UNDP Jobs - 55465- Demining Chief Technical Advisor/Project Manager

Demining Chief Technical Advisor/Project Manager

Location :

Ankara/ Van/Agri/Igdir/Kars, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

29-May-2015

Application Deadline :

22-Apr-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

24 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

24 months

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

Border management is regarded as being one of the most priority areas of the EU Accession process for Turkey. Upon membership to the EU, Turkey’s eastern borders will be the external borders of the Union, so management and implementation of comprehensive border security is important. The management of the eastern borders is not an easy task due to geographical and climate conditions in that region of Turkey. Moreover, this region has been used as an illegal crossing route and in order to provide the border security in this region, landmines had been laid to prevent illegal border crossings, smuggling and resulting security challenges. Now, these landmines constitute a very serious threat for border management in that region.

The landmines are located along the Armenian, Nakhcevan, Iranian, Iraqi and Syrian Borders and hinder the provision of an efficient border management system in those areas. In addition to the humanitarian concerns, these landmines limit Turkey’s operational capacity in the border areas. They prevent the establishment of well-functioning border surveillance systems and as a result lead to decreased efficiency in the fight against illegal movements, cross-border crimes and smuggling. For these reasons, demining is seen as an indispensable part of the border management reforms. Turkey aims to have these landmines cleared to provide a more secure way of protecting the borders via technologically supported border surveillance systems to achieve the targets set out by European Union for a good functioning border management system.

Within this framework, having an ultimate objective of contributing to the social and economic development through demining and more secure borders in Eastern Turkey, the Project entitled “Technical Assistance for Socioeconomic Development through Demining and Increasing the Border Surveillance Capacity at the Eastern Borders of Turkey” was developed in 2014.

The Ministry of Interior and Turkish General Staff (Land Forces Command) are the main beneficiaries of the Project. UNDP will provide technical assistance for the efficient and effective implementation of the Project through the Grant Contract, to be signed between CFCU (Central Finance and Contracts Unit) and UNDP and endorsed by the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey (EUD).

The Project is composed of 3 components:

Component A – Clearance: This component covers the mine clearance activities for the selected regions;
Component B – Certification/Quality Control: This component covers the quality assurance, quality control and post-clearance certification to provide confidence (to the beneficiary and the implementation agency) that clearance and quality requirements defined in the standards have been met and that cleared land is indeed safe for use;
Component C: Post-clearance: This component aims to identify the lessons-learned which are relevant to the planning, preparation and clearance phases of the operation through the conduct of a formal post project review (PPR).

This Terms of Reference is for the Demining Chief Technical Advisor/Project Manager, who will support UNDP as the mine action technical expert and lead the Project Technical Assistance Team.

Duties and Responsibilities

Demining Chief Technical Advisor/Project Manager is the mine action technical expert provided for the full time duration of the project (24 months). The Project Manager (PM) shall be the Leader of the Project Technical Assistance Team. The PM will provide high level advice and guidance to the Ministry of Interior Border Management Bureau and UNDP in the effective implementation of the mine-action project for the eastern borders of Turkey. His/her functions include managerial, supervisory and representative functions on all mine action related matters. In specific terms, the PM will be responsible for the following areas including project management, coordination and monitoring, technical support for demining, reporting and partnership development.

Representation and Strategic Advisory Support;
Project Management Coordination and Monitoring;
Financial Resources Management;
Human Resources Management;
Technical Support for Demining;
Reporting;
Partnership Development.

Representation and Strategic Advisory Support

The Demining Chief Technical Advisor/Project Manager:

On behalf of UNDP, represent the Demining Project as required to Government, donors and relevant stakeholders;
Assess the technical substance, policies and strategies of the Project and advise on methods to achieve technical coherence with regard to the clearance and quality assurance components of the project;
Advises the national authorities and UNDP on all aspects of mine action at the country level, including coordination, survey, mapping, marking, clearance, awareness raising and quality assurance;
Provides strategic guidance to the national authorities on maintaining the eastern border mine action standards in line with International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and best practices developed from mine action programmes worldwide.

Project Management , Coordination and Monitoring

Leads the successful execution and implementation of the project towards achieving the expected outputs as indicated in the Project Document and Annual Work Plans;
Coordinates operations, resources and administrative support of the Technical Assistance Team (TAT);
Coordinates all project meetings and annual reviews;
Plans and arranges, in consultation with UNDP, the procurement of project services in line with agreed procedures;
Ensures project communication is in accordance with the visibility rules of the EU and communication standards of UNDP;

Leads the coordination, planning, documentation, accreditation and implementationprocesses of commercial contractors,including but not limited to the following;

Drafting of task dossiers;
Authorising accreditation/certification of commercial contractors;
Approving implementation plans;
Coordination with the senior management of the Demining contractors and the Quality Assurance / Control Service providers;
Procurement of equipment and the financial management of project funds;
Undertakes periodic field monitoring visits and provide timely feedback to all staff and partner organizations.

Financial Resources Management:

Leads operational and financial resources management of the project in line with the Project Document and in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations, specifically focusing on the achievement of the following:

Accountable use of project funds;
Oversight of financial management through Atlas, including purchase orders, requisitions and payments;
Provision of effective services to counterparts including fair and transparent procurement, efficient logistics and sound financial management;
Oversight of all administrative, financial and budgetary aspects of the projects;
Is responsible for budgets and ensuring strict and consistent application of UNDP rules and regulation.

Human Resources Management

Ensures strategic human resources management focusing on achievement of the following results:

Supervising the work of TAT and works within agreed budgets;
Project compliance with corporate human resources policies and strategies;
Optimal staffing of the project;
Efficient recruitment processes.

Technical Support for Demining

Approves and authorize contractor standing operating procedures (SOPs) for mine clearance, survey, Quality Assurance and Quality control in compliance with IMAS;
Defines the technical requirements for the recruitment and administration of Technical Assistance Team and short term experts’ contracts.

Reporting:

Reports on all issues related to project management and implementation, to the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, through the Inclusive Democratic Governance Programme Manager;
Prepares technical and other documents as required;
Provides monthly and quarterly progress reports on project activities, financial reports and final report of expenditure for the project;
Provides project briefing papers as requested by UNDP and the executing agency.

Partnership Development

Encourages liaison between the concerned Government Ministries, UNDP, donors, clearance and QA/QC contractors, and any other concerned agency/organization regarding the project activities;
Supports UNDP in efforts to build partnerships for the support of outputs indicated in the project document;
Maintains regular contact with EU as donor and CFCU as contracting authority of the project;
Promotes international cooperation and assists the Government of Turkey in the area of mine action, when felt necessary.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling 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 favouritism.

Functional Competencies:

Demonstrates management and development expertise;
Works to achieve the strategic goals of UNDP and promotes the vision, mission and values of UNDP;
Focuses on results and client satisfaction;
Recognizes and responds appropriately to the ideas, interests and concerns of others; contributes creative solutions to address challenging situations;
Seeks, applies and shares knowledge and information;
Demonstrates strong analytical and communication (written, verbal, and interpersonal) skills;
Demonstrates strong inter-personal and negotiation skills;
Demonstrates strong ability to work in harmony with staff members of different cultural backgrounds in a professional manner, especially in a mutually-supportive team environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

S/he shall have an advanced degree (Masters) or higher in administrative or social sciences.

Experience:

General professional experience:

The Project Manager shall have proven experience in working with senior government personnel and commercial contractors in the area of demining.

Specific professional experience:

S/he should have a minimum of ten (10) years professional international experience (as staff of an international organisation and/or past recruitment under a project of an international organisation), including at least 5 years of operational experience in mine action;
Also including at least 5 years of project management with a proven track record;
Also including at least 5 years of experience in the application of international Mine Action Standards (IMAS);
The Project Manager shall have knowledge of the UN system, in particular UNDP, UNOPS and UNICEF mine action roles and procedures;
Team leading experience in an international project will be an asset.

Skills:

Hold a PRINCE 2 or equivalent Project Management qualification;
Computer literacy.

Language Requirements:

Full proficiency in English.