UNDP Jobs - 58752- Technical Officer (Construction Technologies) Indi

Technical Officer (Construction Technologies) Indira Awaas Yojana, GOI-UNDP Project “Governance and Accelerated Livelihoods Support” (Open to Indian Nationals Only)

Location :

Ministry of Rural Development, New Delhi, INDIA

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

13-Aug-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-3

Duration of Initial Contract :

Six Months (Extendable)

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

Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development, has since inception been providing assistance to BPL families who are either houseless or have inadequate housing facilities for constructing a safe and durable shelter. IAY is being implemented as part of the enabling approach to shelter for all, taking cognizance of the fact that rural housing is one of the major anti-poverty measures for the marginalized. IAY provides an opportunity for reinventing people as builders and promoting a kind of reverse participation, with the government participating in the indigenous process of the people to house themselves.

UNDP in a collaborative engagement with the Ministry of Rural Development has initiated a project “Governance and Accelerated Livelihood Support (GOALS)” which involves policy advice and technical assistance to the Ministry and State governments to help “green” select schemes. Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) is one of the schemes that has been selected for this project. The major focus of this project has been on developing models for construction of cost-effective, environment friendly, disaster resilient and sustainable IAY houses using locally appropriate materials and technology.

As part of its support to IAY, UNDP is looking for an experienced and technically sound rural housing practitioner who can facilitate technology transfer and coordinate capacity building initiatives for absorption of locally appropriate and alternate construction technologies.

The selected candidate will be placed within the Ministry of Rural Development, New Delhi and will be working in close collaboration with the States which may involve extensive travel.

Summary of Key Functions

The Technical Officer will work under the guidance and supervision of the Joint Secretary, RH and Programme Analyst, UNDP. Along with being the in house expert on innovative technologies, the incumbent will be responsible for formulating guidelines, designs and manuals for skill development of masons, quality control of masonry and construction, capacity building for absorption of locally appropriate and alternate construction technologies and handholding states for production of construction material.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Technical Officer will be responsible for the following functions:

Provide technical support and facilitate recommendations on policy matters within IAY;
Propagate the use of local and alternative building materials in the field of construction;
Provide support to policy inputs and develop alternate models for revival of Rural Building Centres;
Work in conjunction with each State to build capacity for adoption of locally appropriate, energy efficient and cost effective technologies;
Help in developing customized IEC material to disseminate or demonstrate relevant technologies and designs;
Provide support to States in training of masons and in local production of construction materials;
Assist in certification of trained masons;
Support States to develop capacity for quality monitoring of houses constructed;
Monitor the progress of technology transfer to stakeholders;
Organise workshops to disseminate feedback and findings from field visits, if needed;
Onsite and offsite training and capacity building;
Perform any other related tasks consistent with the level of the post and/ or assigned by the Joint Secretary, RH and Programme Analyst, UNDP.

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:

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

Target orientation and the ability to work with people;
Understanding of public works execution;
Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of her/his area of operation/expertise and applies it in work assignments.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

Keeps abreast of new developments in the area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally; 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;
Shares knowledge across the organization and builds a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.

Self-Management:

Ability to work independently and under pressure;
Establishes priorities for self, schedules activities to ensure optimum use of time and resources;
Works as a team member;
Self-development, initiative-taking;
Approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.

Knowledge and Skills:

Proficiency in MS-Office, especially Power point and Excel; understanding of Management Information System (MIS) is an asset;
Familiarity with government policies, programmes and government operational systems in India;
Strong communication skills, ability to work in small teams and flexible ways of working.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Bachelors degree in Architecture or Civil or structural engineering.

Experience:

Two or more years of experience in Government and public works preferable;
Experience in working with State governments;
In depth knowledge of technologies and best practices in construction;
Familiarity with the rural housing scenario in different States.

Language:

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

Remuneration package is Rs.90,908/- per month (taxable). UNDP also offers additional benefits which include medical insurance coverage and limited pension reimbursement for contract holder and encourages work life balance.

UNDP strives to have a workforce which reflects diversity and gender balance, and applies an equal opportunities approach. UNDP does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS status. All selection is on merit.