National Budget and Finance Consultant. Short Term Technical Advisor for USAID Justice and Anti-Corruption Reform Activity (JARA)

National Budget and Finance Consultant

Short Term Technical Advisor

For USAID Justice and Anti-Corruption Reform Activity (JARA)

Chisinau, Moldova

Dexis Consulting Group seeks qualified Moldovan nationals for the following short term technical assistance to the Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office as defined below.  

Applications will be accepted until 18:00 (EET), 31 October 2023. 

Background:  The purpose of JARA is to support the Moldovan Government’s efforts to implement justice reform and promote its anti-corruption commitments. Support will contribute to the establishment and operation of a mini-secretariat to monitor the implementation of the Justice Development Strategy for years 2022-2025 (hereinafter referred to as the Justice Strategy) and its corresponding Plan; pursue implementation of specific activities from the Justice Strategy and Plan, including targeted assistance for the extraordinary evaluation of judges and prosecutors; and advance anti-corruption reform through implementation of specific commitments. JARA planning is driven by four primary objectives which are:  1) Support the establishment of a short-term mini-secretariat to monitor implementation of the 2022-2025 Justice Strategy and its corresponding Action Plan; 2) Support in training judges on specialized financial topics, as well as complementary support for the vetting process; 3) Legislative and analytical expertise to the main anti-corruption institutions - the National Anticorruption Center (NAC) and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (APO); and 4) Raising awareness and strengthening visibility of anti-corruption efforts among the general public through civil society. 

Assignment: In the framework of this assignment, the National Budget and Finance Consultant (B&F Consultant) will provide expert assistance to the Project Manager of the Anti-Corruption Court Support Initiative (Project Manager) to implement the Law on the Anti-Corruption Court (the Court) and other associated laws and regulations, specifically the provisions regulating the development of the Court’s budget and expenditures. The B&F Consultant will assist the Project Manager in analyzing the courts’ budget and public finance related data and information, advise on funding and budget lines to be attributed/allocated, and draft a full-fledged projection of Court’s budget for 3 (three) years.  During the implementation of the assignment, the B&F Consultant will liaise and work with relevant governmental agencies (Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice, Tax Inspectorate, Superior Council of Magistracy, Court of Accounts, Agency for Court Administration, and other institutions) to obtain, analyze, and process the information and data needed to draft the Court’s budget.  Also, if during the performance of the assignment, the Project Manager needs additional data or information from other agencies/entities, the B&F Consultant will assist the Project Manager in drafting the outgoing requests and analyzing incoming information.           

Tasks and Activities:  

1. Provides expert support to the Project Manager in analyzing and compiling data and information on funds allocated to the courts.  
2. Coordinates the process of planning and forecasting the budget reflecting the expenditures for the creation and functioning of the Court, including personnel costs.  
3. Elaborates a full-scale mid-term budget projection for the Court. 
4. Counsels the Project Manager in budget related consultations with the Superior Council of Magistracy, the Ministry of Finance, and other relevant institutions.  
5. Advises the Project Manager about ad-hoc budget related taskings and incoming requests.     

Deliverables:  

Supervision: The B&F expert will report to the Project Manager, under the overall coordination of JARA Task Order Lead and/or his/her designee.   

Level of Effort: The initial anticipated level of effort of this consultancy is the equivalent of 70 working days (maxim 8 hours per day).  The total level of effort of this consultancy can be extended, based on the needs of the Dexis Moldova Branch counterparts.  

Location and Period of Assignment: Chisinau, Moldova. The estimated period of performance is from date of contract signing through April 30, 2024.   

Minimum Requirements:  The Consultant will meet the following criteria:  

• A university degree in economics, accounting, public finance, or other related fields and those with advanced degrees will be given preference.   
• 7-10 years of professional experience in analyzing and drafting justice sector institutional budgets according to the laws, regulations and institutional practices governing the disbursement of public funding and elaboration of budgets for/by governmental agencies in Moldova.   
• Knowledge and experience in the public accounting and procurement processes, rules, and regulations from Moldova   
• Prior experience in handling or dealing with governmental confidential/privileged data and information.
• Ability to assess and/or develop sound cost-share concepts, and the ability to contribute to costing efforts for budgetary projections.  

Reporting:  The working languages will be Romanian and English and reporting language will be English. All reports and deliverables will be presented for approval to Dexis Moldova designated staff.  

Those interested in applying should send the following to moldovajobs@dexisonline.com with “National Budget and Finance Consultant” in the subject line:  

1. Cover letter defining how the applicant meets the minimum requirements. 
2. Current CV. 
3. The name, position title, mobile number, and email address of three professional references. 

Incomplete submission will not be considered.  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.