Under the supervision of the Project Manager and with technical guidance from the international Key Expert, the Heritage Technical Advisor provides senior technical advice and day-to-day follow-up of EF-led activities under WP3. The role connects institutional and professional capacity strengthening (Output 3.1), pilot heritage interventions (Output 3.2), and community engagement and heritage interpretation (Output 3.3), supporting heritage conservation as a driver of sustainable territorial development.

This national position is based in Chișinău, with regular visits to beneficiary institutions and pilot sites. The Advisor maintains close, continuous working relationships with the Ministry of Culture, heritage institutions, local authorities, site owners and managers. The Advisor helps translate their priorities into feasible activities, follows up institutional commitments and decisions, and resolves practical implementation issues with the project team.

The Advisor provides continuity between the international Key Expert's intermittent missions, prepares the inputs needed for specialist advice and follows up recommendations with local counterparts. For the pilot interventions, the Advisor supports EF as delegated contracting authority from preparation to handover, working closely with the Operations Officer. Design, works supervision and statutory technical verification are performed by the appointed consultants and accredited specialists; the Advisor provides technical review, follow-up and recommendations to the Project Manager.

The position covers the following responsibilities:

1.Institutional support and continuous liaison with beneficiaries

·   Maintain regular working dialogue with the Ministry of Culture, heritage institutions, local authorities, site owners and managers to identify needs, follow up agreed actions and anticipate constraints affecting EF-led WP3 activities.

·   Facilitate exchanges between beneficiaries, the Key Expert and technical service providers, clarify practical needs and follow up institutional inputs and decisions, referring unresolved issues to the Project Manager.

·   Map and monitor the opinions, technical verifications, permits and approvals required for each site, following up the responsible institutions and consultants and incorporating processing times into the schedule.

·   Help clarify operational responsibilities and prepare information needed for site agreements and delegated project-management arrangements, with the Project Manager and relevant legal support.

·   Identify and follow up institutional and project-owner support needs under Activity 3.1.1, including needs arising from the heritage-sector reform and the preparation of future heritage investments; help organise targeted expertise and peer cooperation with the Project Manager and Key Expert.

·   Support practical guidance and knowledge transfer for national institutions, municipalities and other project owners on preparing and managing heritage investments, including conservation-specific Terms of Reference, technical specifications, qualification and acceptance criteria, and maintenance requirements.

2.Planning and preparation of heritage interventions

·   Advise the Project Manager on technical priorities, intervention scopes, cost estimates, delivery arrangements and implementation risks, exercising sound professional judgement and drawing on the Key Expert for specialised conservation advice.

·   Contribute to the inception-phase site assessment and selection process with the Ministry of Culture and Key Expert, collecting and checking information on heritage value, conservation needs, existing studies, ownership, authorisations, technical and administrative feasibility, training potential, community commitment and future use and maintenance.

·   Support the definition of realistic intervention scopes, cost estimates and schedules with the Key Expert, Project Manager, site owners and technical consultants. Distinguish pilots requiring studies and authorisations from those ready for safeguarding or rehabilitation works, in line with the available resources and implementation period.

·   Maintain an integrated schedule for EF-led WP3 activities, linking diagnostics, design, authorisations, procurement, works and handover with professional training and community activities around each pilot.

·   Identify additional studies or specialist support needed and alert the Project Manager early to technical gaps or constraints affecting feasibility.

3.Technical support to procurement and contracting

·   Contribute, with the Key Expert, to Terms of Reference, technical specifications, qualification requirements and deliverable schedules for studies, design and works-supervision services, specialist expertise and rehabilitation works.

·   Work with the Operations Officer on market mapping, procurement sequencing and proposed contract packages, taking account of the availability of qualified Moldovan professionals, specialist contractors and appropriate materials.

·   Provide technical input to tender clarifications and evaluation processes, including the assessment of proposed methodologies, technical capacity, schedules and cost estimates, within the assigned evaluation responsibilities.

·   Check that technical requirements distinguish the conservation of historic fabric from conventional construction, reflect national authorisation requirements and site constraints, and include suitable expertise, documentation, quality-control and acceptance requirements, with specialist review by the Key Expert where needed.

4.Follow-up of studies design and works

·   Act as Expertise France's day-to-day technical focal point for the design and works-supervision consultants, contractors and other technical service providers.

·   Critically review surveys, diagnostics, studies, designs and cost estimates against the programme's requirements; challenge gaps or inconsistencies with the responsible consultants; and coordinate specialist review by the Key Expert where required.

·   Conduct regular site visits, participate in technical and site meetings, document progress and follow up actions agreed with the design and works-supervision teams.

·   Monitor reported progress, quality and compliance with approved specifications and conservation approaches; flag defects, inappropriate materials or methods, safety concerns and delays for corrective action through the responsible parties.

·   Review technical evidence supporting progress statements, invoices and proposed changes with the responsible consultants, and provide recommendations to the Project Manager in coordination with the Operations Officer.

·   Document proposed scope, cost or schedule changes and their implications, obtaining the necessary technical advice before submission for formal approval.

5. Professional capacity development and mobilisation of expertise

·   Prepare technical dossiers, priority questions and site programmes for the international Key Expert's missions and remote reviews; maintain an action log and follow up agreed recommendations between missions.

·   Support the mobilisation of short-term specialists and technical partners, identifying needs requiring international or specialised conservation expertise.

·   Support the inception-phase training needs assessment and the delivery of Activity 3.1.2 with universities, vocational institutions and specialised partners, including applied workshops, field schools, continuing professional development and support to specialised education pathways.

·   Use pilot interventions as practical cases for training, methodological guidance and knowledge transfer, connecting international and Moldovan expertise and documenting conservation methods, traditional skills and materials knowledge for use in future projects.

·   Support Activity 3.1.3 through workshops, round tables, peer exchanges and study visits addressing shared practical challenges, including authorisations, seismic safety and conservation, monument surroundings, site management and heritage-led local development; facilitate connections with European institutions and networks and relevant WP2 opportunities.

·   Track participation and feedback and support gender-balanced and inclusive access to professional development opportunities.

6. Community engagement and heritage interpretation

·   Follow up the delivery of Output 3.3 with local authorities, site owners, civil society organisations, schools, museums and service providers, integrating community engagement with the technical preparation, training and long-term stewardship of the pilot sites.

·   Facilitate participatory heritage documentation, local mapping, oral histories and consultation with residents and craftspeople to inform intervention priorities, interpretation and future site management.

·   Support local partnerships, civil society capacity development and participatory management arrangements, helping clarify the respective contributions of public owners, communities and local organisations to the continued use, maintenance and promotion of heritage assets.

·   Follow up partner contributions to heritage education, interpretation materials, audiovisual documentation and public dissemination, in coordination with the Project Manager and communication support, encouraging accessible formats and inclusive participation.

7.Handover documentation and sustainability

·   Support inspections and acceptance procedures with the responsible consultants, documenting outstanding defects and following up their correction and the delivery of completion records.

·   Follow up maintenance protocols and realistic future-use and management arrangements with site owners and managers before handover, including the allocation of responsibilities, maintenance frequency and the resources needed to sustain the completed interventions.

·   Maintain organised site files documenting conditions before intervention, decisions, studies, authorisations, works progress and the completed intervention.

·   Support the integration of accessibility, environmental and social considerations and community consultation into interventions, drawing on the relevant specialists and approved project requirements.

8.Monitoring reporting and risk management

·   Maintain technical monitoring tools for EF-led WP3 activities and contribute to work plans, progress reports and programme indicators. Document methods, case studies and lessons from the pilots so that the Ministry and other project owners can use them in future heritage investments.

·   Identify and report technical, regulatory, cost and schedule risks; propose practical mitigation measures and track agreed actions with the Project Manager, Key Expert and Operations Officer.

·   Maintain regular technical exchanges with UNESCO's National Programme Officer to ensure complementarity between EF-led WP3 activities and Output 3.4, particularly on heritage documentation, education and academic cooperation, and risk preparedness; identify practical links between applied training on the pilots and UNESCO-supported education activities.

·   Share relevant activity calendars, site information, training needs and technical lessons with UNESCO; propose complementary activities and refer decisions involving partner commitments to the Project Manager.

·   Prepare technical inputs for coordination meetings, the Cultural Heritage Advisory Board and other programme governance meetings, as requested by the Project Manager.