Title of Assignment: Project Specialist – Support for strategic projects in Asia

Name of unit/sector: WIPO Academy / Division for Asia and the Pacific

Place of Assignment: Remote working (full-time)

Expected duration of assignment: February 1 to July 31, 2024

1. Objective of the assignment

The Regional and National Development Sector (RNDS) provides a diplomatic, political, and operational gateway for all Member States of the Organization, facilitating two-way communication and cooperation across WIPO.  The Sector supports Member States in the development and implementation of policy in the context of establishing effective IP ecosystems and strengthens their capacity and that of other stakeholders to use IP as a tool for growth and development in an impactful manner.

Within RNDS, the WIPO Academy is the Division responsible for supporting WIPO’s Member States build human capacity in IP through education, training, and skills-building, in particular for developing countries, LDCs and countries in transition.  As part of this, the WIPO Academy Intellectual Property Training Institutions (hereinafter, IPTIs) Program is creating and consolidating national and regional self-sustaining training infrastructure and capacities to build IP knowledge and skills on the ground.

As of December 2023, the support provided by the IPTI Program benefits a total of 55 countries, including projects for:

• Establish new IPTIs, through (i) training their future trainers; (ii) setting up a Business Plan; (iii) developing the curricula of their future courses; (iv) establishing an IPTI Library; (v) facilitating the piloting of courses; and, building their digital presence.
• Address the current capacity-building needs of 18 established IPTIs;
• Providing collective services, resources, and initiatives, for the benefit of all IPTIs;
• Capacity-building projects aimed at leveraging IP to support creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, including within WIPO’s Build-Back Package.

The Division for Asia and the Pacific (DAP) is responsible for providing legal and technical assistance to 38 countries in the Asia and Pacific region in coordination with other areas of WIPO.  As well as operating as the first port of engagement for the countries with Member States, DAP engages multiple stakeholders in the region, such as IP offices, other government agencies, and private sector entities in tailor-made programs on IP as a tool for innovation and creativity.

As part of its mandate, DAP, like other WIPO geographic divisions in RNDS, is also responsible for supporting Member States’ requests to WIPO for developing policies and providing guidance for improving the overall IP ecosystem of a country.  One particular example being a National IP Strategy (NIPS), which is a set of policy measures formulated and implemented by a government to improve its IP and innovation ecosystem in line with social, cultural and economic development goals.

Both the WIPO Academy and DAP work in a coordinated manner to drive technical assistance projects in pursuit of the Sector’s overarching missions and goals within the Asia Pacific Region. In this context, they require assistance to support the implementation and monitoring of national and regional projects in Asia, including IPTI and NIPS formulation projects.

2. Tasks / services

The Contractor will performance the following tasks:

For the WIPO Academy IPTIs Program

(a) Support the coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of ongoing projects, including making project proposals, preparing related documentation and compiling information, particularly for Asian countries;
(b) Assist in the preparatory work, planning, and organization of training of trainers’ modules and other training activities;
(c) Contribute to the preparation of action plans for the execution of follow-up cooperation projects and activities requested by existing IPTIs for 2023.
(d) Assist in the update of content for the IPTIs’ Moodle Spaces;
(e) Support effective business decisions by the IPTIs Program.
(f) Perform other related duties as required.

For the Division of Asia and the Pacific:

(a) Support DAP in its work in coordinating and engaging with relevant Member States within the Asia Pacific Region countries seeking the support from WIPO in the development of a NIPS;
(b) Assist in collection of relevant information, materials and contribute to the drafting of documents to support the ongoing development of a NIPS, in association with DAP and any other relevant entity from WIPO or the Member State engaging in the NIPS development process;
(c) Interact and conduct virtual consultations, meetings and/or surveys where required with relevant stakeholders in the Member State engaging with WIPO in the development of a NIPS;
(d) Perform other related duties as required

3. Reporting 

The Contractor will be under the supervision of the Counsellor of the WIPO Academy IPTIs Program, and the Counsellor of the Division for Asia and the Pacific.

4. Profile 

The contractor should be a motivated professional, with the following experience, skills, and competencies.

Education

• A university degree in business administration, international relations, science or another relevant field.
• An advanced degree in intellectual property is desirable.

Experience

• Minimum of three years of relevant work experience in intellectual property and capacity-building projects, ideally in Asian countries.
• Experience in project management particularly in project design is desirable.
• Exposure to a multi-cultural environment is an asset.

Languages

• Excellent written and spoken knowledge of English.

Job-related competencies

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively, build lasting relationships, and work as a team.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to work quickly and accurately with a high degree of independence and initiative.
• Sound political judgment and good diplomatic skills.

5. Duration of contract and payment

The contract will start on February 1, 2024, to July 31, 2024.  Applicants are requested to provide an indication of their remuneration expectations in Swiss francs (daily rate). The contract might be renewed upon satisfactory performance and availability of funds, up to a maximum of 24 months.