The above CARDS programme project involves a team of international experts and local facilitators in supporting the Central Office for Development Strategy of the Government of Croatia (CODS) in developing national development planning in the country and producing a National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) for 2007-2013 [this being the document which will secure detailed access to EU Pre-Accession Assistance (Economic and Social Cohesion components) and the related Operational Programmes (OPs)]. There are three work packages within the contract: 1. national development planning, NSRF and Operational Programmes; 2. Creating a Legal Basis for the Implementation of the NSRF; and 3. Developing Institutional Capacity for elaborating and implementing development plans. The Position: The Local Senior Facilitator - Capacity and Institution Building will be a central member of the team for the remainder of the assignment (approximately 22 months) to a maximum of 440 days input by September 2007. The post-holder will mainly work on Work Packages 2 and 3 but the NDP Support team will operate indivisible (internally and with CODS) and he/she will be required to assist with Work Package 1, especially at the beginning of the contract when this is the priority and the post-holder will need to understand the activities for which institution building will needed. The Facilitator will be centrally involved in all elements of Work Packages 2 and 3, including planning the individual components within them in detail, and then organising their delivery.. The post holder will participate in all stages of the activities: 1. organising an institutional audit and related training needs analysis and drawing out the conclusions from them; 2. helping to identify the IB requirements of the various Operational Programmes (OP) that will make up the NSRF and designing an IB programme within the contract; 3. undertaking associated original data gathering and research, including preparing major technical assessments or supervising external experts doing so; 4. planning training and mentoring of personnel in relevant organisations, especially CODS; 5. participating actively in, and occasionally leading, exercises to agree priorities and proposals; 6. working with the various Groups established to oversee and help produce the required outputs; and 7. any other activities of the team. A Team Member As is clear from the above, this is essentially a team player job. All those involved in the NDP Support Team will be expected to have a close understanding of the different stages of the strategy/action plan process and to be able to support that process as required. Competences Required An open enquiring mind, orientated to using planning to facilitate change and deliver results. Fluency in spoken and written Croatian and English. Relevant post-graduation experience, preferably including establishing new organisations or organisational change; private sector or technical assistance experience would be useful, as would some understanding of economic development principles and development planning. A postgraduate qualification, preferably in public administration, business management or human resources development. Experience of institution building and designing and delivering training in the development field. Practical detailed experience of EU aid programmes. Experience of monitoring and evaluating the impacts of strategies. A thorough understanding and practical experience of strategic management processes and tactics for achieving delivery of agreed plans. Good understanding and working knowledge of political processes, national/local administrative structures and systems and co-ordination of action plans. Excellent communication skills - including listening skills and good drafting skills related to report writing and formulating and communicating recommendations. Computer literacy with experience of all elements of Microsoft Office and of using the internet and conducting web searches. Excellent interpersonal skills, group communications, negotiating and brokering decisions.
