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Urban Planning Expert, Albania Local Governance, Tirana

Management Systems International (MSI) is a global international development firm based in Washington, D.C. providing specialized short- and long-term technical assistance. MSI is part of Coffey International Development, a global international development consulting firm. Together with Coffey ID, MSI now has more than 1,500 development professionals worldwide, a corporate presence in 11 countries and manages more than 200 projects worldwide. It currently manages more than 20 long-term projects in countries, including Iraq, Sudan, Colombia and Russia. Broadly, MSI implements a range of analytical and field projects in its core technical areas, including democracy and governance, strategic management and performance improvement, organizational capacity building, human development and natural resource management. For more information on MSI, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.

Project Summary:

Management Systems International (MSI), an international development consulting firm based in Washington, DC, is applying for the Albania Planning and Local Governance Project (PLGP), which will be funded by USAID. The purpose of PLGP is to provide training and technical assistance to the Government of Albania (GOA) and local governments to help implement decentralization legislation and reforms; improve transparency and accountability; strengthen municipal services; and improve technical capabilities and cooperation regarding urban and regional planning between the GOA and local governments.

Position Summary:

The Urban Planning Expert (UP Expert) will be MSI’s primary technical advisor and manager for the urban and regional planning component of the PLGP. He/She will serve as a technical advisor to municipal governments and regional coalitions; consult regarding urban planning laws, procedures, planning, zoning, etc; manage and assist with training and technical assistance in urban and regional planning; write scopes of work for consultants and trainers to define and accomplish the project’s urban and regional planning training objectives based on consultations with municipal planning officials and managers; evaluate and revise the consulting, training, and technical assistance program over the course of the life of the project; and identify urban and regional opportunities to improve economic growth through collaboration among local governments, citizens, businesses, and regional coalitions.

The UP Expert must be willing to make a commitment of up to three (3) years to the project and will be based in Tirana, Albania.

Responsibilities:

• Participate in the recruitment of urban and regional planning staff, consultants, and training institutions;
• Assess the urban planning skills of the urban planning staff of municipalities participating in PLGP; • Develop and manage an urban and regional planning training strategy in consultation with officials from participating municipalities and regional coalitions; • Advise the GOA, municipalities, and regional coalitions on urban planning policies and strategies that improve economic growth and contribute to improving municipal services;
• Develop scopes of work for urban and regional training and capacity building;

• Monitor and assess the project’s training and technical assistance in urban and regional planning;
• Facilities regional planning and the identification of common interests among municipalities;

• Oversee the project’s urban and regional assessments, studies, or project development opportunities;

• Monitor and assure high quality of data collection, studies, and project feasibility reports; • Support creation of a network of urban and regional planners in the interest of sustainability of the project’s results.

** Only citizens of the United States or third-country nationals are eligible for this position.**

Qualifications:

a. Citizen of the United States or a third-country national willing to make a two (2) year commitment to the PLGP project in Albania; a three (3) year commitment is preferred.

b. Minimum of seven (7) years of successful, progressive responsibility and demonstrated achievements in urban planning.

c. At least five (5) years of international development experience.

d. Strong track record of successfully managing teams of technical experts to define and achieve complex goals in urban and regional planning.

e. Strong technical skills and knowledge in spatial planning; familiarity with European standards and planning policies.

f. Preferred advanced degree in urban planning or a related field.

g. Excellent English language skills (to Level 5 Reading/Spoken/Writing).

Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

To apply, please visit our website: www.msiworldwide.com.