CPPGG – Entrepreneurship Development & Placement Expert

The UN General Assembly, and all its 193-member countries, in September 2015 adopted a global development vision entitled Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This 2030 Agenda was designed as a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity.  It lays out 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets, to stimulate global action over the next 15 years on issues critical to humanity and the planet. India committed to these SDGs at the September 2015 UN Summit and the SDGs officially came into force on 1 January 2016. The Government of India has been actively engaged in integrating the SDGs since early 2016. NITI Aayog, the National Institution for Transforming India, has been entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating the efforts on SDGs with ministries and states, indicative of “whole of government” approach. The NITI Aayog has prepared an Action Agenda (3 Years) and is preparing medium term perspective plan (7 years) and long term (15 years) goals for the country through a 15-year vision document for a period up to 2030, which will be co-terminus with sustainable development goals. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has prepared a Draft National Monitoring Framework consisting of 306 Indicators. At National level a High-Level Steering Committee which has been constituted for refining the indicators is expected to emerge as backbone on the development interventions of the country.

The UNDP’s India Country Programme Document CPD (2018-2022) signed with the Government of India (GoI) aims at transformative change and development impact at scale. In line with this, UNDP has initiated active support to many state governments in mainstreaming SDG’s within their schemes and programmes. As an overarching UN strategy, this is a part of  SDG roll out for visioning and planning in India. In view of India’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda, Uttarakhand too has set ambitious targets for itself for achieving the SDGs and has already formulated its SDG Vison 2030 document.

Centre For Public Policy & Good Governance

Centre for Policy & Good Governance (CPPGG) Uttarakhand has been set up to assist in bringing about governance reforms through studies, training, knowledge sharing and promotion of innovative ideas. CPPGG is deemed to act as the think tank in the State which will help in improving the research & analytics for preparing a better planning & policy framework. The think tank is presently functioning as an autonomous body with a governing council headed by Chief Minister and Chief Secretary and has experts from various prestigious institutions as the members. The institution is mandated to identify the bottle necks in the growth trajectory of the State and firm up solutions to address the same. UNDP will support the State Government in technical empowerment of the CPPGG, by recruiting sectoral experts in mutually agreed sectors which are beneficial for the economic growth of the State and manage the policy development for fostering economic growth and inclusive development through SDGs, under the leadership and guidance of Department of Planning.

UNDP therefore is looking for a dynamic team of experts to be a part of the PMU in CPPGG and work closely with relevant government departments, technical agencies, UN agencies, civil society organization and academic institutions to provide the requisite impetus to the state government’s initiative in rolling out the SDGs and accelerating economic growth.

Natural resources and biodiversity often constitute the social safety net of the poor, representing a food bank and often their only source of livelihood. The State of Uttarakhand with rich natural resources is looking at sustainable practices for a green, clean, and resilient world where natural resources are managed to support livelihoods and strong economies. Sustainable management of natural resources builds a world better prepared for shocks and challenges, helping state to limit their exposure to resource scarcity, more volatile weather patterns, and the long-term consequences of climate change. Sustainable Development Goals were prepared to deliver on the opportunities, benefits and outcomes offered by enhanced management of the environment and natural resources. There is a need of expertise to support effective environmental risk management and sustainability by managing risk at the project level and creating opportunities to advance sustainable development, in part through the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The services of a technical officer are required to initiate research, prepare strategy papers and action plans on problems faced by the environment degradation and pursuant climate change implications for ensuring a green growth in the State as per the vision drawn in the Sustainable Development Goals Vision Document 2030.  The Technical Officer has chart out the vision strategy for green growth into the state by preparing action plans and support various departments in implementing the same.

Under the guidance of the supervisor and in close coordination with Labour & Technical Education departments, and UNDP experts, the Entrepreneurship & Placement Expert will

• lead formulation and implementation of a multi-layered strategy for deep engagement in enterprise promotion covering areas such as mobilization, awareness generation, bridging the information gap on opportunities, skill development (including managerial and entrepreneurial skills), acceleration and handholding/incubation, and partnerships for scale.
• develop strategies/formulate policies to promote micro -enterprise development across multi stakeholders including community members, governments, private sectors, project partners etc.
• review develop and customise existing entrepreneurship development training programmes with emphasis on specific needs of women starting micro-enterprises.
• create appropriate eco-system to support women entrepreneurs, particularly from rural areas and poorer urban locations, with market information, planning, financial linkages and accounting.
• lead knowledge management in the field of micro enterprise promotion and development to civil society, government and private sector partners.
• mobilise financial resources through continued networking and partnership development
• Analyse the present job placement system and will devise a new strategy to ensure sustainable employment opportunities for skilled beneficiaries
• Identify the new employment opportunities and guide the departments on incorporating such skills in the ongoing trainings
• Coordinate with private sector for effective placement of the trainees in sustainable employment opportunities
• Suggest improvisation in the existing skill development training programmes

The Expert on Entrepreneurship Promotion will discharge the following specific duties:

• Carry-out situational analysis of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Uttarakhand and in districts with specific focus on the opportunities and challenges confronting the marginalized sections and women.
• Develop a systematic database on the entrepreneurial activities as they relate to the overall scope of the current and potential programme initiatives supported by government.
• Identify entrepreneurship opportunities and gaps in terms of the local resource endowments and needs as well as the broader supply-chain opportunities, and develop a shelf of entrepreneurship projects in order to provide a choice to potential entrepreneurs and institutions supporting such entrepreneurs with special emphasis on micro-enterprise promotion and development
• Provide technical assistance in designing and implementation of pilot projects in the rural areas, and monitor progress in the field;
• Prepare proposals and documents as per the donor/partner requirements and coordinate with stakeholders to mobilise resources.
• Lead development of prototypes in the micro-enterprise vertical in consultation with youth, government(s), private sector, etc and lead team to achieve scale
• Build equitable partnership with ‘aggregators’ for services like driving, plumbing, electrical repairing, mobile repairing, waste collection etc. with promotion of concept like service entrepreneurs
• Identify leading private sector foundations doing cutting edge work on micro-enterprise promotion and development and help forge linkages with them
• Identify a clear menu of support services including linkages for credit and skill development that are available under various Government policies/programme initiatives such as the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM), Deen Dayal Upadhaya Grammen Kaushal Vikash Yojana (DDUGK), Prime Minister’s Kaushal Vikash Yojana (PMKVY), scheme on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), the RUDSETI/RSETI programme, and similar initiatives at the state-level.  Also help forge such linkages during the implementation phase.
• Identify specific solutions including capacity building measures required for the inclusion of women as also the marginalized sections for micro enterprise promotion and development.
• Identify specific needs and solutions for acceleration and incubation and mentorship for microenterprise promotion and development with special focus on women, tribal, Dalits and other vulnerable population
• Help forge partnership with private sector and promotional institutions in areas of concentration (e.g. trade associations, Sector Skill Councils). 
• Develop M&E framework and research strategies for programme initiatives under implementation.
• Conduct a series of studies and organize high-engagement workshops for dissemination of results and lessons as ‘proof of concept’ for wider adoption.

Leadership and supportive roles in following tasks:

• Establish partnership with reputed academic institutions, govt. agencies, certifying agencies, industry practitioners, business enterprises, public - private schemes and programmes for design and develop academic curriculum for certificate programmes for community level entrepreneurial mentors  in line with NSQF standard for entrepreneurship development.
• Working with social work schools on imparting curriculum on psycho-social and life-skill component of mentorship curriculum.
• Design, develop and vet pedagogy (curriculum, learning materials, toolkits and offline and online materials) for training and certification of cadre.
• Imparting training to Master Mentors as field level adjunct faculties for imparting certificate programme.
• Develop and design online pedagogy and make it available for public with the support of implementation partners.
• Conducting research and reviews on good practices, sustainable initiatives and established curriculums for entrepreneurship development exists nationally and internationally.
• Preparing knowledge management materials including but not limited to best practices, case studies, process documents etc.,
• Assistance in conducting consultations, workshops, summits, seminars, etc. for achieving above said objective.
• Keeping regular contact with project experts and consultants and reviewing the reports and other documents that can be useful for curriculum development
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the reporting officers.

In close coordination with Technical Education & Skill Development Department, devise strategy to increase the employability of trainees and provide placement assistance

• Devise a counselling and placement assistance strategy for ensuring sustainable employment opportunities inside and outside the State
• Prepare a finishing skill course for students for ensuring their workplace readiness with special emphasis on Employability skills such as writing of CVs, interview preparation, workplace ethics & safety; Behavioral skills like interpersonal communication, positive attitude motivation.
• Support the departments in preparing a communication skill improvement for the trainees.
• Establishing industry networking and partnerships for internships and student placements.
• Ensure a demand supply chain in partnership with industries and other related institutions for trained youths.
•  Prepare a database for tracking the employability of the youth from Uttarakhand
• Any other task assigned by the supervisor  

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards (human rights, peace, understanding between peoples and nations, tolerance, integrity, respect, results orientation (UNDP core ethics) impartiality;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

Job Knowledge and Technical Expertise

·         Strong knowledge of the enterprise promotion landscape in the country including specific regional patterns.

·         Strong knowledge in the area of micro-enterprise development and promotion

·         Prior experience in proposal writing and resource mobilisation/fundraising

·         Keeps abreast with new developments in areas of professional discipline and seeks to develop him/herself professionally;

·         Has sound knowledge of project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work and assignments;

·         Strong experience in setting clear performance goals standards and responsibilities, and manages them effectively;

·         Good understanding of political economy of India;

·         Strong ability to organize and accurately complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities while taking into consideration special assignments, frequent interruptions, competing deadlines and multiple reporting relationships.

·         Excellent communication skills (written and oral) with demonstrated sensitivity and understanding of multiple project partners;

·         Strong analytical and problem solving abilities;

·         Strong ability to establish, build and maintain effective working relationships with project staff and clients to facilitate the provision of required support, and;

·         High proficiency in Microsoft Office tools and use of internet.

Resource mobilization

• Develops innovative approaches and strategies for fund raising activities to increase the resources of the organization
• Actively develops partnerships with potential donors in all sectors seeking to encourage their commitment to UN
• Formulate strategies to develop a stable and diversified donor base, including governments, private sector, foundations, corporations, philanthropists, etc.

• Conducts donor negotiations for core and multi-bi-funds demonstrating UN’s comparative advantages and reflecting priorities of donor countries
• Engages in active consultation with the multilateral and bilateral donor community for co-financing and contributions

Results-based Orientation

• Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals, and;

• Demonstrates ability to generate innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations.

Client Orientation

• Demonstrates an understanding of client/partner/donor perspective;

• Establishes smooth relationships and enabling environment between clients and service providers, and;
• Strives for high quality client – oriented services (internal and external) when making decision and taking actions.

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Willingly shares knowledge and experience, and;
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Leadership and Self-Management

• Strives for excellence and focuses on quality;
• Completes tasks fast and in timely manner;
• Is result driven and solution oriented;
• Uses fair and transparent decision making and calculated risk  - taking;
• Builds support and political acumen;
• Is able to work under pressure in rapidly changing environment;
• Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view, and;

Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complex, ever-changing environments

Education:

·         Bachelor’s degree in fields related to enterprise promotion and management, business management and/or rural credit/micro-financing.

·         Masters in relevant field is desirable

Experience:

·         The candidate should have at least 7-10 years of proven relevant experience in managing enterprise promotion programmes.

·         Experience in areas such as rural microcredit schemes is recommended, including in-depth exposure to methodology, assessment, implementation, and reporting.

·         Experience in offering placement assistance/devising strategy for improvement of placement.

·         Experience in working at grassroots/community level is an essential requirement of the post.

·         Experience in writing proposals and coordination/networking with funders/agencies for resource mobilisation

·         The candidate should also be proficient in financial management as s/he will be responsible for implementation and budget control of projects that are taken-up in this subject area through UNDP’s own resources or with funds mobilized from other sources.

• Familiarity with the Government/UN project implementation will be an added advantage.  

Language Requirements: Fluency in written and oral English and Hindi.

Remuneration package is INR 1,19,175/- per month (taxable). UNDP also offers additional benefits which include medical insurance coverage and limited pension reimbursement for contract holder and encourages work life balance to its employees.

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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