Project Description 

The project Promoting rural agriculture development and quality employment for the most vulnerable (EMAG) is financed by the European Union and implemented by UNDP to support Moldova’s transition from crisis response toward long-term resilience, inclusive growth, and EU-aligned reforms. Building on EU–Moldova priorities in employment, labour market modernization, and agricultural governance, the project promotes an integrated approach that links employment services, social protection, and agricultural support through digitally enabled service delivery. By strengthening institutional capacities and modernizing core digital public services - particularly those serving vulnerable rural populations - the project aims to improve access, transparency, and effectiveness of public support measures, while contributing to Moldova’s broader reform agenda on modernization, social inclusion, and sustainable rural development.

In 2025, the Republic of Moldova continues to navigate a challenging socioeconomic and geopolitical context. The country is transitioning from crisis response to longer-term resilience building, while its reform agenda – centered on economic modernization, energy transition, and governance strengthening – is being tested amid rising regional risks, growing public expectations, and constrained fiscal space.

Agriculture remains a central sector of the Moldovan economy, employing over one-fifth of the workforce and contributing around 12% of GDP. Including food processing, the agri-food sector accounts for 16% of GDP and 45% of total exports. Moldova’s fertile land supports diverse production and underpins the rural economy. However, the sector is characterized by a dual structure: large, competitive enterprises coexist with numerous small, low-productivity farms. Informality is widespread, with more than half of salaried agricultural workers employed without formal contracts.

Digital modernization of public services in both employment and agriculture is progressing but remains uneven. Key institutions continue to operate with fragmented data systems, weak interoperability, and limited analytical capacity. These gaps hinder policy implementation, reduce the effectiveness of subsidies and services, and limit the state’s ability to engage the most vulnerable rural populations.

In this context, the Project seeks to contribute to labour market inclusion and agricultural modernization through digitally enabled service delivery. UNDP’s engagement is focused on integrated and inclusive approaches – linking social protection, employment, and agricultural services through modern digital infrastructure and case management. Building on past experience in digital governance and service modernization, the initiative is well positioned to deliver scalable results that can be institutionalized and sustained beyond the project’s duration. It will contribute to Moldova’s broader objectives of fostering decent work, rural development, and sustainable EU-aligned transformation.

The project aims to strengthen Moldova’s institutional and digital governance systems in order to expand access to employment and modernize agricultural service delivery for vulnerable rural populations. Its focus is on enabling hard-to-employ individuals and farmers to benefit from more efficient, inclusive, and transparent public services.
On the employment side, the initiative seeks to make social protection and labour market services more accessible and better integrated, supported by digitally re-engineered institutional frameworks. 

In agriculture, the project will help farmers across the country, including smallholders and underrepresented groups, access modernized services that are transparent, equitable, and aligned with Moldova’s reform agenda and EU commitments.

The project directly supports Moldova’s EU accession process by advancing the implementation of the Reform Agenda, in particular subdomain 1.7 on agriculture and subdomain 4.3 on employment and labour markets. Within the agricultural sector, the initiative contributes to the operationalization of the digital National Farmers Registry (dNFR) and the Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS), both of which are prerequisites for Moldova’s compliance with the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) requirements under Chapter 11. The project also aims to strengthen transparency and accountability in agricultural governance through the introduction of conditionality and compliance mechanisms.

Institutional support will be provided to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI) and the Agency for Intervention and Payments in Agriculture (AIPA) to reinforce their capacity to manage digital tools, improve administrative frameworks, and ensure transparent subsidy management. These reforms will be complemented by inclusive outreach measures to ensure equitable access to digital agricultural services for smallholders, women, and rural youth, fostering resilience and participation across rural communities.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization working to end poverty, inequality, and climate change. With a presence in 170 countries, UNDP partners with governments, civil society, and the private sector to help build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP Moldova seeks to contract a Frontend Development Analyst (hereinafter “the Developer”) to perform the full set of user interface adjustments to the digital National Farmers Registry (dNFR) to ensure compliance with the Unified Design Model of the Electronic Governance Agency (MUD). The assignment will focus on analysing the existing dNFR frontend, identifying gaps against MUD requirements, and implementing the required UI updates to ensure consistent design patterns, accessibility, and a harmonized user experience across the system.

The Developer will work under the framework of the “Promoting Rural Agriculture Development and Quality Employment for The Most Vulnerable” EMAG Project as part of an interdisciplinary team supporting agricultural modernization and digital governance. The Developer will coordinate with the designated technical team of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI) and of the Moldova Electronic Governance Agency to confirm requirements, validate deliverables, and align implementation sequencing with operational needs, while retaining responsibility for the end-to-end execution of the frontend adjustments.

The Developer will carry out the full implementation cycle, including mapping and refactoring screens and components, applying the MUD UI components and styles, updating layouts and user flows where required, ensuring responsive behaviour and accessibility compliance, and resolving UI defects identified during testing. The assignment will also include preparing and maintaining technical documentation of the changes delivered (e.g., updated UI component inventory, change logs, and release notes) and supporting user acceptance by addressing observations and finalizing the adjusted frontend for deployment.

More specifically, the Frontend Development Analyst  will be responsible for:

Ensure effective implementation of frontend components for the dNFR informational system 

• Ensure alignment of all dNFR user interfaces with the Unified Design Model (MUD), including application of approved UI components, layout grids, typography, colour use, and interaction patterns, for key sections, including but not limited to:
  • Persons Registry: Search forms, addition/editing of natural and legal persons, bank accounts, addresses, identity data, and authorized persons.
  • Farm Registry: Adding family agricultural holdings, side menu navigation, farm data entry (e.g., activities, members, animals, cadastral parcels, crop plans, machinery, buildings), attachments, and print generation.
  • LPIS Module: Integration of land parcel data, crop planning interfaces, and GIS-related visualizations (as referenced in the manual).
• Develop responsive web components using modern front-end frameworks, ensuring compatibility with desktop and mobile devices.
• Create grids, forms, drop-downs, checkboxes, and search functionalities as depicted in the manual's screenshots.
• Handle client-side validation, error handling, and user feedback (e.g. success messages, status changes like active/deactivate).
• Integrate with back-end APIs for data fetching, saving, and integrations (e.g. importing animal data or LPIS parcels).
• Ensure accessibility, security best practices (e.g. input sanitization), and performance optimization.
• Conduct unit testing, debugging, and cross-browser compatibility checks.
• Collaborate on version control using Git and participate in code reviews.
• Ensure implementation of accessibility and usability requirements across modules (e.g., keyboard navigation, focus states, contrast, form labels, error states, helper texts), and document compliance evidence where required.
• Ensure optimization of frontend performance (page load time, bundle size, rendering), including implementation of caching and code-splitting practices where applicable.
• Ensure development and upkeep of a reusable UI component inventory/design library for dNFR (mapped to MUD components), including documentation for future maintenance.
• Ensure preparation and maintenance of UI/UX technical documentation, including screen inventory, user flows (as-is/to-be where relevant), and release notes/change logs for frontend updates.
• Ensure the frontend solutions are well integrated with backend services and external platforms such as MPass, MNotify, MLog, and other government digital services, in accordance with Unified Design Model approved by the Electronic Governance Agency (MUD).
• Contribute to the preparation of Terms of Reference, especially the frontend-related technical specifications, for procurement of development services.

Technical review and requirements alignment

• Review and validate frontend specifications provided by the project team to ensure they are technically feasible, consistent, and aligned with system architecture.
• Analyze user interface workflows and implementations to verify compliance with accessibility, usability, and performance standards.
• Assist in refining frontend requirements and technical documentation by providing expert input and identifying potential risks or inefficiencies.
• Support change management processes by contributing to the preparation of technical user documentation and reviewing training materials.
• Ensure user feedback and bug reports are addressed by validating fixes and improvements implemented by contractors.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The Frontent Development Analyst will work under the supervision of the EMAG Project Manager, in close cooperation with the UNDP Moldova CO Digital Development Specialist and overall project team, for an effective achievement of results, anticipating and contributing to resolving project-related issues and information delivery.

He/she also will collaborate with other UN projects, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, Moldova Electrnonic Governance Agency, and other national stakeholders. The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies.

Competencies

Core Competencies

Achieve results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline 

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback 

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible  

Act with determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident 

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships 

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination  

Cross-Functional and Technical Competencies

Business Management - Project Management:     

• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals 

Business Direction & Strategy - Strategic Thinking:

• Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities 
  and potential risks.
• Link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.

Business Direction & Strategy - System Thinking:     

• Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system 

Business Development - Knowledge Facilitation:     

• Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas.
• Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.

Digital - Data analysis:     

• Ability to extract, analyze and visualize data (including Real-Time Data) to form meaningful insights and aid effective decision making. 

Digital - Digital transformation design:     

• Practical and strategic skills in digital transformation for governments and organizations 

Partnership management - Relationship Management:     

• Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field(s); OR  
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two (2) years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration instead of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years (with a Master’s degree) or 4 years (with a Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible, relevant experience (at the national or international level) in frontend software development. 
• Minimum experience of 2 years in Angular, React, Vue, and/or other modern JavaScript frameworks.

Required skills:

• Demonstrated experience implementing UI component libraries/design systems and translating UI standards into production code;
• Demonstrated experience in:
  • JavaScript/TypeScript; Front-end frameworks such as React (preferred, based on common practices for similar systems).
  • HTML5, CSS3, and responsive design libraries (e.g., Bootstrap or Material UI).

Desired skills:

• Experience with state management tool (e.g. NgRx, Redux or similar).
• Previous experience in digital transformation projects within the public sector or in collaboration with governmental institutions and/or agricultural data systems is an advantage.
• Experience with accessibility practices (e.g., WCAG) and building complex forms with validation.
• Experience with frontend testing using common tools (e.g. Jest/Vitest and Cypress/Playwright) or equivalent.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Azure services and cloud-based development.
• Skilled in implementing and managing DevOps practices, including Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment pipelines.
• Experience working in Agile software development teams.

Required Language(s):

• Fluency in English and Romanian is required.
• Knowledge of one or more minority languages relevant for Moldova, including Russian, Romani, Gagauzian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian and sign language, is an asset.

Professional Certificates:

• Additional training and/or certification in frontend development, cloud, DevOps, security, or accessibility would be an advantage.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.