Background

The UN Secretary-General established the UN SDG Action Campaign to inspire people and organizations from all backgrounds and every part of the world to take actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, while holding decision-makers to account for progress society-wide. The UN SDG Action Campaign is hosted and supported by UNDP and is based in Bonn (Germany) with a lean team that marshals rapid support for new initiatives as opportunities arise and provides partners with on-demand strategic creative services that inspire SDG action with an engaged community of activists and concerned individuals.

The UN SDG Action Campaign is working closely with cities and local governments to showcase how they are actively contributing to implement Agenda 2030, accelerating transformative action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for all, and everywhere. The UN SDG Action Campaign, together with the office of UNDP in India are supporting the city of Rourkela to implement their Cold Rooms project, one of the winners of the 2021 Global Mayors Challenge.

Within this context, the UN SDG Action Campaign is seeking to recruit a Project Supervisor to support the implementation of the Cold Rooms project of Rourkela Municipal Corporation. The Cold Rooms project aims to address the high rates of difficult conditions experienced by street vendors. The Cold Rooms project focuses on the installation of solar-paneled cold rooms operated by women’s Self-help Groups (SHGs) with the objective to support refrigerating, selling or storage options. The project wants to provide a sustainable technological solution for farmers to operate, whilst creating a critical opportunity to connect producers directly with local consumers.

The Project Supervisor will work under the supervision of the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) and in coordination with the UNPD Office in Odisha state. The role is full-time and based in Rourkela.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Rourkela Cold Rooms Project Manager will work with the UNDP-UN SDG Action Campaign Network and perform the following functions:

  • Provide overall management and operation of the Rourkela Cold Rooms Project in Rourkela, India;
  • Facilitate the successful setup of the Project Delivery Team, in conjunction with the Rourkela Municipal Corporation and UNDP Focal Point;
  • Work in collaboration with the Rourkela Municipal Corporation and UNDP Focal Point to ensure project implementation, and laying the necessary legal and institutional framework;
  • Lead strategic planning, decision-making, and project delivery, in collaboration with key stakeholders;
  • Facilitate the formulation of strategies to sustainably implement the project over the three year timeline, to ensure future sustainability;
  • Manage the governance of the project, including community ownership;
  • Carrying out a quarterly regular reporting on project delivery, producing target metrics and milestone deliverables for monitoring purposes;
  • Support the Rourkela Municipal Corporation and relevant stakeholders to ensure project replication, as appropriate;
  • Performs other related tasks as deemed necessary.

Institutional Arrangements:

The Project Supervisor will directly report to the Commissioner, Rourkela Municipal Corporation and their extended team, as well as to the UNDP Office in Odisha State, specifically with the Project Technical Focal Point. 

The Project Supervisor will also collaborate with other key stakeholders involved in project governance, including members of the Chief Minister’s Officer, key subject matter experts, the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela and other Steering Committees.

Competencies

Core:

Achieve Results:                                                      Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.

Think Innovatively:                                                   Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

Learn Continuously:                                                Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversity experiences.

Adapt with Agility:                                                    Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands.

Act with Determination:                                           Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.

Engage and Partner:                                               Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:                               Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

 

Cross Functional & Technical Competencies:

Thematic AreaNameDefinition
Business Direction & StrategyStragetic Thinking
  • Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP's objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions.
 Effective Decision Making
  • Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficience maner in line with one's authority, area of expertise and resources.
Business ManagementProject Management
  • Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
 Communication
  • Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous mannder 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.
 Working with Evidence and Data Management
  • Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making.
2030 Agenda: ProsperityInclusive Growth
  • Urban development design/risk mitigation, inclusive design, resilience, and sustainability.
2030 Agenda: Engagement & EffectivenessSDG Integration
  • Role of science, technology, innovation for SDGs.

 

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements

  • Master’s Degree in Energy Environmental Sciences or related studies; or a
  • Bachelor’s Degree with additional 4 years of relevant working experience is required.

Min. years of relevant work experience

  • A minimum of two (2) years with Master’s Degree or four (4) years with Bachelor’s Degree of relevant working experience in managing projects on related fields (including agricultural markets or implementation of clean energy technologies) alongside public sector in developing countries, is required.

Required skills

  • Demonstrated experience working with clean energy technologies such as solar power, electric vehicles, etc, is required.
  • Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.) is required.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

  • Ability to collaborate and work with contractors, government officials and local staff is an asset.
  • .Experience working with international stakeholders is an asset.
  • Familiarity with conducting capacity building and training workshops is an asset.
  • Ability to advocate knowledge sharing and learning is an advantage.

Required Language(s)

  • Proficiency in the English language is required.
  • Fluency in (Odia), local language is an advantage.
  • Working knowledge of Hindi and other local languages is a plus.

Professional Certificates

  • Project Management certification is an advantage.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

a) Personal CV, 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.

b) Cover Letter - indicating why the candidate considers him/herself to be suitable for the position