Republic of Moldova

National Consultant to support the Ministry of Education in the implementation of the structural reorganization process

Vacancy Number: Pr12/00244

Location:	Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline:	10 Dec 2012, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Type of Contract:	Individual Contract
Starting date:	31 Dec 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 on-line by pressing the "Apply Now" button or by email to vacancies-moldova@undp.org, no later than 10 December, 2012 Requests for clarification only must be sent by standard electronic communication to the following e-mail: marin.eladi@undp.org UNDP will respond by standard electronic mail and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.   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, through provision of Capacity building consultants (CBC), 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. It is coordinated and managed by the United Nations Development Program (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, who can be employed on an open competitive basis for a defined period. 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. The project needs to guard against subtracting capacity from the civil service. In most cases, the sub-projects will be composed of national consultants – professionals who provide advice, coaching, and skills that are not expected to be performed on a permanent basis by the civil service.

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,  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.

It is acknowledged that the implementation of the on-going reforms in the education sector requires a re-organization of the current structure of the Ministry of Education for a better alignment to the existing needs and policy priorities in this area. Several reviews have taken place in the previous periods, one them being a report from 2007 analyzing the policy development, monitoring and evaluation functions of the ministry. It highlights some key areas which are in need of change. The Ministry is currently planning an up-date of the existing information, and a more detailed analysis to be undertaken with the support of the Human Resource Department of the State Chancellery of Moldova.

In this context, the Ministry of Education has requested the support of an experienced expert to strengthen Ministry’s capacities to undertake the updating of the structural review and a more detailed analysis of selected functional areas, and to start the implementation of the critical reorganization activities.  

Scope of work

The National Consultant will provide assistance in the process of up-dating the structural review of the Ministry of Education, and undertake a more detailed analysis of specific functional areas of competence of the Ministry of Education, through the prism of the existing needs and requirements.  The consultant will also support the implementation of the relevant re-organization activities, based on the results of the undertaken analysis.
In order to achieve these proposed objectives, the National Consultant will be responsible for:
•    Detailed analysis of background documents and the existing regulations of the Ministry of Education and subordinated institutions, and of the regulations guiding each individual Department/Direction/Institution against existing legal and institutional requirements of the Government of Moldova, as well as the current and expected needs and priorities of the Ministry of Education;
•    Carrying out interviews with relevant stakeholders within the Ministry of Education and other relevant government institutions, under the guidance of the Vice-Minister, to develop an understanding of the actual competencies and functions carried out and how these compare with the relevant regulations;
•    Developing an organizational mapping of the Ministry of Education, its subordinated institutions and their relationship with bodies implementing, monitoring, and evaluating education policy on local levels;
•    Drafting a Structural Review Report, including above analysis as well as recommendations for changes – e.g. regulations, re-organization of the structure, number of staff, job objectives etc;
•    Undertake detailed analysis of selected functional areas of competence, based on the conclusions of the Structural Review Report and under the guidance of the Vice-Minister, which require a more in-depth consideration and recommendations.
•    Providing support to the Ministry of Education (in particular to the head of the Human Resources Department) with the implementation of the proposed structural changes – e.g. amending regulations; job descriptions; providing necessary guidance and assistance to Ministry’s staff;
•    Providing support with the elaboration of a training needs assessment of the Ministry of Education staff, and of a detailed Training Plan;
•    Support the inclusion of the required changes into Ministry’s Strategic Development Plan.

Requirements for experience

I. Academic Qualifications:
•    University degree in economics, law, public administration, social policy, business administration or other relevant field (  Master degree in the respective area would be considered an advantage);  

II. Years of experience:
•    Minimum 5 years of working experience in public administration; human resources management. (Experience of working in a ministry will constitute an advantage);   
III. Competencies:
•    Proven knowledge of the organizational structure and human resource management procedures within the Moldovan public sector;
•    Experience in successfully advising senior public sector officials (or senior staff from other organizations) on organizational structure and human resource management issues (including concrete examples);   
•    Strong knowledge of the Moldovan Government setup and good knowledge of background documents and the existing regulations of the Ministry of Education;
•    Proven skills of knowledge transfer techniques and experience in capacity building projects;
•    Strong analytical, organizational and interpersonal skills;
•    Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
•    Ability to work in a team;
•    Proficiency in Romanian and Russian; fluency in English would be an advantage;
•    Computer proficiency, including knowledge of MS Office products).

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. reports; documents; analysis etc).

Financial proposal

The financial proposal shall specify a total amount in USD (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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