Job Description

Roles & Responsibilities

Position Information

• VA No.: UNDP/LBN/VA26/102
• Position Title : Senior Trade Specialist - Supporting trade and SME policy reform, and trade facilitation
• Duty Station: H ome 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: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vYM0hLoKFF-gEn_wwDwZ-7aZWN-6RwDO/view?usp=sharing

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

Desired Candidate Profile

• 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.
• Fluency in Arabic and English is mandatory (both oral and written)