Introduction:
The Pakistan Single Window (PSW) initiative aims at reducing the time and cost of doing business by digitizing cross border trade and eliminating paper based manual processes. The Pakistan Single Window Company incorporated under section 42 of the Companies Act, 2017 by Pakistan Customs has been notified as the ‘operating entity’ of the PSW system by the Federal Government under the provisions of Pakistan Single Window Act, 2021. The software development for the PSW system began in October 2020 and Phase 1 completion was achieved in June 2022 in line with Pakistan’s commitment under the Trade Facilitation Agreement.
The Company has its offices in Islamabad and Karachi. As of September 2022, the company has more than 130 employees with more than half of them from the IT sector responsible for designing, developing, operating, and maintaining the PSW system and its allied components. Domain officers deputed from Customs and Other Government Agencies (OGAs) lead the software design and implementation of the various components of the PSW system and support change management and stakeholder consultations.
In order to support customs related digitization and reform efforts, PSW is establishing a dedicated Digital Customs Unit in the company and requires the services of a technology lead to support PSW and Pakistan Customs on digitization of customs processes, procedures, and operations handled through the WeBOC system. The HOD - DC shall be responsible for development, maintenance, support and implementation of technology-based solutions for Customs/trade facilitation, and ensure that system design and workflows of WeBOC are clearly aligned with the expectations of Directorate of Reforms & Automation (Customs) as well as with PSW. In addition, the candidate selected for the role will also be leading the WeBOC transformation process with assistance from the World Bank under the ‘Pakistan Raises Revenue (PRR)’ project. Working under the supervision and guidance of the Chief Strategy and Operations Officer PSW, the HOD-DC shall lead the WeBOC development team and shall be responsible for coordination and collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders including the domain officers, Chief Technology Officer, the Directorate of Reforms & Automation, Karachi etc.
Duties & Responsibilities: IT Project & Program Management
1. Application Maintenance & Support
2. Planning & Coordination
3. Digital Customs Transformation
Qualification, Experience & Technical Competencies:
Base of Operation:
Karachi / Islamabad, Pakistan
Pakistan Single Window (PSW) is an ICT-based system in Pakistan providing a single window for trade. PSW is a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents at a single-entry point to fulfill all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements. If information is electronic, then individual data elements need to be submitted only once. PSW will connect relevant government departments with each other and with economic operators like importers, exporters, customs agents, shipping agents, transporters etc, in Pakistan for efficient management of cross border trade. It will provide the ease and transparency in achieving compliance with relevant regulatory requirements, through an on-line facility, that will intelligently handle the information for each transaction without the need to provide same information more than once or to physically visit such government departments. Pakistan has committed to implement various provisions of World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement that includes implementation of a National Single Window (NSW) system before February, 2022. Pakistan also needs PSW implementation to overhaul management of its external trade for reducing time, cost and complexity involved to improve its position in various global rankings on competitiveness and ease of doing business. Guiding vision and mission objectives: VISION: Pakistan will establish a world-class automated hub by 2022, offering services and creating efficiencies, to reduce cross border trade related costs, time and complications for improved trade facilitation and compliance. MISSION: Improve cross-border trader processing by providing centralized ICT based services, simplified processes, effective and reliable automation, harmonized data exchange and risk-based selectivity in enforcement of government’s regulations.