Vacancy notice for the RTA Assistant

EU funded Twinning Project “Twinning air quality and environment” (Twinning Ref. MD 22 NDICI EN 23 (MD/38)) is seeking to recruit

Assistant to the Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA)

Background information:

The above-mentioned project will be implemented in close cooperation between the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Moldova (MoE) (as the central beneficiary), the Environment Agency, the Environment Protection Inspectorate (as the other main beneficiaries), the Finnish Meteorological Institute (Lead Member State partner), the Finnish Environmental Institute (SYKE), the Environmental Projects Management Agency under the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania (EPMA), the Environmental Protection Department under the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania (EPD), the Environmental Protection Agency of Lithuania (EPA) and the Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI) (Junior Member State partners).

The general goal of the Twinning project is the sustainable development and protection of the environment for present and future generations by strengthen the capacity of the Republic of Moldova to fulfill environment-related commitments, in line with the EU-Republic of Moldova Association Agreement, the EU Integration process and international agreements in accordance with international standards and best practices. The specific objective of this Twinning project is to increase the pace of approximation and implementation of the acquis communautaire in the fields of air quality and air pollution reduction, environmental information, circular economy/waste management and sustainable management of chemicals.

The project starts on the 1^st of July 2024 and the duration is 30 months.

Within the project many activities will be carried out such as expert missions, seminars, workshops, study visits and internships, drafting legislation, strategies and implementation plans etc. Therefore, a project Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA) from Finland will be stationed in Chisinau. The project RTA is looking for a qualified RTA assistant.

Under the guidance of the Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA) and in cooperation with her counterparts in MoE, the RTA assistant is expected to carry out the following duties:

Office of the RTA / task division:

The Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA), an officer of the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) - will carry out the daily coordination of the project, together with her Moldovan counterparts in cooperation with the Project Leader from Finland and his Moldovan counterpart.

The RTA will be assisted by two local assistants, one project assistant and one language assistant. The RTA will focus on the overall coordination and content of the activities, and the evaluation of the progress of the project, while the project assistant and language assistant will take care of the project administration, logistics, translation, and interpretation. The RTA assistant will focus on the project administration, logistics, drafting minutes, etc. while the RTA language assistant will focus on translation and interpretation. However, both assistants need to be able to replace and assist each other when necessary.

Job description:

Under the guidance of the Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA) and in cooperation with her counterparts in MoE, the RTA assistant is expected to carry out the following duties:

-     Project administration / office management:

• Assisting the RTA in the day-to-day implementation of the project;
• Act as a principal assistant to the RTA and visiting Project Leader (PL), Junior Project Leaders (JPL) and short-term experts (STE);
• Assist to the RTA with project coordination and management;
• Perform all necessary administrative tasks, including filing of all project materials and maintaining all financial records (bookkeeping), in line with the EC procedures for external assistance and the EC Twinning Manual;
• Office management, monitoring telephone and general correspondence, answering phone calls, and correspondence;
• Maintaining filing systems and arranging for the exchange of information between project participants;
• Preparation of quarterly Project Steering Committee Meetings including preparation of meeting minutes and assisting preparation of Quarter Interim Reports;
• Developing and maintaining close working contacts and relationships with Beneficiary Country officials and counterparts involved in each of the activities and the project management;
• Assisting in handling of budget accounting.

-     Logistics:

• Assisting to the RTA in organization of experts’ missions, trainings, seminars, workshops, steering committee meetings, and other project events;
• Taking care of mission preparations and filing mission reports, time sheets and mission certificates
• Preparing activities by providing relevant information to the EU experts, printing and photocopying of materials for seminars and conferences, arranging hotel rooms, transport, rooms for seminars, conferences and meetings, equipment for presentations etc.

-     Drafting:

• Drafting programmes for EU experts, agenda’s and minutes of meetings;
• Drafting and editing of minutes of meetings, assisting to the RTA in drafting and editing monthly, quarterly, and final project reports and any other relevant documents.

-     Translation / interpretation services:

• Acting as an interpreter for the RTA, assistance with the translation of legislation, policy documents, implementation plans, training materials, PowerPoint presentations etc.,
• (Consecutive or simultaneous) interpretation during seminars, conferences, and meetings (in addition to the RTA language assistant).

-     Other tasks:

• Performing other duties at the request of the RTA, either related to assistance with the implementation of the project or related to personal assistance with language issues and other issues that arise from moving to and working in a foreign country.

Profile of the candidate:

The successful candidate should have the following qualifications:

• Preferably University Degree *;
• Romanian language as mother tongue and excellent English and Russian language skills;
• Ability to communicate effectively in these languages, including good drafting skills;
• Experience in office management and project administration, including bookkeeping;
• Experience in Romanian – English v.v. and (preferably) Russian – English v.v. and (preferably) Romanian – Russian v.v. interpretation and translation services;
• Good computer skills (in particular Word, PowerPoint and Excel, Internet);
• Ability to manage a number of tasks simultaneously;
• Ability to undertake activities independently and as a team-player;
• Good planning and organizational skills;
• Proven ability to work effectively in an international environment;
• Previous experience in the administration of at least one EU funded projects, especially as RTA Assistant in a former Twinning project, or in another equivalent international project.

* Lack of a university degree may be compensated by skills and a substantial amount of relevant work experience. 

The following skills will be considered an asset for RTA Assistant:

• Experience of working in an international environment;
• Familiarity with EU project cycle management;
• Demonstrable interest and experience in the area of European cooperation and environmental field (preferably air quality, waste management or chemicals).
• Experience in working with Moldovan state institutions;
• Knowledge of languages of the EU Partners;
• Additional training, specialization, post-graduate studies will be considered as an advantage.

The RTA Assistant will be employed full-time and stationed in Chisinau.

The RTA Assistant cannot have or recently (past six months) have had any contractual relation with the beneficiary administrations that are the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Moldova, the Environment Agency and the Environment Protection Inspectorate, or any other beneficiary country public sector administrations.

Duration and remuneration of the contract:

• duration: till 31^st of December 2026 (start date: July 2024)
• full-time (40 hours per week)
• (gross) salary: 1500-2000 € per month (depending on qualification)
• contract type: fixed term service contract.

The RTA Assistant will be based at Ministry of the Environment of the Republic of Moldova 162, blvd. Stefan cel Mare si Sfant, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. He/she will report to the Resident Twinning Adviser.

The interested candidates are requested to submit their CV (in Europass format) and a letter of application in English by 30^th June 2024 via e-mail to the following address: maija.ylinen@fmi.fi. Shortlisted candidates only will be invited to attend an interview. The date and place of the interview will be additionally indicated to the shortlisted candidates.

The following documents should be annexed in scanned versions to the application:

-       Certificate on educational qualification;

-       Certificate of language knowledge (if it is available);

-       References from previous employer(s) if it is available.