Republic of Moldova

National Consultant/Fundraising Expert to support the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova

Vacancy Number: Pr12/00199

Location:	Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline:	27 Sep 2012, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Application Extended deadline:	08 Oct 2012, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Type of Contract:	Individual Contract
Starting date:	08 Oct 2012
Reference to the project:	Transitional Capacity Support for the Public Administration of Moldova
Expected Duration of Assignment:	up to 9 months
Submission Instructions: Proposals should be submitted on-line or by email to vacancies-moldova@undp.org, no later than 27 September 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 Government Program “European Integration: Freedom, Democracy and Welfare" (2011-2014) envisages that the educational system of the country needs to be brought in line with the EU standards and requirements alongside three main pillars: pre-university education; higher education and research; and induction and continuous training of civil servants. In line with these strategic objectives, the Ministry of Education (MoE),  the central authority of public administration charged with the development and implementation of the state policy in education, has the mission of developing and promoting the state policy in education in line with the international standards of social and economic development, developing education strategies, ensuring continuous modernization and alignment with the European education system, and providing access to education, research and professional development for all citizens of the Republic of Moldova.

Acknowledging the complexity of the envisaged reforms, as well as the existing shortage of the required resources, the MoE requests the support of an experienced fundraising expert to support the ministry’s effort in promoting the education reform at pre-school, elementary, secondary, upper secondary and tertiary levels. The MoE is launching several pilot projects for which it is looking to mobilize funding from private companies and foundations. 

Scope of work

The activity of the national consultant will consist in researching, screening and identifying national, regional and international potential funders, initiating contact with potential donors, soliciting donations in coordination with the vice-minister or minister, drafting all fundraising-related documents and correspondence, pursuing innovative ways of cooperation with donors for funding opportunities. The national consultant will provide technical assistance, guidance and day-to-day transfer of knowledge to the MoE staff, in order to strengthen its fundraising skills, tools and systems. 

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

• Familiarize with the existing fundraising methods and systems in place at the MoE (in particular within the Department for International Relations); provide recommendations for improvement, as relevant, and further on support with implementation; 
• Researching, screening and identifying national, regional and international potential funders from diverse sources (foundations, individuals, private companies, international cooperation agencies, multilateral organizations etc.);
• Creating and maintaining a database of prospects, continuously update the information and follow up on it; maintaining accurate and timely records of all interactions with potential and actual donors of database of solicited funds and of follow up actions needed;
• Matching prospective funding opportunities with the needs of MoE, in particular with regard to the implementation of the pilot project initiatives, which are currently being elaborated by the MoE;
• Initiating contacts with potential donors, planning, arranging for, and following up on meetings with potential donors;
• Assist the Ministry’s relevant staff in drafting all fundraising-related documents and correspondence, including applications for funding;
• Applying innovative ways of cooperation with donors for funding opportunities;
• Drafting and introducing a fundraising guide and a practical toolkit on methods and techniques of fundraising;
• Ensuring day-to-day transfer of experience to and capacity building of the MoE staff in planning and organizing and follow-up on fundraising activities; 
• Organize one training session on project proposal writing and project budget elaboration;
• Developing monthly progress reports on the performed activities;
• Performing any other related activities which may emerge during the course of action.

Requirements for experience

I. Academic Qualifications:

• University degree in financial management, public relations, communications or other relevant field;  Master’s degree in the respective areas shall constitute an advantage;

II. Years of experience:

• Minimum 3 years of experience in fundraising or other related field;
• Experience in successfully advising senior public sector officials (or senior staff from other organizations) on fundraising issues (including concrete examples of attracted funds);  

 III. Competencies:

• Initiative and ability to start quickly and to grasp the range of MoE activities;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (with experience in communicating persuasively and effectively with a variety of audiences and stakeholders, both verbally and in writing); 
• Ability to find creative solutions to problems and negotiate with and influence others;
• Proven ability to design and deliver presentations and training programs;
• Strong organizational and time management skills with an ability to attend to details;
• Demonstrated skills in knowledge transfer techniques, such as coaching and mentoring;
• Ability to work in a team;
• Proficiency in Romanian, English and Russian;
• Excellent writing and presentation skills;
• 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 (or Personal History P11 Form) including past experience in similar projects and contact details (phone number and e-mail address) for at least 3 references;

4. Examples of written work (e.g. project documents; applications for funding; presentations etc).

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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