Project Associate (Disaster Risk Management)

For the area of building the resilience of the country, UNDP has been collaborating with the respective government departments, UNCT, and CSOs in the Kyrgyz Republic to strengthen the institutional, technical capacities, and partnership in DRR. UNDP Country’s DRR projects set out to build disaster prevention and preparedness, mitigation, recovery capacities of communities, the civil society, and local and national institutions to manage the impact of disasters, including in the area of Fire safety, Uranium legacy, as well as the capacity to incorporate DRR into development planning.

UNDP is currently implementing several DRR projects with the Ministry of Emergency Situation and other government authorities together with international partners (Korea International Cooperation Agency, Government of Japan, European Union, and Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, research institutions) to address the needs and gaps of these areas while catalyzing other policy and programmatic action across sectors to reduce, mitigate, prepare for and holistically respond to disasters. 

The overall objective of the assignment is to provide efficient support in the implementation and management projects, including collaboration on UNCT initiatives and project activities at the global, regional and national levels under UNDP Country’s DRR projects. The role will also include support in donor reporting (Japan, KOICA, EU, SEPA), stakeholder liaison, oversight of logistics, and support for oversight of financial management and M&E.

Under the supervision of the DRM Advisor / Project Coordinator, and the overall guidance of the Team Leader of the UNDP Climate, Energy, Environment Cluster, the incumbent will provide technical support to manage and implement UNDP's disaster risk management initiatives.
 

• Provide day-to-day support in coordination of programme activities in accordance with the concepts set out in the Projects Documents, Annual Work Plans and in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations;
• Under the supervision contribute to development progress reports to donor organizations, monitoring, evaluation and lessons learned reports and other relevant programme-related documents, including contribution to substantive correspondence for partnership building; 
• Ensure timely and adequate implementation of activities under the relevant AWPs on disaster risk management projects;
• Provide technical support to programme/project teams in advocating programme/project objectives and in ensuring that all interested parties are well informed about the programme/projects’ activities and goals;
• Support in formulation, implementation, coordination and evaluation of Programme activities on a daily basis from substantive, administrative points of view that would result in holistic and cross-practiced implementation of different projects funded by various donors and attainment of projects’ objectives;
• Cooperate and liaise with government stakeholders and other partners to ensure proper coordination and partnership in common development efforts on disaster risk management areas with all relevant institutions/partner organizations and projects including at the local level;
• Provide substantive technical assistance to programme and beneficiaries and present information on programme activities to relevant institutions and governmental bodies;
• Provide inputs on the development/revision of manuals and guidelines within the programme;
• Support in achieving substantive outputs and in coordinating the work of national and international experts and vendors employed under the programme activities funded by various donors;
• Provide reports on fulfilled tasks and provide recommendations and suggestions for improvement of the programme implementation, if and when necessary;
• Ensure fulfilment of standard procedures, including the ones of procurement, contracting of services and formalizing partnerships, in accordance with UNDP Rules and Regulations;
• Undertake field visits when needed;
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

 Institutional Arrangement

Under the overall guidance Team Leader of the UNDP Climate, Energy, Environment Cluster and direct supervision of DRM Advisor / Projects coordinator, the Project Associate (DRM) cooperates with UNDP staff in the Kyrgyz Republic, governmental and non-governmental organizations, UN agencies involved in implementation of the respective projects, to implement activities outlined in the approved project documents, work plans related to access to justice and governance portfolio.

• Strategic Thinking:
  • Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.
• Customer Satisfaction/Client Management:
  •  Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs.
  • Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy.
  • Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests. 
  • Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.
• Communication:             
  • Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.
• Operations Management:           
  • Ability to effectively plan, organize, and oversee  different parts of corporate operations, simultaneously and in an integrated way, in order to convert the organisation’s assets into the best results in the most efficient way. Knowledge of relevant concepts and mechanisms.
• Monitoring & Evaluation:              
  • Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively; Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results. 
  • Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming. 
  • Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools. Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.
• Relationship management:        
  • Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.
• UN policy knowledge - ethics:   
• Knowledge and understanding of the UN Staff. 
• Regulations and Rules and other policies relating to ethics and integrity.