Job Opportunity for Project Associate at UNDP in Nagpur

Project Description

Maharashtra is one of the most disaster-prone states in the country which is equally vulnerable to natural as well as man-made disasters alike. The geographical location, as well as the demography of the State along with its climatology and rapid industrialization, make the State vulnerable to a host of hydro-meteorological, and geological disasters as well as other man-made disasters like Industrial accidents etc.

UNDP has been providing technical support to the Maharashtra State Government in various Disaster Risk Reduction-related initiatives over the past three decades. In the aftermath of the Floods of 2019, UNDP developed a comprehensive Recovery Programme for the State Government. In continuation, the Disaster Management, Relief & Rehabilitation department which serves as the executive arm of the State Disaster Management Authority for Maharashtra and has requested the UNDP to support the State Government in accessing the resources available under the provisions made by the XV finance commission along with developing a long term, multisectoral capacity building and mitigation roadmap for the state.

It has also been requested to strengthen the SDMA by providing Disaster Management professionals with a better risk-sensitive planning. The UNDP will also be supporting the State in strengthening Urban resilience planning capabilities in three cities namely Aurangabad, Nashik, and Nagpur. By building the technical capacities of the state the project will also work towards implementing the larger component of the project on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management and building urban resilience in the state.

In this context, UNDP wishes to hire a Project Associate to be based in the Municipal Corporation of Nagpur and assist the Corporation in carrying out various activities for building urban resilience. The individual will support the day to day functioning of the municipal corporation and will also support the UNDP in the implementation of the project.

The Project Associate will report to the Programme Officer, Resilience and will work under the overall guidance of the Head, EER Unit.

4. Job Purpose and Scope of Work

A. Main Purpose:

The Project Associate will be expected to assist in managing the successful implementation of the program in the city. The Project Associate will be expected to assist the corporation in carrying out a Hazard Risk Vulnerability Analysis of the city, assist in creating Disaster Management Plans for the city as well as various departments, mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction as well as climate change adaptation into the developmental planning initiatives. The appointee will also have to assist the corporation in organizing and executing various orientation and training programs for multiple target groups. The appointee will also be expected to assist the corporation in setting up a functional disaster emergency operations center as well and also carry out any other work Disaster Risk Reduction Work as assigned by the UNDP. The Project Associate will also be expected to assist the State Coordinator to prepare proposals, reports and any other work that will help in harnessing the funds from the Central Government under the 15th Finance Commission for Disaster Management initiatives. He will ensure engagement of all direct stakeholders and delivery of project objectives, in coordination with the Government of Maharashtra when needed.

B. Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support in carrying out Hazard Risk Vulnerability Assessment for the city and assist in the creation of Disaster Management Plans for wards and the city as a whole.
• Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in developmental planning initiatives of the Corporation through consultative processes with various line departments
• Assist in the creation of modules for various DRR-related orientations and training and organise
• First Aid and Rescue trainings, mason and engineering trainings in safe construction, school safety trainings and other DRR related trainings
• Independently manage the implementation of the Community Resilience initiatives at the city level like the development of Hospital and School Safety plans for the corporation, preparation of DPRs, development of IEC material.
• Carry out any other activities for the harnessing of the funds for Disaster Management under the 15th finance commission.
• Assisting in creating various reports pertaining to DRR for the corporation.
• Help organise structural audits for life line structures
• Assist in set up and functioning of an Emergency Operations Center in the Corporation.
• Develop the mandatory quarterly reports and help in the monitoring of the project activities and support the unit in preparation of the Annual Work Plans and associated budgets
• Support in any other task as directed by the supervisor.

Institutional Arrangement 

• Direct Reporting To1 : Project Officer, NPSA7 
• Overall Reporting To2 : Programme Officer, Resilience NPSA9 
• Reportees to this position (if applicable): NA

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements

High School Education

Or 

Bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution in environmental science /Disaster Management /Sustainable Development/Social Science or related subject.

Min. years of relevant work experience 

• Minimum  6 years of relevant work experience in the arena of Disaster Management/ Disaster Risk Reduction with High School or 3 years with Bachelors Degree.
• Previous experience with a multilateral or international organization is helpful but not mandatory.
• Experience of working with the State/ Central Governments/ Urban Local Bodies and having knowledge of their functioning is desirable.

Required  skills

• High-level of IT/computing skills (minimum: Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
• Ability to create concise reports and prepare detailed project proposals.
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Ability to prioritize assignments and requirements, and multitask as needed.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision.
• Ability to integrate technology into various aspects of the project for planning, rollout and monitoring. 
• A strong team player who can work together with the Disaster Management team from the UNDP as well as with the Municipal Corporation.
• Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
• Basic knowledge of Disaster Management Functioning Framework at the State Level and well as sound knowledge of functioning of the State Government is essential.

Required Language(s) 

• Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English.
• Knowledge of Hindi and Marathi is desirable.