Scope of Work
Technical Assistance Portfolio 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.
This position supports Objective 3 in managing a set of technical assistance to support the Government of Vietnam and business support organizations (BSOs) to conduct reforms and capacity building aimed at improving the business environment.
Specific Tasks
The technical assistance portfolio manager shall perform the following tasks:
- Portfolio Planning and Management
- Develop and maintain a portfolio of technical assistance activities including but not limited to training, capacity building, policy research and consultation, to improve the business environment.
- Prepare implementation plans, including timelines, deliverables, and resources required for each TA activity.
- Coordinate with the IPSC team and relevant stakeholders to prioritize TA activities based on project goals and stakeholder needs.
- Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination
- Engage with government agencies, BSOs, private sector representatives, and other stakeholders to identify technical assistance needs and opportunities for technical assistance.
- Serve as the main point of contact for stakeholders involved in TA activities, ensuring clear communication and alignment of expectations.
- Activity Design and Implementation
- Collaborate with local and international consultants, and partner organizations to design tailored regulatory reform and training activities.
- Draft Technical Assistance Concept Notes (TACNs), Scopes of Work (SOWs), and other necessary documents for the recruitment and engagement of consultants and service providers.
- Oversee the delivery of TA activities, ensuring that objectives are met within scope, budget, and timelines.
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting
- Develop and apply monitoring tools to track the progress and impact of TA activities.
- Conduct regular reviews of TA deliverables, ensuring high-quality outputs and adherence to project standards.
- Document lessons learned and contribute to continuous improvement of IPSC’s regulatory reform and capacity-building initiatives.
- Contribute inputs to IPSC’s weekly, quarterly, and annual reports, summarizing key results and lessons learned.
- Capacity Building and Sustainability
- Ensure that TA activities contribute to building the capacity of government counterparts and BSOs to sustain reforms and training efforts beyond the project’s duration.
- Integrate cross-cutting themes such as gender equality, social inclusion, and sustainability into TA activities.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Economics, Law, Finance, Development, Public Policy, or a related field.
- At least 10 years of professional experience, including 2+ years managing technical assistance for donor-funded programs (preferably USAID projects).
- Strong understanding of Vietnam’s economic reform, development context, and opportunities and challenges for private sector development.
- Proven experience in working with local and international consultants to deliver technical assistance.
- Excellent organizational, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Proficiency in English and Vietnamese, with strong report-writing and presentation skills.
- Self-starter with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Reporting Requirements
The technical assistance portfolio manager reports to the Business Enabling Environment Team Lead and the Project Director.
Place, Period of Performance and Level of Effort
Level of effort: Full time until September 2025
Expected start date: February 2025
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] Please state “Application for Technical Assistance Portfolio 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 3 Feb 2025, 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.
[1] More information about IPSC’s activities could be found at: