International Electronics Manufacturing Consultant
Company Overview:
Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with foundations, investors, governments, corporations, communities and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental and financial benefits.
For the past 50 years, we have been making Positive Impact possible. With a team of more than 2,500 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of more than 35,000 technical experts, Palladium has improved – and is committed to continuing to improve – economies, societies and most importantly, people’s lives.
Palladium is a child-safe organisation, and screens applicants for suitability to work with children. We also provide equal employment to all participants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran or marital status.
Project Overview and Role:
Guatemala is a developing country with great economic growth potential. However, despite the Government’s efforts to enhance growth, Guatemala faces major challenges related to sustainable development. The estimated population is 14,901,286 (48.5% men and 51.5% women), with about 41.7% identifying as Indigenous and 54.69% of the population aged 24 years or younger [1]. Despite this potential, 59.3% of the population lives in poverty, earning less than Q.10,218.00 (or US$ 1,327,31) per year [2]. In addition to poverty, Guatemala faces a number of adverse realities, including high rates of social, cultural, and historical violence that divide the country among ethnic, economic, and geographic groups. Migrants cite the problem as “lack of employment opportunities, income generation, and educational opportunities. There are no technical careers for young people in Guatemala.” According to data from the Ministry of Education, 170,000 students graduate each year; however, the gross employment rate remains below 60%, evidencing the problem of labor insertion in the country.
The USAID/Creating Economic Opportunities Guatemala Project (CEO) supports economic growth, private sector development, competitiveness, and job creation in Guatemala. In addition, it aims to strengthen investment and trade promotion, catalyze productive infrastructure, develop Guatemala’s workforce, and improve the enabling business environment. A core objective of the CEO Project is to strengthen the private sector as a growth engine to reduce poverty, improve living conditions, and create sustainable economic opportunities in Guatemala for Guatemalans. By focusing on the country’s secondary cities, such as natural investment and growth platforms, cultivating partnerships among stakeholders in the public, private, and civil society sectors, as well as emphasizing an ecosystem conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship, the CEO Project will play a key role in job creation and will facilitate investment and enabling prosperity beyond the rural areas of the country.
Promotion for attracting foreign direct investment is a strategy that Guatemala is driving to generate employment and boost the economy. The CEO project was invited to support the “Guatemala does not stop” initiative, promoted by the Government of Guatemala and the Private Sector, to attract foreign investment in productive sectors that show potential. Specifically, the Project will support attracting investment in the Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) sector. With the support of the Trade and Investment Promotion Component (C1), this will serve potential investors interested in the country of Guatemala.
As a sector that is not yet developed in Guatemala, it is necessary to collect data on industry operations across different countries to determine which subsectors will yield the highest opportunities for Guatemala to join the Global Value Chain (GTS), and build a value proposition to promote the country as an investment destination for electronics manufacturing.
Primary Duties and
Responsibilities:
- To research the electronics manufacturers
industry and structure of the GTS in order to identify Guatemala’s
potential as a supplier. - Analyze and select the
subsectors/products and countries with the greatest market
share in international trade (import and export), in the world,
Latin America, Central America, and the Caribbean. - Analyze the GTS of the selected subsectors
and products to determine in what phases and/or components Guatemala has
the opportunity to participate. - Describe competitiveness factors of
electronics manufactures in subsectors that Guatemala could participate
in, based on a comparative analysis (benchmark) of countries that have
successfully developed this sector in global and Latin American
markets. - Describe the competencies that human
talent must have, international certifications, and recruitment models
that the EMS Industry uses to contract phases, components, and services
rendering of the manufacturing process.
Results of
Consultancy:
Information on the
subsectors, products, and countries with the greatest market share in the EMS
industry in which Guatemala has the opportunity to participate, as well as the
description of the Global Value Chains (GVCs) to determine in which links for the
country to integrate into the manufacturing processes. This includes
information on main companies participating in the GVC in the subsectors and
products that represent the best opportunities for Guatemala.
Information on the
main factors that make a country competitive in the selected EMS subsectors and
products that represent an opportunity for Guatemala, including the
characteristics of human talent, the main certifications for operation and
access to international markets, and the description of the recruitment models
that the industry uses for the components manufacturing and final product
assembly.
Subsectors/products
analysis and global value chains:
- Analyze subsectors and products with a
greater share in international trade, exports, and imports over the past 5
years, in the global, Latin American and Central American-Caribbean
context. Include an analysis of the largest investments made in the sector
and subsectors in Latin America over the last 5 years. - Determine which subsectors and products
offer the highest potential for Guatemala to pursue in the global value
chain , based on current market share and closeness due to economic
complexity . - Describe the value chains of the
subsectors and products that are determined to hold potential for Guatemala,
including the main countries and companies that participate in them. For
this activity, interviews shall be conducted with companies that
manufacture and/or render services in the GVC phases. Include illustrative
value chain schemes. - Determine in what phases, components,
products, and/or services of these value chains Guatemala can
participate.
Prepare a listing with information
on the main manufacturing companies in the subsectors and products
of interest, including final product assembly and component manufacturing
companies .
Competitiveness
factors:
- Describe the competitiveness
factors of the EMS sector with emphasis on the subsectors and
products that are determined to hold potential for Guatemala. - Carry out a comparative analysis (benchmark)
of the competitiveness factors of the sector in countries with a greater
market share, in the world (first 2) and Latin America (Mexico, Costa
Rica, and Brazil) in manufacturing in the subsectors and products that are
determined to hold potential for the country. - In the analysis of competitiveness
factors, expand on topics on human talent, infrastructure, special
economic zones, and incentives to the sector, considering what the sector
demands on these topics and what products or services do the manufacturing
countries offer. For this activity, conduct interviews with companies in
the sector. - Suggest what relevant items Guatemala
shall consider building a value proposition that promotes the country as
an investment destination in the EMS sector, including topics on human
talent, infrastructure, regulatory framework, and incentives, other that
are relevant in the sector. - In countries considered in the
benchmarking, include information on the existence of EMS ecosystems and
list the actors that are part of them, for example: businesses, public,
academic associations supporting the sector (trade associations, business
chambers, research and development institutes of the sector, among
others).
Human talent,
certifications and recruitment models:
- Define the human talent profiles requested
by the EMS sector, academic training, and required competencies, in the
GVC phases and in technical and operational areas. Include information
from estimates of the number of human talent employed/required by the companies
in the sector. - Identify the certifications required in
the electronic equipment manufacture, considering the operational and
access stages to international markets. Identify and describe the
certifications requested in the main markets of the selected
subsectors/products with manufacturing potential in Guatemala. - Description of the main models that the
EMS industry uses to recruit phases, components, and service rendering of
the manufacturing process.
During the consultancy
process, constant communication will be kept with the CEO Project’s Trade and
Investment Promotion team to discuss progress and receive feedback, ensuring
the achievement of the proposed objectives. The consultancy will be lead in
Spanish and all the deliverables are expected to be written in Spanish, native
language in Guatemala. This will include presentations of the methodology,
progress, and main findings of the consultancy, and will be made to the
technical and management team of the Project.
Deliverables (in
Spanish):
Work Plan (2
days):
- A descriptive document of the proposed work plan with which the consultant will achieve the objectives in the required time (include activities by topic in accordance with the TDR’s). It includes methodological description (of each phase/activity/instruments)
- Schedule of activities: considering progress and focus meetings and deliverables for technical review (3 days before administrative delivery)
- Prior to the approval of the work plan, the methodology and proposed sources of information will be submitted to the Trade and Investment Promotion team (C1). The delivery will be 5 working days after the contract is signed.
Analysis of
EMS subsectors and their global value chain (24 days):
Technical report
containing:
- Editable document (word) with all the information of the activities contained in clause a. including tables, diagrams, charts, etc. and a detailed description of the methodology used for the analysis.
- Additional attached files such as analysis databases (Excel), editable charts and schemes, instrument formats used; i. e., interview guides and reports, etc.
- PowerPoint presentation with relevant information and key findings
Competitiveness and
Benchmarking Analysis (24 days):
Technical report
containing:
- Editable document (word) with all the information on the activities contained in clause b. including tables, schemes, analysis databases (Excel).
- Additional attachments such as analysis databases (Excel), editable graphs and schemes, etc.
- PowerPoint presentation with relevant information and key findings.
Human talent,
certifications, and recruitment models (10 days):
Technical report
containing:
- Editable document (word) with all the information of the activities contained in clause c. including tables, schemas, analysis databases (Excel), links to certifications web pages, etc.
- Additional attachments such as analysis databases (Excel), editable charts and schemes, etc.
- PowerPoint presentation with relevant information and key findings.
Level of Effort and
Period:
The level of effort is
60 effective working days after the USAID approval. The suggested execution
period is June to October 2021 (60 days in 5 months of the contract).
Follow-up and
Approval:
- Evelyn Córdova, investment advisor for the
Trade and Investment Promotion component, with the approval of the Component
Lead, Gabriela García.
Qualifications:
Academic training
- Degree and postgraduate studies in
economics, international trade, or related careers - Knowledge of global manufacturing
processes and value chains
Professional
experience
- Experience in international trade analysis
(exports and imports) - Experience in market research,
benchmarking, or other linked to the electronics manufacture sector at the
international level - Work experience and knowledge om the
global chain value of the electronics manufacture sector - Experience in managing data analysis and
management tools such as: Excel, OEC (Economic Complexity), TradeMap,
and/or similar
Additional knowledge
- Knowledge of the electronic sector in the
global and Latin American context - Management of international trade data
analysis tools and global value chains
Required
Competencies/Skills
- Ability to relate to international private
sector actors for information management - Results-oriented.
- Effective time management.
- Capacity for analysis and drafting of
technical reports
More Information
- $ Salary Offer POA
