Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Project Manager (GALS) - UNDP (Apply by: 11 April 2014)


UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NO. UNDP/SC/2014/38

Closing Date: 11 April 2014

I. Position Information

Job Title: Project Manager

Organization: GOI-UNDP Project “Governance and Accelerated Livelihoods Support”

Supervisor: Additional Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development and Programme Analyst, UNDP

Duty Station: New Delhi

Type of Contract: Service Contract

Duration: 1 year (extendable)

Post Level: SB-5

Remuneration package starts at Rs.295,978/- per month (taxable). UNDP also offers additional benefits which include medical insurance coverage and limited pension reimbursement for contract holder and encourages work life balance.

UNDP strives to have a workforce which reflects diversity and gender balance, and applies an equal opportunities approach. UNDP does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS status. All selection is on merit.

II. Project Background

The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India and the UNDP have entered into a partnership to implement a project entitled ‘Governance and Accelerated Livelihood Support (GOALS)’, for UNDP’s support to the rural employment and livelihood programmes in India during the twelfth five year plan (2013-2017). This partnership aims to strengthen the effectiveness of rural development programmes with a special focus on livelihoods and employment in 12 districts affected by left-wing extremism of Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand. The partnership will provide (a) technical assistance to the state government and NGOs in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha to improve sustainable livelihoods with linkages to Panchayati Raj Institutions for governance in left wing extremism affected areas; (b) policy advice and technical assistance to the Ministry and the state governments to help improve the efficiency, accountability and inclusiveness of National Rural Livelihoods Mission and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme and (c) policy advice and technical assistance to the Ministry and state governments to help “green” select schemes.

Implemented over a period of five years, the programme initiatives in left wing extremism affected districts will focus on engaging communities for building skills and livelihoods of the local communities focusing especially on tribal women and youth and supporting state and district governments in their efforts to effectively respond to the development needs and aspirations of communities in the districts affected by left wing extremism. Emphasis will be laid on ensuring delivery under Government of India’s flagship programmes namely Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and National Rural Livelihood Mission in addition to providing innovative financial intermediation for local tribal entrepreneurs. The project will also focus intensively on building the capacity of communities and other stakeholders by generating awareness on rights and entitlements and mobilizing tribal youth for participatory planning. Project specific activities include supporting social mobilization, establishment of collective enterprises around non-timber forest produce and agricultural products, skill training for employment in public and private sectors, capacity building especially of tribal women and youth for greater representation in local governance and in planning, implementation and monitoring of flagship government programmes.

Under National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), UNDP provides technical support for effective and inclusive implementation of the programme in various states. Towards this, UNDP will support (a) positioning professional managers and domain experts to improve implementation at the state level; (b) strengthening the social mobilisation in favour of women from persistently excluded groups; and (c) developing and testing of context-specific, market-led, livelihood strategies that will enable institutions of the poor women to secure their role in markets and supply chains and ensure higher and sustained returns.

Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, UNDP provides technical support for efficient and accountable implementation through (a) introducing mechanisms for regular feedback to the Ministry and state governments of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar on operational bottlenecks in MGNREGP (b) analysing operational procedures and recommending steps for rationalizing them; (c) establishing social audit directorates in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar; and (d) developing strategies for skill development of households employed under MGNREGP through NRLM.

UNDP supports the “greening” of key rural development programmes by helping to establish a Green Cell, a Green Innovations Portal and a Green Challenge Fund within the Ministry of Rural Development. Flexibilities within scheme guidelines will be utilised to promote green results. State-level technical specifications will be finalized for green plans, technical manuals and rates schedules. A set of Green Indicators will be introduced into the Ministry’s Management Information System to measure, monitor and report on green results. A capacity development strategy will be developed to train state and district officials and community/Panchayat leaders in planning and implementation of green interventions. Strategies will also be developed for convergence to promote green results.

UNDP is looking for a dynamic individual to be the Project manager for the MoRD-UNDP partnership. The selected candidate will be placed within the Ministry of Rural Development, New Delhi.

III. Functions / Key Results Expected

Summary of Key Functions: Under the guidance and direct supervison of the National Project Director - Additional Secretary, MoRD and Programme Analyst, UNDP the Project Manager will lead the team comprising Project Officers, Assistants and Consultants at national, state and district levels.

The Project Manager will ensure that the project produces the results specified in the Project Document and other documents to the required standards of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost. For this, s/he will need to ensure that the project delivers on its objectives with achievable work plans.

In this capacity, s/he will be responsible for the day-to-day management and overall implementation of the project. S/he will be responsible for the following:

• Implementing activities by mobilizing goods and services;
• Regular monitoring and reporting; progress in the project and assessment of risks including measures to address challenges and opportunities
• Ensuring that changes are controlled and problems addressed;
• Coordinating the project activities including the preparation of Annual and Quarterly Work Plans,
• Preparing Budget, Financial Reports, etc.; and
• Capturing lessons learnt during project implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Project Manager will be responsible for the following functions:

• Ensure effective and high quality implementation of project strategies by taking lead in planning, coordinating and monitoring the activities
• Develop Annual Work plans in consultation with MORD and UNDP
• Participate in the periodic project work plan review meetings and discussions related to project implementation, monitoring and follow-up.
• Prepare progress reports and ensure quality and consistency of internal reports.
• Conduct desk reviews and field visits, as necessary, address bottlenecks and bring unresolved issues to the notice of supervisors.
• Supervise the work of other team members working for the project.
• Ensure formation and regular meetings of the Project Steering Committee (PSC), Advisory Groups and any other forum required for smooth implementation of the project.
• Collect and analyze data and prepare quarterly and annual reports to be submitted to PSC and UNDP.
• Consolidate the work of the project with documentation of successes and learnings, organize review meetings and advocacy events, prepare tools and technical resources for implementation of action plan and steer the roll out.
• Organize periodic consultation of experts and practitioners to generate effective policy advice.
• Supervise and lead on facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing; be responsible for quality assurance of all knowledge products developed under the project by ensuring correctness of content and language, dissemination of good practices.
• Develop a sound documentation strategy, and maintain a database of relevant documents and material produced under the project.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive communications strategy targeting different stakeholders for effective outreach and dissemination of project results among all stakeholders.
• Develop relevant framework/s and operational manuals and ensure their implementation for effective management of the project.
• Lead on stakeholder consultations and workshops envisaged under the project.
• Design strategies for financial inclusion and livelihoods
• Undertake any other task required for smooth implementation of the project and any other task assigned by the National Project Director and Programme Analyst, UNDP.

IV. Recruitment Qualifications

Education:
Graduate Degree in Economics, Social Sciences, Political Science, Rural Development/ Development Studies, Engineering or Medicine. A Master’s Degree or equivalent is desirable.

Experience: Minimum 10 years of relevant experience at senior level of responsibility in the State or at national level in rural development, rural livelihoods, skill development or related fields.

The candidate should have performed the following functions:

• Leading large scale development programmes in rural livelihoods; self and wage employment promotion.
• Coordination and facilitation of senior staff within a complex organisational structure
• Providing management advisory support to large scale development projects.
• Design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of rural development projects
• Handling multiple partnerships including resource mobilisation.
• Applying rights based approach to development programming.

Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to lead a team based on strong leadership skills.
• Good understanding of development issues such as human development, inclusive development, gender, participation.
• Passion for and adequate understanding of development challenges and rural poverty reduction
• Sound knowledge of local governance structure and problems of India.
• Familiarity with government policies, programmes and government operational systems in India
• Good communication (written and oral), interpersonal and presentation skills, with an ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Proficiency in MS-Office, especially PowerPoint and Excel; Advanced knowledge of spread sheet, database and research packages will be an asset.
• Ability to work independently and under pressure.
• Willingness to travel extensively.

Functional Competencies

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise


• Understand and apply fundamental concepts and principles of rural development and livelihood promotion.
• Keep abreast of new developments in the area of professional discipline and job knowledge
• Possess basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks
• Demonstrate extremely strong influencing and facilitation skills
• Establish priorities for self and team; schedules activities to ensure optimum use of time and resources; monitor performance against development and other objectives and correct deviations from the course

Building Strategic Partnerships 

• Establish, build and sustain effective relationship, partnerships and alliances with government and other agencies
• Advocate effectively, communicate sensitively across different constituencies.
• Result-orientation and ability to develop strategic approaches
• Identify problems and propose solutions
• Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

• Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things
• Documents and analyses innovative strategies and new approaches

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Hindi is essential. Knowledge of regional language(s) of the project states would be an asset.

Please apply online by visiting www.in.undp.org (Careers)


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