UNDP Jobs - 54260- International Senior Tourism Expert

International Senior Tourism Expert

Location :

Prishtinë/Pristina, Kosovo, UNSCR 1244 (1999)

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

16-Mar-2015

Application Deadline :

04-Mar-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

16 March 2015 to 21 April 2015

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

16 March 2015 to 21 April 2015 (25 w/days within this period)

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The Aid for Trade project aims to support Kosovo’s public institutions, private enterprises and other relevant stakeholders as they strive to develop a vibrant and export-oriented private sector. The project attempts to achieve these objectives by strengthening the technical capacities of partner beneficiaries and facilitating their access to relevant support services. As part of these broader goals and objectives, the Aid for Trade project provides targeted technical assistance interventions to support the capacities of the Ministry of Trade and Industry in designing and monitoring policies in the areas of its mandate.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) has set a goal that tourism will constitute about 10-12% of GDP by 2020 and has so far signed tourism development agreements with Albania and Macedonia and is in the process of signing such an agreement with Montenegro. This is an indication that the Government acknowledges the importance of this sector in future economic development of Kosovo.

The Division of Tourism (DoT) within the Department of Industry (DoI) in MTI has the authority to design policies on tourism. According to the Regulation 29/2012 on internal MTI organization and systematization of jobs the duties and responsibilities of the DoT include, among others: designing tourism legislation, drafting strategic policy documents for tourism development, providing support to the promotion of Kosovo as a touristic destination, creating conditions for cooperation with international tourism associations, providing support to the organization of fairs, conferences and workshops in the field of tourism and hotels.

Objectives of the Assignment

The overall objective of this assignment is to support MTI in its efforts to strengthen the DoT capacities, with focus on designing tourism related policies in line with the MTI objectives; improve the functionality of the Division and provide strategic direction and guidance.
To this end, and in line with the more detailed tasks provided in the Scope of Work section IV below, the aim of this assignment is to support DoT in achieving its objectives.

Assignment will be conducted in line with UN 8 Point Agenda and the UNDP Gender responsive mandate.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision the Aid for Trade Project Manager, in close cooperation with and overall guidance by the Head of DoI in MTI, the tourism expert is expected to:

Strengthen policy making capacities:

Assess current policy making capacities of DoT staff and provide guidance on designing tourism policies addressing the identified needs;
Evaluate the level of existing touristic services focusing on touristic products and rural tourism and propose concrete measures for their enhancement.

Develop implementation and monitoring tools:

Propose tools for proper implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Action Plan for tourism sector;
Draft a guide on the agreed M&E tools, incorporating thorough information on the actions to be undertaken to ensure their proper application;
Support DoT in developing mechanisms for implementing and monitoring tourism standards for accommodation facilities, including, but not limited to:

Standards on categorisation of accommodation facilities;
Standards on quality services;
Standards on food and beverages.

Assist DoT in functionalizing the Council of Tourism:

Draft the Council’s annual work plan, incorporating an overview of regional and/or European best practices of running Tourism Councils applicable to the Kosovo context, indicating the budgetary implications;
Present the work plan to the members of the Council and ensure its endorsement.

Submit a final report to the DoI and UNDP containing main findings, achievements and future recommendations covering the above specified tasks.

Tourism expert is required to regularly report to the Head of DoI. Modality of delivering the above indicated activities is to be decided jointly with DoT and Head of DoI. Provision of best practices applied in similar economic environments should be an integrated part of all the activities.

Expected Results / Deliverables:

Deliverables/ Outputs

DoT policy making capacities are assessed.

Estimated Duration to Complete:

2 w/days.

Target Due Dates:

16 – 17 Mar 2015.

Review and Approvals Required

Head of DoI/Project Manager.

Deliverables/ Outputs

Existing touristic services are evaluated.

Estimated Duration to Complete:

3 w/days.

Target Due Dates:

18 – 20 Mar 2015.

Review and Approvals Required

Head of DoI/Project Manager.

Deliverables/ Outputs

Tools for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the tourism Action Plan are proposed.

Estimated Duration to Complete:

5 w/days.

Target Due Dates:

23 – 27 Mar 2015.

Review and Approvals Required

Head of DoI/Project Manager.

Deliverables/ Outputs

Guide of the actions for the agreed M&E tools is drafted.

Estimated Duration to Complete:

4 w/days.

Target Due Dates:

30 March – 02 Apr 2015.

Review and Approvals Required

Head of DoI/Project Manager.

Deliverables/ Outputs

.Development of mechanisms for implementing and monitoring tourism standards for accommodation facilities supported.

Estimated Duration to Complete:

4 w/days.

Target Due Dates:

03 – 10 Apr 2015.

Review and Approvals Required

Head of DoI/Project Manager.

Deliverables/ Outputs

The annual work plan for the Council of Tourism is drafted.

Estimated Duration to Complete:

5 w/days.

Target Due Dates:

13 – 17 Apr 2015.

Review and Approvals Required

Head of DoI/Project Manager.

Deliverables/ Outputs

Work plan is presented and endorsed.

Estimated Duration to Complete:

1 w/day.

Target Due Dates:

20 Apr 2015.

Review and Approvals Required

Head of DoI/Project Manager.

Deliverables/ Outputs

Final report is submitted and cleared.

Estimated Duration to Complete:

1 w/day.

Target Due Dates:

21 Apr 2015.

Review and Approvals Required

Head of DoI/Project Manager.

Final Products Expected

The duration of the assignment is 25 working days. All deliverables are to be implemented in close cooperation with DoT staff and the Head of DoI in MTI, and approved by the latter.

Tool guide for proper implementation and monitoring of the Action Plan for tourism sector, annual work plan for Council of Tourism and final report incorporating main findings, achievements and recommendations covering the entire assignment are to be validated and approved by the Head of Department of Industry and Project Manager of the UNDP Aid for Trade project. Annual work plan for Council of Tourism is to be endorsed also by the Council members.

Scope of price proposal and schedule of payments

Lump sum payment schedule:

20% upon signature of the contract;
35% upon successful completion of the first four deliverables;
45% upon successful completion of the remaining four deliverables.

Recommended Presentation of Offer

The following documents may be requested:

Personal CV and P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
Technical proposal, a max. 2 page document describing the methodology for the assignment for delivering the expected results within the indicated timeframe;
Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price. The Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

Offers will be evaluated utilizing a combined Scoring method – where the technical qualifications and the relevant work experiences will be weighted a max. of 70%, and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a max of 30%.

Application Instructions:

Click on the "Apply now" button;
Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation; You can type in, or paste your short Resume into the last box;
Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. On the next page, you will be asked to upload your Resume;
System will only allow one attachment. All docs (CV; P11; financial offer; list of similar profiles should be included as one attachment).

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Demonstrates substantial experience in gender equality. Actively promotes gender equality in all project activities;
Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Functional competencies

Ability to synthesize research and draw conclusions on the related subjects;
Ability to design and synthesize action oriented plans for implementation of the training and guide recommendations;
Good analytical and report writing skills;
Good communication skills;
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing;
Ability to establish effective working relations in a multicultural team environment;
Excellent and team-building skills;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability in the assigned process;
Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors;
Responds positively to critical feedback.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in Economics, Business Administration or other relevant field (specialization in Tourism Industry is considered an advantage).

Experience:

Minimum seven years of demonstrated work experience in public institutions, international development agencies or NGO’s with substantive exposure to issues related to tourism development and policy analysis, and the operations of public institutions;
Knowledge and experience in working on capacity development of government officials at national levels;
In-depth understanding of policies, techniques and modalities for enhancing the tourism sector;
Demonstrated experience related to drafting tourism policies, implementation and monitoring;
Familiarity with the Western Balkans tourism context.

Language:

Fluency in English language.