MSME Law Reform Expert

Cufa is an International Development Agency with a focus on promoting financial inclusion and increasing financial literacy and improving economic livelihoods. Cufa has been developing community access to affordable financial services in the Asia Pacific region for 50 years, working cooperatively at grass-roots through to government levels, building capacity in emerging financial cooperative movements to create sustainability, improve lives, and relieve poverty.

Cufa is seeking an Australian or New Zealand National to work intermittently across 7-years project to be implemented across the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. The project’s objective is to build the capabilities and support for COVID-19 affected MSMEs to recover and grow in the post-pandemic period through i) strengthening the enabling environment for MSMEs and ii) improving business development services for MSMEs and improving their access to these and to finance.

Selection criteria:

• At least 12 years of proven experience in legal practice in a common law country, preferably in the Pacific;

• At least 8 years of proven specific experience in developing or reforming legislation and regulations for the private sector and MSMEs in a developing country;

• Ability to design legislation and regulations proportional to the size and complexity of the country;

• Capable of discussions at the highest levels of government, including Prime Ministers, Ministers of Justice, and Cabinet members and senior representatives of the private and MSME sector on better legal and regulatory approaches; harmonization of laws and regulations; and adopting a tiered or phased approach to legislative and regulatory reforms, if necessary; and

• A master’s degree in law from a common law jurisdiction and an understanding of the political economy challenges related to legal and regulatory interventions, especially in the Pacific.