Job: Program Coordinator

Location: Islamabad, Pakistan
Deadline: Thursday, 07 November 2013

Background / General description:

This position will be located in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The mission of the South Asia Sustainable Development Department (SASSD) is to reduce poverty by helping the countries of South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) formulate policies and implement programs that support sustainable economic and social development. The region involves an interesting mix of fragile and conflict states, countries coming out of conflict and countries entering Middle Income Country status. The South Asia Region is organized into four Country Management Units (CMUs), including the Pakistan CMU. The Country Director for Pakistan is based in Islamabad.

The Pakistan County Office is recruiting a Program Coordinator to manage and oversee the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Area's (FATA) and Balochistan Multi Donor Trust Fund (KP/FATA & Balochistan MDTF).

Department Context

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Area's (FATA) and Balochistan Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) is an integral part of the World Bank's development program in Pakistan. The World Bank maintains an extensive program in Pakistan, providing over $1 billion on average to the federal and provincial Governments of Pakistan. The Bank maintains a large office of about 100 staff in Islamabad, covering a wide range of sectors. The MDTF Coordinator is an integral part of the WB's Pakistan Country Management Unit (CMU) and reports directly to the Country Director in Islamabad. In addition to the MDTF Coordinator and Country Director, the CMU includes an Operations Advisor, Country Program Coordinator, Senior Country Officer, Senior Operations Officer, and Operations Analyst.

The MDTF was established in August 2014 by the World Bank and 10 other development partners to be one of the financing instruments to support the post-crisis reconstruction efforts in the conflict affected border areas of Pakistan. The World Bank serves as Administrator and fiscal agent of the KP/FATA & Balochistan MDTF, with responsibility to manage donor contributions to the pooled central account. The MDTF finances projects, programs and economic sector work managed by the Bank's various sectorial units and implemented by the governments of the KP, FATA and Balochistan. Under the first round, the MDTF has prepared 11 projects for a total of about $150 million. These funds are now fully committed and a second round is currently under discussion.

The governance structure of the MDTF has three tiers: the first, the MDTF Steering Committee (SC), provides strategic guidance for the fund and approves the financing strategy; the second is an Advisory Committee (AC) that discusses proposals and technical topics and thereafter forwards these to the SC for approval; and the third is the MDTF Secretariat which is the administrative arm of the MDTF. The MDTF Secretariat, managed by the MDTF Coordinator, consists of approximately 7 staff, including a senior Consultant/Advisor, an Operations Officer, a Results Monitor, a Communications Officer, and a Staff Assistant. The MDTF Secretariat handles day to day coordination with donors and governments including meetings and periodic reports, reviews grant requests, provides guidance on Trust Fund procedures, and also manages an independent Third Party Monitoring Agent. All of the Task Teams preparing and administering MDTF projects are part of the larger World Bank Pakistan Country Team, and all projects are prepared and supervised using the same procedures as World Bank projects.

Duties and Accountabilities:

• Work with the Pakistan Country Director and CMU, Federal and Provincial Governments, and Donor representatives to provide strategic guidance and vision for the MDTF program, ensuring that it plays a transformative role in the development of Pakistan and particularly the conflict affected border provinces. This includes preparing various analytical and strategy documents for the MDTF Round 2.
• Lead the Secretariat of the MDTF. This includes, among other things, coordinating the preparation and ensuring the quality of all documents issued by the secretariat or presented to the AC and SC for discussion and endorsement; monitoring the implementation of MDTF financed projects including portfolio reviews; preparing regular updates for the MDTF stake holders; further developing and monitoring the results framework; managing the Third Party Monitoring Agent, and overseeing the production of MDTF quarterly and semi annual progress reports.
• Engage with task teams, the various governments and the Operations Advisor to deal with issues and bottlenecks impacting the implementation of the MDTF financed activities and programs. This includes regular monitoring and meeting deadlines on key deliverables (Project Appraisal, Supervision Reports, Completion Reports, etc) and assisting task teams in recommending remedial in project preparation and implementation.
• Assume administrative leadership of the overall MDTF program . Approve the various child trust funds created under the various MDTF activities and monitor the performance of such trust funds such as the closing date, burn rate, disbursement rate and terms of the administrative agreements. Prepare various financial reports to reflect the financial status of the MDTF and monitor the expenditures and disbursements ratios as defined in the various administrative agreements. Keep track of MDTF budget status and prepare the Annual budget and discuss the budget allocations to task teams.
• Coordinate, manage and mentor MDTF Secretariat staff ; design and implement activities to encourage team building and greater team cohesion

Selection Criteria:

• Team Leadership - Leads teams to achieve challenging outcomes, providing a role model and enhancing the team-leadership skills of team members.
• Operational Policies Application to the Project Cycle (fiduciary, disbursement, safeguard and GAC policies) - IL - Possesses a basic understanding of procurement and disbursement policies; knows what issues might arise and who to involve in problem resolution.
• ESW/TA Policy, Strategic and Technical Analysis for Country/Sector Issues - Participates fully in the production of quality AAA work and policy papers, leveraging relevant analytical tools and a grasp of issues surrounding policy and sector reform.
• Fragile and Conflict States (FCS) Operational Skills - Coordinates a pragmatic approach to FCS operations. Looks for ways to help the client achieve early results while maintaining a strategic approach, and identifies practical ways to implement longer-term/ reform measures.
• FCS Policies, Tools and Instruments - Is experienced with FCS related policies, tools and instruments: post-conflict needs assessment, transitional results framework, etc.
• Client Orientation - Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
• Drive for Results - Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.
• Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Leads in the sharing of best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulating ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Gathers inputs, assesses risk, considers impact and articulates benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.
• Internal controls and corporate procedures - Can identify gaps or deficiencies across the internal controls framework and recommend improvements.
• Tasks and Workflow Management - Has excellent workflow management and task organization skills; able to take responsibility for all aspects of coordination of the workflow of assigned responsibilities.
• Transactions Processing and Quality Control - Has ability to resolve complex transactional issues requiring interpretation of policies and procedures.
• Recruitment and Appointment Process Expertise - Able to coordinate Locally Recruited Staff (LRS) job vacancy advertisements, screen candidates and arrange interview schedules. Processes the appointment of LRS per Bank's policies and procedures in coordination with the HR Service Delivery Team.
• Performance Management Support - Demonstrates basic understanding of the probation, confirmation and promotion related policies and processes. Prepares the unit specific timetable of the Performance Management process. Provides support to client learning events.
• Project Design for Impact and Sustainability - IL - Contributes to the design of projects and programs, based on an understanding of the country and sector context.
• Operational Project Management - Demonstrates in depth knowledge and understanding of project management tools & methodologies, as well as of Bank instruments and processes related to project preparation & implementation, resource management, and stakeholder communications.

Other Selection Criteria;

In addition to meeting the above core competencies, it is expected that the successful candidate will meet the following selection criteria;

• Minimum of Master's degree in a relevant discipline plus 8 years of relevant experience. Working experience in a post conflict country would be an asset.
• Demonstrate familiarity and experience in Bank and/or donor operations, portfolio management, policy and processes with ability to enhance quality as a part of project preparation and supervision.
• Drive for results in combination with analytical and technical skills and ability to identify and pro-actively solve operational issues and problems.
• Broad experience in, and knowledge of, post-crisis reconstruction, donor-supported development programs, development partnerships, and/or development finance.
• Demonstrated track record in developing and managing partnerships within the development community, including developing country governments, donors, civil society, and the private sector.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to successfully nurture and maintain client relationships.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse group of constituencies (verbal and written).
• Strong organizational and diplomatic skills with an ability to obtain productive results from a diverse set of international and Pakistani partners.
• Experience in team building and management.
• Written and oral communication in English

The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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