The World Customs Organization (WCO) is an independent intergovernmental body, established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC), whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs services across the globe. The WCO represents 186 Customs administrations that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade. As the global centre of Customs expertise, the WCO is the only international organization with competence in Customs matters.
As a forum for dialogue and exchange of experiences between national Customs delegates, the WCO offers its Members a range of Conventions and other international instruments, as well as technical assistance and training services provided either directly by the Secretariat, or with its participation. The Secretariat also actively supports its Members in their endeavours to modernize and build capacity within their Customs administrations, as well as foster international cooperation amongst them.
Customs administrations perform a range of important functions on behalf of their governments including revenue collection, trade facilitation, protection of society, and national security. These functions require the identification of goods at the border and the key WCO instrument used by Customs authorities for this is the International Convention on The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (the Harmonized System), which forms the basis of tariff schedules in 212 countries or unions globally. The Harmonized System (HS) creates classes (headings and subheadings) into which all the world’s tradable goods can be classified. The HS must be maintained to ensure that these classes are reflective of current needs and is updated on a normally five-year cycle.
The Harmonized System is a flagship instrument and the key Convention for Customs and trade in managing the identification of goods for Customs clearances globally. This is set up under an international convention, which was adopted in June 1983 and entered into force January 1988. The Convention expanded upon the previous nomenclature and hence most of the structure and some of the content is older than the Convention.
Given the age and importance of the HS, the WCO Members agreed to conduct an Exploratory Study on a Possible Strategic Review of the Harmonized System (HS) (the Study) to examine the overall health of the HS. The result was a report to the Policy Commission and Council, held in June 2024, for their consideration, including the Study’s Recommendations that had been presented to the Harmonized System Committee (HSC) at its 74th Session. While it was found that the HS was still functioning as intended, there was room for improvements in clarity, consistency and ease of use.
Interest was expressed by Members in embarking on practical work on the Recommendations to improve, enhance or refine the HS and its tools during the next review cycle, and the Secretariat was tasked with drafting a document on what could be feasible during the negotiation period for the next review cycle of the HS (July 2025 to March 2030). As a result of that work, the Enhancing the Harmonized System (HS) Framework Project was approved at the June 2025 Council.
The project was funded to run for 30 months with two Project Officers with at least one Project Officer fluent in French and at least one fluent in English, the two official languages of the HS.
The specific scope of the project is based on the set of 15 recommendations put forward for consideration by the HSC in the final report of the Study.
The overall goal is the development of proposals to address the recommendations put forward in the Study, for consideration by the HSC, with a view to implementing practical and strategic changes aimed at improving the tools, processes or overall usability of the HS and its tools.
The work is divided into four work streams (S1 to S4) and the objectives are as follows. In this, references to strategies relates to the Study and the public version of this should be consulted on the WCO website (final-report-of-the-hs-exploratory-study-2024-english.pdf).
This stream focuses on enhancing the structural layout for improved clarity and ease of use and increasing consistency in language use. It covers the development of the “HS Drafting Manual” (strategy VII), the “Guidelines for referencing other standards and definitions” (strategy VIII) and proposals for formatting and layout options (strategies IV and V).
Objectives: Research, consultation and development of draft tools for submission to the RSC and HSC.
The second work stream focuses on improving the usability of the HS, promoting global consistency of application, and strengthening the defensibility of current provisions against legal challenges and the most extensive in terms of scope. It incorporates the work related to what constitutes the core of the HS: the General Interpretive Rules (GIRs) and the way in which language is used in the texts to specify scope. This would involve clarifying how “usage” provisions are indicated (strategy X) and increasing the clarity of the GIRs (strategies I and II).
For any changes to the language of the HS or its tools accepted by the HSC a review of the HS and its tools for consistency (strategy IX) would also be needed under this work stream. However, this would be greatly facilitated by the ability to search electronically for the use of the terms affected.
Objectives: Research, consultation and development of draft amendments to the HS and HS Explanatory Notes for submission to the RSC and HSC.
This relates to the internal Secretariat and committee processes. It would be undertaken in cooperation with other Secretariat staff.
Project work in this area would involve an examination of the current processes and possibilities, and consultation with Members and other stakeholders on their use and the degree to which they meet – or fail to meet – needs in terms of usability, timeliness and clarity.
This was proposed for strategies XVIII, XIX, XXXIII, XXXI and XXX. However, as some work is already being undertaken in this area and some changes of circumstances remove the need for some of this work, this stream would be adapted as required and would be carried out in cooperation with the relevant Secretariat staff.
Objectives: Research, consultation and development of discussion documents or development of draft proposals, as appropriate, based on the research and the outcomes of internal consultation, for submission to the HSC and WCO management as appropriate.
Research, consultation and development of discussion documents on use of certification status criteria (strategy XXI) and the use of an optional annex of subheadings for national use (strategy XXVI) for submission to the HSC.
(Whether any further outputs would be required would depend on the HSC decisions and the amount of time remaining for the project.)
Under the supervision of the Deputy Director (Nomenclature & Revenue Sub-Directorate), the Project Officers will have responsibility for the following outputs:
Proposals for tools or procedures for use by the HSC, HS Review Sub-Committee (RSC) and Secretariat in the work of the HS review cycles – for consideration for endorsement and adoption by the HSC.
Draft proposals for amendments to the HS or its tools to improve the clarity and usability of the existing HS provisions and Explanatory Notes – for consideration by the HSC and the RSC and possible adoption for the HS 2033 edition.
Proposals for WCO internal procedures to improve the efficiency of the HS work undertaken by the Secretariat.
Policy discussion documents on recommendations requiring policy decisions – for consideration by the HSC.
Submission of a final report on the outcomes of the project to the HSC, Policy Commission and Council.
Secondary outputs
Submission of interim reports to the HSC, Policy Commission and Council on the work of the project.
Other project-related duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.
A university degree; or an equivalent combination of education, skills and experience.
Fluency in either English or French, both written and spoken is required;
Knowledge of the other would be an advantage.
Knowledge of and experience with the HS and tariff classification: the applicant will be expected to demonstrate technical comprehension of the HS.
A high level of proficiency in written and oral communication skills, including demonstratable mastery of grammar and syntax and the ability to write with clarity, is required.
Strong analytical skills.
Demonstratable experience in one or more of the following areas:
drafting of legislation;
drafting for public communication on technical or legal issues;
editing of technical or legal publications;
experience in projects aimed at analysing procedures and documentation; or
interpretation of the HS in a judicial or administrative appeal context
Good interpersonal skills suitable for working in a small team in an international environment with limited supervision.
Ability to work with Microsoft Office in general. Ability to produce reports in Word and use Excel for analysis and work tracking in particular.
A working knowledge of the official language (English or French) not nominated as the applicant’s primary working language is highly desirable to ease communication between project team members and with Members.
At least five years’ experience of practical issues relating to Nomenclature matters, in particular tariff classification, at the national or international level.
Experience in WCO HS working bodies (HSC and RSC).
Experience in working in an international environment.
Experience in working on projects.
Staff member under short-term contract for 2 years (possibility of extension for an additional 6 months);
Envisaged start of short-term contract: December 2025 (possibility of being moved to January 2026);
Probationary period: six (6) months;
Full-time employment (37 hours and 40 minutes per week) at WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium;
30 days of paid annual leave;
Travel to beneficiary countries required;
Salary at 7,700 EUR/month all-inclusive (remuneration exempt from income tax in Belgium); and
Compulsory WCO health insurance deducted from salary (around 62 €/month in 2025).
This position is subject to the Manual for Short-Term Contractors. No relocation package is available for this position. The successful applicant shall not acquire the right subsequently to occupy a permanent post within the WCO. The successful applicant will not be affiliated to any retirement fund or pension scheme taken by the WCO. If a candidate is related to current WCO staff members (spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister), they are required to expressly indicate this.
The onus is on the applicant to demonstrate how they meet each of the essential qualifications and requirements. Applicants are encouraged to detail concrete achievements in their CVs and/or in their cover letters as well as include references.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an assessment which may include a written test and/or an interview. All short-listed candidates may be requested to provide copies of their original diploma, certificates and proof of relevant experience. Pre-selected candidates may also be subject to reference checks to confirm the information provided in the application.
The subject line of the email sent by each candidate should clearly indicate the job vacancy for which they are applying.
The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to criteria of the position and the WCO applicable rules.
The WCO values commitment to the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability as well as values diversity among its staff members. Accordingly, applications from qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, will receive equal treatment and due regard to be paid to the importance of recruiting personnel from WCO Members on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The age limit for employment at the WCO is 65. Please note that the WCO Headquarters is a non-smoking environment.
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