Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697800106435.pdf (Dominica)
Caribbean Digital Transformation Project IDA – 6685-DM Terms of Reference Communications Officer March 2021 TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER A.

INTRODUCTION 1.Project number: P171528 3.

Project name: Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP) 4.

Contract duration: Beginning: April 12, 2021 End: 5.

Project Background: 2.


Organization name: Ministry of Public Works and the Digital Economy (MPWDE) 3.1.Position: Communications Officer 4.1 This position reports to: Project Manager Sitting halfway along the Eastern Caribbean archipelago, Dominica is located just a few miles from Martinique to the south and Guadeloupe to the north.

Stretching 751 km² (290 square miles), Dominica boasts 148 km (91 miles) of coastal line.
Dominica’s official name is the ‘Commonwealth of Dominica,’ which is mostly referenced in official communications and to further distinguish the island from the Dominican Republic, its northerly Caribbean sister.

Dominica is the most northernly of the Windward Islands grouping.
Following Hurricane Maria in September 2017, the Government of Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) has instituted resilience as a central theme to the country’s rebuilding efforts and socioeconomic development plans, with the aim to make Dominica the first climate resilient country in the world.

The hurricane resulted in losses and damages of over 200 percent of GDP, with the telecom sector alone suffering over US$40 million in losses and damages.
Furthermore, the GoCD lost data and records and suffered losses beyond its infrastructure, highlighting the need to make government more resilient so that it can better prepare for and respond to incidents and restore operations and services quickly.
The Government recognizes the role digital technologies and solutions can play in strengthening the island’s and its inhabitants’ climate resilience, as well as the importance of integration with the global digital economy to expand markets and drive sustainability of businesses, government, and individuals.

In small island countries such as those in the Eastern Caribbean region, in Dominica in particular, the resilience of governments has a very direct impact on the resilience of society at large.
The GoCD’s recovery and resilience building efforts include development of a Government Wide Area Network, and nodal digital infrastructure to lay the foundations for digitization of government.

The GoCD has engaged in a partnership with Digicel Dominica Ltd. to connect all government service locations (Government offices, schools, hospitals, and health centers) to high-speed connectivity delivered using fiber optic networks.
The network, being developed under the partnership, will provide multiple layers of redundant connectivity—underground and overhead fiber, microwave, and satellite at key locations—in addition to cloud services to host Government data and services.

The government connectivity project includes development of a primary data center to host the government cloud and applications, as well as a secondary location to serve as a backup site.
The improved connectivity can be leveraged to develop digital government services and increase the level of digitization of government operations, which is currently lagging.

Currently Dominica lacks the enablers of digital government, including an enterprise architecture, interoperability framework, identification and authentication, but has a recently built limited government payment portal.
Uniquely and securely identifying residents through a digital ID is fundamental to enable access to digital services, both public and private, but the current ID ecosystem in Dominica is fragmented and not interconnected.

In order to fully utilize and benefit from investments in cross-cutting enablers and specific digital government services, there is also a need for legal and regulatory reforms across key areas of the digital economy.
These enabling environment improvements are a key first step towards removing roadblocks to improved adoption of digital services among individuals and businesses, as well as contributing to the development of digital applications and services by emerging entrepreneurs in Dominica.
The Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP) is to be funded through the World Bank and aims to enhance the use of technology in the public sector as well as the private sector to conduct business transactions, build a robust and resilient IT infrastructure and to develop modern platforms to facilitate and enhance these business transactions.
The development objectives are to contribute to increased access to digital connectivity, digital public services and the creation of technology enabled businesses and jobs in Dominica.

National-level activities will be financed from an IDA credit to Dominica in the amount of US$28 million.
The Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (called “project” going forth) comprises four components that address key bottlenecks and harness opportunities to develop the Eastern Caribbean Digital Economy as a driver of growth, job creation and improved service delivery.

The Program will also be financed through a regional IDA grant, and implemented by a regional Project Implementation Unit (RPIU) housed at the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
RPIU will work with other regional institution stakeholders as relevant depending on the technical area being supported.

Regionally implemented activities will focus on strengthening the enabling environment to promote investment, competition, and innovation in telecoms and digital financial services, regional cybersecurity collaboration, and a modernized and harmonized data protection and privacy regime across the region.
It will also be complemented by a regional level advanced digital skills program open to high potential digital specialists from Dominica.

It aims to ensure that every individual and business in Dominica is empowered with the access to broadband, digital financial services, and skills needed to actively participate in an increasingly digital marketplace and society.
It leverages public sector modernization and digitization to improve service delivery and to drive creation of a digital culture across Dominica.

To support the improved management of digital risks, the project will bolster cybersecurity policy, capacity, and planning tools in the region.

It will facilitate technology adoption to improve productivity of flagship industries and create demand for digitally enabled jobs.
It aims to foster regional integration and cooperation to capture the economies of scale and scope required to increase impact and value for money of the project interventions and to create a more competitive, seamless regional digital market to attract investment and provide room for growth of digital firms.
A brief description of the project components is as follows: Component 1: Digital Enabling Environment This component will support the development of a positive enabling environment for Dominica’s digital economy that drives competition, investment and innovation while promoting trust and security of online transactions.
It will focus on legal, regulatory and institutional reforms to support modernization of the telecommunications and digital financial services sectors while mitigating growing risks of a digital economy including cybersecurity and data protection and privacy.
1.1 - Telecommunications: Legal and Regulatory Environment, Institutions and Capacity Support 1.2 - Digital Financial Services: Legal and Regulatory Environment, Institutions, and Capacity 1.3 - Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Privacy: Legal and Regulatory Environment, Institutions and Capacity Support Component 2: Digital Government Infrastructure, Platforms and Services This component will support public sector modernization, resilience and delivery of digital public services to individuals and businesses.
It will aim to ensure that Dominica has put in place the core infrastructure, platforms, institutions and human capacity needed to efficiently and effectively manage internal government operations, and to build on these core enablers to make public services widely accessible online from anywhere within the country, region or across the globe.
It will also prepare Dominica’s government and interconnectivity information systems across borders to smooth administration of regional trade, immigration and other services.

Finally, it will aim to ensure continuity of government operations and services, enable real- time data driven decision making and ability to rapidly target and deliver payments and social services to citizens and businesses in the event of natural disasters.
2.1 – Development of Cross-Cutting Enablers of Digital Government Operations and Services 2.2 - Government Productivity Platforms and Citizen-Centric Digital Services interoperability of data for deeper and Component 3: Digital Skills and Technology Adoption This component aims to better equip individuals and businesses in Dominica for the jobs and economy of the future and to spur innovation and productivity growth.
It aims to create a pool of advanced digital talent to better position Dominica to attract investment by digital firms.

It takes a comprehensive supply and demand side approach, supporting greater technology adoption and utilization of digitally enabled business models to drive demand for newly skilled employees and well as making connections with global employment opportunities through online working platforms.
3.1 - Workforce-Ready Digital Skills 3.2 - Technology Adoption Component 4: Project Implementation Support This component includes support to the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) for the implementation and management of national level project activities, including for staffing of the PIU, capacity building and training initiatives as well as recruitment of a technical advisory and implementation support firm.
Key technical functions to be supported can include but will not be limited to project manager, technical specialists, procurement specialists, financial management specialist, environmental and social safeguards specialists, monitoring and evaluation and communications.

B.

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS Arrangements: The Project will be implemented by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of the Ministry of Public Works and the Digital Economy (MPWDE).
The PIU will be responsible for the overall implementation of the Project with emphasis on reporting and monitoring and evaluation, financial management, contracts management, safeguards oversight, and procurement.

The PIU will report directly to the Project Steering Committee for the lifetime of the project.
It will be responsible for coordinating and managing all the technical aspects of the project, facilitating inter- ministerial coordination, and implementing digital initiatives across the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the GoCD.

The PIU will support development of key policies and regulations and inter-agency coordination to enable consensus building together with other key agencies like the ICT Unit and the Digital Transformation Unit of the GoCD.
Core technical responsibilities include adoption of digital technologies, effective coordination of departmental information system development and implementation.

The Project Steering Committee will determine if technical committees are required for policy formulation and convene such committees as necessary (i.e.

for Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Privacy, Service Delivery, ePayments, Digital Identity, Interoperability, etc.).
The PIU, with guidance and support from a management firm, will also be responsible for promoting change management practices and stakeholder engagement, developing effective programs for digital Government skills development, knowledge exchange and awareness-raising.
The management firm is expected to maintain a twinning work relationship with the PIU to ensure that the capacity of the PIU, ICT Unit and Digital Transformation Unit personnel is adequately built to sustain the digital transformation agenda beyond the life of the Project.

It is expected that the engagement of the management firm will be reduced as capacity is transferred to local counterparts.
C. FUNCTIONS Key duties of this position: The individual will provide communications support to assist the PIU formulate and disseminate more and better information.

Under the guidance of the Project Manager, PIU staff and working with the Project Steering Committee, the Communications Officer will provide support to help the PIU develop a communications strategy, and communication products to promote the CARDTP’s action plan in Dominica in concert with regional efforts as well.
Responsibilities and Deliverables: The individual will develop and deliver a communications strategy for the PIU’s internal and external communications and outreach.
This could include, but is not limited to providing:  Strategic advice on Communications for the PIU;  Support for the development of new communication products, including an e-newsletter, corporate brochures and articles and other communications vehicles, including social media;  Support for social media campaigns;  Manage social media platforms;  Internal media and communications related training: • Developing and delivering a national awareness campaign to promote Digital Economy featuring at least three TV Commercials, radio and print advertising and a key messaging brief; • Targeted Public sector marketing strategies and tools for effective uptake of digital government services; • Targeted Private sector marketing strategies and tools for business and citizens engagement and uptake of digital goods and services; • Any other communications activities which may be required by the project.
D. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS Education: Training in journalism, communications or other field Language skills: Computer literacy: Relevant Experience: High proficiency in spoken and written English High proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Project etc,) and excellent web navigation skills.

• 5 years of work experience in the field of media relations, journalism or/and communication; • Proven experience as an editor.
Competencies:  Outstanding communication, networking and negotiation skills;  Excellent computer skills and experience in preparing and maintaining communication materials;  Demonstrated ability to work with minimum supervision, be dynamic, proactive and creative;  Understanding of key human development issues;  Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;  Builds strong relationships with internal and external actors;  Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities; E. CONTRACT DURATION AND ESTIMATED TIME INPUT The duration of the contract will be for three (3) months.