## 1. INTRODUCTION
The World Customs Organization (WCO) is an independent intergovernmental body, established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC), whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs services across the globe. The WCO represents 187 Customs administrations that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade. As the global centre of Customs expertise, the WCO is the only international organization with competence in Customs matters.
As a forum for dialogue and exchange of experiences between national Customs delegates, the WCO offers its Members a wide range of conventions and other international instruments, as well as technical assistance and training services provided either directly by the Secretariat, or with its participation. The Secretariat also actively supports its Members in their endeavours to modernize and build capacity within their national Customs administrations, as well as fostering international cooperation among them.
## 2. PROJECT BACKGROUND
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (SECO) and the WCO have decided to pursue a second phase of the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP-II) to continue strengthening the organizational and technical capacities of beneficiary Customs Administrations (CAs) to successfully lead, plan, and implement sustainable and transparent Customs reforms, with deeper involvement of the private sector and relevant stakeholders, and apply international standards and best practices, in particular, those of the WCO and the World Trade Organization (WTO) related to trade facilitation.
The beneficiary countries of this second phase are at the outset: Colombia, El Salvador, Moldova, Morocco, Peru, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan. Other countries may join the programme at a later stage, subject to the decision of SECO and the WCO.
## 3. MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
The GTFP-II seeks to contribute to fostering and facilitating international trade through strengthening compliance of selected beneficiary countries, in particular Customs Administrations, with international standards and best practices for the importation, exportation, and transit of goods. The Programme pursues three outcomes:
Outcome 1: Organizational Development – Supporting the institutional strengthening of CAs through leadership and management development, improvement of strategic planning, resilience, and change management, as well as the implementation of effective Customs performance measurement tools to ensure CAs can fulfil their mission and attain their objectives.
Outcome 2: Trade Facilitation – Supporting the implementation of efficient Customs procedures to facilitate the cross-border movement of goods and reduce trade-related costs, including compliance topics related to trade facilitation measures, aimed at equipping CAs with the technical skills and necessary expertise to implement effective and efficient Customs controls for ensuring compliance with laws, competitiveness, revenue security, and societal protection.
Outcome 3: Continuous Learning and Public Goods – Fostering a multidisciplinary attitude to promote Customs cooperation between neighbouring CAs within regional support activities, peer-to-peer learning, and dissemination of best practices to create internal capacities of CAs and secure the sustainability of Customs reforms. This new outreach will also aim to create public goods for the global Customs community by developing learning and materials and increasing the pool of experts and trainers.
## 4. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES
Under the supervision of the GTFP-II Programme Manager the position holder will focus on the following key activities:
### i. End-to-End Technical Delivery and Follow-Up:
– a) Conduct diagnostic, scoping, and needs-assessment missions to identify systemic trade facilitation bottlenecks, institutional constraints, and implementation gaps, among others, translating findings into actionable, time-bound work plans with clearly defined outputs and indicators.
– b) Design, draft, and finalize detailed Terms of Reference (ToRs) for technical assistance activities, ensuring precise alignment with programme objectives, WCO instruments, WTO TFA provisions, donor requirements, and beneficiary priorities.
– c) Personally contribute to the delivery of technical assistance missions, working hands-on with beneficiary administrations and WCO-accredited experts to ensure substantive progress against agreed deliverables.
– d) Ensure systematic post-mission follow-up, including consolidation of findings, validation of recommendations with counterparts, and active engagement with beneficiary administrations to support implementation beyond the mission itself.
### ii. Operational Planning, Coordination, and Execution:
– a) Plan, sequence, and manage multiple concurrent activities, adjusting priorities as required to respond to evolving country needs, operational constraints, and programme timelines.
– b) Mobilize and coordinate closely with WCO Accredited experts to deliver technical assistance and capacity-building activities under the GTFP goals ensuring they are fully briefed, operationally prepared, and equipped with the relevant WCO tools, methodologies, and documentation prior to deployment.
– c) Actively monitor mission results and outputs, intervening as necessary to maintain quality, coherence, and adherence to programme standards guided by the Programme Manager and Lead Expert.
– d) Debrief experts after each intervention, consolidate lessons learned, and translate outcomes into concrete next steps for countries and the programme.
### iii. Monitoring, Reporting, and Administrative Accountability:
– a) Ensure timely preparation of high-quality technical reports, mission outputs, and progress updates for the Programme Manager and Lead Expert that meet WCO and donor standards, accurately reflect field realities, and clearly document results achieved and outstanding actions.
– b) Track implementation progress and risks, proactively identifying delays, bottlenecks, or underperformance and proposing corrective actions.
– c) Maintain accurate administrative and programme records, including work plans, mission documentation, reporting inputs, and follow-up matrices, recognizing these as integral components of programme delivery.
– d) Contribute substantively to internal and external programme reporting, communications, and knowledge products, providing technically sound and evidence-based inputs.
### iv. Contribution to Programme Effectiveness
– a) Operate as a reliable, self-directed contributor within the Programme Management Team, capable of delivering assigned responsibilities with minimal supervision while maintaining close coordination with colleagues.
– b) Demonstrate adaptability and resilience, maintaining delivery standards under pressure, tight timelines, and shifting operational contexts.
– c) Supporting the GTFP Programme Manager with the provision of content for necessary programme reports, and both internal and external communications.
### v. Other Activities
– Perform any other project-related duties assigned by the line manager.
## 5. EDUCATION
– University degree (Bachelor´s degree or higher) in a relevant field or an equivalent combination of education, skills and experience.
## 6. EXPERIENCE AND ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS
– At least seven (7) years’ experience in a relevant field, including demonstrated experience in planning, implementing, and monitoring organizational and technical trade facilitation (TF) initiatives within a Customs administration.
– Demonstrated knowledge and expertise in the WTO TF Agreement (TFA), including experience in the planning, delivery, and monitoring of capacity building and technical assistance support to developing countries in areas covered by the WTO TFA and WCO Mercator programme.
– Good knowledge of the WCO instruments and tools that support trade facilitation.
– Demonstrated ability to provide strategic and technical advice to the beneficiaries.
– Demonstrated flexibility, accountability, and a strong execution mindset.
## 7. ADDITIONAL DESIRABLE BUT NON-ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS
– Accreditation as a WCO Mercator Programme Advisor or Customs Modernization Advisor would be considered as an advantage.
– Knowledge of the functioning of international organizations will be considered an asset.
## 8. LANGUAGES
– Fluency in English and French.
– Knowledge of other languages of beneficiaries of the GTFP-II would be a strong asset.
## 9. CONTRACT AND CONDITIONS
– Staff member under short-term contract of one (1) year with the possibility of renewal based on budget availability and performance;
– Probationary period: six (6) months;
– Full-time employment (thirty-seven (37) hours and forty (40) minutes weekly) at WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium;
– Thirty (30) days of annual paid leave;
– Salary of 6,500 EUR/month all-inclusive (remuneration exempted from income tax in Belgium);
– Compulsory WCO health insurance deducted from the salary (approximately 71 EUR/month).
This position is subject to the Manual for Short-Term Contractors. The successful applicant shall not acquire the right subsequently to occupy a permanent position within the WCO. The successful applicant will not be affiliated to any WCO retirement fund or pension scheme. If a candidate is related to current WCO staff members (spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister), they are required to specifically indicate this in the application.
## 10. APPLICATION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Interested candidates should submit their application for review no later than 19 March 2026, including a CV and motivation letter in English or French. This application should be sent by email to:
[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
The subject line of the email sent by each candidate should clearly indicate their last name and first name.
The onus is on the applicant to demonstrate how they meet each of the essential qualifications and requirements. Applicants are encouraged to describe tangible achievements in their CV and motivation letter, as well as to include contact details for referees.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an assessment, which may include a written test and/or an interview. All short-listed candidates may be requested to provide copies of their original diploma, certificates and proof of relevant experience. Pre-selected candidates may also be subject to reference checks to confirm the information provided in their application.
The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application, according to the criteria for the position and the applicable WCO rules.
## 11. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The WCO is committed to the principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability, as well as to promoting diversity among its staff members. Accordingly, applications from qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, will receive equal treatment and due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting nationals from WCO Members on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The age limit for employment at the WCO is 65. Please note that the WCO Headquarters building is a non-smoking environment.
Any personal data collected and processed as part of the recruitment procedure will be in accordance with the WCO’s Personal Data Protection Policy (available on the WCO website:
