Background

2. Office/Unit/Project Description: 

The Initiation Plan for “Capacity Development of Local Governments for Resilient Infrastructure and Livelihood Services (CDRIL)” aims to learn from experience of strengthening capacity of selected local governments of Karnali province to plan, execute and manage resilient and sustainable local infrastructure and livelihood services implemented as a pilot. The Initiation Plan will support the local governments to identify capacity gaps in terms of system, tools, instruments, knowledge and skills required for resilient planning, budgeting, procurement, execution, monitoring, reporting, resource mobilization, partnership, quality assurance and asset management; and build capacities for management of infrastructure projects and delivery of sustainable livelihood services. While doing so, a comprehensive package of capacity development support to the local governments, service providers and other stakeholders will be developed and tested with focus on empowering poor and excluded groups, women and people with disability for their meaningful participation in project selection and benefit sharing. The package of support, among others, will also include building technical capacities for conserving and regenerating the local environment, minimizing social and environmental impacts, promoting nature-based solutions and making sustainable use of resources complementing green recovery. The IP will further support improved coordination between the province and Palikas for strategic planning and investment to enhance overall resilience of communities. The lessons from the pilot will be documented, shared and disseminated with the government and other partners for replication and scaling up across other provinces and Palikas for delivering integrated resilient infrastructure and livelihood services. 

The Project Coordinator will be responsible for the implementation of the work plans, ensure the achievement of project results, manage resources as well as coordination with stakeholders for better synergy and greater development impact. 

Duties and Responsibilities

3.     Scope of Work: 

1) Day to day management of the initiation plan and its implementation.

  • Ensure that all activities under each output are prepared in a timely manner and implemented in accordance with stated outcomes and performance indicators;
  • Prepare Annual Work Plans, Quarterly Work Plans and other documents for the approval of the Project Board;
  • Ensure project resources, aligned with overall project resources are effectively used to achieve set project outputs and outcomes;
  • Monitor and manage progress and update risk management status to the Project Board;
  • Lead monitoring, quality data collection and timely submission of technical and progress reports to the donor, partners, and UNDP;
  • Provide expert advices on local infrastructure development;
  • Support UNDP in organizing Project Board meetings on a regular basis; and
  • Consult with the Project Board through Project Assurance officer on any issues that require the Board’s attention, including issues related to deviation from the approved work plans and deviation from the approved target and/or budget).

2) Recruitment, coordination, and supervision of staff, consultants and contractors.

  • Lead day-to-day management of all project personnel (staff, consultants and contractors);
  • Develop terms of reference and technical specifications of consultants and contractors requiring procurement;
  • Support the recruitment process in consultation with the UNDP Field Office and  Country Office; and
  • Provide supervision and coordination of the work of project personnel to ensure delivery of project outputs and outcomes in a timely manner. 

3) Coordination, management and monitoring of project finances, administration, procurement and logistics.

  • Act as the focal point for the UNDP Country Office to ensure that all financial and administrative matters related to the initiation plan are transparently, expediently, and effectively managed in line with UNDP rules and regulations;
  • Develop narrative and financial reports for the Project Board;
  • Ensure timely preparation and implementation of the procurement plan; and
  • Oversee proper use and maintenance of office equipment.

4) Ensure Gender and Social Inclusion work through project interventions.

  • Provide advice and direction on strategic and policy issues to strengthen gender & social inclusion initiatives in the programme plan and implementation strategy;
  • Ensure the participation of women and people from disadvantaged group in planning and decision making;
  • Make sure women and people from disadvantaged group are sufficiently benefitted from project result; and
  • Facilitate in creating an environment to address GESI issues;

5) Developing and maintain strong relationships with implementing partners and other stakeholders.

  • Establish and maintain good working relationships with key stakeholders including province government, participating local governments and other relevant stakeholders at local level;
  • Keep abreast of the initiatives of government and other stakeholders relevant to this initiation plan; and 
  • Facilitate strategic dialogue between federal, province and local governments for better synergy and coordination.   

6) Monitoring, evaluation, reporting, knowledge management and communication of the project.

  • Prepare key operational reports including quarterly reports, annual reports and other thematic reports as necessary summarizing findings, achievements, conclusions and recommendations on the progress of the project in the country as per the requirements;
  • Supervise the development of knowledge products (including brochures, briefs, documents on lessons learnt, evaluation reports);
  • Facilitate the dissemination of information about the objectives, progress, and achievements of the project;
  • Take the lead, coordinate and participate in the organization of conferences, seminars, workshops, training sessions and meetings related to the project; and
  • Create and foster good working relationships with the media (social media, newspapers and journals, radio, and television).        

4.      Institutional Arrangement: 

Under the overall guidance of UNDP DRR, the Project Coordinator will work under a matrix structure with dual reporting line to UNDP’s Portfolio Manager, Inclusive Economic Growth on project cycle management, compliance and reporting and Head of Field Office in Surkhet for day-to-day management, monitoring and coordination.  The duty station of the Project Coordinator will be in Surkhet, where the project office of CDRIL will be located.  

Competencies

Core Competencies: Level 3

Achieve Results

  • Demonstrates focus on achieving quality results and impact;
  • Consistently strives to meet or exceed excellent standards;
  • Efficiently establishes appropriate plans and resources for self and others to accomplish goals;
  • Holds self and others accountable for results.

Think Innovatively

  • Seeks patterns and clarity outside, across and beyond boxes and categories, resists false certainty and simplistic binary choices;
  • Looks beyond conventional approaches and established methods;
  • Proposes new ideas, approaches and solutions to problems.

Learn Continuously

  • Actively pursues opportunities for learning and self-development, professionally and personally;
  • Keeps up to date with new developments in own professional area;
  • Proactively seeks feedback, demonstrates a desire to learn from others as well as from experience, both positive and negative;
  • Contributes to the learning of others.

Adapt with Agility

  • Proactively seeks feedback, demonstrates a desire to learn from others as well as from experience, both positive and negative;
  • Contributes to the learning of others.

Act with Determination

  • Is flexible in handling change, and adopts new ideas, approaches and ways of working;
  • Seamlessly adapts to working with new situations or contexts, with new people, and in different ways;
  • Participates in, supports, or drives meaningful change in UNDP;
  • Is comfortable with ambiguity and effectively manages juggling multiple demands.

Engage and Partner

  • Establishes and develops networks that deliver powerful collaborations;
  • Demonstrates and encourages teamwork and co-creation, internally and externally, to achieve joint objectives and results;
  • Acts in a way that demonstrates empathy and emotional intelligence, showing consideration for the needs and feelings of others.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion

  • Understands and appreciates issues from the perspective of others;
  • Treats all individuals with respect, considers ethical implications and responds sensitively to all differences among people;
  • Fully accepts and values all people, creating an inclusive environment
  • Understands that inclusion is multi-faceted (e.g. race, gender, age, disability, culture, etc.) and treats everyone fairly and equally;
  • Demonstrates honesty and transparency.

People Management Competencies :

Show Managerial Courage

  • Face up to organisational and people problems;
  • Not be afraid to take decisions and action when and as needed;
  • Not hold back anything that needs to be said, respectfully and diplomatically;
  • Address conflict in a timely manner, not allow conflicts in teams to linger;
  • Help others through emotional or tense situations, tactfully bringing disagreements into the open and finding solutions all can endorse.  

Demonstrate Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

  • Genuinely care about people; demonstrate empathy with the joys and pains of others;
  • Enable the wellbeing of the team(s);
  • Read a group’s emotional currents and power relationships, identifying influencers, networks, and organisational dynamics; adapt leadership styles at the appropriate times;
  • See the positive in people, situations, and events;

Motivate and Direct

  • Create and communicate a compelling vision and purpose;
  • Align people and resources with organisational vision, strategy, objectives;
  • Understand and proactively build the team/organisation culture.

Build an Enabling Workplace

  • Create a working environment where people are engaged and want to do their best; empower and enable team members to perform and have a positive workplace experience;
  • Promote honesty, openness, trust and psychological safety and create opportunities to innovate and learn;
  • Recruit and promote individuals based upon objective measures and meritocracy; acknowledge and utilise the talent of others;
  • Encourage collective action and integration.  

Build Capability

  • Identify and develop talent in individuals, providing positive support to enable them to achieve their potential;
  • Foster learning or development of others by giving feedback, guidance, and support; support career development of others;
  • Have willingness and ability to delegate to help people learn, including from failure.

Manage Performance and Ensure Accountability

  • Ensure regular conversations with people about work;
  • Provide positive and constructive feedback;
  • Discuss poor performance in a timely manner;
  • Provide praise and recognition, as well as ensure accountability.

Lead with Humility

  • Be authentic and transparent, act with integrity;
  • Be accessible and available to team members they lead;
  • Encourage debate and discussion, creating a culture where people are comfortable to challenge senior leaders and feel listened to;
  • Be modest, giving credit for success to others and admit own shortcomings.

Cross Functional Competencies:

Project Management

Ability to plan, organise, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.  

Partnerships Management

Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.

Risk Management

Ability to identify and organise action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.

Resource Management

Ability to allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with principles of accountability and integrity.

Communication

Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience

Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.  

Technical Competencies:

Gender

Gender Issues & Analysis

Gender

Gender Mainstreaming

Inclusive Growth

Inequality and exclusion

Inclusive Growth

Job/ Employment /Decent work Promotion

Inclusive Growth

Local Economic Development

SDG Integration

Economy-wide analysis

Required Skills and Experience

5.     Minimum Qualifications of the Successful NPSA:

Min. Academic Education 

        Master’s degree in engineering, project management or development              economics, or another relevant subject.

Min. years of relevant Work experience

        Seven years of experience as, Project Coordinator or infrastructure                  specialist.

Required skills and competencies

  • Ability to manage and supervise a team of multidisciplinary professionals;
  • Knowledge and understanding of local infrastructure needs;
  • Prior experience working with provincial and local government primarily on local infrastructure development.

Desired additional skills and competencies

  • Good of UNDP rules and procedures or experience of completing UN assignments would be an asset;
  • Prior working experience in Karnali region.

Required Language(s) (at working level)

       Fluency in oral and written Nepali and English is essential.

6.      Travel:           

The Project Coordinator is required to have frequent travel throughout the project period to the participating local governments of Surkhet, Kalikot and Dailekh District.

7.       The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

  1. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
  2. A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
  3. Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.