National Consultant, Development of the Small and Medium Enterprises and Start-up Acceleration Programmes (SSA)

Background:

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD) provides support to the host country in the second dimension of security by supporting development of small and medium enterprises in Tajikistan. In order to facilitate development of ecosystem in Tajikistan, relevant entities (state and non-state) were established which provide relevant trainings, programmes and organize events. These entities also operate in regions of Tajikistan to ensure inclusiveness of all layers of society, particularly youth. The POiD actively co-operates with the State Institution “Business Incubators” to promote business knowledge and skills among population. At the same time, being recently established, there is a need to enhance its capacities by providing good practices and recommendations on provision of relevant training modules for start-up acceleration programmes and other business related courses to further improve effectiveness. In addition to this, development of new additional modules would be required to further ensure delivery of relevant course with the aim to address development of small and medium enterprises. It is vital to provide recommendations which would improve outcomes of pitching events, thus promoting development of SMEs upon completion of acceleration programmes. 

Objective of Assignment: 

The POiD is planning to hire a national consultant in the field of development of start-ups acceleration programmes and business incubation to support an international consultant.

Duration of Assignment:

Three months

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Economic Officer of POiD and an international consultant, the consultant will perform the following tasks:

1. Support an international expert in delivery of necessary tasks related to this assignment;
2. Prepare a brief information file on business climate and recent business development initiatives in Tajikistan;
3. Provide and suggest to an international expert with relevant information on business developments in Tajikistan, existing actors supporting development of SMEs;
4. Organizing meetings with relevant partners to discuss current situation and gaps;
5. Support an international expert in assessing existing programmes for business incubators and accelerators and provide comments for an improvement of such programmes considering local business environment;
6. Provide relevant information on potential investors which can be involved for a pitching events, particularly their main interests in certain field and expectations from pitching;
7. Assist an international expert for sustainability and improving network of relevant business incubation centres;
8. Develop and provide an information on IT environment in Tajikistan and basic suggestion for development of IT-parks.

Note: A consultant will support an international expert being in constant contact with her/him and the POiD/Economic Unit. Assignment can be done remotely.

Deliverables:

• Meeting notes of all meetings highlighting main conclusions;
• A file on current business climate and developments in Tajikistan, main actors in the field of development of SMEs is developed;
• Suggestions for improvement of existing business programmes considering local environment is provided;
• Analysis regarding potential investors for pitching event is developed;
• Set of recommendations for sustainability is developed and shared;
• Current status of IT environment of Tajikistan is analysed and shared;
• Report on work done related to the assignment, comprising of detailing activities undertaken and outlining progress achieved in relation to the objectives of assignment, also stating challenges and constraints.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, please see: https://www.osce.org/programme-office-in-dushanbe

Necessary Qualifications:

• University degree in economics, economic development, business development, marketing or related field;
• Minimum 4  years of professional experience in the field of improvement business ecosystem;
• Good knowledge of business climate in Tajikistan;
• Knowledge of development of programmes for start-up acceleration and in development of the SMEs;
• Experience in conducting courses on start-up acceleration, different types of trainings for starting business is a big asset;
• Professional fluency in English, Russian and Tajik languages, both oral and written;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Ability and willingness to work as a member of team, with people of different cultural, and religious backgrounds, different gender, and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications.

Remuneration

The consultant will be remunerated commensurate with consultant’s experience and qualifications in accordance with OSCE established rates. Applicants should indicate whether they wish to be included in the OSCE Roster of Consultants for similar assignments.

Please note that the vacancy is open for competition only amongst nationals and permanent residents of Tajikistan. Please note that applications received after the deadline, submitted in different formats than the OSCE Application Form or in other languages than the English language will not be considered.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://jobs.osce.org/vacancies.
If you are not a national of a participating State, you must apply by submitting an offline application form which can be found under http://www.osce.org/employment/108714.
The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.
Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.
The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization. 
Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.