Extended deadline: Comunitatea Mea Program vacancies - Two National Consultants - trainers for LPA capacity building

Scope of Work (SoW): Consultancy services – Training of trainers (ToT)

Project description

Comunitatea Mea (Ro) / My Community (En) is an 8-year Program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and administered by IREX. The Program’s purpose is to improve the capacity of local public authorities, including their ability to work inclusively with citizens and civil society, to increase revenues, improve financial management practices, build stronger checks and balances between the central and local governments, and facilitate public-private partnerships and inter-municipal cooperation.

My Community Program has four interrelated objectives:

Objective 1: Improved quality and access to municipal services.

Objective 2: Citizens meaningfully engaged in local governance.

Objective 3: Decentralization policy reforms advanced.

Objective 4: Increased locally owned revenues and improved financial management practice.  

Objective 3 activities include providing support to public authorities in their efforts to strengthen and rationalize the institutional and policy framework for local service delivery and democratic governance.

Context

Amid its Public Administration Reform (PAR), Republic of Moldova aims to strengthen local governance to meet EU accession criteria. This includes expanding local governments for efficiency and better EU resource access. Local secretaries, pivotal in this transformation, require enhanced capabilities to handle administrative, legal, and leadership roles effectively. The PAR Strategy envisages comprehensive changes, including territorial administrative reform (TAR) and improvements in procurement, human resource management, policy-making, and intergovernmental functions.

To support first tier local public administrations (LPAs I) and secretaries adapting to these reforms, a program is being designed to enhance the skills of those in amalgamated entities or those meeting new size criteria, addressing the uneven capabilities and training gaps identified. Moreover, this activity is aligned with the State Chancellery’s endeavors to modernize the capacity building systems for local civil servants in the Republic of Moldova. Thus, this initiative involves assessing challenges, developing a tailored curriculum, and a Training of Trainers (ToT) approach to sustainably improve council secretaries' competencies in governance and administration, aligning with the strategic human resource management principles required for effective local public administration. Priority shall be given to local secretaries of communities larger than 5,000 inhabitants. Overall, this effort, complementing the Institute of Public Administration's (IPA’s) work, aims for a swift, responsive, and evolving training model to meet the current and future needs of Moldovan local governance.

Position Summary

My Community Program seeks two consultants to develop and implement a comprehensive capacity-building Program aimed at enhancing the professional competencies and abilities of local councils’ secretaries in the Republic of Moldova.

The consultants will play a key role in the following:

            I. Needs assessment (review of the status quo) and curriculum development.

Interviews, desk research – write a landscape report with focus on training needs but integrating that into the context described above: PAR and TAR. This part also involves conducting consultations to identify specific needs, challenges, and best practices in the administrative, legal, operational, and communication fields relevant to local governance. The consultants will be responsible for designing a comprehensive curriculum that addresses these areas, including the creation of training materials. Furthermore, the consultants will oversee the curriculum’s revision based on stakeholder feedback, ensuring alignment with the Program’s objectives.

The curriculum will incorporate the following features:

• Effective design: Developing clear learning objectives, outcomes, and assessment methods.
• Legal alignment: Ensuring consistency with the relevant legal framework.
• Practical application: Facilitating application through case studies and group activities.
• Technology integration: Suggesting digital tools that can streamline processes.
• Learning principles: Incorporating adult learning principles and interactive methodologies.
  
  II. Training of Trainers’ Program implementation.

This role involves the development and delivery of a Training of Trainers (ToT) Program, aimed at preparing a team of ten experienced and qualified local councils secretaries with the necessary skills for effective training delivery. This includes conducting interviews, training a team of 10 (ten) trainers conducting 1 (one) pilot training session, facilitating, and monitoring the delivery of the Program, and developing a comprehensive internal final evaluation of the Program.

          III. Mentoring the 10 trained local council’ secretaries.

This role involves organizing four group mentoring sessions, in the presence of their peers, to facilitate an exchange of experiences and address any challenges encountered during the field training sessions. The consultants are responsible for orchestrating a final feedback and reflection session to encourage trainers to introspect on their learning journey and articulate their feedback regarding the ToT Program. The overarching objective of this activity is to bolster the sustainability of the ToT Program by laying the groundwork for the establishment in the future of a community of practice among the local secretaries.       

Duties and responsibilities

I. Curriculum development-related duties and responsibilities

1. Consultation and research

• Conduct consultations with My Community Program, the State Chancellery, and local public authorities’ representatives to determine needs for the curriculum’s content.
• Conduct 1 (one) focus group with local councils’ secretaries to research their specific needs and current challenges, and best practices in administrative, legal, operational, communication fields.

Conduct a desk review of relevant legal, operational, and policy documents about the duties and obligations of local councils’ secretaries including any existing curricula utilized by the IPA or CALM.

2. Curriculum design, revision, and delivery

• Develop training materials (trainers’ outline, interactive presentations, and practical learning outline, tailored to the curriculum).
• Develop 1 (one) Program evaluation framework and assessment templates to evaluate the curriculum’s impact on improving the competencies and abilities of local councils’ secretaries.
• Collect and integrate feedback from My Community Program, the State Chancellery, and local public authorities’ representatives to refine curriculum content and training materials.
• Develop and submit the Program curriculum, including mandatory training materials and Program evaluation framework to the My Community Program.
  
  II. Training of Trainers’ Program implementation related duties and responsibilities

1. Training Program development and delivery

• Conduct interviews and evaluate candidates’ suitability for Program’ trainers’ roles.
• Train a team of 10 (ten) trainers effectively to deliver the Program by equipping them with the necessary knowledge, skills, resources, providing training on content mastery and facilitation skills.
• Conduct 1 (one) pilot training session to test the Program curriculum, training materials, and Program evaluation framework, and gather feedback from participants to refine the documents.
• Facilitate and monitor the delivery of the Program, ensuring that trainers implement it according to the planned curriculum, and provide ongoing support and guidance.

2. Evaluation and monitoring

• Collect and analyze relevant stakeholders’ feedback from participants and trainers, beneficiaries of the local councils’ secretaries’ work, also the State Chancellery.
• Develop 1 (one) comprehensive internal final evaluation report detailing the Program design, delivery, evaluation results, and recommendations for continuous improvement of the Program.
  
  III. Trainers mentoring related duties and responsibilities

1. Trainers mentoring and evaluation

• Conduct 4 (four) Group mentoring sessions to facilitate an exchange of experiences and address any challenges encountered during the field training sessions.
• Conduct 1 (one) final Feedback and reflection session to encourage trainers to introspect on their learning journey and articulate their feedback regarding the Program.

Data-supported recommendations for changes to the role of secretaries in local public administration.

Deliverables, timeline, and level of effort

The expected level of effort (LOE) for this assignment will be a total of 62 (sixty-two) non-consecutive days. The assignment will take place between May - August 2024 and will include:

Please note that the deliverables may be amended based on the outcomes of the consultation.

Skills and experience

Education

• A master’s degree in public administration, law, public policies, or a related field is required. Advanced degrees in these or related fields will be considered an asset.

Required professional experience and skills

• Extensive experience (min. 3 years) serving as a local council secretary.
• Extensive experience (min. 3 years) in the development and delivery of learning Programs.
• Demonstrated experience in working with local government institutions.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in curriculum development.
• Demonstrated knowledge in administrative, legal, operational, or communication fields.

 Language proficiency

• Advanced proficiency level (C1 level in CEFR) in Romanian and Russian languages.
• Intermediate proficiency level (B2 level in CEFR) in the English language.

Software proficiency

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (such as Office and PowerPoint).
• Intermediate proficiency in data collection and analysis tools (such as Google Forms).
• Basic proficiency in virtual collaboration and conferencing tools (such as Zoom).

Preferred professional experience and skills

• Knowledge of local governance processes and practical aspects.
• Communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge and experience in the research field.
• Knowledge of public communication management.
• Capacity to build sustainable communities of practice.

Personal qualities

• Professionalism, responsibility, and integrity.
• Organization, time management, and collaborative skills.
• Flexibility, adaptability, and continuous learning.

Conflict of interest

• Trainers shall be independent contractors with no conflict of interest with the implementing partners or beneficiary public institutions.

Security clearance

• Candidates accepting employment offers will undergo anti-terrorism database clearances and employment verification processes conducted by IREX.

Evaluation criteria

Organizational setting: The consultants will work under the overall guidance of My Community Program Chief of Party and direct supervision of the Policy and Research Manager.

Inputs: My Community Program staff will provide the consultants with the necessary information and materials for the fulfillment of their responsibilities.

Reporting: The consultants will submit bi-weekly reports (in the English language) during the entire duration of the assignment.

Confidentiality: Materials provided to the consultants and all proceeding with the consultancy contract shall be regarded as confidential, both during and after the consultancy. Violation of confidentiality requirements may result in immediate termination of the contract.

Specific restrictions: The use of certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment is strictly prohibited.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their resumes, indicating their consultancy rate, to the email address: hr-md@irex.org. Please specify Consultancy services/TOT in the subject line of your message. Applications, including all supporting documents, must be submitted either in Romanian or English. The deadline for application submissions is 14 May 2024; Time 18:00 (CET).

Applicants will be selected for an interview on a rolling basis.

IREX will only respond to those applicants selected for an interview.

IREX is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace and inclusive hiring practice.

IREX is an equal-opportunity employer.