UNDP Jobs - 43919- Project Officer, Works, GOI-UNDP Project “Governa

Project Officer, Works, GOI-UNDP Project “Governance and Accelerated Livelihoods Support” - (Open to Indian Nationals only)

Location :

New Delhi, INDIA

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

23-Feb-14 (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

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 guarantees wage employment on public works to any adult who is willing to do casual manual work. In case there is inability to provide 100 days of wage employment per household per year, the household will be provided with a daily unemployment allowance. The programme is expected to cover poor households on the principle of self-selection.

The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD)-UNDP partnership on ‘Governance and Accelerated Livelihoods Support’ helps strengthen the effectiveness of key Ministry programmes by providing (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.

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.

As part of its support to MGNREGA, UNDP is looking for an experienced and technically sound engineer who can formulate guidelines for various works to be taken up under MGNREGS.

The selected candidate will be placed within the Ministry of Rural Development, New Delhi.

The Project Officer will work under the guidance and supervision of the Joint Secretary, MGNREGA and Programme Analyst, UNDP. The incumbent will be primarily responsible for formulating guidelines, designs, standard estimates for works under the MGNREGP and monitoring their quality.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Officer will be responsible for the following functions:

Prepare designs and standard estimates for various works to be taken up under the programme;
Propagate the use of local materials and labour intensive technologies in estimate preparation;
Propagate the use of green technologies in the construction activities;
Use the IT system to digitize the estimates for easy adoption at the field level/NREGASoft;
Advise on works and their execution, and in preparation of guidelines for works;
Define set of outcomes for each work and for their adoption in the estimate preparation;
Work in conjunction with the quality control teams in each State for bringing in quality consciousness in implementation of works;
Monitor the quality of works in the field by undertaking independent studies and make recommendations for improving the same;
Based on feedback and findings from field visits, periodically revise the estimates, if needed;
Prepare quarterly and annual reports to be submitted to GoI and UNDP;
Perform any other related tasks consistent with the level of the post and/ or assigned by the Joint Secretary, MGNREGA and Programme Analyst, UNDP.

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:

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:
Deep understanding of public works execution;
Peoples’ orientation and the ability to work with people.
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.
Knowledge and Skills:
Proficiency in MS-Office, especially PowerPoint and Excel; understanding of Management Information System (MIS) is an asset;
Familiarity with government policies, programmes and government operational systems in India;
Strong communication (written and oral) skills;
Ability to work in small teams, and flexible ways of working.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Engineering degree in civil, agricultural or structural engineering;
Masters degree in civil, agricultural or structural engineering preferable.

Experience:

At least 10 years work experience in Government and Public works;
Ability to work with people and demystifying estimates;
Promoting labour intensive, local materials;
Adoption of green technologies in construction.

Language:

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

Remuneration Package is INR 127,175/- per month (Taxable).