The overall objective of this assignment is to provide strategic and technical support to operational teams across five Central Asian countries, with a focus on enhancing legal and regulatory frameworks related to data governance and the protection of personal data, as well as strengthening the capacities of public institutions and representatives of civil society organizations involved in the design and implementation of legal frameworks.

Strategic and Policy Coordination: 

• Contribute to the definition of strategic priorities, semi-annual and annual planning, and alignment of activities with the objectives of the C4CA project, SO 1.3;
• Contribute to the definition of capacity building priorities of the beneficiaries; 
• Participate in the organization of events and activities with CA stakeholders, in coordination with the project teams
• Ensure coherence and consistency of legislative and strategic interventions at both regional and national levels;
• Identify opportunities in harmonization of regional practices and laws;
• Facilitate inter-institutional dialogue;
• Ensure on dissemination of outcomes and follow-up on recommendations with beneficiary institutions;
• Track progress in the adoption of legislative requirements.

Legal and Legislative Support: 

• Supervise and contribute to the analysis of national legal frameworks in beneficiary countries related to the open data and personal data protection issues;
• Identify gaps in legal framework and harmonization needs;
• Support the formulation of legislative and regulatory recommendations;
• Contribute, where relevant, to the drafting or revision of legal texts, strategies, action plans. 

Coordination of expertise and quality assurance of deliverables: 

• Participate in drafting of the terms of reference for short-term expert missions related to the SCO1.3;
• Participate in the selection and coordination of experts, where relevant;
• Guarantee methodology consistency and compliance with donor requirements;
•  Coordinate with legal experts and projects team;
• Participate in technical review of deliverables.

Reporting and Representation:

• Contribute to the semi-annual reports, strategic note and all kind of project documents;
• Participate in internal and consortium coordination meetings. 

1. Background

The overall objective of the soft pillar of the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) on Digital Connectivity in Central Asia is to foster safe and inclusive satellite connectivity access and use across Central Asian countries, in particular for women, youth and further marginalized groups, with the aim to support digitally driven socio-economic inclusion.

The Action has four specific objectives:

(i) To foster the development and use of ICT connectivity through the development of policies and regulations, designed and validated in a multi-stakeholder approach;

(ii) To improve transparent and inclusive access to public and private connectivity services, with a focus on rural areas, gender equality and marginalized right-holders;

(iii) To promote the use of satellite-based technologies to foster local digital innovation and tackle local challenges;

(iv) To build cybersecurity capacity and awareness among stakeholders, and establish comprehensive cybersecurity frameworks.

The TEI Action on Soft Digital Connectivity is built and implemented based on synergies, experience and know-how from EU Member States: France (Expertise France – leading organization of the consortium), Lithuania (CPVA), Finland (HAUS Institute), Latvia (CFLA, Riga Technical University and Latvian IT Cluster) and Estonia (e-Governance Academy).

The current Terms of reference fall under the Specific Objective 1.3 which aims at strengthening of institutions and policies favorable to the governance, accessibility, sharing, reuse and regulation of data, improving capacity of CA authorities to manage data policy and regulatory environment and improving private sector and CSO capacity for advocating for high standards in accessing data policy and regulatory environment (Expertise France).

Education:

• Postgraduate degree in information systems, digital transformation, data science or equivalent professional experience;
• Strong proficiency in both Russian and English (oral and written);

General Experience

• At least 10 years of professional experience in digital government, particularly in data governance (data management, data exchange, open data initiatives and data reuse, and data protection);
• Proven experience in institutional of public-sector projects;
• Experience in working with multiple stakeholders;
• Experience in organizing and facilitation workshops and trainings is highly recommended. 

Specific Experience

• In-depth knowledge of data governance regulatory frameworks and their implementation;
• Experience or participation in designing and implementing open data strategies;
• Experience in international or development cooperation projects, lead and/or funded by the EU is highly desirable;
• Direct involvement in project implementation for digital reforms in collaboration with governments, CSOs, or private sector is an asset;
• Experience in training and supporting third parties (e.g., public servants, private companies) on data governance and open data issues.

Expected Start Date: First quarter 2026

Contract Type: Service contract (between 10 and 15 working days/month)

Remuneration: daily fees-based

Language Requirements: Proficient fluency in English is required; knowledge of Russian is compulsory

Location: Project office is based in Astana. Applicant can be based in any of 5 Central Asian countries.