National Project Manager - Cambodia Export Diversification and Expansion Programme II (CEDEP II), Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Closing date: Sunday, 9 March 2014
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Location :
Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA
Application Deadline :
09-Mar-14
Type of Contract :
Service Contract
Post Level :
SB-4
Languages Required :
English
Duration of Initial Contract :
1 year with possibility of extension
Background
Poverty reduction and growth are the highest priorities of the Government. The Rectangular Strategy Phase III reaffirms government’s commitment to prioritize policies and investment in support of agriculture; infrastructure; private sector development and employment; and human resources development.
The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has identified agriculture as the top priority for Cambodia’s socio-economic development, focusing on increasing productivity and diversifying within this sector. In 2013, the RGC updated its 2007 Diagnostic Trade Integration Strategy (DTIS) looking at the timeframe of 2014-2018. The update strategy is to be endorsed by the Sub-Steering Committee on Trade and Trade-Related Investment in the first quarter of 2014 and subsequently launched officially.
DTIS 2014-2018 stresses the need for Cambodia to continue expanding and diversifying its export base. To support this major strategic orientation, DTIS 2014-2018 identifies: (1) 10 product and service export potentials for export development focus (including cassava) (2) “cross-cutting” reforms and institutional developments required to unleash growth in those potential exports; and, (3) capacity developments for narrowing skill gaps found in almost all sectors. This is also in line with the results of the country’s Trade Policy Review undertaken in 2011 in partnership with the World Trade Organization (WTO) that calls for Cambodia to move away from its dependency on garment and rice and urges to diversify and expand the country’s export basis.
Cassava is the second largest agricultural crop in Cambodia and growing rapidly. Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) indicates production of nearly 4.25 million Metric Ton (MT) in 2010, up from 3.5 million MT in 2009. MAFF sources estimate that 2012 production may have reached as much as 8 million MT. The fast growing importance of the sector for export diversification and export revenues cannot be underestimated. The sector might have been generating anywhere between $200 to $300 million worth of “informal” export revenues in 2010. Even though Cassava has become the second largest agricultural crop in term or income, employment, hectares cultivated, and exports (more on this in the next section), there is very little technical assistance support provided to the sector. Aware of those challenges, UNDP Cambodia has teamed up with several partners to bring much needed assistance to the cassava sector, at different levels in the value chain and for different stakeholders. Since 2010, MAFF, Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China (MofCom), UNDP Cambodia and UNDP China, have joined forces to promote the upgrading of Cambodian cassava production techniques and product standards so as to increase the quality and quantity of cassava exports to China and meet Chinese importers’ requirements. This resulted in the China-Cambodia-UNDP Trilateral Cooperation Cassava Project Phase II currently being implemented by MAFF with support from UNDP. In parallel, UNDP Cambodia has teamed up with the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) to further expand and diversify cassava exports to other markets. This cooperation led to the formulation of a three-year technical assistance project funded by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) programme knows as Cambodia Export Diversification and Expansion Programme II (CEDEP II).
UNDP, in its Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP), has vowed to support the economic diversification and poverty reduction and in particular the human capital development and competitiveness issues. Similarly, at the request of the Government, UNDP has decided to re-engage deeply in the trade sector, trade being an engine for economic growth, through the creation of a dedicated project within UNDP.
The project will contribute directly to:
- United Nation Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) Outcome 1: by 2015, more people living in Cambodia benefit from, and participate in, increasingly equitable, green, diversified economic growth.
- CPAP Outcome #1: strengthening national and sub-national capacities to develop a more diversified, sustainable and equitable economy.
- CPAP Output #1: Evidence-based policy option provided; institutional capacities of selected sectors strengthened and local income generation schemes scaled-up in support of inclusive and equitable growth.
Summary of Key Functions:
The National Project Manager will perform under the overall guidance of the Assistant Country Director/Team Leader of the Poverty Reduction and direct supervision of Programme Analyst. S/he will also work closely with the CEDEP II Cassava project team to deliver the expected outputs.
S/he has the authority to run the project on a day-to-day basis. S/he is responsible for day-to-day management and decision-making for the project in close consultation with UNDP Programme Analyst. Her/his prime responsibility is to ensure that the project produces the results specified in the work plan, to the required standard of quality and within the specified limits of time and cost.
- Project planning
- Project implementation and monitoring
- Project reporting
- Partnership Building
- Knowledge management and sharing
- Ensure that the work plan and the resources needed are in place to deliver the expected outputs;
- Take the lead to develop the project annual/semi-annual work plans and indicators for result-based management;
- Develop approach/strategy to implement the work plan in consultation with project stakeholders and with any technical assistance provided under the project;
- Work closely with the Programme Analyst to obtain the approval from the project board on the work plan and the related budget plan.
- Closely monitor the project to ensure that the available resources of the project including mainly human resources and financial resources are well managed and effectively used to deliver the project outputs as agreed by the project board;
- Take lead in implementing the project as per the agreed work plan approved by the project board;
- Regular monitor progress toward timelines set for each milestone; follow up with the project team and identify the potential risk/issue that relate to project delivery status and take appropriate action to prevent delay;
- Ensure that budget is spent in accordance to the agreed work plan in a transparent and efficient manner following UNDP financial rules/regulation and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) recommendations;
- Ensure accountability, transparency and competiveness in procurement and contracting aspects of the project;
- Proactively provide necessary inputs as required by the management of the project and other stakeholders, in particular the MoC as EIF lead agency in Cambodia;
- Coordinate and support the preparation of the project board meetings and ad-hoc meetings with partners as required;
- Liaise with the Project Board and Programme Analyst to assure the overall direction and smooth implementation of the project;
- Take action to response to the recommendation from the management of the project;
- Consolidate knowledge/lessons learnt and good practices.
- Ensure the reports required are submitted on time in accordance to the required standard and format provided by the UNOPS and MoC;
- Prepare and submit Quarterly Financial Reports, Semi-Annual and Annual Reports on time with quality;
- Prepare the project budget/delivery report and related documents for UNDP Senior Management and/or donor;
- Ensure good quality and accuracy of financial reporting to donors and timely submission;
- Prepare the Lessons Learned Report;
- Provide strategic input from the project as per request from UNDP office.
- Work closely with national counterparts, in particular with MoC and MAFF to build cooperative relationships and establish the organization as an effective partner;
- Build and maintain partnership through networking with stakeholders to generate their interest in the area of trade related development as well as UNDP programme as a whole and in contributing to the resources mobilization effort.
- Ensure that experiences and lessons learnt from programme implementation are adequately recorded and disseminated;
- Support the sharing of experiences and best practices at national, regional and international and in particular with other projects under the CEDEP I and II.
The position will contribute to strengthening UNDP’s ability to contribute to trade integration strategy that can be mainstreamed through the National Strategic Development Plan 2014-2018 and Vision 2030 being formulated by the Government at the moment. It is expected that generating new opportunities in the cassava sector will have a direct impact on employment and revenue generation and, eventually, on poverty reduction. UNDP will be seen as the lead technical assistance body in supporting Cambodia’s cassava sector.
Competencies
Core Competencies:
- Promoting Ethics and Integrity / Creating Organizational Precedents
- Building support and political acumen
- Building staff competence, Creating an environment of creativity and innovation
- Building and promoting effective teams
- Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication
- Creating an emotionally intelligent organization
- Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards
- Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning
- Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking
Advocacy / Advancing Policy Oriented Agenda: preparing information for advocacy
- Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating UNDP’s mandate
- Maintains a functioning network of contacts with a variety of stakeholders to promote a better understanding of UNDP’s mandate and to support advocacy efforts
- Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work
- Researches linkages across programme activities to identify critical points of integration
- Monitors specific stages of projects/programme implementation
- Analyzes country situation to identify opportunities for project development
- Participates in the formulation of project proposals and ensures substantive rigor in the design and application of proven successful approaches and drafts proposals accordingly
- Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up-to-date on partnership related issues
- Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders
- Establishes and nurtures positive communication with partners
- Generates new ideas and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things
- Documents and analyses innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches
- Documents bottlenecks, problems and issues, and proposes effective solutions
- Embraces new approaches
- Analyzes information/databases on potential and actual donors
- Develops a database of project profiles. Identifies opportunities for project proposals for presentation to donors
- Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things
- Documents and analyses innovative strategies and new approaches
- Identifies and communicates opportunities to promote learning and knowledge sharing
- Develops awareness of the various internal/external learning and knowledge-sharing resources
- Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position
- Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks
- Identifies new and better approaches to work processes and incorporates the same in his/her work
- Analyzes the requirements and synthesizes proposals
- Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning
- Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
- Demonstrates in-depth understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments
Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals: Preparing information for global advocacy
- Identifies and communicates relevant information for advocacy for UNDP’s goals for a variety of audiences
- Maintains a functioning network of contacts in the media and civil society, to promote a better understanding of UNDP’s mandate and to support advocacy efforts
- Identifies and takes advantage of opportunities for advocating for UNDP’s mandate
- Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion
- Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines
- Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients
- Actively supports the interests of the client by making choices and setting priorities to meet their needs
- Anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly
- Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences or other related fields.
- At least 2 years of relevant experience in managing development project covering overall strategic project management, work plan development and monitoring, budget and financial resource management of the project, procurement and human resources management.
- Proven experience in project evaluation and reporting.
- Experience in managing project in compliance with the requirement of the donor and other development agencies. Within this context, experience of working within UN agencies, government entities, or various development partner agencies in managing donor funds is an asset.
- Proven knowledge in trade and experience working in the context of trade development in Cambodia, especially in the area related to agricultural commodities export is a strong asset.
- Experience in coordination role which demonstrate ability to communicate and deal effectively with partners at middle management and working level; including government, academia, civil society, private sector, UN and other development donors to address relevant issue and to ensure the smooth implementation of the project.
- Fluency in Khmer and English (both spoken and written).
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
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