Baseline Assessment Specialists – 1 in Hanoi, 1 in Ho Chi Minh City

Duties and Responsibilities
a) Support baseline team in performing primary and secondary research related to sectoral assessment in seven sectors: agribusiness, auto parts, electronics, furniture/wood processing, leather/footwear, metals, and textiles/apparel;
b) Locate source materials and identify interview sources for baseline team;
c) Support baseline team (task leader, gender specialist, and economist) in arranging meetings, interviews, and focus groups;
d) Accompany baseline team to meetings;
e) Draft inputs to the Sector Assessment report as assigned by the task leader; and,
f) Assist with translation of source materials.

Deliverables
The total payment value of this consulting contract will be negotiated with the final candidate and will be based on the salary history of the candidate and the overall expected level of effort. Payment will be made based on successful completion and acceptance of each of the below deliverables. Due dates are subject to change upon final discussions with selected candidate. Payment amount and terms for each deliverable will be finalized based on negotiations with selected candidate.

- Schedule of interviews as per task work plan, which will be completed by the Task Leader: Accepted document listing schedule of interviews with name of contact, phone/email address of contact, and location of interview (June 4, 2019. Payment amount: 15% of contract value)
- Notes from meetings/interviews/focus groups: Accepted document containing detailed notes from all meetings attended (June 24, 2019. Payment amount: 15% of contract value)
- Draft inputs for the baseline assessment report as assigned: Accepted word document that addresses each section/topic as assigned by the Task Leader (June 26, 2019. Payment amount: 30% of contract value)
- Final inputs for the baseline assessment report as assigned: Accepted word document that addresses feedback from draft version of inputs (July 3, 2019. Payment amount: 40% of contract value)

Location of Work
Two consultants will be hired, one based in Hanoi and the other in Ho Chi Minh City. Work shall be carried out in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City at premises provided by USAID LinkSME. Some travel may be required and will be provided by USAID LinkSME.

Background
IESC is managing the USAID-funded Linkages for Small and Medium Enterprises (USAID LinkSME), which connects Vietnamese enterprises with foreign firms (FFs) to expand local sourcing and catalyze sustainable economic growth. Today, Vietnamese enterprises with less than 500 employees account for 98 percent of all enterprises in Vietnam, but they only contribute 45 percent to the GDP and 51 percent to employment. Only 21 percent of these enterprises currently supply to foreign firms. Successfully engaging foreign firms requires knowledge of established best practices, production standards for consistent quality, intellectual property right protection protocols as well as new skills for the existing workforce. Many Vietnamese enterprises are seeking this new knowledge but struggle with the specifics. Their ability to grow greatly depends on their capacity to master and adapt to dynamic market requirements of international market drivers. USAID LinkSME will expand and improve the supplier-buyer relationships between Vietnamese and foreign firms. Local enterprises will build their workforce and capacity to supply, and foreign firms will reap efficiency benefits from increased local sourcing. During the first two years of the Activity, the interventions will focus on the electronics and metal (parts and inputs) sectors. During years three and four, the Activity will add three additional sectors based on IESC’s sector analysis to broaden its reach and scope. In the final year, USAID LinkSME will integrate critical learnings to further remove macro-level barriers to enterprise development.

As per the work plan, 180 days after the MEL Plan has been approved, the baseline assessment shall update the sector assessment conducted at proposal stage, adding the gender (i.e., “women in business”) dimension; the seven sectors shall reflect the sectors analyzed at proposal stage, including the two selected Phase 1 sectors. the baseline assessment shall update the sector assessment conducted at proposal stage. These sectors are:
• Agribusiness
• Auto Parts
• Electronics (Phase 1)
• Furniture/ Wood Processing
• Leather/ Footwear
• Metals (Phase 1)
• Textiles/ Apparel

Led by the Project Director, Ron Ashkin, with the support of international and local STTA, our baseline intends to assess the following for each sector:
• Participation of SMEs in global value chains via linkages with foreign firms (i.e., not via direct exports);
• Target number of linkages the project will reach;
• Interventions needed to address constraints identified, and the feasibility of addressing each constraint in a sustainable manner;
• Probability of realizing independent investment;
• Probability of replication of project successes; and
• Degree to which interventions are scalable independent of project interventions.

The consultant must have:
• Bachelor’s degree in economics or other relevant field;
• At least 5 years of relevant work experience in most or all of the above listed priority sectors;
• Strong understanding of the Vietnamese political economy/operating system;
• Demonstrated knowledge of key players and data sources, and ability to utilize existing contacts to organize meetings and interviews;
• Strong organizational skills; and,
• Must be fluent in written and spoken Vietnamese and English.

IESC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please note that this position is intended for a Vietnamese national. CV and letter of interest should be in English. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position will remain open until filled. Early applications by COB April 20, 2019 are strongly encouraged

- Competitive salary and bonus
- Social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance according to Labor Laws
- Professional, dynamic working environment

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