Background

The Local Governance and Community Development Programme (LGCDP) is a national programme which is being implemented by the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD) and supported by a range of development partners.  LGCDP’s Programme Document(PD) comprehensively describes LGCDP’s rationale and approach along with its vision, goals and purpose.  The individual programme components and management arrangements are also fully described in the PD as is the Programme log frame and the results and reporting framework.

Under the overall supervision of the National Programme Director (NPD) and the day-to-day supervision of the National Programme Manager (NPM), the Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) is responsible for providing support for the implementation of agreed programme activities.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities:
 
The Local Governance Specialist (LGS) will be supporting the Local Governance Division and Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) to achieve LGCDP II goal, purpose, outcomes and outputs.
 
The  LG Specialist will work under the daily supervision of the Division Chief of Local Governance Division and will provide the NPM with technical assistance and advice. S/he will be ultimately accountable to the NPM.S/he will be expected to collaborate and coordinate with all the PCU’s Technical Specialists.
 
Specific tasks and responsibilities:
 
With respect to general programmatic responsibilities, the LG Specialist will be expected to:
  • Support NPM to coordinate the activities of  other Specialists;
  • Participate in  PCU meetings;
  • Participate in drawing up the Annual Strategic Implementation Plan (ASIP) and the Annual Monitoring & Evaluation Plan (AMEP);
  • Assist in periodically reviewing overall LGCDP II progress;
  • Assist in drafting LGCDP II’s regular narrative progress reports;
  • Assist in organizing bi-monthly output group meetings;
  • Identify and report risks and issues to the PCU and support discussion on mitigation actions in the bi-monthly output group meetings;
  • Support PCU in completing timely meeting minutes and following up on agreed actions;
  • Follow up on the implementation of targeted activities to improve Minimum Condition and Performance Measures (MCPM) assessments in Local Bodies in coordination with the  Regional Coordination Unit (RCUs) and the District/Urban Governance Experts;
  • Follow up on other supply side strengthening initiatives as outlined in the ASIP, especially related to output 5, 6 and 7.
In terms of specific technical responsibilities, the LG Specialist will be expected to:
  • Provide policy and programmatic advice to MoFALD regarding all local governance issues;
  • Take lead role to MOFALD on decentralisation, fiscal federalism, and governance issues;
  • Provide backstopping support and technical guidance to the RCUs, DGEs and UGEs with respect to local governance issues;
  • Assist in drafting terms of reference for any LGCDP II activities and consultancies related to local governance issues;
  • Support to analyse and assess local governance reform initiatives of Government of Nepal and other actors in Nepal;
  • Provide critical analysis of local body MCPM assessments in coordination with RCUs, DGEs and UGEs, and assign targeted programmes to meet local needs;
  • Provide input on local governance issues to any LGCDP II guidelines, manuals or other such documents.
 In terms of capacity development, the LG Specialist will be expected to:
  • Meet regularly with the Outcome  Coordinators  for all Outcomes to brief them on progress and any issues;
  • Meet regularly with Outcome  Coordinators for all Outcomes to discuss future activities and orientations;
  • Ensure that Outcome  Coordinators  are provided with relevant LGCDP II reports and documents;
  • Assist in identifying capacity development activities for MoFALD officials in the area of local governance;
  • Assist and participate in capacity development activities concerning local governance issues for MoFALD and local body officials;
  • Assist in identifying capacity development needs of other Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) and RCU national Technical Assistant (TA) staff.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:
  • Demonstrates integrity;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
Functional competencies:
  • Excellent interpersonal skills;
  • Focuses on impact and results and responds positively to feedback;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
  • Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors, at the senior levels;
  • Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
  • Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
  • Oral and written communication skills.
Knowledge Management and Learning:
  • Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office;
  • In-depth knowledge on development and gender and social inclusion issues.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Ph.D or Master degree in public administration, social science, political sciences, management, economics or  related field

Experience:

  • Ph.D with 7  years  or  Master degree with 10 years of work experience in local governance or governance issues in Nepal;
  • Demonstrated track record of delivering high quality reports on time;
  • Experience of working in a national, government-managed, programme will be an advantage.


Language:

  • Fluency in Nepali and English written and spoken.