UNDP Moldova: Project Manager: Business Development (NPSA9) - EU4Moldova: focal regions Programme



Background

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The EU4Moldova: focal regions Programme is based on the European Commission Implementing Decision on the Annual Action Programme 2018 in favour of the Republic of Moldova and is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme.

The overall objective of the five-year Programme is to strengthen the economic, territorial and social cohesion in the Republic of Moldova through smart, green, inclusive, sustainable and integrated local socio-economic growth as well as by improving the standards of living of the citizens in the focal regions of Cahul and Ungheni.

To this end, this Programme will address also the urban-rural divide as well as regional disparities, stimulate economic growth and job creation, refurbish and upgrade some social and technical infrastructure in selected areas (smaller towns and villages) while taking into account climate change and a gender perspective in the activities of the Programme.

Specific objectives:

To strengthen transparency, accountability of local public authorities and citizen participation in local governance processes in the focal regions,
To improve citizens' access to quality public services and utilities in the focal regions,
To create employment opportunities for men and women in the focal regions and improve the attractiveness of the focal regions for investors and entrepreneurs,
To promote the smart specialization of the economy of the focal regions through the development of the clustering and value chain approach in key economic sectors.

The programme objectives will be achieved through measures targeted at: (i) capacity building to support the implementation and monitoring of local economic development plans; (ii) civil society engagement in local planning, governance processes and basic social service delivery; (iii) provision of investment funding in support of the creation and/or development of social and technical infrastructure which, combined with the outcomes from interventions (i) and (ii) above, will have an immediate, visible and tangible impact on employment creation, the standard of living of the population in the focal regions.
Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent provides effective and efficient coordination of the EU4Moldova: focal regions Programme components related to business development, through a range of actions contributing to the design, planning, management and monitoring of project activities. The Project Manager applies and promotes the principles of results-based management (RBM), as well as a client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations.

The Project Manager will work in close cooperation with the Project team as well as the team in the Country Office (CO) for effective achievement of results, anticipating and contributing to resolving complex programme/project-related issues and information delivery. The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.

The Project Manager in close cooperation with the project team, under the direct guidance and supervision of the Programme Manager, and in close cooperation with the Cluster Lead and the programme team, will ensure the provision of development services and products (commensurate with the scope of the Programme) of the highest quality and standards to national counterparts and clients through applying HRBA and GE approaches. More specifically:

Ensure practical management of assigned Business Development components in terms of project activities as well as human and financial resources.
Design, implement monitor and evaluate specific interventions to support attraction of investments in the regions, local business infrastructure development and call for proposals to support start-ups and business expansion, including rural SMEs to diversify economic activities etc.
Contribute to the annual activity and procurement work plans, as well as budgets based on expected yearend outputs. Ensure close monitoring of activities and disbursements under the assigned project component.
Be responsible for the coordination of the assigned component work plan according to indicators for achieving planned results, as well as for the overall management of the component in accordance to prevailing UNDP rules, regulations and procedures.
Supervise and quality assurance of the work of Business Officer and Investment Attraction Officer.
Manage project development and formulation. Coordinate the design, planning and monitoring of sub-projects.
Ensure the quality of concept papers, terms of references, proposal outlines and agreements in close cooperation with the project team and recipients.
Identify key performance indicators as well as develop and maintain a monitoring and evaluation system to ensure effective information sharing, provision of feedback and elaboration of top-quality progress reports.
Lead and ensure compliance to UNDP standards of all procurement activities under the assigned project component.
Ensure and coordinate the timely submission of financial and activity reports covering the assigned component of the project, to be incorporated in the overall project financial and narrative report.
Establish and maintain a platform for dialogue between the private sector in the two focal regions (Ungheni and Cahul) and the local public authorities.
Contribute to the wide dissemination and visibility of project achievements. Support mechanisms for exchange of information, experience and lessons learned at the local and national levels.
Perform any other duties connected directly with the implementation of the Project as required.

The key results have a direct impact on the overall successful achievement of the EU4Moldova: focal regions Programme. Accurate analysis and presentation of information enhances UNDP’s position as a strong development partner. The information provided facilitates decision-making of the Project Board, the Beneficiary and UNDP management.
Competencies

Core Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

People Management Competencies

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

Business Acumen: Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome
System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgment to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
Knowledge Generation: Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need
Knowledge Facilitation: Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally
Collective Intelligence Design: Ability to bringing together diverse groups of people, data, information or ideas, and technology to design services or solutions
Digital Awareness and Literacy: Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed
Monitoring: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in economics, business administration, public administration, management or related areas.
Bachelor’s degree with additional 2 years of experience can be taken into consideration in lieu of Master`s degree.

Experience:

Minimum 2 years (with Master’s degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of professional experience is required at the national or international level in one of the following fields: business development; support of small/medium enterprises, business associations; local economic development, in the design/implementation or monitoring of development programmes.

Required Skills:

Exerts strict adherence to corporate rules, regulations and procedures.
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, age sensitivity and adaptability
Ability to establish and maintain contacts with senior-level officials of the host government required. Excellent interpersonal skills are essential part of the job;
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems.

Desired Skills:

Experience of work in programmes financed by European Commission is a very strong advantage.
Practical experience with design thinking and/or other citizen-centric methodologies is a strong advantage.
Experience with e-Government agenda of the Republic of Moldova is a very strong advantage.
Proven ability to problem-solve, and think creatively to develop and implement smart business solutions in a challenging socio-economic environment;
Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, is required to obtain, evaluate and interpret factual data and to prepare accurate and complete reports and other documents.
Additional training and certification in project management would be an advantage.

Languages:

Fluency in English and Romanian (oral and written).
Knowledge of one or more minority languages relevant for Moldova, including Russian, Romani, Gagauzian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian and sign language, is an asset.

Institutional Arrangement

Direct supervisor: Programme Manager

The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.

The Project Manager works under the supervision of the Programme Manager, in close cooperation with the project, and in close cooperation with the Cluster Lead and the programme team for effective achievement of results, including from UNICEF (UNDP partner in the Programme implementation), anticipating and resolving complex project-related issues and information delivery.

Required Documents

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Disclaimer

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Vacancy End Date: 21 October 2022

To apply please address the link: https://bit.ly/3EupXTr