Programme Assistant (Sub-Engineer)

Career Opportunities: Programme Assistant (Sub-Engineer) (829134)

WFP encourages female candidates and people with disabilities to apply.

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis. We are committed to promoting diversity and the principle of equal employment opportunity for all our employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of religion or belief, ethnic or social background, gender, gender identity and disability.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

BACKGROUND

The Government of Nepal and the British Embassy, Kathmandu signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 16 March 2023 for the implementation of the Local Infrastructure Support Programme (LISP) in Nepal. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) will provide up to £90 million grant support to Nepal under LISP and the local governments of Nepal will invest up to £40 million to co-finance the capital and resilience component in the programme during the period of 2023 to 2029. It is anticipated that LISP will be a three-phased programme:) a design, learning and preparatory pilot phase until July 2023 and LISP transition/initial implementation phase to avoid the gap between the main implementation and pilot phases, (b) a first phase of full implementation starting in Nepal financial year 24/25 with preparatory work/scaling-up starting in 2023/24, and (c) a second phase of implementation after mid-term review. Out of £90 million, up to £45 million will be allocated for phases (a) and (b), and further up to £45 million will be allocated for phase (c).

The FCDO is currently in the process of procurement of the technical service provider for the main delivery of the LISP. Hence, according to the phase-based scaling-up approach mentioned in the approved LISP Project Design Document (PDD), the LISP in-depth scaling-up in the 15 Local Governments of Karnali Province has been planned (August 2023 to July 2024). The LISP Pilot and transition/initial implementation is being delivered by United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP) as a TA service provider including the management of TA and incentive grants in the form of co-financing to the Local Governments (LGs). The LISP transition/initial implementation aims to enrich the learning and innovation of the LISP Pilot to support inclusive planning and delivery of resilient local infrastructure and green recovery job creation and to test incentive mechanisms for better performance, capacity building of local governments and the use of government monitoring and financing instruments.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The incumbent will provide technical and operational support to resilience building, and country capacity strengthening efforts of WFP in Nepal in line with WFP Nepal Country Strategic Plan (CSP) and Government policies and programmes. The job holder will work under the direct supervision of the Civil Engineer of the Local Infrastructure Support Programme (LISP) based in Surkhet with the overall guidance of the LISP Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader on technical and programmatic matters. The incumbent will be an important member of the multi-disciplinary core team in LISP TA for the delivery of the initial implementation of the LISP.

JOB PURPOSE

The Programme Assistant (Sub-Engineer) will work as regular LG-embedded TA staff in the assigned LG and will work together with the LG’s technical team. The incumbent will report and works closely with the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief of the Infrastructure Section of the assigned LG. The responsibilities will include providing hands-on technical support to LG for overall engineering (LI asset management, project design and implementation) management for co-financed and other local infrastructure projects jointly with LG’s technical personnel; supporting the LGs in the adoption of improved modalities of local infrastructure implementation and supporting LG in quality assurance of construction; and sustainability (operations and maintenance) of local infrastructure through LG institutional mechanism.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Position Title: Programme Assistant (Sub-Engineer) – 4 positions
Contract Type: Service Contract (SC)
Level: SC-5 (Equiv. to G-5)
Contract Duration:12 months (With possible renewal)
Duty Station: 1) Mugu 2) Kalikot 3) Jumla and 4) Jajarkot
Vacancy Number: 829134

WFP offers a competitive benefits package including salary, social security, leave plus a medical insurance (Medical Insurance Death and Disability Plan (MIDD) | WFPgo).

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Supporting in planning and standardization

• Support the LG in planning, implementation, and management of infrastructure sub-projects.
• Support the LG to make their local infrastructure labour-intensive, climate-resilient, and supportive of green recovery and local employment generation through participatory planning and prioritization process i.e. annual local infrastructure work plan/Project Bank etc.
• Facilitate in developing infrastructure-related sectoral master plans, Detailed Project Report (DPR) preparation, and feasibility studies in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
• Support LG in proposal/project development for multi-year large infrastructure projects that need multiple financing sources such as projects funded by multilateral development partners.
• Support in developing/improving/updating various infrastructure-related guidelines, manuals, and procedures for endorsement from the LG executives.
• Support the LG to adopt improved working procedures for effective management and monitoring of local infrastructure services of the LGs, including financial management based on best practices and learning of the Pilot (focusing on effective utilization/management of public funds, procurement, labour mobilization, construction materials handling, community ownership and quality control during construction; sustainability and regular repair, operations

Capacity strengthening of LGs

• Support LG’s elected officials and staff in setting criteria and selecting and prioritizing sub-projects based on the agreed criteria for prioritizing climate-resilient, and green recovery local infrastructure.
• Support in identifying and facilitating various technical training/hands-on support to the LG’s technical team to increase the efficiency of the LG for the implementation of standard specifications, norms, and design guidelines complying with the Local Infrastructure Development Directives, Manual, work norms, specifications, etc.
• Support the LG in deciding the execution model for each local infrastructure sub-project, i.e., through improved user committee or contractor or blended contractor & user committee modality.
• Provide hands-on support to the Infrastructure Section of the LG in the preparation of contract documents, E-procurement, Bill of Quantities, contract administration, technical and functional review, resource planning and scheduling, and bid evaluation for the procurement of works and goods through local contractors and suppliers.
• Support in Identifying and agreeing on labour-intensive, climate-resilient, and productive local infrastructure with LG to be co-financed by the LG and LISP and support the LG to implement the agreed co-financed sub-projects through an improved working procedure for effective management and monitoring of local infrastructure, including financial management.
• Support the LG in the engineering design, drawing and estimate of the prioritized/selected local infrastructure sub-projects and preparing the construction management agreement with UCs/Contractor for each scheme specifying the role and responsibility of each party, scheme detail, budget, cost components, timelines, budget management and payment method, measurement, auditing provision etc.
• Support LG in improving local infrastructure-related data management and visualization, including GIS and LG websites
• Support the LG to have pre-defined unskilled labour identification criteria and maintain the record/database of the unemployed, poor, and food-insecure households including returnee migrants with poor backgrounds, who will be eligible to get wage employment/unskilled labour in local infrastructure development activities.
• Support and facilitate the LG to establish and operate Local Infrastructure Maintenance Support Fund at the municipal level and its implementation/operationalization.

Supervision and Monitoring

• Participate in field activities for selection, quality assurance, and monitoring of LI activities implemented by the LG (co-financed and LG-finance sub-projects).
• Support the LG to establish a system of regular monitoring of various infrastructure sub-projects whether funded by LG, co-financed by LISP or other partners, and develop a mechanism for feedback.
• Support LG to improve the existing or prepare pre- and post-construction management training/orientation manual to be provided to UCs including asset operation and maintenance skills and operation and maintenance (O&M) plan preparation component.

Coordination

• Within the specific area of responsibility, play a proactive role in organizing regular meetings of stakeholders on progress updates and planning of various development agencies in the LG.
• Prepare and submit a monthly action plan and share it with the Infrastructure Section and supervisor.
• Support LG in ensuring and applying transparency and accountability tools in all local infrastructure activities through an appropriate social accountability tool, and community feedback and response mechanisms.

Learning, documentation, and reporting

• Collaborate with LG officials, and ensure effective knowledge-sharing and lesson-learning (between and within LGs)
• Maintain up-to-date information on various local infrastructure services of the LG.
• Support in Introducing innovative actions and capturing real-time learning from successes and failures throughout the processes of the LISP implementation.
• Ensure the timely submission of financial and operational reports within the specific technical area of work
• Participate in programme review meetings.
• Perform other duties as required by the programme

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Completion of secondary school education and a minimum post-secondary certificate (diploma in Civil Engineering) is required.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Nepali.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• At least 5 years of relevant work experience in local/rural infrastructure in Nepal, including survey, design, estimate, construction supervision, preparation of bill of quantities, tender documents, technical training, users committee formation and providing capacity building training.
• Experience in implementation and management of small-scale rural infrastructure, and Food Assistance for Assets/cash for work programmes.
• Has facilitated communication with technical teams.
• Has observed or assisted with policy discussions.
  Proven ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with Local Government.
• Ability to work effectively in remote areas, and willing to travel extensively throughout the project area, including on foot as well as by vehicle and motorbike.
• Experience of working in a multi-cultural setting as well as in difficult geographic terrain and living conditions.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Knowledge of GIS, AutoCAD and other standard engineering software will be an advantage.
• Strong communication, interpersonal and leadership skills, as well as a strong team player with the willingness to learn and support the learning of others.
• Must be familiar with MS office.
• Nepali Typing skill is an asset.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK: COMMON STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOUR

• Leads by example with Integrity
• Drives results and Delivers on commitments
• Fosters inclusive and collaborative teamwork.
• Applies strategic thinking
• Builds and maintains sustainable partnerships

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered, interested candidates are invited to apply via (https://www.wfp.org/careers/job-openings). Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Request for Disability related Reasonable Accommodations:

It is important to WFP to create an accessible and inclusive workplace for everyone.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.  If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the selection and hiring process, please direct your request and inquiries to nepal.hr@wfp.org. A member of the HR team responsible for reasonable accommodation will contact you to confidentially discuss your needs.

This email is only to be used for any disability related accessibility requirements and not for sending the application itself. Due to the volume of applications, any applications or CVs sent through this email address will not be considered a formal application and will not receive a reply from WFP.

WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.

Deadline of Application: 4 September 2023

Tagged as: Jajarkot, Jumla, Kalikot, Mugu, NGO INGO, Program Assistant, Sub Engineer, World Food Programme