UNDP Jobs - 50768- Project Officer (Community and Development / Settl

Project Officer (Community and Development / Settlements) - (Open to Filipino Nationals Only)

Location :

Applicants must be prepared to be stationed in one or several of the project areas which include, but not limited to Tacloban City, Ormoc City and Guiuan Municipality, PHILIPPINES

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

31-Oct-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SC-8

Duration of Initial Contract :

Twelve (12) months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Possible extension depending on performance and funding availability

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

Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), one of the strongest typhoons in recorded history, hit the Visayas (Central Philippines) on 08 November 2013 with a force equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. Rainfall rates reached 30 mm per hour, wind speeds clocked upwards of 315 km/h and massive storm surges went up to 5-6 meters high along the coastal areas. Over a 16 hour period, the “super typhoon,” swept through six provinces in the central Philippines, knocking out power, telecommunications, and water supplies. Along the eastern coast of Samar, Eastern Samar and Leyte, extensive damage was caused by powerful storm surges that were akin to a tsunami. Entire villages were swept away by the sea, claiming thousands of lives and causing heavy infrastructure damage in highly populated areas. On the western coast and mainland areas of Samar and Leyte, severe winds flattened vast areas of farmlands planted with coconut and banana trees. Strong winds also caused damage, although to a lesser extent, along the coasts of Cebu, Panay and Coron.

Hardest hit were the islands of Leyte and Samar, particularly Tacloban City where 90 percent of the infrastructure was destroyed. The latest official figures from government indicate that 1.1 million homes were destroyed, 16.1 million people were affected, and 4.1 million were displaced. At least 6,300 people have been confirmed dead across all areas hit by the typhoon.

Since November 2013, UNDP has provided assistance to the affected LGUs and communities particularly in the fields of debris clearing and management, livelihood, and disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM). In line with the government strategy advancing from humanitarian assistance to recovery and rehabilitation, UNDP’s programme of support has also moved from early recovery efforts to longer-term recovery interventions. With funding support from the European Union (EU), UNDP is currently implementing a comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation project in selected Yolanda-affected communities in the Visayas, focusing on the following components: 1) disaster-resilient public infrastructure; 2) sustainable livelihoods; 3) resettlement of displaced populations; and 4) support to recovery coordination and local capacities for disaster risk reduction and management.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the UNDP Team Leader for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, and the direct supervision of the Project Manager of the UNDP Yolanda Recovery Programme, the Project Officer (Community Development and Settlements) will perform the following functions:

Provide primary technical input in the formulation of community development and settlements strategies/approaches to attain intended project results;
Coordinate with the Project Manager and relevant project staff in preparing detailed annual workplans to achieve resettlement results and ensure complementarity with other project interventions;
Ensure that resettlement interventions are carried out in accordance with the workplan, ensuring that the status of resettlement deliverables is regularly reviewed against targets and reported to management and concerned entities for proper action;
Monitor the implementation of resettlement activities in the project areas, identify gaps, issues and risks and assist in addressing these as necessary;
Draft appropriate guidelines and selection criteria for the engagement of CSOs, firms, consultants and other service providers in the implementation of resettlement activities;
Ensure that project proposals relative to resettlement are properly evaluated, and make recommendations to management for consideration/deliberation and approval;
Consistent with government guidelines, provide guidance to CSO and other partners on the implementation of appropriate approaches ( i.e. community-led approach to resettlement and engagement of participating families through community contracts) in community development and resettlement planning;
Organize conduct of community consultations, with support from other project team members in project coverage areas;
Coordinate with relevant agencies working on resettlement and mobilize support from other players e.g business sector for possible support to the communities;
Work closely with the LGU housing/shelter units for coordination of activities, ensuring consistency with LGU priorities, policies, and systems, and complementation of support;
Provide support to the Project Manager in undertaking coordination work with government and humanitarian clusters (i.e. shelter cluster), as needed;
Coordinate with the Communications Officer in the documentation of experiences, good practices and lessons learned and converting these into visibility materials and project press releases;
Perform other tasks as may be assigned by the Supervisor.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Has excellent analytical and problem-solving skills;
Builds strategic partnerships;
Promotes organizational learning and knowledge-sharing;
Demonstrates client orientation.

Core Competencies:

Demonstrates strong leadership;
Demonstrates sound judgment;
Ability to think at a strategic level;
Takes initiatives;
Acts as a team player and facilitates teamwork.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

University degree (Masters degree an advantage) in community development, social work, development studies or other related fields.

Experience:

5 years of relevant experience in community development, resettlement of displaced populations, project management or other related fields;
Experience in the use of computers and office software (MS Word, Excel, etc.);
Experience in project implementation in a post-disaster context an advantage;
UN/UNDP experience an advantage.

Language requirements:

English and Filipino;
Knowledge of regional languages in the Visayas an advantage.

Note:

The selected candidate will receive a salary that is commensurate with his/her background and work experience. Interested applicants are requested submit their application ONLINE and complete the UN Personal History Form (P.11), available in our website http://www.ph.undp.org/content/philippines/en/home/operations/jobs/ on or before 31 October 2014. Kindly note that only completed P.11 forms will be reviewed. UNDP is an equal opportunity employer.

Please note that we will contact only the short-listed candidates.