Chief Business Development / MSME Specialist

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT Republic of Tajikistan Tajikistan Women's Economic Empowerment Project (TWEEP) Grant No.: TF-D1600 Title: Chief Business Development / MSME Specialist Reference No.: TWEEP-CS-IC-12 The State Committee on Investment and State Property Management of the Republic of Tajikistan (SCISPM) has received financing from the World Bank toward the preparation and implementation of the Tajikistan Women’s Economic Empowerment Project (TWEEP) and intends to apply part of the proceeds for the engagement of an individual consultant for the full-time position of Chief Business Development / MSME Specialist. The assignment is to provide PIG-side technical coordination, oversight and quality assurance for Component 2, including Subcomponents 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3. The Specialist will serve as the PIG’s primary technical counterpart for the Technical Partner for Component 2 (TP2) and, under the Project Coordinator, will monitor the quality, timeliness and results of TP2 implementation; review work plans, diagnostic tools and findings, training and business-advisory methodologies, investment-readiness and access-to-finance support, business plans and investment proposals, grant-process technical documentation, mentoring and advisory support, market and value-chain linkages, business outcomes and key technical deliverables; conduct risk-based field monitoring and spot checks; and advise the Project Coordinator on technical acceptability and corrective measures. Component 2 will provide individualized diagnostics, training and advisory support to up to 100 MSMEs, of which 50 will be competitively selected to receive subgrants. The Specialist will work full-time at the Project Implementation Group (PIG) office at SCISPM in Dushanbe, with regular travel and field visits. The initial contract will be for twelve (12) months, including a three (3)-month probationary period, and may be extended subject to satisfactory performance, availability