SWAPNO is a public-works and social transfer-based poverty graduation project that targets ultra-poor rural women who are widowed, divorced, abandoned or left with a disabled husband. The project does not only aim at lifting poor women out of poverty during the project period; it also helps them sustain with a higher income level after the end of project support. To achieve this goal, the focus is on future employability. The idea is that the set of skills learnt from training will help women invest their savings for productive purposes, which would yield a stream of income in years to come. In addition to self-employment, SWAPNO also helps place women in jobs in local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and private sector companies in the formal and informal sectors. While SWAPNO has demonstrated success, lessons show that women risk falling back into poverty as they are malnutrition, vulnerable to climate and disaster risks, and can risk facing gender-based violence by participating in a project that can be perceived to be challenging social norms. At the same time, the project has successfully piloted public-private partnerships that improve the women’s skills and help place them in formal sector jobs; it also ran successful microplots that used mobile money for promoting financial inclusion and improving efficiency in the government-to-person (G2P) platform. The findings on mobile money will inform national policy on scaling up digital payments through G2P Bangladesh. By integrating these lessons, SWAPNO’s strategy to support women’s access to decent employment, ensure discrimination-free environment in public work places, develop adaptive livelihoods and access to financial services for sustainable graduation from extreme poverty, and develop local government capacity to implement pro-poor projects. SWAPNO will achieve the following results:
- Outcome 1: Increased income and assets by expanding options
- Outcome 2: Enhanced human capabilities for exercising choices
- Outcome 3: Strengthened resilience to shocks including disasters and climate change
- Outcome 4: Enhanced financial inclusion for equitable opportunities
- Outcome 5: Improved policies and mechanisms for sustaining SWAPNO’s benefits
- Take the lead to ensure proper implementation of project activities in the district,
- Establish good working relationship with all Government counterparts involved in project implementation;
- Organize capacity strengthening training and district workshops, coach local government representation/officials and Partner NGO field workers on-the job for their capacity development;
- Guide and monitor the work of NGO field workers and organizations contracted for training in micro-enterprise skills;
- Liaise with local SMEs for apprenticeship training and job placement opportunities;
- Assist UPs and Upazilas in monitoring of project activities, network to disseminate knowledge of project activities;
- Document and report project activities in the district;
- Identify problem and bottlenecks and contribute to solving them;
- Keep close contact with Headquarters at Dhaka and ensure reporting and documentation of the project and its resources;
- Keep close contact with the Upazila officials, Union level representatives responsible for SWAPNO and various field level committees set up for the project, for capacity building, finance and M&E;
- Maintain contact with district officials and a selected NGO to accomplish various activities of SWAONO;
- Identify and utilise best practices that could contribute to the development of SWAPNO’s direct and indirect beneficiaries.
- Carry out any other any other relevant tasks assigned by the supervisor.
- Demonstrates integrity by modeling 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.
- Strong analytical, communicational and writing skills;
- Strong ability to effectively interact with technical and non-technical end users in a pleasant, cooperative, and helpful manner;
- Demonstrated ability to solve problems and work independently;
- Organises and accurately completes multiple tasks by establishing priorities while taking into consideration special assignments, frequent interruptions, deadlines, available resources and multiple reporting relationships
- Plans, coordinates and organises workload while remaining aware of changing Priorities and competing deadlines
- Establishes, builds and maintains effective working relationships with staff and clients to facilitate the provision of support
- Ability to read, analyze, interpret and apply general technical instructions and procedures;
- The incumbent must be able to travel alone in remote places for periods of several days.
- Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
- Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
- Remains calm, controlled and good humoured even under pressure;
- Develop network skills with different levels.
- Has deep knowledge on project management, social and poverty research and M&E;
- Shares knowledge and experience;
- Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside UNDP;
- Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills;
- The incumbent should also be competent and knowledgeable as regards development issues, especially creating employment opportunities for the rural poor.
- Bachelor’s degree in any social science discipline from a recognized university.
- At least 5 years of experience in rural development, poverty alleviation and local government issues.
- Knowledge of local government structure, working experience with Union Parishads, Upazila Parishads, NGOs and vulnerable poor women is essential.
- Adequate knowledge on social protection, rural development, gender mainstreaming, poverty alleviation, food security, livelihood promotion, and working with the donors and development agencies.
- Excellent command of Bengali and very good communication skills including writing in English are obligatory requirements. Possession of a motorcycle-driving license is required.
- Proficiency in computer skills, especially MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and e-mail software, is also required.
- Experience of working with Local Government Division (LGD) will be preferable.
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, in English and Bengali.
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.
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Contract Duration: 1 year initially, renewable based on satisfactory performance and availability of fund.