As Key PFM Expert for the project “Support to PFM Reform Implementation in Lao PDR”, you will provide technical leadership and oversight across the objectives of the action. You will support the design, sequencing, implementation and quality assurance of technical assistance, working closely with the Head of Project, Expertise France headquarters and the beneficiary institutions.

Based in Vientiane on a full-time basis, you will serve as the main technical counterpart for the Economic and Fiscal Policy Department and the Tax Department of the Ministry of Finance, and for the National Assembly’s Economics and Finance Committee within their respective mandates. You will work under the overall management and coordination of the Head of Project, who retains responsibility for operational, administrative and financial project management and principal liaison with the EU Delegation.

The role combines public financial management reform expertise, practical institutional support and the technical coordination of short-term experts.

Key Responsibilities:

1.       Technical leadership and planning

·         Provide technical leadership across the project, ensuring coherence between PFM reform coordination, tax administration support, fiscal transparency and parliamentary budget oversight;

·         Lead the technical preparation and sequencing of activities and contribute to annual and multi-annual work plans, in close coordination with the Head of Project and beneficiary institutions;

·         Contribute to the six-month inception phase, including the assessment of institutional needs, refinement of technical priorities, and development of a realistic, sequenced technical work plan;

·         Ensure that technical assistance remains consistent with the Description of the Action, approved outputs, validated work plans, national reform priorities and available project resources;

·         Identify technical implementation bottlenecks and propose practical adjustments, promoting complementarity with other partner-supported activities.

2.       PFM reform coordination and monitoring

·         Provide technical advice to the Economic and Fiscal Policy Department on the review, adaptation and gradual operationalisation of PFM reform coordination and monitoring arrangements in line with the Public Finance Development Strategy (PFDS) 2026–2035;

·         Support the development, adaptation and use of PEFA-informed monitoring tools, reform trackers, matrices, reporting formats and related analytical products;

·         Work with relevant Ministry of Finance counterparts to identify coordination or implementation constraints, propose follow-up measures and embed practical tools in regular institutional processes;

·         Contribute to selected analytical notes, rapid reviews and just-in-time technical assistance in response to validated PFM reform priorities.

3.       Domestic revenue mobilisation and tax administration

·         Lead technical consultations with the Tax Department during the six-month inception phase;

·         Coordinate technical assistance and capacity development on selected tax administration functions, potentially including compliance risk management, audit, taxpayer services, data use, filing and payment compliance, large taxpayer administration and performance monitoring, subject to inception-phase prioritisation;

·         Support targeted improvements in organisational design, human resources management, workflows and operational efficiency in relevant Tax Department units where priorities are confirmed;

·         Guide the development, testing, refinement and operational uptake of practical tools, guidance materials and procedures supporting the implementation of selected reforms.

4.       Fiscal transparency and budget oversight

·         Provide technical guidance on the analysis, monitoring and transparency of fiscal incentives and tax expenditures;

·         Support relevant counterparts in improving methodologies, analytical tools and policy inputs for monitoring tax expenditures and strengthening fiscal transparency;

·         Contribute to budget transparency and communication activities;

·         Provide technical support to the National Assembly’s Economics and Finance Committee and relevant staff to strengthen their analysis and use of fiscal and budget-related information for oversight and scrutiny;

5.       Technical expertise, quality assurance and capacity development

·         Identify short-term technical assistance needs and prepare Terms of Reference and technical selection criteria, in coordination with the Head of Project;

·         Provide functional guidance and technical supervision to short-term experts, review methodologies and deliverables, and ensure their quality, consistency and practical relevance;

·         Support technical workshops, working sessions, coaching and peer learning, prioritising the practical application of new tools and knowledge by beneficiary staff;

·         Encourage institutional ownership, documentation of tools and procedures, knowledge transfer and the involvement of multiple counterparts to mitigate staff turnover and support sustainability;

·         Contribute technical inputs to project monitoring, including follow-up of relevant outputs, indicators and technical results, in coordination with the project team and dedicated MEAL expertise.

6.       Technical coordination and reporting

·         Maintain regular working-level technical dialogue with the beneficiary institutions and their designated focal points, in coordination with the Head of Project;

·         Prepare technical inputs, progress updates and recommendations for Steering Committee and Technical Committee discussions, work plan reviews and relevant consultations with the EU Delegation;

·         Contribute to the technical sections of periodic narrative reports and to the consolidation of evidence on results, technical constraints and follow-up actions;

·         Work closely with the Head of Project to align technical delivery, operational planning and timelines.