Policy Reform Manager

Scope of Work

Policy Reform Manager

Background

The purpose of the USAID Improving Private Sector Competitiveness (IPSC) (“the Project”) is to remove constraints and build the competitiveness of small and growing businesses (SGBs) in Vietnam, including those led by vulnerable populations. With this Project, USAID/Vietnam is supporting Vietnam’s competitiveness: vertically at the policy, market and firm level; and horizontally by working along the entire spectrum of enterprise growth models, from household businesses transforming into registered firms to small firms on the cusp of scaling up. Deloitte Consulting LLP (“Deloitte”) is implementing this Project on behalf of USAID. The Agency for Enterprise Development (AED) of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) is the Vietnam Government counterpart of IPSC.

The Project is made up of four interrelated Objectives[1]:

• Objective 1.    Building business management capacity of SGBs, including those led by vulnerable populations (particularly women and ethnic minorities).
• Objective 2.    Improving efficiency and productivity by promoting innovation, technology adoption, and sustainable business models.
• Objective 3.    Enhancing business enabling environment for a broad-based inclusive economy (BEE).
• Objective 4.    Strengthening business-to-business (B2B) and cross-sectoral linkages.

Summary of Activities

Objective 3 is aimed at supporting the Government of Vietnam (GVN) in improving the business environment, focusing on advocating reforms that facilitate improving regulatory effectiveness, adopting methodologies and tools that increase efficiency, increasing the quality of Public-Private Dialogue (PPD), and reducing the compliance burden on businesses to maximize the potential growth of SGBs.

The PolicyReform Manager will primarily manage implementation of activities that support business environment reforms and ensure the quality of the Project’s technical assistance within those assigned activities, including proposing policy reforms and managing a mechanism of engaging SMEs in policy activities.

The Policy Reform Manager will also manage implementation and ensure quality of IPSC’s activities to improve the capacity of business associations in policy advocacy and business development services (BDS). The activities promote and sustain cooperation and business development services among the public and non-public BSOs to improve private sector competitiveness. The Policy Reform Manager is responsible for planning, organizing, training, monitoring, and reporting on the BSO capacity building activities in collaboration with other IPSC members and stakeholders.

Specific Tasks

The Policy Reform Managershall perform the following tasks:

Business Enabling Environment Initiatives (80% level of effort)

• Serve as IPSC’s key focal point with GVN counterparts on IPSC’s activities related to policy regulations.
• Propose specific activities to support related GVN agencies in proposing and formulating new policies and regulations, proposing reforms towards existing policies and regulations and more efficiently implementing existing policies and regulations.
• In coordination and collaboration with relevant GVN agencies, including AED and other related agencies implement the assigned activities, specifically:

1. Discuss with the GVN counterpart and other related stakeholders specific needs to frame the scope of technical assistance.
2. Develop implementation plan, needed resources, specific outputs and outcomes of each activity.
3. Develop Technical Assistance Concept Notes (TACN) for the activity and scope of work (SOW) to engage individual consultants and/or consulting firms to support implementation of the activity.
4. Collaborate with IPSC’s operational team in recruiting consultants / consulting firms to implement approved activities.
5. Manage and report on the progress of the tasks assigned to consultants / consulting firms; review technical deliverables submitted by consultants / consulting firms.
6. Prepare workshops, field trips, meetings notes, and other reports.

• Work with relevant stakeholders to create and manage mechanisms of effectively engaging SMEs in policy activities.
• Improve the capacity of business associations on policy advocacy and BDS and develop digital guides.
• In conjunction with the MEL Manager, collect and report on relevant data for reporting to USAID and project partners.
• Contribute regular inputs for IPSC’s weekly, quarterly, and annual reporting as required.
• Carry out additional tasks within the scope of the expertise and experience as requested by IPSC management.

Business Support Organization Initiatives (20% level of effort)

• Manage local and international experts to ensure the progress and quality of training and coaching activities for BSOs including:

1. Coordinate with local and international experts to finalize training materials.
2. Monitor the on-site coaching and follow-on advice to achieve coaching goals on policy advocacy and BDS for at least eight business associations.
3. Coordinate and manage the development, design, finalization, and dissemination of two digital guides on policy advocacy and BDS.

• Prepare policy notes / briefings / success stories on the topics of the activities assigned as requested by IPSC management.

Qualifications

• At least a master’s degree in public management, economics, businessadministration,law or related field with a minimum 8 years of full-time professional experience.
• Proven experience in effective strategic planning and direction setting, with strong conceptual and analytical skills.
• Knowledge of policies and regulations relating to SME development.
• Experience in activities of enhancing PPD in policy activities.
• Proven experience in coordinating and collaborating with government agencies and business associations.
• Demonstrated experience in capacity building or supporting business associations in improving policy advocacy and services for business members.
• Experience working on international donor-funded projects, particularly on USAID-funded projects is preferred.
• Experience working with complex networks of stakeholders (government agencies at central and local level, business associations, enterprises).
• Practical understanding of policy formulation or legal document making/revision processes.
• Demonstrated high level organizational and time management skills, including the ability to manage workflow and balance competing priorities to ensure deadlines are met.
• Experience working in a team environment, possessing excellent people skills.
• Vietnamese nationality.
• Fluency in English and Vietnamese and proficiency in reporting and presenting.

Reporting Requirements

The Policy reform Manager reports to the Business Enabling Environment Team Lead.

Place, Period of Performance and Level of Effort

Level of effort:             Full time

Expected start date:        July, 2024

Location:                        Hanoi, Vietnam with travel to other provinces as required

Submission and Deadline:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV and Cover letter in English to [email protected] [1] Please state “Application for Policy Reform Manager – Full name” in the subject line.

Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Deadline for applications is COB 14 June 2024, Hanoi time.

USAID Improving Private Sector Competitiveness Key Concepts and Definitions

• Small and Growing Business (SGB): An organization/economic unit of Vietnam, including enterprises, under the provisions of the Law on Enterprises, cooperatives operating under the provisions of the Law on Cooperatives, and business households registered in accordance with Vietnamese law, which employs no more than 500 full-time employees, has growth potential but lacks the resources of knowledge, finance, human resources, and technology to realize its goals and growth potential. 
• Pioneering SGBs or Pioneering Enterprises (PEs): A growing Vietnamese enterprise with Vietnamese-branded products, good competitiveness, the ability to lead and expand in the industry, sector, and locality, good management capacity and willingness to innovate and produce products with high added value, with the vision/objective to build a Vietnamese brand in the international market.
• Business Development Service Provider (BDSP): Agencies, organizations and enterprises in both the public and private sector with functions, duties/business lines providing non-financial services to support enterprises to improve operational efficiency and business development.
• Business Support Organization (BSO): An organization with the function and mission to connect and support business development, often including business associations/clubs, industries, etc.