Achiziții de bunuri și contractări de servicii

Consultancy Title: CRS Moldova Consultant for developing professional master program and integrated micro-credential programs for Child Protection Workforce Development

Scope: Design the new professional master program with integrated micro-credential programs and supporting manuals for training of child protection specialists in Moldova

Duration: February 1, 2026 - September 30, 2026

Level of Effort: Maximum 35 Days

CRS Moldova point of contact for reporting and submission/approval of deliverables: Sr. Project Officer for Child Protection and Community Engagement

Close coordination with: CRS Sr. Program Manager/Strengthening Families for Thriving Children

Additional communication with: CRS Moldova Lead Consultant on Child Protection Workforce Development

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. Aligned with the Country Office Strategy for 2025-2027, CRS Moldova is working to strengthen Moldova’s child protection and care systems and to support communities to prevent family separation, violence and other risks to families and children. This work involves coordination among a variety of government and non-government stakeholders at the national and local levels to advance system reform and strengthen community engagement for better care.

About the Workforce Strengthening and Community Engagement for Better Care in Moldova Project

Utilizing a system strengthening and a collective impact approach since 2020, CRS supported and expanded Moldova’s commitment for all children growing up in safe and nurturing families. As one of the four demonstration countries in the global initiative Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC), CRS Moldova provided policy development support on case management and financing of social services, mobilized commitment for the transformation of all remaining residential care facilities in the country, and promoted evidence-based and cross-sectoral solutions for preventing separation, including the engagement of faith leaders and other community based actors in strengthening and supporting families. Sustaining these achievements beyond the current transformation effort requires continued support in strengthening Moldova’s child protection workforce to effectively manage cases of vulnerable children and to provide high quality alternative family-based care for children who need it, including children who suffered trauma and children with disabilities. To support these priorities, CRS Moldova launched the new project Workforce Strengthening and Community Engagement for Better Care in Moldova (November 1, 2025 -September 30, 2026). The projects aims to build Moldova’s system for training its child protection workforce, including managers with supervision responsibilities. The new training system for the child protection workforce will be developed by introducing three micro-credential courses in the university graduate curricula on (a) applied case management, (b) organization and management of child protection services, and (c) supervision. Additional modules on management of services and supervision will be developed as part of this project and will target child protection managers, ensuring that the new system applies to all positions in the child protection system and supports career advancement. To ensure full integration and Government financing, the new training program will be developed in close collaboration with four universities and two ministries - the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection (MLSP) and the Ministry of Education and Research (MER), and will be consulted with civil society organizations.

Job Summary

Catholic Relief Services is seeking a national consultant to support the development of a Professional Master’s program in Child Rights Protection with integrated micro-credentials on: A) Applied case management, B) Management of child protection services, C) Supervision in child protection services  , aligned with relevant national qualification and educational standards , as well as with national and international standards in child protection.

The consultant will be responsible for:

• Designing the master’s program and curricula for each micro-credentials, in accordance with professional qualifications standards, national child protection policies, and in compliance with quality standards and best practices for training the social service workforce, international quality standards and best practices for strengthening the social service workforce. This includes ensuring all components meet the requirements for approval within the national legal framework in education and social protection
• Reviewing the concepts and final textbooks for participants/students and trainers for micro-credentials (modules) on: management of child protection services and supervision in child protection services and ensuring their alignment and approval in accordance with the national legal framework.
• Organizing with support and coordination from CRS Moldova Lead Consultant on Child Protection Workforce Development, consultations with relevant national stakeholders on the drafts of the master’s program, the three micro‑credential curricula, and concepts for participant/student and trainer manuals.
• Organising coordination of national and international peer reviews for improving all delivery products based on provided feedback and ensure broad consensus and agreement on all deliverables.
• Reviewing the draft policy brief from an academic perspective - on the institutionalized and publicly funded training mechanism for the child protection workforce, developed by CRS Moldova Lead Consultant on Child Protection Workforce Development. Participation in policy discussions with key stakeholders (government authorities, academia, civil society, practitioners) and contribute to achieving consensus on the proposed training mechanism for child protection specialists.

All delivery products should ensure alignment with the new national qualification standards for child protection specialists, consistency with relevant national policies on child protection and training programs, compliance with international standards and best practice for training and professional development of the social service workforce.

Payment and Travel Expenses

Payments will be processed after completion of the following four action steps:

1. Submission of deliverable(s) by the consultant on monthly basis.
2. Submission of an invoice specific to the deliverable(s) by the consultant.
3. Approval of the deliverable(s) by CRS.
4. Approval of each invoice by CRS.

Payment will be made within 15 days after the above steps are completed.

Candidate Profile

Basic Qualifications

• At least ten years of progressively responsible experience in the field of social protection, child protection, and/or education program development.
• Minimum ten years of experience collaborating with national governments, academic institutions, and international and national civil society organizations, including demonstrated ability to work effectively with high‑level stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of national and international child protection standards, competency and qualification frameworks, and professional standards for the training and development of the social service workforce.
• Demonstrated experience in the design and development of child protection policies, university‑level academic programs, curricula, and accompanying student and trainer manuals.
• Proven ability to develop and sustain effective working relationships and conduct successful advocacy with a broad range of stakeholders (government agencies, international organizations, donors, academia, practitioners, and community‑based organizations).
• Excellent planning, coordination, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to manage complex, multi‑stakeholder processes.

Education and Experience

PhD degree in Social Work, Child Protection, Education Sciences, Social Policy, or a closely related field

Required Languages

Fluent Romanian and English, both written and spoken.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (SKAs)

• Strong relationship‑management skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate, and secure buy‑in from partners who are not under direct supervision.
• Advanced strategic, analytical, problem‑solving, and systems‑thinking skills, with the capacity to synthesize complex information, identify gaps, and propose feasible solutions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to produce high‑quality academic, technical, and policy documents.
• Strong presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills, with the ability to engage diverse audiences effectively.
• Highly proactive, organized, resourceful, and results‑oriented, with the ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated commitment to child rights, equity, and evidence‑based professional standards in social services and education.

 Supervisory Responsibilities

• Coordination of all consultancy meetings with key stakeholders and peer review deliverables by CRS Moldova Lead Consultant on Child protection Workforce Development, other international consultants engaged in reviewing and assistance for development of the new micro-credential program for child protection specialists at master level degree.

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Application Form
Scope of Work
Interested candidates are welcome to apply by sending their Application form with email to procurementmd@crs.org  mentioning in the subject line the title of the position “Professional master program”.
Closing Date: February 9th, 2026.