Molodova_Rural SME Policy Support Window

Like the country’s overall SME sector, the development of the country’s rural SME sector is supported through the 2012-2020 Strategy for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises and its corresponding Action Plans, which contain a series of measures to improve the sector’s competitiveness using an innovation-based private sector development paradigm. Sector weaknesses to be addressed through the Strategy, particularly in the rural areas, include, inter alia:

  • Limited financial support to rural SMEs;
  • Underdeveloped rural infrastructure for supporting businesses and capital markets;
  • Low level of business culture and vocational training;
  • Insufficient knowledge of export techniques/access to foreign markets and an insignificant share of rural SMEs engaged in export;
  • Low efficiency in effectively implementing the legislative framework;
  • Unfair competitive conditions through existence of monopolistic economic economy sectors;
  • Low overall level of competitiveness of rural SMEs.

The Project itself, which constitutes the second main activity of Specific Objective 2 of the 2016 "Development of Rural Areas in the Republic of Moldova" Annual Action Programme (2016  AAP) - Rural SME Policy Support Window -aims to address some of the sector weaknesses listed above by implementing the following four specific work areas:

  • Work Area 1 - Create a more business-friendly environment in Moldova’s rural areas;
  • Work Area 2 - Assist ODIMM in the implementation of the Activity 2.1 under Specific Objective 2 of the 2016 "Development of Rural Areas in the Republic of Moldova" Annual Action Programme Grant actions;
  • Work Area 3 - Assist ODIMM in the elaboration and implementation of its 2025 Strategic Development Plan (SDP) and the Action Plan 2022, and in the elaboration of assessment methodology;
  • Work Area 4 - Promote the usage of business development services (BDS) in rural areas, assist ODIMM in the improvement of existing BDS and the creation of new BDS.

The main beneficiary of this project will be the Moldovan Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) Development Organisation, better known under its acronym ODIMM

Qualifications: 

Qualifications and skills:

  • University degree in the fields of Economics, Agriculture, Rural development or related  fields of equivalent scope (where a university degree has been awarded on completion of four (4) years study in a university) or, in the absence of the required academic degree, six (6) years of professional experience in the fields relevant to this contract, on top of the years of experience described under General professional experience below;
  • Excellent English, both written and spoken.

General Professional Experience:

  • At least ten (10) years of general experience in the fields relevant to this contract of which at least five (5) years in rural economic development and/or rural SME development;
  • At least three (3) year of professional experience working with central and/or local state bodies and/or governmental administrations and/or state agencies/organisations dealing with economic and/or private sector and/or SME development in rural areas.

Specific Professional Experience:

  • Proven experience as a team leader in at least three (3) EU and /or other donor funded services projects including at least one (1) project in which the expert's input was at least 200 working days during the duration of the project;
  • At least five (5) years of project implementation experience in the ENI countries  and/or IPA countries and/or in  those EU Member States which joined the EU after 2003;
  • At least five (5) years of experience as a trainer and/or an advisor and/or a consultant providing capacity building and/or institutional-strengthening support to public institutions and organisations responsible for rural economic development and/or for rural SME development.
Start / Duration: 

The intended start date is February, 2020 and the period of implementation of the contract will be 29 months from this date. The project’s operational base will be Chisinau though the project will operate throughout the whole territory of the Republic of Moldova.

Please send your most recent CV to: job [at] afci.de                                                                                                                                                

Only shortlisted experts will be contacted