Scope of Work: Regional Development Manager
Background:
Tekwill has been designed as a national public private partnership between the Government of Moldova, USAID, Microsoft, and IBM to answer the needs of the ICT industry to close the gap of the human capital shortage, as well as support the development of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. The initial goal of the projects to contribute to the extension of the Tekwill project as a sustainable network and deploy its programs on regional/national level. The project aims at determining the operation model of the network, determining business plans for the relevant created centers or partners in the regions, deploy scalable activities to connect an estimated of 150,000 people to ICT (school and university students, community, etc.) , deploy entrepreneurship programs aiming at both scaling up existing programs, as well as create inclusive innovation platforms for the regions with their respective specifics and potential to absorb/apply ICT. We envision a minimum 10,000 beneficiaries/year for each direction (education and entrepreneurship) As a result of the project, 2 main outcomes of the project are expected: more and better qualified skills and workforce developed leading to a stronger ICT industry in Moldova, as well as creating the premises for a Startup Moldova program driving opportunities for companies seeking capitalization.
The first phase of the project represented a USAID grant for Development matched by both cash and in-kind contributions of private and government partners that brought significant new resources, ideas, software, technologies and development activities, such as trainings, practical assignments, and mentorship. Private partners included multinational companies, IBM and Microsoft, but also Information Technology and Communications Association (ATIC) members that are local Information and Communications Technology (ICT) companies, while among government partners Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, e-Government Center and Technical University have provided their support. The Technical University of Moldova is hosting the first Center on its premises and has jointly invested resources for initial investment and maintenance costs during the startup phase.
On September 19, 2017 USAID/Moldova has entered into a partnership with the Government of Sweden to join forces in the establishment and creation of the ICT Excellence Center (Tekwill). It included an arrangement that governs the relationship between the Parties regarding the financing, implementation and reporting of the activity.
Tekwill has been opened on March 15, 2017. During the 3 years of the project, Tekwill has completed or supported 188 educational initiatives, and 301 entrepreneurship initiatives, transforming Tekwill into one of the most successful initiatives in tech in Moldova. It has helped over 350 teams to reach better business, create opportunities and seek investment. Altogether it trained and oriented over 35,000 people.
The next phase of the project is envisaged to fortify the existing Tekwill’s capacity, create linkages with other universities and expand the activities to a national level. New activities are planned to transform Tekwill into a strategic focal point for Moldova in relation to boosting Creativity, innovation and growth in the ICT sector. The Government of Moldova envisages the creation of a network of mini Tekwills around Chisinau and around the country, keeping all main stakeholders (academia, private sector, donors, government) in the loop aiming to reach a high impact on the economy as a whole. Few more universities are seeking to be part of this initiative, which involves private sector and development partners in modernization of the curricular content, as well as the Ministry of Education is opened to promote the optional programs developed by Tekwill to be accessible in schools under a Tekwill in every school program. Each program will be designed and developed being adapted to the context of the region, school, university involved in the process. The programs will be all inclusive aiming at involving different target groups such as children, women, students, etc.
Job Title: Regional Development Manager
Basic Functions:
The regional Development Manager will be responsible for the oversight of the regional activities in coordination with the Chisinau (head office) Center.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
- Develop annual implementation plans in compliance with the Project’s Scope of Work and with the consensus will of the Senior Project Coordinator and Development Partners (USAID/Government of Sweden) on the regional level.
- Plan and schedule the implementation of all activities approved in the annual implementation plans, including but not limited to, enumerating rosters of necessary STTA experts, identifying subcontractor mechanisms to accomplish goals, anticipating events and other necessary means of sharing information and knowledge, and gaining the approval of the Senior Project Coordinator and USAID and Government of Sweden regarding such plans and schedules.
- Supervise and manage the implementation of all activities planned, scheduled and approved, including, but not limited to, drafting of Scopes of Work, drafting of RFPs, guiding and directing the work of consultants, implementing partners and volunteers, managing implementation so that it proceeds smoothly and according to schedule related to the regional context.
- Develop MoUs/Partnerships related to regions
- Maintain constant dialogue with regional partners/authorities
- Report regularly to the Senior Project Coordinator, respectively if required to USAID/Sweden, where appropriate, regarding decisions to be made, activities undertaken, and progress.
- Report on regional development activities in accordance with the formal reporting requirements of the Project.
- Coordinate with the Marketing and Communication Officer to make sure messaging is appropriate, professional, effective and executed in accordance with the Project Scope and USAID/Sweden guidelines, and with regional context needs for continual knowledge and information sharing.
Reporting:
The Regional Development Manager will report directly to the Senior Project Coordinator. As teamwork is crucial to the success of the project, the Regional Development Manager will also align and coordinate work with other staff as per direction from the Senior Project Coordinator.
Qualifications:
- 4 years of relevant experience in designing and implementing IT/tech related activities
- Proven expertise and knowledge of the IT Sector, national, regional and international context.
- BSc or BA degree in information technologies, business, economics, or social sciences.
- Proven success in managing and leading the design of complex projects
- Fluency in English, Romanian and Russian
Application procedure:
Interested candidates shall submit the following documents:
- Motivation letter;
- CV of the applicant.
The application package shall be submitted via email to: achirita@ict.md, copy to cdamaschin@ict.md, with the subject line: „Regional Development Manager”, by December 6, 2019 (21:00). Only selected persons will be contacted. Incomplete applications will not be considered.