Local e-Commerce Consultant (Project Supervisor)

About Palladium:

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 3,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities.

Palladium Americas:

Our Americas’ business team has brilliant and passionate colleagues working in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America as well as the Caribbean, fulfilling projects and assignments for clients from institutions, corporations, governments, and foundations based in the Americas. We have offices in Washington, DC, New York City, and Raleigh-Durham, NC.

Project Overview:

The USAID/Central Asia’s Future Growth Initiative (FGI) is designed to spur productive economic activity across Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, by increasing the competitiveness of high-growth industries, providing jobs and incomes for Central Asia’s growing workforce, and propelling the region toward self-reliance. Target sectors include Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Light Manufacturing (Apparel/ Garments/ Textiles), Tourism, and Food Processing and Beverages. The FGI will transform market systems in ways that help high-potential firms, leading organizations, and sectors grow, foster market linkages to match demand for workforce skills with training offered to youth and women, link entrepreneurs to high-growth markets, and build more business- and worker-friendly policy environments and institutions to sustain private sector– driven growth. USAID FGI will work to address legal and regulatory constraints, if they are determined to be significant inhibitors to growth.

This Opportunity:

On April 16, 2022, Orlan, a local consulting company, and FGI launched a new round of the Business Incubator program “Handmade Export 2022”.

The “Handmade Export 2022” Business Incubator aims to create new opportunities for artisans to sell handicrafts on eBay, a global e-commerce marketplace that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales. The sale of products to international markets through online marketplaces requires solving numerous problems, including proper selection and registration on electronic trading platforms, creative copywriting and merchandising (incl. high-quality product photos), competent customer service, and thoughtful solutions for efficient delivery and payment receipt. Even more complicated is the issue of designing the products to meet the demand of the target markets, which requires investment in production technology as well.

The business incubator will target the category of, so-called, handmade aggregators, which see their role as facilitating handicraft exports by working with numerous handmade manufacturers. The aggregators are expected to display products on electronic trading platforms and further sales of products, including delivery and receipt of payment.

“Handmade Export 2022” aims to do the following:

• Increase the export of handmade products from Turkmenistan
• Form a new category of entrepreneurs – the so-called aggregators
• Form a positive image of the business-aggregator model in the public consciousness
• Introduce elements of innovation (electronic sales, new methods of marketing, electronic payments) into the traditional sector of handicrafts
• Assist women, residents of the city and regions with children of preschool and primary school age who are passionate about creating handmade products, through new electronic sales channels, including abroad, as well as the further organization of online platforms (fairs, exhibitions, and sales) for the sale of these products
• Assist small and medium-sized businesses in exporting products (not only handmade) through the organization of logistics and advertising (online platforms for sales, exhibitions, and sales)
• Train participants on electronic payment systems for mutual settlements
• Develop logistics and delivery capabilities for handmade products abroad, including the European Union (EU) and the United States.

The training program will include methodological foundations for creating support programs for young entrepreneurs and women in e-commerce, educational/networking events, ways to attract investment, building an entrepreneurial community and startups, and the principles/structure of an entrepreneurial support team. International experts in design, global payment systems, and logistics will be involved to develop various skills in entrepreneurship.

Location: This position is based in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Reporting and Supervision:

The consultant will work in close cooperation with the FGI Turkmenistan team and Orlan staff and will report directly to FGI’s Country Manager and Orlan’s director.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

As part of this assignment, the local e-Commerce Consultant will conduct weekly consultations with project participants to onboard the sellers to eBay and optimize the onboarded sellers’ online stores to enable them to make their first sales on eBay.

The consultant will work closely with Orlan and FGI, ensure timely implementation of activities, and submit a final report on the results, taking into account comments and recommendations of the project staff upon completion of the work.

In collaboration with FGI and Orlan staff, the consultant will perform the following types of activities:

• Coordinate plans and activities to achieve project results
• Liaise with the International STTA Advisor (Fabian Stachelin) and attend online sessions with him to follow through on the guidance and instructions he provides to HME participants (residents) on eBay onboarding during the individual sessions with the participants
• Educate participants on customer service, including how to respond to specific requests from online shoppers and provide assistance with translation issues
• Train participants on using electronic payment systems for mutual settlements
• Study various logistics and delivery methods to develop new possibilities of exporting the handmade products to the USA, EU, and other destinations.
• Generate analytical conclusions on e-commerce and e-exports and include them in a final report with recommendations; discuss these issues with program organizers
• Develop solutions and train participants on other innovative aspects of e-commerce (e-sales, new marketing methods, new effective logistics solutions)

Anticipated Outcomes:

The results of the STTA Consultancy contract will be:

1. Real and sustainable sales for at least five program participants by the end of the program in July 2022.
2. Positive evaluation of the local consultant by the majority (90%) of program participants.
3. Final report, PowerPoint presentation, article, and other results as described above
4. Qualitative and effective work according to the above description of services.

Level of Effort:

It is anticipated that the total inputs will take up to 16 days from May 2022 to June 2022.

Key Competencies Required:

• High degree in economics, business, or other related fields
• Excellent knowledge, experience, and skills in e-commerce, export for 2-3 years
• Knowledge of and work on B2C electronic platforms such as Etsy.com or eBay
• Experience with various international online platforms, including B2B format platforms, which will be considered an advantage
• Computer skills and experience with design applications, various tools and applications related to e-commerce and relevant payment solutions
• Fluency in spoken and written English and Russian are required. Knowledge of Turkmen will be considered an advantage
• Entrepreneurial experience will be considered an advantage.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion – Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at [email protected] and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding – We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.