Republic of Moldova

National Consultant/Communications Expert to support the Agency for Medicines

Vacancy Number: Pr12/00139

Location:	Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline:	12 Jul 2012, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Application Extended deadline:	06 Aug 2012, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Type of Contract:	Individual Contract
Starting date:	01 Aug 2012
Reference to the project:	Transitional Capacity Support for the Public Administration of Moldova
Expected Duration of Assignment:	6 months
Submission Instructions: Proposals should be submitted by email to vacancies-moldova@undp.org , no later than 12 July 2012. Requests for clarification only must be sent by standard electronic communication to the following e-mail: silvia.apostol@undp.org . Please notice that this address is for information requests only, please do not send or copy your application package to this address. Please notice that, in line with TCS Project rules, which guard against subtracting capacity from the civil service, current civil servants are barred from applying for this position. The former civil servants are eligible to apply not earlier than in a year after the separation from civil service.
Supporting Documents: Terms of Reference Individual Consultant Procurement Notice Personal History Form (P11) UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract

Background

The project “Transitional Capacity Support for the Public Administration of Moldova” was designed upon the request of the Government of Moldova to enhance capacities of the Moldovan Central Public Administration in order to accelerate the reform process and achieve Moldova’s short-and medium term development goals. The project seeks to address urgent short-term capacity needs of the public administration at a time when Moldovan central government institutions face serious financial and human resources gaps. In addition to helping the Government pursue critical reform priorities, the intervention is designed to catalyze the on-going implementation of central public administration reform by engaging national consultants for a short and medium term. It is coordinated and managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and State Chancellery of Moldova and will complement on-going work by other donors. The Moldovan Diaspora and non-governmental sector, including the private and civil society sectors, would be the main source for such consultants. They would not be expected to become permanent staff of the civil service, but based on a competitive process, would be hired for a defined period. Capacity building consultants (CBC) would be engaged and their ToRs defined in a way that would protect the integrity of the civil service work to strengthen its intrinsic capacity. One of the main goals of the TCS project is the transfer of knowledge from consultants to civil servants. In this respect the engaged consultants will provide advice, coaching and skills transfer to the civil service on a permanent basis. Also, the involvement of officials of the beneficiary institutions in monitoring process of the consultants will facilitate direct interchange of knowledge and will ensure closer cooperation between officials of the Ministry and the experts engaged.

The access of all citizens of Moldova to good quality public health services, including medical and pharmaceutical services, represents an important priority for the Government of Moldova Action Plan 2011-2014, in particular in the context of achieving the national Millennium Development Goals. The Ministry of Health, with its subordinated agencies, is the main responsible body for the development of the policies and reforms in the health sector. The Agency for Medicines (AM) is one of these institutions, responsible for the implementation of state policies in the area of medicines and pharmaceutical activity, including authorizations; supervision and control of the pharmaceutical market; monitoring and coordinating the supply of the medicines to public health institutions; as well as implementation of relevant communication activities for its key target groups and the large public, in order to disseminate information about the on-going activities.

At the same time, the Strategy for the Development of the Health Systems (2008 – 2017) acknowledges the fact that strategic, targeted communication is crucial for a successful implementation of the reforms in the health system, which would affect the whole Moldovan population. It envisages that the elaboration and implementation of relevant Communication Strategies and Plans in the health sector would constitute a key activity throughout the reform period.

While the AM was established in 2005, so far it lacked a comprehensive Communication Strategy and Plan. In this context, acknowledging the need for an enhanced communication of the implemented activities and reforms, the AM has requested the support of an experienced national communication expert, to assist the with the elaboration and implementation of a medium term Communication Strategy and an Action Plan (2012 – 2014), and provide relevant support with the implementation of the required mechanisms and activities.

Scope of work

The scope of the work of the National Consultant is to provide assistance to build and strengthen the capacities of the MA to develop, implement and co-ordinate a Communication Strategy and Action Plan (2012-2014), complementary to the reform in the health/medicines sector. The consultant is expected to support the day-to-day operation of the AM, including by means of on-going transfer of knowledge to relevant staff.

In order to achieve the stated objectives, the National Consultant will be responsible for:

• Undertaking a baseline diagnosis of the skills, methods, and systems in place in the AM in the area of communication and subsequently supporting the development and implementation of a new mid-term Communication Strategy and Action Plan (2012-2014), which would take account of lessons learned and will promote new visions and tools on how to communicate with key stakeholders;
• Elaborating a Communication Guide and toolkit for the medicines sector, including templates for media monitoring, press releases, press conferences, briefings and other relevant communication activities, as per the elaborated Action Plan; subsequently supporting with the application of the methods and tools included the Guide;
• Assisting with the organization of communication events (e.g. press conferences; information campaigns etc) in the context of the AM activities, including identification of key target groups, development of communication messages, preparation of event scenarios; cooperation with TV and broadcasting channels on organization of appropriate TV programs; elaboration of articles for the national media  and other relevant support;
• Elaborating a database of key media institutions that cooperate with the AM; facilitating the establishment of a permanent communication mechanism with these institutions; 
• Reviewing and improving the structure and content of the AM website;
• Providing relevant support to the General Director of the AM in communication with the public at large and media;
• Providing recommendations for establishment of an efficient system of handling information, including requests from the media and civil society, and disseminating and coordinating information within Governmental structures, including Ministry of Health, National Health Insurance House and other relevant authorities; 
• Supporting the establishment of an effective and efficient media monitoring system, using modern IT technology;
• Undertaking continuous transfer of experience to the relevant staff of the AM, including training sessions;
• Preparing monthly progress reports of the component activities and annually final report;
• Performing any other related activities which may emerge during the course of time in line with the agreed tasks and responsibilities.

For detailed information, please refer to Annex 1 - Terms of Reference.

Requirements for experience

Academic Qualifications:

• University degree in communications or other relevant field; Master degree in the respective areas will constitute an advantage;

Years of experience:

• Minimum 3 years working experience in public relations and/or journalism field in Moldova;
• Experience of drafting medium-term strategies and action plans in the area of communication, public consultation and public relations, including monitoring and evaluation tools;

Competencies and Skills:

• Knowledge of media/public relationships environment in Moldova;
• Knowledge about the management of the public health sector, in particular the medicines/pharmaceutical area, would constitute an advantage;
• Proven ability to develop and maintain working relationships with government officials, press secretaries, the media, civil society at all levels;
• Proven ability to design and deliver presentations and training programs;
• Fluency in Romanian, Russian and English;
• Computer proficiency, including knowledge of MS Office products (Word, Excel, Power Point).

Documents to be included

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Proposal: explaining why they are the most suitable for the work requirements (please provide brief information on each of the above qualifications, item by item);
2. Financial proposal;
3. Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and contact details (phone number and e-mail address) for at least 3 references.

Financial proposal

The financial proposal shall in USD and specify a total amount per month (including fees, taxes, mobile phone costs etc). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR.  In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount.

 

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