National Expert on Facilitation of the Expert Team

Background
The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek (POiB) supports the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MoEC) in the development of National Strategy for SMEs Development 2026 – 2030 (SMEs Strategy), establishing an integrated and efficient system to promote the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

To ensure a comprehensive and high-quality drafting process of SMEs Strategy, the POiB along with other donors (United Nations Development Programme and Eurasian Development Bank) will support eight experts who will be engaged to contribute to different thematic areas, including policy formulation, institutional development, access to finance, innovation promotion, and regional SME development. The involvement of both national and international expertise will allow the SMEs Strategy to reflect best global practices while remaining tailored to the local economic context.

The SMEs Strategy will include a detailed analysis of existing financial instruments and support measures available to the SMEs. This will cover public and private financing mechanisms, concessional lending programmes, guarantee and interest rate subsidy schemes, grant initiatives, and other related financing tools. Particular attention will be given to improving access to finance for women entrepreneurs, youth-led enterprises, social businesses, and environmentally sustainable ("green") enterprises, as well as to expanding alternative financing options such as venture capital, investment funds, crowdfunding, and SME bond issuance.

The SMEs Strategy will also guide the MoEC's shift from fragmented support measures to a unified "smart financing" system that combines public and private resources to stimulate SMEs' growth. This system will encompass long-term affordable financing through the Som Development Fund, risk-sharing via the Portfolio Guarantee Agency, a competitive auction-based interest rate subsidy mechanism, and the development of alternative financial instruments such as factoring, leasing, supply chain finance, and crowdfunding. It will also promote financial literacy among entrepreneurs, ensuring regional access and inclusivity for women, youth, and social enterprises.

To ensure coherence, coordinated work among experts and stakeholders, and effective public consultations in the development of the SME Strategy, strong facilitation and coordination support will be required.

Under project Activity 2.5, the POiB will engage a local expert for a one-month period to facilitate the work of the expert team, organize interagency consultations, ensure smooth communication, and consolidate experts' contributions into the final SMEs' Strategy document.

Objective Of Assignment
Under the UB project Activity 2.5, "Supporting development of National Strategy for Small and Medium Enterprises 2026 – 2030" to ensure effective facilitation and coordination of the expert team in the process of developing the SMEs Strategy, supporting coherent collaboration between government institutions, business associations, and development partners.

Tasks And Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the Economic Environmnetal Department, the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

• Facilitate coordination within the SMEs Strategy expert team ensuring effective co-laboration among team members;
• Ensure interagency and stakeholder co-ordination including MoEC, other public bodies, business associations, donors, and development partners;
• Undertake up to three regional missions to meet with local authorities, business associations, and stakeholders to collect inputs for the SMEs Strategy;
• Organize public consultations and promotion of public awareness on the SMEs Strategy's objectives and results through partner and media channels;
• Submit final deliverable report and final training report detailing the performed work, challenges encountered, lessons learned.

Deliverables

• Detailed work plan of the expert team (calendar, coordination mechanisms, list of stakeholders);
• Protocol on conducted meetings to ensure effective communication between specialists in finance, Public Private Partnership, regulation, digitalization, and institutional development;
• Report from conducted interagency consultations on SMEs strategy design, including the establishment of the Som Development Fund, Portfolio Guarantee Agency, and Subsidy Auction System;
• Analytical note summarizing interagency consultations, facilitated meetings, and regional missions.
• Prepared materials for public consultations (presentations, visuals);
• Protocol and list of participants on conducted (at least two) public consultations/round tables in Bishkek with participation of SMEs, women's and youth entrepreneurs, NGOs, and partners;
• Posts/press-releases on SMEs Strategy on media channels;
• Final deliverable report is submitted and approved by the MoEC and the POiB (Annex 1).

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, please see: OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek | OSCE

Necessary Qualifications

• University degree in economics, international law, public policy, business administration, or a related field.
• At least 4 years of professional experience public administration, coordination of expert and inter-agency working groups, and facilitation of consultations at national level.
• Strong knowledge of government policy processes, SME development mechanisms, and institutional coordination within the Kyrgyzstan.
• Proven experience in preparing analytical reports and policy documents.
• Fluency in Russian and Kyrgyz, both oral and written; knowledge of English is an asset.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and online research tools (Toktom legal portal and government databases).
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Ability and willingness to work as a member of team, with people of different cultural, and religious backgrounds, different gender, and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity.

Remuneration Package
Remuneration will be based on the selected consultant's/expert's qualifications, experience, the tasks and deliverables for this position and in accordance with the OSCE established rates.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under

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Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.
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