UNDP Jobs - 42054- Project Manager, Planning Commission

Project Manager, Planning Commission – UNDP Project, Strengthening Capacities for Decentralised Planning, (Open to Indian Nationals only)

Location :

Project Management Unit, Planning Commission, New Delhi, INDIA

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

09-Dec-13 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

One Year (renewable)

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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.

Background

The Government of India – UNDP project “Strengthening Capacities for Decentralised Planning” is being implemented by the Planning Commission in partnership with State governments. The project is envisaged in the context of the 12^th Five Year Plan goal of faster, sustainable and more inclusive growth. It is designed to strengthen capacities of government and other actors involved in development planning at local level for improving quality, effectiveness and outreach of development programmes.

A key outcome of the United Nations Development Action Framework (UNDAF) 2013-2017 is “to ensure that governance systems are more inclusive, accountable, decentralised and programme implementation more effective for the realization of rights of marginalized groups, especially women and children”. The UNDAF places emphasis on participation of all stakeholders, particularly those belonging to SCs, STs, other disadvantaged groups and women in the national development process. It also underscores the strategic importance of specialized knowledge, capacity development approaches and experience on issues relating to decentralization, strengthening local governments, local planning and community monitoring.

Directly contributing to the above-mentioned India UNDAF outcome, the project will focus on providing support to the States for strengthening Decentralized District Planning and implementation systems and processes as per the priorities areas identified by the States themselves. The project support will be catalytic in nature and leverage existing resources already available at the State levels. The project will strengthen the content of planning and help improve implementation in select districts/Blocks to better address MDGs and national priorities such as inclusive growth and improved delivery of basic services. Issues of gender and social inequalities will be focused upon. The process will be made more participatory and inclusive of the priorities of poor women and men, especially from SC/ST and minority communities. Further, the project will work towards greater integration of planning and implementation process across PRIs and line departments as well as vertically from village to district levels.

The project will be implemented at the national level and in identified States covered under the United Nations Development Action Framework (UNDAF).

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Manager will head the project management team (PMT) and will be located in the Planning Commission, New Delhi. S/he will work under the direct supervision and guidance of the National Project Director (NPD) and the UNDP Project Assurance.

The Project Manager will be responsible for day-to-day management, monitoring and review of project activities; coordination with Responsible Party (ies) and different stakeholders and decision making. S/he will be accountable to the NPD and the Project Steering Committee (PSC). The Project Manager will ensure that the project results are produced to the required standards of quality and within specified constraints of time and cost. S/he will perform the following key functions:

Managing the overall conduct of the project including implementation of planned activities by mobilisation of relevant goods and services;
Providing technical assistance to the Planning Commission and States on different aspects of decentralised planning in a need-based manner;
Supporting capacity development and knowledge management for improving decentralised planning systems and practices;
Supporting management of partnership and collaboration between different institutions / agencies at district, State and national levels;
Monitoring/reporting on progress, watching for project risks and plan deviations and administering measures to address challenges and opportunities;
Ensuring that changes are controlled, problems addressed and project objectives are adequately met.

Carrying forward the above functions, the Project Manager will be responsible for the following:

Project Management, Monitoring and Quality Assurance
Plan the activities of the project and monitor progress against the approved work-plan;
In consultation with the NPD, prepare the annual work plan for the following year, as well as quarterly plans if required; update the Atlas Project Management module if external access is made available;
Coordinate the implementation of the activities;
Monitor events as determined in the project monitoring schedule, and update the schedule as required;
Manage requests for the provision of financial resources by UNDP, through advance of funds, direct payments, or reimbursement using the FACE (Fund Authorization and Certificate of Expenditures);
Ensure preparation and submission of financial reports to UNDP on a quarterly basis;
Manage and monitor the project risks initially identified and submit new risks to the project board for consideration and decision on possible actions if required; update the status of these risks by maintaining the project risks log;
Ensure preparation and submission of regular progress reports and the annual review report to the PSC;

Technical Support

Provide advisory support to States on different aspects of Integrated District Planning and its replication as required from time to time;
Support Planning Commission and States in preparation of guidelines, templates and other tools and instruments for use in the context of decentralised district planning;
Support the Planning Commission in preparation of status reports, updates or other materials on decentralised district planning as would be required from time to time;
Coordinate and monitor the activities and deliverables of all responsible parties / resource institutions engaged in providing technical support services at different levels; take stock of risks associated; and suggest remedial measures if and as necessary;
Provide inputs on key processes and result areas in decentralised district planning to relevant stakeholders in a need-based manner;
Coordinate workshops, consultations and meetings held at national level and support in designing the processes and content areas involved.

Capacity Development and Knowledge Management:

Support States in preparing training plans, customization/use of training modules and development of training impact assessment systems as necessary/requested;
Guide in identifying, appraising and recruiting individual/institutional trainers on decentralised planning and related areas;
Coordinate the functioning of the National Resource Cell on Decentralised Planning and facilitate reviews and discussions related to its deliverables;
Guide States/districts in validation, documentation and sharing of best practices;
Extend guidance in Identification, documentation and collation of national /international best practices on decentralised planning and knowledge sharing;
Review and provide inputs on different knowledge products generated in course of the project;
Ensure capture and dissemination of lessons learnt during project implementation process.

Institutional Partnerships:

Identify and develop partnerships with resource institutions, agencies, experts and practitioners on decentralised planning and implementation at State, national and other levels;
Guide the NRCDP in managing institutional knowledge networking and evolving joint action plans as would be possible during the project cycle;
Ensure preparation and dissemination of an information base on relevant institutions, agencies, experts and practitioners and facilitate their involvement in conduct of trainings, IEC, knowledge sharing and advocacy events.
Apart from the above the Project Manager will also be required to perform any other duty or responsibility assigned by the National Project Director as relevant to the implementation of the project.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Technical Knowledge:

Thorough familiarity with the development context and challenges in India, with particular reference to inclusive growth, disadvantaged groups and decentralization;
Adequate knowledge of the policy context of devolution, decentralized planning, spatial planning based on rural-participatory processes, disadvantaged groups, and human development outcomes;
Clarity on development challenges, policies, current situation regarding inclusive growth, human development and disadvantaged groups in the UNDAF states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan;
Familiarity with UNDAF, CPAP, and UNDP project systems in India is preferred;
Knowledge of policies and programmes relevant to decentralization, participatory planning and local self-governance;
Technical know-how to interact with disadvantaged groups and PRI/ULB members and local officials;
In-depth knowledge on development issues;

Knowledge Management and Learning:

Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office;
Ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in the area of professional discipline and job knowledge, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.
Competent analytical and presentation skills.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, mobilize resources;
Ability to lead implementation of new systems (business side), and affect staff behavioral/ attitudinal change;
Excellent working knowledge of MS Office-Word, Excel, Access, Power Point, Intra-Internet, e-mail applications etc.; Knowledge of other applications such as Front Page, Publisher and some multimedia tools would be useful.

Management and Leadership:

Focuses on expected impact and results and responds positively to feedback;
Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
Builds strong relationships with stakeholders and external actors;
High interpersonal skills, and ability to remain calm, in control and good humored under pressure
Ability to priorities assignments and requirements, and multitask as needed;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
Skills to lead a team of professionals and report to senior government officials;

Communication Skills

Competent analytical and presentation skills;
Excellent oral and writing and communication skills;
Good interpersonal and presentation skills, with an ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree in Social Sciences, Public Administration/Policy or related fields from a reputed academic institution

Experience:

At least 8-10 years of professional experience of working on development issues, including rural development and poverty reduction;
Relevant experience of working on decentralized planning, participatory development and governance issues;
Adequate experience in project management, including work plans and budgets, monitoring and reporting; Experience in leading a team of professionals and effectively managing contributions from experts and consultants;
Experience of having worked with the government, PRIs, NGOs and disadvantaged communities;
Relevant experience in documentation and preparation of communication materials on development issues;
Relevant experience in the implementation/ analysis or monitoring of flagship programmes.

Language:

Excellent command in spoken and written English;
Excellent command in spoken and written Hindi.

Travel:

Preparedness to undertake substantial travel to different States, districts and Blocks on project assignment.