UNDP Jobs - 63657- Senior Programme Coordinator, GOI-UNDP Project on

Senior Programme Coordinator, GOI-UNDP Project on ‘Implementation of rural sanitation initiatives for Ganga rejuvenation in Jharkhand’

Location :

New Delhi, INDIA

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

12-Feb-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 months (renewable)

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

12 months (renewable)

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

Project Background:

The Ganga forms the largest river basin in India in terms of catchment area, constituting 26% of the country's land mass. In addition to the immense religious significance of the river Ganga in the country, it also supports livelihoods and well-being of around 45% of the country’s population. However, high pollution levels in the Ganga are a cause of concern to humans and also to the diverse biodiversity supported by the river. In this context, the national government has taken up rejuvenation of the river Ganga as one of the major national priorities.

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is the nodal agency of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India mandated with the responsibility of ensuring abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga through a river basin approach promoting inter-sectoral co-ordination for comprehensive planning and management. NMCG also aims to ensure minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.

In this context, UNDP has been in discussion with the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation to develop a project through which it can provide technical and implementation support to NMCG in its efforts to rejuvenate the river Ganga. UNDP will support national as well as state government initiatives undertaken through NMCG programmes. The proposed engagement with NMCG builds on the extensive experience of UNDP in the country on a diverse range of aspects including ecological restoration, water management, institution building, capacity development and community mobilization. This engagement will be implemented by UNDP through the Development Support Services (DSS) modality in close cooperation, oversight and guidance of the NMCG. The project will mainly focus on improved sanitation and especially on sustainable solid and liquid waste management through enhanced local capacities and linked livelihoods.

UNDP is looking for a dynamic individual to be the Senior Programme Coordinator for the GoI-UNDP partnership for the project on the ‘Implementation of rural sanitation initiatives for Ganga rejuvenation in Jharkhand’.

Duties and Responsibilities

Functions / Key Results Expected

Summary of Key Functions: Under direct supervision of the Deputy Country Director and the guidance of the Assistant Country Director, Energy and Environment Unit, the Senior Programme Coordinator will lead the team comprising members at the State office, the District Project Management Unit and implementing NGOs.

The Senior Programme Coordinator will be responsible for setting up and operationalization of processes and systems to ensure timely initiation, efficient and accountable implementation of project activities. S/he will ensure that the project produces the results specified in the Project Document and other documents to the required standards of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost. For this, s/he will need to ensure that the project delivers on its objectives with achievable work plans. While the focus of the work will be on the implementation of the Ganga initiative the Senior Programme Coordinator will support the Energy & Environment Unit in the management of similar or related initiatives and/or projects.

In this capacity, s/he will be responsible for the day-to-day management and overall implementation of the project. S/he will be responsible for the following:

Maintain strong collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and other donors to the project
Establishing appropriate systems for project implementation and management
Identification and recruitment of high quality individuals, NGOs and other partners including technical agencies to ensure effective project implementation
Implementing activities by mobilizing goods and services;
Regular monitoring and reporting; progress in the project and assessment of risks including measures to address challenges and opportunities
Ensuring that changes are controlled and problems addressed;
Coordinating the project activities including the preparation of Annual and Quarterly Work Plans,
Coordinate closely with other Programmatic Units within UNDP and integrate the project across themes;
Preparing Budget, Financial Reports, etc.; and
Capturing lessons learnt during project implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Senior Programme Coordinator will be responsible for the following functions:

Ensure effective communication and collaborative partnership with the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and other donor agencies for the project
Establish processes and systems for effective project management and implementation
Recruitment of high quality and appropriate team members at all levels for effective implementation of project activities
Identification and orientation of appropriate NGO partners and other technical agencies to support effective implementation of project initiatives
Ensure effective and high quality implementation of project strategies by taking lead in planning, coordinating and monitoring the activities
Develop Annual Work plans in consultation with MOWR, NMCG and UNDP
Participate in the periodic project work plan review meetings and discussions related to project implementation, monitoring and follow-up.
Prepare progress reports and ensure quality and consistency of internal reports.
Conduct desk reviews and field visits, as necessary, address bottlenecks and bring unresolved issues to the notice of supervisors.
Supervise the work of other team members working for the project.
Ensure formation and regular meetings of the Project Steering Committee (PSC), Technical Advisory Group and any other forum required for smooth implementation of the project.
Collect and analyze data and prepare quarterly and annual reports to be submitted to PSC and UNDP.
Consolidate the work of the project with documentation of successes and learnings, organize review meetings and advocacy events, prepare tools and technical resources for implementation of action plan and steer the roll out.
Organize periodic consultation of experts and practitioners to generate effective policy advice.
Supervise and lead on facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing; be responsible for quality assurance of all knowledge products developed under the project by ensuring correctness of content and language, dissemination of good practices.
Develop a sound documentation strategy, and maintain a database of relevant documents and material produced under the project.
Develop and implement a comprehensive communications strategy targeting different stakeholders for effective outreach and dissemination of project results among all stakeholders.
Develop relevant framework/s and operational manuals and ensure their implementation for effective management of the project.
Lead on stakeholder consultations and workshops envisaged under the project.
Design strategies for financial inclusion and livelihoods
Undertake any other task required for smooth implementation of the project and any other task assigned by UNDP.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

Understand and apply fundamental concepts and principles of rural development and livelihood promotion.
Keep abreast of new developments in the area of professional discipline and job knowledge
Possess basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks
Demonstrate extremely strong influencing and facilitation skills
Establish priorities for self and team; schedules activities to ensure optimum use of time and resources; monitor performance against development and other objectives and correct deviations from the course

Building Strategic Partnerships

Establish, build and sustain effective relationship, partnerships and alliances with government and other agencies
Advocate effectively, communicate sensitively across different constituencies.
Result-orientation and ability to develop strategic approaches
Identify problems and propose solutions
Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

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

Knowledge and Skills

Ability to lead a team based on strong leadership skills.
Good understanding of development issues such as human development, inclusive development, gender, participation.
Passion for and adequate understanding of development challenges and rural sanitation and poverty reduction
Sound knowledge of local governance structure and problems of India.
Familiarity with government policies, programmes and government operational systems in India
Good communication (written and oral), interpersonal and presentation skills, with an ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
Proficiency in MS-Office, especially PowerPoint and Excel; Advanced knowledge of spread sheet, database and research packages will be an asset.
Ability to work independently and under pressure.
Willingness to travel extensively.

Required Skills and Experience

Recruitment Qualifications:

Education: Master Degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Economics, Social Sciences, Business Administration. Ideally with an academic focus on Rural or Natural Resources Development.

Experience: Minimum 15 years of relevant experience as Programme/Project Manager or Programme Coordinator at senior level of responsibility in the State or at national level in environment and natural resources management, rural sanitation, water management, rural livelihoods or related fields.

The candidate should have a proven track record in the following areas:

Leading large scale development and /or livelihoods programmes in environment, rural sanitation, water management or natural resource management
Coordination and management of a large programme or project teams within a complex organisational structure
Providing management advisory support to large scale development projects.
Development and implementation as well as monitoring and evaluation of large-scale rural or environmental development projects
Direct management of NGO implementation as part of development programming
In-depth experience at managing project implementation directly at the district and village level
Handling multiple partnerships and direct relations with multilateral and bilateral organisation and civil society entities
Experience of representing work and results on the international and the national stage through participation and presentations given in global or national workshops, seminars etc.
Proven track record of resource mobilisation efforts that were successfully translated in programme or project formulation.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Hindi is essential. Knowledge of regional language(s) of the project states would be an asset.

UNDP strives to have a workforce which reflects diversity and gender balance, and applies an equal opportunities approach. All selection is on merit.

Ref: UNDP/SC/2016/05