Trade Facilitation Lead

POSITION TITLE: Trade Facilitation Lead
LOCATION: Dhaka, Bangladesh
GROUP: Agriculture, Resilience, and Water
REPORTS TO: Chief of Party
PROJECT SUMMARY:
The Systems for Expanded Trade and Uptake (SETU) project is a five-year USDA Food for Progress initiative implemented by Winrock International in Bangladesh. SETU seeks to expand international trade in agricultural goods by improving the efficiency, transparency, predictability, and effectiveness of trade related processes and institutions. The project will strengthen the trade enabling environment through four complementary areas of work: improving legal frameworks and processes for trade and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures; operationalizing risk management systems; increasing private sector engagement in trade related reforms; and strengthening trade infrastructure and access to finance. Through these activities, SETU will work with Government of Bangladesh (GoB) agencies, private sector stakeholders, financial institutions, and other partners to reduce unnecessary trade costs and delays, improve regulatory coordination and compliance with international standards, and create a more predictable environment for agricultural trade and investment.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Trade Facilitation Lead will serve as the senior technical lead for Activity 1: Improve Legal Frameworks and Processes for Agricultural Trade and SPS, under the strategic and technical direction of the Chief of Party. The position will lead and coordinate implementation of Activity 1, including support to the Government of Bangladesh to modernize trade and SPS laws, regulations, policies, and procedures; simplify and automate agricultural trade processes; strengthen SPS and laboratory systems; and improve coordination between government institutions and the private sector.
The Trade Facilitation Lead will supervise and coordinate the Activity 1 technical team, including the SPS Advisor, Technical IT Coordinator, Trade Facilitation Coordinator, and relevant consultants and technical service providers. As part of the project’s senior technical team, and in collaboration with other SETU technical leads, the position will translate project priorities into practical, sustainable institutional, regulatory, and operational reforms and ensure that Activity 1 contributes effectively to SETU’s overall objectives.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
Technical Leadership and Activity Management
Provide technical leadership and day-to-day management of Activity 1, ensuring timely, high-quality implementation aligned with SETU objectives and USDA requirements.
Lead the Activity 1 technical team, including the SPS Advisor, Technical IT Coordinator, Trade Facilitation Coordinator, consultants, and technical service providers.
Develop Activity 1 inputs to work plans, implementation strategies, scopes of work, and budgets in collaboration with relevant project teams.
Coordinate with other Activity Leads, the MEL Manager, and cross-cutting functions, including Government Engagement, to ensure coherence across SETU.
Coordinate with other Activity Leads, the MEL Manager, and cross-cutting functions, including Government Engagement, to ensure coherence across SETU.
Legal, Regulatory, and Institutional Reform
Lead technical support to Government of Bangladesh agencies to review, update, draft, and advance laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and other instruments governing agricultural trade and SPS measures, including reforms related to the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC).
Lead technical work supporting the proposed Trade Facilitation Act and related institutional reforms, including strengthening the legal and institutional basis of the NTFC.
Support SPS agencies to strengthen the legal and regulatory basis for harmonization, risk-based compliance, automation, and alignment with applicable international standards.
Facilitate government and private-sector consultations to ensure proposed reforms respond to operational trade constraints and are practical to implement.
Support relevant agencies in advancing remaining WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement commitments and strengthening mechanisms for tracking and coordinating implementation.
Trade Process Simplification and Automation
Lead technical assistance to GoB agencies to simplify, standardize, and automate priority agricultural import, export, and transit procedures.
Use Time Release Studies, business process analyses, baseline data, stakeholder consultations, and other evidence to identify priority bottlenecks and opportunities to reduce trade time and costs.
Work with SPS agencies, NBR, and other relevant authorities to streamline documentation, approvals, licensing, certification, inspection, sampling, testing, and related trade processes.
Work with the Technical IT Coordinator and relevant service providers to translate regulatory and business requirements into effective digital solutions, ensuring automation simplifies processes rather than replicating unnecessary or duplicative manual requirements.
Support interoperability of relevant government systems with the Bangladesh Single Window and other national trade platforms, promoting transparent, standardized, auditable, and user-friendly processes.
SPS Systems and Laboratory Strengthening
Provide technical oversight of SPS interventions under Activity 1, working closely with the SPS Advisor and relevant GoB agencies.
Support government counterparts to strengthen and harmonize SPS processes, including sampling and testing procedures, in line with applicable international standards and good regulatory practices.
Support laboratory strengthening, accreditation readiness, efficient use of testing capacity, and integration of laboratory and SPS information systems with relevant government trade systems.
Facilitate coordination among agencies responsible for food safety, animal health, plant health, standards, customs, and related trade functions.
Monitoring, Learning, and Reporting
Work with the MEL Manager to track Activity 1 indicators, milestones, and results, and use performance evidence to inform implementation
Provide technical inputs to project reporting and document key results, lessons, and institutional changes arising from Activity 1 reforms.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief of Party.
QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND:
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in economics, international trade, law, public policy, public administration, international development, agriculture, business, or another relevant field required.
Master’s degree in a relevant field strongly preferred.
Experience:
Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in trade facilitation, trade policy, customs, SPS systems, regulatory reform, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated experience leading complex trade facilitation or regulatory reform initiatives involving government institutions and private sector stakeholders.
Strong experience working with Government of Bangladesh institutions responsible for trade, customs, agriculture, SPS, standards, food safety, or related regulatory functions.
Demonstrated experience supporting legal, regulatory, institutional, or business process reforms related to international trade.
Experience simplifying and modernizing import, export, licensing, certification, inspection, or other trade related procedures.
Experience with digital trade systems, process automation, single window systems, or integration of government trade related platforms strongly preferred.
Demonstrated understanding of SPS measures and their application to agricultural trade.
Knowledge of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and relevant international trade facilitation principles and standards.
Experience coordinating multidisciplinary technical teams, consultants, government counterparts, private sector organizations, and technical service providers.
Prior experience with USDA, USAID, or other U.S. Government funded programs preferred.
Experience working with international financial institutions or development partners on trade facilitation initiatives is an advantage.
Skills and Knowledge:
Strong technical knowledge of trade facilitation, regulatory reform, agricultural trade, and institutional strengthening.
Strong understanding of the interaction between trade policy, customs, SPS measures, risk based regulation, digital systems, and private sector trade.
Demonstrated ability to translate policy and regulatory objectives into practical processes, procedures, systems, and institutional reforms.
Strong leadership