UNDP Jobs - 50249- Consultant: Expert on Demand

Consultant: Expert on Demand – Supporting business incubators in Azerbaijan

Location :

Home based with mission to Baku and Guba-Khachmaz region, Azerbaijan, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

02-Oct-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Estimated November 2014

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

approximately 10 working days in total; 5 working days for field mission and 5 days for desk work

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

Azerbaijan’s economy is highly dependent on oil and gas production, and economic diversification was declared as top national priority. As part of its long-term development strategy Vision 2020, Azerbaijan seeks to support small and medium size entrepreneurial activity and start-ups, primarily in the provincial areas. While the concept of business incubator is not new in Azerbaijan, there are no fully functional business incubators in the country. Recently the Government allocated premises for the first Business Incubator in the Guba-Khachmaz Regional Development Centre under the MEI. In July 2014, the first group of 15 participants was selected to benefit from the facilities and services to be provided by the business incubator. As the business incubator is still in its nascent stage, it would be the right time to learn from and apply international experience in the process of setting-up and operationalizing the Guba-Khachmaz business incubator. Furthermore, it is planned to create more business incubators in Balakhany Industrial Park, Sumgait Chemical Industrial Park, Aran Regional Development Center and others.

Czech Republic has a long and diverse experience in establishing various business support facilities targeting small and medium-size enterprises. Czech experience is particularly valuable as it combines two models: business incubators seeking to support regional development and job creation, and those with strong links to Research and Development promoting innovative ideas.

Objective

The objective of the mission is to provide consultancy support to the management and the staff of the newly established business incubator in the Guba-Khachmaz region of Azerbaijan under the Ministry of Economy and Industry (MEI). The business incubator was established to support youth entrepreneurship and create new business and employment opportunities. The activity is funded by the Czech-UNDP Trust Fund within its Expert on Demand scheme. The objective of the scheme is to transfer lessons learnt, know-how and good practices from Czech transition to democracy and market economy by rapid deployment of experts.

Duties and Responsibilities

Leading a two-day workshop for the staff of the Guba-Khachmaz Business Incubator on key steps in starting-up business incubation programmes, available business incubator models, challenges and lessons learnt from Czech and international experience in business incubation programmes

Advising the management of Business Incubator on key considerations in preparing a strategy for business incubator

Advising on the structure for the Guba-Khachmaz Business Incubator

Assisting the screening committee in refining criteria for selecting businesses for admission

Advising on establishing a Monitoring mechanism to assess the performance of the business incubator

Meeting with the MEI staff to debrief on the results of the mission and advise on the strategic issues for future development of the Guba-Khachmaz Business Incubator

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional competencies:

Strong interpersonal skills, communication and diplomatic skills;
Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations;
Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education

A University degree (at least Bachelor degree), preferably in Economics, Engineering or Business Studies.

Experience:

At least 3 years experience in advising governments and public institutions in the sector of economic transformation;
Experience from the Czech Republic in establishing or consulting business support facilities (at least 3 similar assignments); working experience from Caucasus countries will be an asset;
Experience in analytical and drafting work;
Experience in the usage of computer software.

Language skills:

Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English;
Knowledge of Russian is an asset.

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.
The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 35 points:

Criteria A (Education) – max points: 5;
Criteria B (Experience in advising governments and public institutions) – max points: 10;
Criteria C ( Experience from the Czech Republic in establishing or consulting business support facilities; working experience from Caucasus countries will be an asset) – max points: 10;
Criteria D (Analytical and drafting skills) – max points: 5;
Criteria E (Language skills) – max points: 5.

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 15 points.

Application procedures

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work (if applicable). Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ); please upload the P11 instead of your CV.
Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days, travel, per diems and any other possible costs).
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org
General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://on.undp.org/t7fJs

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.
Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.