| Title: | International Expert in Standards Development Platform |
| Main Duty Station and Location: | Home based |
| Mission/s to: | Home Based |
| Start of Contract (EOD): | 16/03/2026 |
| End of Contract (COB): | 30/06/2026 |
| Contract Type: | 110 person-days |
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialised agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalisation, and environmental sustainability. Under the Programme “Supporting business‑friendly and inclusive national and regional policies, strengthening productive capabilities and value chains,” funded by the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (Delegation Agreement FED/2018/403‑924), UNIDO has been entrusted with a Project that constitutes the meso‑level component of the Programme.
The project component, entitled “Supporting quality and regulatory infrastructure, value chain-specific quality infrastructure services and quality culture promotion in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States”, will contribute to the overarching objectives of the Project, namely, to increase the economic and social impact from ACP participation in the multi-lateral trading system. This will be achieved through increased competitiveness of SMEs and their products on local, regional and international markets, increased ACP consumer safety, and increased contribution of OACPS to the operation of the multi-lateral trading system.
This specific project component is designed to contribute to the overall programme objective by achieving three key outputs:
- Enhancing regional quality and regulatory infrastructure (Q&RI) governance;
- Strengthening the availability of value chain specific quality infrastructure (QI) Services; and
- Promoting Quality Culture and Practices.
The CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) is the Regional Technical Counterpart in the Caribbean for the ACP QI Programme. CROSQ is a regional inter-governmental organisation established by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in February 2002 to support economic development within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and is headquartered in Warrens, Barbados.
CROSQ’s main objectives are the development and harmonisation of standards, metrology, mutual recognition of accreditation and certification systems and facilitation of the achievement of international competitiveness of regional goods and services produced and provided in the Community. Since the inception of CROSQ, the focus has shifted over the years from regional standards development and standards harmonisation throughout the region to the development of the basic regional quality infrastructure architecture and equivalence.
Organisational Structure and Governance
CROSQ is governed by the Council of CROSQ, comprising representatives from each of the 15 CARICOM Member States’ National Standards Body (NSB) and a representative from the CARICOM Secretariat. This Council is responsible for recommending standards for approval, policy decisions, and defining the strategic direction of the Secretariat of CROSQ. The Secretariat of CROSQ is led by the Chief Executive Officer.
Regional Standard Development
The regional standards development process is a structured, consensus-based mechanism through which Member States collaborate to develop harmonised regional standards that support trade, consumer protection, and sustainable development. It typically begins with the identification of regional needs and priorities, followed by the establishment of a regional technical committee comprising experts nominated by the National Standards Bodies (NSBs) and key stakeholders. Draft regional standards are developed in alignment with relevant international standards and best practices, subjected to regional public consultation to ensure transparency and inclusiveness, and revised based on stakeholder feedback. The final draft is then reviewed and approved through the appropriate regional governance structures.
CROSQ is seeking to procure the services of an expert to develop a Digital Standards Development Platform. This platform is expected to facilitate a paperless and more efficient process for regional standards development within CARICOM.
The purpose of the requested services is to enable CROSQ to have a dynamic, interactive IT application that digitalises the process for developing standards at the regional level. The expected impact of the required services is to modernise the regional standards development process through improved efficiency, transparency, and enhanced stakeholder participation.
Under the direct supervision of the Chief Executive Officer of CROSQ, the expert will perform the duties outlined in the table below.
| Performance Indicator | Target/Measurement |
|---|---|
| Completion of gap analysis | Within 4 weeks of contract start |
| Approval of QMS implementation plan | Within 6 weeks |
| Staff training coverage | ≥ 90% of staff trained |
| Quality Manual and procedures finalised | Within 3 months |
| Internal audit conducted | At least one full cycle completed |
| Management review held | Minimum one session before certification |
| Certification readiness confirmed | Within 6–9 months |
| ISO 9001:2015 certification achieved | By agreed date |
| Post-certification improvement plan delivered | Within 2 weeks of certification |
110 person-days within 5 months
The expert is expected to possess a combination of education, skills, and experience relevant to the design, development, and implementation of digital platforms for standards development or comparable multi-stakeholder processes. Specifically, the consultant should demonstrate:
1. Education
- At least a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Systems Development, or a related field.
- Formal qualifications or equivalent professional experience in web application development (front-end and back-end), databases, APIs, and document management systems.
- Qualification or certification in information security (e.g. ISO/IEC 27001, CISSP, CISM), responsible for data protection, access control, and system integrity.
2. Professional Experience
- A minimum of 5 years practical experience in the design, development, and deployment of digital platforms, preferably for standards development, regulatory, or multi-stakeholder technical processes. Experts are required to provide examples of relevant work demonstrating their role and contributions in such projects, which may include links, screenshots, or brief project descriptions.
- Demonstrated ability to integrate collaborative workspaces, workflow management, document repositories, and e-commerce modules into a single platform. Experts should provide examples of previous projects illustrating this capability, including a brief description of their role, the modules integrated, and outcomes achieved.
- Experience conducting training, onboarding, and user support for diverse stakeholder groups. Experts should provide examples of previous projects illustrating this experience, including the type of users trained, training methods used, and outcomes achieved.
- Experience working with regional or international organisations, multi-country workflows, or technical committees.
3. Skills and Competences
- Strong technical knowledge of digital platform development tools, databases, and user interfaces.
- Ability to translate complex technical processes into user-friendly digital solutions.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, and presentation skills.
- Capacity to provide practical recommendations on sustainability, maintenance, and expansion of digital platforms.
- Excellent command of written and spoken English Language.
Other - Familiarity with Caribbean or regional multi-country institutional arrangements is desirable.
- Experience in ISO, regional, or national standards development processes or similar regulated technical workflows would be an asset.
Other
- Familiarity with Caribbean or regional multi-country institutional arrangements is desirable.
- Experience in ISO, regional, or national standards development processes or similar regulated technical workflows would be an asset.
The proposal must include a technical proposal in compliance with the Terms of Reference, as well as detailed descriptions of sub-activities and a comprehensive work plan. A financial proposal outlining the breakdown of consultancy charges must also be provided.
Curriculum Vitae(s) should be annexed to the submission. Proposals are to be submitted to Ms. Mara Abraham, Technical Officer – Standards, at mara.abraham@crosq.org and copied to Ms. Teyonna Delice-Mayers, General Project Officer – Project Implementation, at teyonna.delicemayers@crosq.org by 4:00 PM AST on Monday, 2 March 2026.
CROSQ reserves the right to negotiate rates with the most technically eligible respondent.
****Note: Only the successful applicants will be contacted.
