lebanon, in particular the financial crisis which have hindered the ability of MSMEs in general and women-led MSMEs to access the needed financing to grow. With the collapse of the banking system and the resulting depletion of all sources of financing, access to finance is considered as one of the biggest impediments for MSMEs and particularly women MSMEs to develop and take their business to the next level. This has compounded to the already existing barriers women entrepreneurs have been facing namely stringent collateral requirements, high interest rates, complex documentation processes, sub-optimal financial literacy, absence of market information, etc.
In light of the current situation and the ongoing conflict, and based on consultations held with WEE project beneficiaries, MSMEs are currently facing significant cash flow constraints and growing financial pressures that are affecting their ability to sustain operations, retain workers, and plan for the short and medium term. Many businesses are operating in an increasingly uncertain environment, with limited capacity to assess risks, respond to disruptions, and adopt practical financial strategies to maintain stability during crises.
This Terms of Reference (TOR) outlines the scope of work, qualifications, and expected deliverables for the Senior Trade Specialist who will be responsible. The expert will ensure
SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ANALYTICAL WORK
UNDP is seeking the services of a Short-Term Individual Consultant (Senior Trade Specialist) to improve the business environment for SMEs through regulatory reform, trade facilitation, SME data centralization, and strengthening institutional mechanisms for protecting national production.
Under this consultancy, the Consultant is expected to complete the following tasks:
Task 1: Draft the Small Business Act Law: The Consultant will lead the development of the Smal Business Act law to support the growth of the business environment for SMEs. As part of this exercise, the Consultant will:
- Conduct benchmark analysis to assess legal requirements that would support, the growth, formalization and competitiveness of small businesses as part of best practices and international experiences
- Develop the draft law that will be shared with the legal experts from the Ministry to review and advocate for the enactment of the law for SMEs
- Work closely with designated legal experts from the Ministry to review, refine, and finalize the draft law. This includes incorporating technical feedback and ensuring legal coherence. The Consultant will also support coordination efforts with relevant stakeholders to facilitate consensus-building and advocacy for the adoption of the law.
- Develop clear and context-relevant criteria that will be used to define SMEs, building on the Ministry of Industry existing classification. The criteria should consider factors such as firm size, turnover, sectoral characteristics, and employment thresholds, ensuring consistency and applicability within the national context, while informed by international similar practices.
- Coordinate on the centralization of the database of SMEs at the ministry of Economy and Trade through the TIC or through a new unit. This will require coordination with concerned government entities to ensure continuous update of information
Task 2: Develop concrete recommendations to streamline procedures related to import and export: The Consultant will develop actionable recommendations ensuring alignment with effective national legislation and international trade commitments. This task will include raising awareness among relevant Ministries and public bodies and proposing implementable solutions for improving administrative processes. This task will encompass the following components:
- Comprehensive review of MoET import/export related legislation: The Consultant will a consolidated document that will include:
- Mapping of relevant legal and regulatory framework governing import and export activities
- Gap analysis assessing alignment with current economic needs and international standards
- Identification of conflicting, outdated, or duplicative provisions Prioritized action plan with recommended amendments
- Implementation roadmap outlining responsibilities, sequencing and timelines
- Support Inter-Ministerial committee on Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs): The Consultant will participate in the meetings of the inter-ministerial committee for reviewing and aligning Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) on Imports and Exports with WTO and WCO recommendations and subsequently develop comparative analysis of current NTMs vs WTO/WCO recommendations and proposed amendments or reform measures for NTMs
- Support to One-Stop Shop Initiative for Trade Procedures: The Consultant will participate in the meetings of the inter-ministerial committee for establishing a one-stop shop for processing all trade related procedures for import and export activity. Subsequently, the Consultant will develop recommendations on the modus operandi for the Ministry of Economy and Trade to function as One Stop Shop for businesses, covering the full business journey from registration through acquiring the Certificates of origin (COO).
- Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) and Compliance with Trade Agreements: The Consultant will perform the necessary research and produce analytical reports and/or Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) in response to measures undertaken by relevant Ministries that may not be in conformity with Lebanon’s international trade commitments under ratified Trade Agreements (Ex. Euromed Association Agreement, EFTA, PAFTA, etc…)
- Coordination and Knowledge Integration (Stratgate Platform): The Consultnat will participate in meetings and align research findings with Stratgate platform info and update platform info where and when needed (https://stratgate.ai/).
Task 3: Reactivate and operationalize the National/Domestic Production Protection Framework: The Consultant will support the reactivation and operationalization of the body established under the Law dated December 8, 2006, for the protection of national/domestic production under the mandate of the Ministry of Economy and Trade (MoET). This task aims to strengthen institutional coordination, enhance technical capacity, and enable effective use of trade defense and protection measures. Detailed activities will include: Awareness across line Ministries regarding the existing Protection of National Production Legislation
- Conduct an initiation workshop for Members of the Investigation Body composed of the Director General of Economy and Trade acting as coordinator, the Director General of the Ministry of Industry, the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture and a Director General from the Customs and technical specialists assisting them
- Develop recommendations and draft ToRs to support line Ministries in mobilizing and formalizing collaboration with the private sector Members organizations, including, but not limited to, the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI) and Syndicate of Lebanese Food Industrialists (SLFI). The ultimate aim is to facilitate access to studies and research needed to build solid cases for Protection of National production
- Support the work of the MoET team in conducting and drafting investigation cases.
- Build and strengthen Internal MoET Capacities and ensure transfer knowledge. This will entail designing and delivering at least two targeted training sessions for MOET staff.
EXPECTED DELIVERABLES
The Consultant is expected to complete the above tasks and activities within a maximum period of 4 months (without exceeding 10 working days per month).
INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTs
- The work is expected to start upon contract signature.
- The consultant will work under the overall guidance of the UNDP WEE Project Manager in close coordination with the Ministry of Economy and Trade (MoET) team.
- The consultant will rely on his/her own means of communication and transportation. Transportation and communication fees for the consultant should be included in his financial offer.
- The title rights, copyrights and all other rights whatsoever nature in any material produced under the provisions of this TOR will be vested exclusively in UNDP. UNDP has full ownership of the activity and of its final product. Thus, any public mention (including through social media) about the activity should state clearly that ownership.
- In addition, any public appearance related to the activity should be coordinated and approved by UNDP.
- In the event of any delay, s/he will inform UNDP promptly so that decisions and remedial action may be taken accordingly. Delays that would affect the flow of the collaborative work and the delivery of outputs on schedule will lead to termination of contract.
- Should UNDP deem it necessary, it reserves the right to commission additional inputs, reviews, or revisions, as needed to ensure the quality and relevance of the work.
DURATION OF WORK
The assigned duration for this consultancy is 4 months without exceeding 10 days per month. The mission is expected to commence on 20 July 2026, and to be completed by 19 November 2026. The time needed to review/ comment/ approve deliverables and outputs is (5) five working day.
DUTY STATION
The duty station is home based and includes field visits to the Ministry of Economy and Trade (MoET)- Beirut.
REPORTS VALIDATION MODALITIES
The consultant is expected to submit a worksheet at the end of each month detailing the work accomplished throughout the assignment period.
Provisional approval of submitted written material shall take place at each of the defined milestones shown in the delivery schedule. It is expected that such approval shall not exceed five (5) working days from the notification of the completion of a specific milestone.
On submission of each of the deliverables, the Project Manager shall respond within a maximum of five (5) working days and the decision may either be:
- approval;
- approval with reservations upon which the Consultant shall reply within five working days under penalty of rejection; or
- rejection with clear justifications.
STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education
- Master’s Degree in Economics, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
- At least 10 years of professional experience in trade policy, economic reform, including SMEs business environment improvement, and extensive work with government institutions on regulatory and legislative frameworks.
Language: Fluency in Arabic and English is mandatory (both oral and written)
“The Personnel will be covered with Health insurance and Personal accident insurance; the fees shall be deducted from personnel’s monthly payment”.
How to apply
To apply for this position please choose one of the two options below:
1. Link to Apply:
https://jobs.my-soc.org/apply/20260705124646/THxKzs25a1L3kIJrDiOUdbqQM
2. You can send your CV with the cover letter to this email: jobs@starsorbit.org. Please write (UNDP/LBN/VA26/102) in the subject of the email.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS TO APPLY
1. CV or P11 Form including 3 references must be submitted online in PDF along with your Education Graduation Certificate.
2. Use English language only.
3. Indicate clear years of experience with each job (Month/Year)
4. If the candidate is currently employed by a government institution, he/she must be able to provide an unpaid leave of absence for the duration of the consultancy.
5. Only candidates who are short-listed will be contacted.
6. By submitting your application, you have read the Terms of Reference for this position and agree that any false, wrong, or incomplete information might lead to your disqualification in this recruitment process.
STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS