Clear National expert in agriculture and rural development

Location: Kryvyï Rih

Deadline for submitting the application: 07/07/2024

Start date: 15/07/2024

Contract type: Limited

Contract term (months): 24,00

      1. Background

The Government of Luxembourg, acting through the Luxembourg Development Agency (LuxDev) is launching a five-year, multi-component, project in support of the Kryvyi Rih Raion (“the Raion”) in Ukraine. The Overall Objective (impact) of the action is to support recovery of Kryvyi Rih Raion that benefits the general population and key groups at risk. The key directions are in education, TVET and the provision of finance for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME), but there is a specific component for Governance, of which this position and the related work form part of the planned delivery of results.

Under this component, a team of long-term experts is being created that can support the Raion and the City of Kryvyi Rih in developing or initiating projects that contribute to the further development of the Raion in the context of reconstruction and future post-war development. This relates to Specific Objective 3 of the overall project to be financed by Luxembourg. Specific Objective 3 (SO3) focuses on strengthening the capabilities of Raion authorities in effectively managing the recovery and development process in Kryvyi Rih Raion. This objective aims to equip local officials with enhanced skills in strategic planning, project management, and resource allocation, ensuring they are well-prepared to oversee and guide the region's redevelopment efforts. By improving the administrative and operational proficiency of these authorities, SO3 seeks to facilitate a more efficient, impactful, and coordinated approach to the region's recovery and growth, ultimately leading to more sustainable and community-driven development outcomes. The long-term experts may be supplemented by short-term experts, mobilised as and when a specific need is identified.      

       2. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the assignment are as follows:

• the main objective of the assignment is to strengthen the capacities at Rayon and municipality level to identify, design and present projects in the area of expertise of the expert. The aim is not to be substitutive but to transfer knowledge and skills to allow the Raion to improve their performance on the subject ;
• the next objective is to assist the short-term expertise in assessing the needs and preparing a capacity development plan. Whilst the short-term expertise will concentrate on general skills, they will count on each expert to provide an assessment of technical skills, especially in the fields of project identification, design and development ;

• a clear objective is therefore to assist the Raion and City in the further development of current projects in the fields of agriculture and rural development, where these are serving the needs of the population in small towns, villages and other settlements. These may be projects in any area of the food and agricultural business chain, as well as the development of services that provide benefits to those living in such communities;
• to assist the Raion and City in the identification and development of additional projects, where these are proposed as a mechanism for meeting the needs of the small town and rural population in the light of medium-term strategy;
• to identify and design the “soft” investments and skills that will be needed for the completion of such projects and for the future management of those projects;

• to take at least twenty projects to the implementation/financing stage by the end of the LuxDev programme, as these may be primarily small-scale projects.

3. RESPONSIBILITIES

The tasks under this position are divided into two stages: preparatory and long term. The preparatory phase will last from June 2024 to December 2024: the long-term phase will last from January 2025 until April 2029. However, some tasks are listed as “intermediary” as they run across the borderline between the two main stages.

Furthermore, a more extensive evaluation will take place after about two years of the implementation of this ToR, in order to assess the needs as the project moves forward. The expert will be directly answerable to the Governance Component Coordinator, who answers to the Deputy Team Leader, and will work with the overall project management, fellow experts of SO3 and other project participants and stakeholders as directed by project and component management in determining specific tasks for each stage. An evaluation of the progress will take place after the initial two years of assignment to review the needs of the Raion and the progress made, as well as identify the possible need for further assistance.

Preparatory Phase:

The following tasks will be undertaken during the preparatory phase:

• detailed review of current project proposals relating to the recovery and development of agricultural and rural communities in the Raion;
• on the basis of the above, to identify problems and issues of a generic nature that need to be covered by an overall capacity development plan for all hromadas;
• to also identify sector specific issues that need to be addressed in the capacity development plan, as these will be needed to plan the work of the sector expert under this ToR, given that the sector expert will assist and generally lead in the sector-specific capacity activities;
• analysis of the potential linkage between projects and the emerging 2024-2027 strategy and 2024 action plan of Raion and City;
• elaboration of the key needs of the general population and businesses that the current and future projects need to address;
• identification of suitable local, national, and international partners that might be mobilised for the successful implementation of projects;
• analysis of potential sources of financing, including donors and international financial institutions;
• identification of areas or functions where short term expertise may need to be mobilised.

Intermediate

The expert will be expected to contribute to the following activities that start in the preparatory phase but run into the long term tasks:

• analysis of the capacity of the Raion and City to manage major projects related to agriculture and rural development, using SWOT or PEST analysis and based on the analysis undertaken in the preparatory phase;
• to conduct a training needs analysis (TNA), to improve the skills and capacity of key local officials in the technical areas of projects in this sector. This TNA shall be submitted to the Deputy Team Leader and Governance Coordinator to ensure that it supplements a planned TNA related to generic issues and is included in the overall capacity development support planning;
• identification of international best practice in these areas that could be adapted to and applied in Ukraine;
• identification of successful projects in these fields in Ukraine, as the basis for cross-fertilisation or potential collaboration;
• elaboration of where additional technical documentation is needed for current and planned projects;
• preparation of ToRs for short term expertise, working with the Deputy Team Leader and work with such generic or sector experts.

Long-term tasks

• to continually assess capacity development needs of the Raion throughout the life of the project, updating the capacity assessments and TNA and ensuring that these feed into the ongoing capacity development measures of SO3 and the wider project. It is anticipated that the assessment of generic capacity development needs will be conducted annually: sector-specific issues should be checked each time that a project is being worked on. A more extensive evaluation will take place after two years of support. The Expert will be expected to be directly involved in the evaluation with regards to their sector of expertise;
• to manage sector-specific capacity development measures and to contribute to generic measures. This shall include, but not be limited to, design and delivery of sector training, planning and conduct of study tours and preparation of materials for study/self-study by Raion stakeholders;
• to assist the Raion and City in the further development of current projects in support of rural communities;
• to assist the Raion and City in the identification and development of additional projects, where these are proposed as a mechanism for meeting needs in the light of medium-term strategy. This shall include participation in the design of calls for projects, their analysis and involvement in any agreed selection processes;
• to identify and design the “soft” investments and skills that will be needed for the completion of such projects and for the future management of the facilities;
• to provide inputs into key design features and the costing of the proposed projects;
• to advise on key regulatory and legal requirements to be applied in the development of the projects;
• to assist in the production of visibility and communication materials relating to activities in this sector;
• to work with key sponsors and financing agencies in developing funding for the implementation of projects;
• to report to Raion, City and LuxDev management on progress, including identification of risks, how to mitigate them and the general planning of timetable and budget;
• to identify where additional short-term expertise may be required for the successful design, financing, implementation, and management of the projects during the entire project cycle;
• to advise LuxDev of any capacity development and training issues, including the need for technical and vocational training for staff to manage each project, so that these can be considered for other actions funded by LuxDev under S01 and SO2.

For all tasks, the expert shall report to the Deputy Team Leader in the LuxDev project and to the Governance Coordinator, and also to other nominated representatives of LuxDev. She/he will also be expected to maintain close relations with the Raion and City officials responsible for work locally. The expert will also contribute to project reporting and to materials for the Steering Committee, as well providing information that can be turned by the project into materials suitable for the media or the general public.

4. PROFILE

• master's degree in food and agriculture or rural development (not a requirement for candidates with an extremely high level of practical experience);
• prior experience of working with donors and international financial institutions on local development strategies;
• deep understanding of the legal and administrative environment of Ukraine at decentralised level;
• fluent in Ukrainian or Russian and excellent spoken and written English skills;
• project cycle management and team management skills.

N.B. this post is for a national expert meaning that it will be based on a daily fully comprehensive rate and involve no expatriation or relocation packages.

‍