USAID MISRA is looking for a Product Research & Management Consultant



USAID MISRA is looking for a Product Research & Management Consultant

 SCOPE OF WORK

 

Position:                                 Product Research & Management Consultant

Program:                                USAID Moldova Institutional and Structural Reforms Activity Program (MISRA)

Period of Performance:       June 1, 2023 – December 30, 2023      

Total Level of Effort:                      up to 80 days

Work plan activity:               Sub-Task 3.1.2.3 Support the NBM in implementation of the instant payments solution and related tasks

 

Project Background

The Moldova Institutional and Structural Reforms Activity (MISRA) is a five-year project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) that aims to improve the business, investment, and trade enabling environment in cooperation with the Government of Moldova (GoM) to respond to an unprecedented economic crisis due to the war in Ukraine, as well as to support Moldova’s economic recovery, including to: advance the GoM’s economic action plan; strengthen public economic governance institutions; improve transport, logistics, trade, and commerce; and accelerate financial sector reforms and inclusiveness; among other needs. USAID MISRA is also building the capacity of the GoM to better engage and strategically communicate its economic plan, progress, and results to the private sector, civil society, and the public. These activities include intensive support to select GoM institutions with institutional reforms, streamlined processes, and digitalization to improve transparency, accountability, access to information, and public services.

Activity Overview

This activity will be implemented under USAID MISRA’s Component 3, Accelerate Financial Sector Reforms and Inclusion. This component focuses on governance, inclusion, and digital finance, with the objective of supporting development of an inclusive financial sector and supporting infrastructure to enhance efficiency, transparency, and resilience in the financial sector.

In 2020, the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) developed and approved the Concept for Development of Payments in Moldova. The main component from the concept refers to the implementation of a new instant pa/yments system (IPS), due to be launched in early 2024. Instant payments are electronic payments that are processed in real time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year (24/7/365). Under such a scheme, funds are made available immediately for use by the recipient. There are many advantages to instant payments, including: (i) instant settlement of funds leading to improved money and cash-flow management for businesses; (ii) lower costs compared to other electronic payment schemes such as debit cards; (iii) more innovation in services that are provided by banks and payments service providers; and (iv) additional flexibility to complete transactions and monitor accounts around the clock.

Implementation of instant payment schemes is complex and requires careful planning and consideration of various factors, including technology, infrastructure, regulation, and user experience. MISRA intends to provide comprehensive analysis and proposals for the implementation of instant payment schemes in various use cases. The proposed use cases include P2P, P2B, P2G, ME2ME, and e-commerce, covering a broad range of payment needs. Additionally, the activity should result in proposals for UX enhancements and validation processes both in mobile and desktop environments, which are essential for ensuring reliable instant payments.

 

Responsibilities and Tasks

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

  • Conduct a thorough review of existing instant payments schemes around the world and identify best practices from the product development perspective.
  • Analyze instant payments schemes flow in various use cases such as P2P, P2B, P2G, ME2ME, and e-commerce and provide relevant inputs.
  • Develop UX proposals for mobile and desktop solutions to enhance the user experience of instant payments schemes.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure proposals are aligned with technology and infrastructure capacities and priorities.
  • Develop proposals for validation processes to ensure secure and reliable payments are aligned with user experience preferences.
  • Prepare detailed reports and presentations to communicate findings, proposals, and recommendations to stakeholders.

 

Deliverables

 

  • Detailed analysis of existing instant payments schemes, by August 1, 2023
  • Comprehensive proposals for the following use cases, by September 30, 2023:
    • Peer to peer (P2P)
    • Peer to business (P2B)
    • Peer to Government (P2G),
    • Account to account (ME2ME)
    • e-Commerce (ECOMM)
  • UX proposals for mobile and desktop solutions on all use cases described above, by December 30, 2023

 

Skills and Qualifications

 

  • At least 5 years of professional experience in project management/product management
  • Previous experience in researching, designing and developing user experience proposals is mandatory
  • Demonstrated ability to interact with government counterparts
  • Experience in consulting or donor funded technical assistance projects will be considered an advantage
  • Fluency in English and Romanian, speaking and writing

 

How to apply:  

Please send your CV (up to three pages) to idd.moldovajobs@cadmusgroup.com with “Product Research and Management Consultant” in the subject line.  

The deadline for applying is May 18, 2023.