Background

UNDP Country Programme (2013-17) is aligned with the Government of India’s Twelfth Plan priorities and seeks to improve the effectiveness of national programmes and policies for disadvantaged regions and groups especially women, Scheduled Castes, Schedule Tribes, minorities, displaced persons and persons with disabilities. UNDP’s partnership with the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) under “Governance and Accelerated Livelihoods Support” aims to 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.
 
The Government of India, Ministry of Rural Development had launched the “National Rural Livelihood Mission” (NRLM) in June 2011 after restructuring its existing centrally sponsored flagship Scheme “Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana” (SGSY). The NRLM functions in a mission mode for target based time bound delivery of outcomes following a demand driven approach which would allow the states to formulate their own poverty alleviation plans on the basis of available allocation, resources and skills. UNDP, under the GOALS Project, provides technical support to NRLM for efficient and inclusive implementation through (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. 
 
The position of a Specialist (NTFP) has been envisaged at the national level to facilitate the NTFP (Non-Timber Forest Produce) Agenda in NRLM and spearhead the Non-farm Livelihoods Agenda of State Rural Livelihoods Missions (SRLMs) within NMMU and SRLMs.
 
As part of its support to NRLM, UNDP is looking for a dynamic individual for the position of Specialist (NTFP), NRLM.
 
Summary of Key Functions:
 
The Specialist (NTFP) will work under the guidance of the Mission Director, NRLM and direct supervision of the Lead (Farm Livelihoods), NRLM and Programme Analyst, UNDP. 
 
The Specialist (NTFP) will primarily be responsible for facilitating the NTFP Agenda in NRLM and spearheading the Non-farm Livelihoods Agenda of SRLMs within NMMU and SRLMs, working in close coordination with the National Mission Management Unit (NMMU) - set up by NRLM to provide programme management support - and technical assistance to NMMU and the states.
 
S/he will undertake any other task assigned by the Mission Director, NRLM, the Lead (Farm Livelihoods), NRLM and Programme Analyst, UNDP.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Mission Director, NRLM, and direct supervision the Lead (Farm Livelihoods), NRLM and Programme Analyst, UNDP, the Specialist (Training) will: 
  • Provide technical support to the SRLMs for development of NTFP policy, systems and guidelines in the states in line with national policy;
  • Provide facilitation to SRLMs to establish community institutions and its aggregates (SHG/federation/ producer group/producer company/cooperative etc.), to work on NTFP based livelihood promotion;
  • Provide facilitation in development of technological innovation and streamline market reachability for the forest dwelling and other forest dependent communities.
  • Provide support to SRLMs to establish systems to identify and develop best practices on NTFP based livelihoods and design scaling up strategy;
  • Facilitate SRLMs in building NTFP resource persons at various levels for working with and training NTFP Collectors and Collectives;
  • Facilitate SRLMs to partner with agencies and other stakeholders in training on NTFP collection, regeneration, and supporting SHGs, SHG Federations and NTFP Collectives in procurement, value-addition and marketing;
  • Facilitate SRLMs in building multi-stakeholder approach for NTFP collectors by roping in financial institutions, private sector players, CSOs, NGOs and government line departments for capacity building, credit accessibility, improving productivity and market reach; and
  • Perform any other related tasks consistent with the level of the post and/ or assigned by the Mission Director, NRLM, the Lead (Farm Livelihoods) 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:
  • Possesses understanding of issues pertaining to poverty reduction and livelihoods;
  • Has in-depth understanding of NTFP and related.
Building Strategic Partnerships:
  • Ability to build and sustain effective partnerships with Government Agencies and main constituents, advocate effectively, communicate sensitively across different constituencies.
Development and Operational Effectiveness:
  • Establishes priorities for self and other members of the team; schedules activities to ensure optimum use of time and resources;
  • Monitors performance against development and other objectives and corrects deviations from the course;
  • Capacity to gather comprehensive information on complex problems or situations, evaluate information accurately and identify key issues required to resolve problems;
  • Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
  • Builds strong relationships with the NMMU team and State Rural;
  • Livelihoods Missions, focusing on impact and result.
Leadership and Self-Management:
  • Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills;
  • Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complex situations;
  • Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view. Also solicits feedback from staff about the impact of his/her own behaviour;
  • Has ability to work under supervision as well as with self-initiative and motivation;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
Knowledge and Skills: 
  • Proficiency in MS-Office, especially PowerPoint and Excel;
  • Strong facilitation skills;
  • Strong communication (written and oral) skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Master’s Degree or equivalent in Science, Botany, Forestry, Engineering, Technology, Management, Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Dairying, ICT, Economics, Social Sciences, Political Science, Development Studies or related fields.

Experience:

More than 15 years of work experience in general with –
More than 10 years of relevant experience in development sector at the state/national level in:
  • Coordination and facilitation of complex teams at national and state level;
  • Providing management services;
  • Managing NTFP collection, value addition and marketing through community institutions at state level;
  • Managing NTFP Support function in large livelihoods projects;
  • Livelihood promotion, rural development and/or related fields.

Language:

  • Proficiency in spoken and written English. Good knowledge of Hindi is desirable and any state language/s is an asset. 

Travel: 

  • Has willingness to travel.

Remuneration package is Rs. 164,790/- per month (taxable).