Project Support Officer

1. Background:

In line with the Joint Disaster Risk Management Programme of UN, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is supporting the Government of Pakistan in establishing policy, legal and institutional arrangements for disaster risk reduction. The purpose of UNDP support is to develop and strengthen capacities of the Government of Pakistan at national, provincial and local levels to adopt strategies for reducing threat of disasters and minimizing the impact of disaster events upon communities.

In order to develop capacities of the newly established national, provincial and district authorities, the UNDP is working closely with the National Disaster Management Authority. A Program Document has been signed to support implementation of the National Disaster Risk Management Framework. As part of this Capacity Building Project, UNDP intends to implement an intervention on GLOF.

Considering the Risks of Glacial Lake Outbursts Floods (GLOF), UNDP Global Office has designed a project to address the problem of GLOP in Himalayan region. The project will enhance the benefits of disaster ‘risk reduction’ initiatives already in place (e.g. appropriate early warning systems, awareness measures, preparedness and land use planning) in Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan.  A coordinated approach combining structural with sociological and community based methods will be necessary to prepare vulnerable communities against the threat of GLOFs and glacier melts in the targeted sub-region. In addition, the hazard of GLOFs provides an opportunity to bring together climate change science, disaster risk management and development planning for greater impact at the regional and national levels to effectively prepare and better protect vulnerable communities. The project will directly benefit communities and counterpart institutions working at local, national and regional levels on disaster risk management, land use and development planning, environment planning and water and energy management in the target countries.

The Project will be implemented in Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Project Support Officers based in Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan will support the Project Manager in implementation of country land activities.

The Project Support Officer will assist in the coordination and reporting of activities of the project. S/he will report with regular updates to the Project Manager and Project Board on the status of routine activities, as well as regular updates on the financial reporting related to the project.

2.   Reporting
The Project Support Officer will report to the National Disaster Reduction Advisor and the Project Manager.

3.   Key Objectives / Activities
Key Objectives of the ‘Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Risk Reduction for the Himalayas’ initiative are
 
 To enhance the understanding of social and economic risks associated with GLOFs
 To explore community based approaches for minimizing the impact of GLOF events
 To establish a regional network in order to promote holistic approaches to GLOF risk    reduction
 Produce a publication on GLOF risk reduction through community based approaches
 
The project will be centered on community based and non-structural GLOF risk reduction measures. Its overall objective is to compliment engineered approaches with non-engineering approaches to GLOF risk reduction in the Himalayan Belt.

Some of the key activities will include:
 Preparatory work pertaining to identifying the current needs, limitations and  competencies in  reducing the risk of GLOFs in the Himalayan Belt
 Undertake a Regional Workshop on ‘GLOF Risk Reduction in Asia': Non-structural and  Community based Measures:
 Produce a publication on GLOF risk reduction through community based approaches
 Initiate a network of stakeholders for GLOF risk reduction in Himalayan region
4.   Duties and Responsibilities

 Undertake the overall organization and coordination of the project activities.
 Work with government and other partners to implement all project activities in the country
 Set up and maintain project documentation system
 Collect project related information data
 Update plans
 Organize project related events; e.g. workshops.
 Administer Project Board meetings
 Administer project revision control
 Establish document control procedures
 Compile, copy and distribute all project reports
 Assist in the financial management tasks under the responsibility of the Project Manager
 Provide support in the use of Atlas for monitoring and reporting
 Review technical reports
 Monitor technical activities carried out by responsible parties
 Ensure that Project Quarterly Progress Reports are prepared and submitted on time, and according to standards in terms of format and content quality;
 Perform oversight activities, such as periodic monitoring visits and “spot checks”.
 Ensure coordination with other UN agencies working in the joint DRM programme;
 Any other activities assigned by NDRA with regards to mainstreaming of DRM;

5.    Competencies
 Broad understanding of the UN system, donor agencies and governments in South Asian region.
 Familiarity with international, regional and national agencies working in the area of disaster risk management would be an advantage
 Excellent people management skills; 
 Ability to lead from the front through personal demonstration;
 Ability to negotiate with counterpart government officials and with other technical   agencies;
 Excellent skills in technical writing and report writing;
 Good physical health and ability to travel to local areas with basic travel facilities;
 Positive attitude with a mind set of delivering development services in a most professional manner;
 Excellent listening skills;
 Ability to work under stress situations and to undertake multiple tasks.
 Ability to organize workshops and conferences
 Ability to work independently or as part of a team
 Strong intercultural skills and sensitivity

Expected duration of the project is about 12 months. The Project Support Officer will be responsible for management of this intervention in Islamabad.

Education
Must	Degree	Degree Level	Country	Description
	Disaster Management or related field	Masters Degree		Masters degree in Disaster Management, Environmental Science, Agriculture, Ecology, Environmental Law, Development, International Relations, Economics or similar field.