Tourism Workforce Development and Quality Systems Manager for the USAID Moldova Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Activity (RCRA)

Chemonics International Inc. seeks highly qualified candidates for the position of Tourism Workforce Development and Quality Systems Manager for the USAID Moldova Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Activity (RCRA). Chemonics International Inc. (www.chemonics.com) is a U.S.-based international consulting firm providing expertise in developing and emerging-market countries since 1975.

Background

USAID Moldova Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Activity (RCRA) is a five-year project (2022-2027) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Chemonics International. The goal of RCRA is to stimulate a sustainable and inclusive recovery from the regional crisis brought on by the latest Russian invasion of Ukraine and accelerate an inclusive, climate-resilient economic development of rural Moldova by protecting the development gains made with USAID support over the past decade and further stimulate the competitiveness of key economic sectors, including the wine industry, high-value agriculture, and tourism.

The objectives of the activity are:

1. Accelerated export diversification and Western market integration in targeted sectors
2. Enhanced economic resilience of small and medium enterprises in targeted sectors
3. Improved sector enabling environment to facilitate resilience and Western integration.

Position Description: 

The tourism workforce development and quality systems manager will oversee developing and implementing the programs and activities to support tourism workforce development via sustainable, impactful, and systemic approaches, aiming at providing development support at employed workforce and initial formal education. Also, the manager shall develop, implement, and coordinate activities related to quality systems used in the tourism industry to enhance, guarantee, and oversee the quality of services, products, systems, using local, international or customized solutions and processes.

In collaboration with the Senior Component Lead and Tourism Industry Manager, the manager will devise a targeted strategy to assist local business, business associations, central and local authorities as well as education partners in developing a charter of interventions aimed at providing access to a number of trainings, programs, activities, workshops, either certified or not, aiming to respond to private sector needs in terms competencies, skills and knowledge for the workforce employed in the industry, as part of its long-life-learning, continuous and professional development approach. The manager shall plan strategic interventions into the initial education, within formal processes, to improve the education programs, curricula, teaching methods, toolkits as well as market-driven approach across the education for tourism specialties. Partnerships between private sector, academia, training fellows, business associations, and authorities will be prioritized as a sustainable and systemic approach to designing, implementing and strengthening workforce development programs.

The tourism workforce development and quality systems manager will design, develop and coordinate implementation of project activities targeting development of quality systems within the tourism industry, including development and implementation of processes, structures, methods, etc., by which the tourism industry as a whole, or its stakeholders, grouped or individually, are systematically achieved planning, doing, controlling, and quality improvement. The quality systems shall be selected using objective criteria such as: market driven and market-demanded; relevance and credibility; readiness of the private sector to implement; strategic impact across the value chain. Priority shall be given to systems that refer to quality, safety, sustainability, fair trade, authenticity, etc.

The manager will design and manage activities related to workforce development and quality systems, fostering cross-pollination among rural entrepreneurs, work with local and regional public authorities, business associations and other relevant stakeholders to achieve sustainable and resilient tourism development across Moldovan regions.

The Manager will oversee ensuring that the offers generated by the proposed development models are financially viable, marketable, coherent with country positioning, inclusive, sustainable and value-added.

Manage and coordinate international and local STTA, subcontractors, agencies, partners and other associated institutions in the purpose of the job requirements and the technical programmatic activities.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions):

• Develop, coordinate, implement and monitor programs and activities related to tourism workforce development and advice on quality systems in the tourism industry;
• Supports implementation of initiatives that enhance the workforce capacities across the value chain, approximated to market trends and demands; 
• Implement initiatives designed to create and expand quality upgrades of Moldova tourism services, products, experiences, destinations and events to successfully attract visitors from foreign markets and catalyze domestic tourism;
• Collaborates with teams in various sectors and locations in Moldova to provide the local entrepreneurs special support to enhance their tourism knowledge, skills and capabilities to drive tourism business development in a sustainable manner;
• Lead the design, management, and implementation programs; partnerships; collaborations related to quality systems implementation in the tourism industry, using best international practices;
• Coordinate in partnership with ANTRIM and other industry stakeholders the NEXT Tourism Generation Academy;
• Identify, implement, coordinate activities to align education programs to market demands in the local, regional and European tourism industry;
• Work closely with the RCRA Workforce Development Manager to support and coordinate all activities involving Vocational Education and Training (VET) schools and higher education in tourism industry education;
• Manage, coordinate, develop international collaborations to implement in Moldova internationally recognized training and tourism education programs,
• Lead, coordinate and implement assessments, studies and appraisals related to workforce development and quality systems in tourism sector, and coordinate such activities with RCRA Workforce Development Manager to ensure congruency in workforce development approaches across RCRA sectors, as relevant;
• Support handcrafts and cultural activities through technical assistance and grants to ensure their international marketability and tourism appeal; 
• Develop activities to increase the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the tourism industry;
• Collect information on the progress made against project targets related to tourism industry activities ;
• Manage assigned subcontract and grant activities in the tourism sectors;
• Work collaboratively with the Communications and Media Director expand outreach and communication with the tourism and wine sector technical teams, through existing communication channels and the wider media;
• Collaborate with the Association Capacity Building and Digitalization Manager to identify and address capacity building needs of key sector organizations;
• Collaborate with the MEL Manager to gather data on project outputs and impact on the targeted value chains, with a focus on the tourism sectors;
• Collaborate with the Environmental Compliance Specialist to identify and address environmental issues related to the sector to ensure assisted organizations meet relevant environmental conditions;
• Collaborate with Enabling Environment Director to identify, diagnose, and recommend reforms that will address enabling environment constraints that hinder development of the tourism workforce and quality systems across the sector;
• Stimulate interest and demand for improved quality and professionalism in tourism and hospitality professionals, including certifications and standards development;
• Improve quality and draw of rural and anchor destinations and cultural sites; 
• Build capacity of education institutions, business and trade associations, authorities, in the filed related to tourism workforce and quality systems development;
• Contribute to weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports; draft concept notes, various memos for internal and external use, as requested by RCRA Chief of Party and Senior Tourism Lead;
• Design and draft tourism sector-related documentation on the tourism workforce and quality systems activities.

Qualifications

• University degree in Education, Tourism, Economics, or other relevant fields;
• Demonstrated experience (at least 5 years) in project or business management, related to tourism workforce development and quality systems.
• Excellent communication skills, written and spoken, in Romanian. Knowledge of English and Russian would be a strong asset;
• Excellent time-, team-, meeting- and conflict- management skills;
• Strong self-organization, self-motivation, and planning skills; and
• Autonomy, responsibility, and ability to work with minimum supervision.

Application instructions

Please send an email with the cover letter and CV attached and “Tourism Workforce Development and Quality Systems Manager” in the subject line to MDA-RCRA-Recruit@chemonics.md by February 14, 2023. No telephone inquiries, please. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Only finalists will be contacted.

Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.

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