Policy Officer – Strategic Planning and Foresight

Position description

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. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE VACANT POSITION

The WCO is looking to recruit an official as a Policy Officer for Strategic Planning and Foresight. This position would suit an individual motivated by the opportunity to work closely with senior decision makers and contribute directly to the development, follow-up and monitoring of the WCO Strategic Plan.

The WCO’s three-year Strategic Plan is accompanied by annual Implementation Plans that require coordination and collaboration across the WCO in order to agree on key deliverables to be implemented and monitored. Work around the Strategic Plan includes foresight thinking, especially through the development of the WCO Environmental Scan, and keen attention to follow-up and monitoring to assess the extent to which the WCO achieves its goals.

Working closely with the Strategic Planning Analyst, the selected candidate will assist the Deputy Secretary General (DSG) in the elaboration, management and implementation follow up of the Strategic Plan and related activities. Moreover, the selected candidate will assist the DSG in the elaboration, management and implementation follow up of foresight tools such as the Environmental Scan, Customs statistics and Risk mapping. The selected candidate will also provide administrative support for the DSG, as required.

3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES

Under the supervision of the Deputy Secretary General, the Policy Officer, Strategic Planning and Foresight will focus on the following key activities:

Strategic Planning and Foresight:

• Contribute to the development of high-level and strategic documents, aiming at guiding the Organization and Customs administrations towards the achievement of clear strategic objectives and targets.
• Contribute to the WCO’s Strategic Plan; analysing and coordinating the Directorates’ input and ensuring a harmonized organizational approach to the Plan.
• Develop and produce written documents on Strategic Plan and Implementation plan matters, and other matters related to WCO strategic work, such as environmental scans and foresight.
• Apply methods of data science to produce evidence-based insights for the Strategic Planning process.
• Follow-up and monitor developments related to the completion of activities included in the Strategic Plan. Liaise with the teams in the Secretariat to ensure their achievement. Produce dedicated reports and statistical material for internal communication and communication with Members.
• Develop and maintain the Strategic Plan Reporting Platform.
• Contribute to the development and update of Key Performance Indicators, enabling a sound assessment of the performance of the WCO regarding the content of its Strategic Plan.
• Produce research and foresight material on the role of the WCO and Customs now and in the future, to feed the development of a clear path forward at a strategic level.
• Assist the DSG in the coordination of tasks and activities towards the elaboration of the Strategic Plan, Implementation Plans, Environmental Scan, and other foresight activities.
• Assist the DSG in relaying strategic information or questions to the Management Committee, supporting decision-making in terms of strategic direction.
• Assist the DSG in the follow-up of regional priorities.
• Assist the DSG in the follow up of Audit Committee activities, particularly on the aspect of risk mapping, and Finance Committee activities related to the Strategic Plan.
• Edit and proofread draft documents related to the Strategic Plan, Environmental Scan, and other foresight activities.
• Write and edit communications materials in coordination with the Communications Service.
• Prepare the report minutes for WCO meetings, as required.

Administrative support to the DSG:

• Draft and follow-up on miscellaneous correspondence sent to Members, international organizations and the private sector.
• Provide administrative support to the DSG, including diary management, coordination of activities with the Personal Assistant to the Secretary General, organization of travel, preparation of files for missions, etc.
• Stand in for the Personal Assistant to the Secretary General in case of urgent need.

The person appointed will also be required to perform such other duties as may be assigned and may be subject to reassignment within the WCO Secretariat.

4. EDUCATION

• University Degree in a subject of relevance to the job requirements, or an equivalent combination of education, skills and experience.

5. EXPERIENCE AND ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum three (3) years’ relevant professional experience in the areas described above.
• Attention to detail and a meticulous and methodical approach, handling competing tasks within the deadline set.
• Strong inter-personal skills, intercultural awareness and the ability to work effectively with staff and stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong drafting and analytical skills and critical thinking, being able to synthetise and to explain complicated concepts in simple terms.
• Excellent presentation skills and the ability to present information effectively to senior decision makers.
• Motivated by the opportunity for continuous learning and the ability to approach concepts outside of his or her normal area of expertise.
• In-depth knowledge of standard office automation applications, including Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat and Access. Knowledge of Power BI and Tableau would be an asset.

6. ADDITIONAL DESIRABLE BUT NON-ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Practical experience in an international, multicultural, and multilingual environment.
• Professional experience in a similar position in an international organization.

7. LANGUAGES

• Fluency in English and/or French, the official working languages of the WCO.
• Knowledge of the other official WCO language and/or of another working language used at the WCO would be considered an asset.

8. CONTRACT AND CONDITIONS

• Staff member under WCO contract of three (3) years, with the possibility of renewal.
• 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 paid annual leave.
• Salary based on the Co-ordinated Organisations’ salary scale, grade B4, step 1; amount of 4,641.01 EUR/month (remuneration exempted from income tax in Belgium).
• The basic salary can be augmented by allowances based on the staff member’s eligibility, and it is subject to the mandatory withholding of terminal allowance (for retirement planning) and medical and life & disability insurance contributions.

This position is subject to the WCO Staff Manual (for permanent staff). 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.

9. APPLICATION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Interested candidates should submit their application for review no later than April 4th 2026 midnight CET, including a CV and motivation letter in English or French. This application should be sent by email to: [email protected].

The subject line of the email sent by each candidate should clearly indicate the job vacancy for which they are applying.

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.

Interested candidates may submit a request for additional information via email, providing their full name and contact details.

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.

10. 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:https://www.wcoomd.org/en/about-us/legal-instruments/policies.aspx). Any questions or complaints in this regard may be addressed to the WCO’s Data Protection Officer ([email protected]).

Application instructions

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