SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION SUPPORT PROJECT (SDISP)
TERMS OF REFERENCE
for
Administration and Communications Officer
for
the Higher Education Accreditation and Evaluation Board (HEAEB)
- Background of the Project
The Government of Republic of Macedonia (GoM) is implementing the “Skills Developmentand Innovation Support Project” (SDISP), financed by a World Bank loan. The expectedduration of the project is from 2014 to 2019. The Project would support interventions whichfoster education and skills relevant to the job market, and enhance the innovation capacityand activity of firms in Macedonia. It will also address key missing elements of theMacedonian innovation system and ailing aspects of the research sector that are likely tobe vital for improving the competitiveness of the enterprise sector and Macedonia’s longerterm economic growth prospects. It will also help improve absorption of EU fundsearmarked for innovation activities.The Project Development Objective (PDO) isto improvetransparency of resource allocation and promote accountability in higher education,enhance the relevance of secondary technical vocational education, and support innovationcapacity in Macedonia. The Project’s direct beneficiaries include around 24,000 studentsand 1,500 teaching and management staff from technical vocational education and traininginstitutions who would receive a new curriculum and practical training facilities, as well astraining on management, planning, and process improvement capacity.
Component 1: Improving Transparency of Higher Education
Thiscomponent will havethree main sets of activities, all targeted toward improving both the transparency andefficiency of the quality assurance and finance mechanisms in the higher education sector:(i) institutional strengthening and stronger quality assurance in higher education; (ii)reforming the higher education financing model; and (iii) establishing centralized office tofoster missionorientedresearch and universityindustrycollaboration.
Sub component1.1: Quality Assurance in Higher Education
- Improving the capacity of the Higher Education Accreditation andEvaluation Board.
- Funding of external evaluation by foreign experts of Macedonia’s higher education sector.
Specific information/background regarding the assignment
As part of Component 1, Subcomponent 1.1 – Quality Assurance in Higher EducationtheProjectwill finance activities targeted toward improving the quality assurance mechanisms inhigher education, including:
(i) providing training for improving the administrative capacity of the Higher EducationAccreditation and Evaluation Board (HEAEB) and other stakeholders in charge ofmanaging quality assurance activities;
(ii) funding of external evaluation by foreign experts of Macedonia’s higher education sector, and up; and
(iii) upgrading of the education management and information system, including thedevelopment and implementation of the central data base.
As an initial step, the Project will fund technical assistance to support the Higher EducationAccreditation and Evaluation Board (HEAEB) meeting the requirements to be accepted as amember in the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA)and the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).By doing so,the Higher Education Accreditation and Evaluation Board (HEAEB) will be recognized as aninternationally qualified accreditation agency, and their accreditation outcomes forMacedonian higher education institutions and academic programs will be of a globallyrecognized and assessed quality.
- Objective of the assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to hire a consultant on the position of Administration and Communications Officer to provide assistance in managing quality assurance activitiesand work closely with the newly established Grants and Contracts Division of HEAEB. In particular, the advisor is expected to (i) provide administrative assistance to the HEAEB, (ii) increase the international visibility of HEAEB by preparing comprehensive PR strategy and (iii) establish the networking with ENQA and EQAR.
3. Scope of work
The selected consultant will perform the following activities:
- Provide assistance to the HEAEB in managing quality assurance activities
- Coordinate activities that need to be taken in order to achieveENQA/EQAR membership;
- Coordinate activities for applying for grants for improving the capacity of HEAEB;
- Liaise and ensure constant communication/coordination with HEAEB members,MoES representatives and relevant international consultants hired under the Skills Development and Innovation Support Project;
- Prepare comprehensive PR strategy aimed at presenting the role and the activities of the HEAEB to the wider audience;
- Prepare necessary presentations for key target audiences and serve as facilitator forvarious meetings and discussions related to PR and grants and contracts’ applications
- Disseminate project outcomes and results.
4. Reporting obligations
The consultant will report to the president of HEAEB and to the SDISP Project Director through provision of necessary progress reports, information and other deliverables within the scope of work as per their request.
5. Consultant’s Qualifications
- Minimum 3(three) years of relevant experience in the area ofpublic relations and/or international cooperation;
- Strong project management skills, i.e. excellent knowledge and experience in all phases of the project management cycle;
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in Englishand Macedonian.
- University degree in the field of international relations, science or humanities; Advanced (postgraduate) degree will be considered an advantage
- Computer literacy with practical experience in Microsoft applications.
6. Selection and Contract Arrangements
-The selection method will be Selection of Individual Advisor in accordance with“Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDACredits & Grants by the World Bank Borrowers“(January 2011).
-The Contract shall be time-based. The contract period shall be March 2016-May 2019.
-Payment shall be made through an intermediary agency for copyrights and other intellectual rights to the Consultant’s bank account.
-This is a full-time appointment for which the Consultant is required to work a minimum of forty hours a week under a work schedule determined by the President of the HEAEB. National holidays are non-working days. Reimbursement for overtime work, as may be requested from time to time by the President of the HEAEB or the SDIS Project Director, is included in the monthly remuneration fee. For each full month of work the Consultant will accumulate 2 (two) days of annual leave. Annual leave should be used within the duration of this Contract.