Project Associate

UNDP proposes to engage a Project Associate – State and Tribal Research Institute (TRI) Coordination to support the (Project Management Unit) PMU at Social Welfare and Tribal Affairs Department, Government of Mizoram to lead and provide strategic guidance to the PMU team in effective planning, monitoring and implementation of the Tribal development programmes and ensure effective operation of schemes for the (TRI).

The Project Associate – State and Tribal Research Institute (TRI) Coordination and will work under the overall guidance and supervision of the Programme Lead, Tribal Development, UNDP with functional support from the Regional Head-Northeast India and the project team members and day to day supervision on the implementation issues with the Government of Mizoram. S/He will ensure engagement of all direct stakeholders and delivery of project objectives in coordination with the Government of Mizoram.

Reporting To: Project Analyst- Tribal Rights, NPSA 9.

Reportees to this position: 4 TPC positions.

Duties And Responsibilities

Support Strategic Planning and Project Management
Provide technical support in strategic planning process for the project and ensure its implementation in accordance with the signed project document.
Coordinate with the Department’s Knowledge Partners; ensure day-to-day management, administration and decision-making for the project.
Prepare Quarterly/ Annual Project Reports (progress against planned activities, update the Project Assurance team, Annual Work Plans (AWP), Annual Plans of Activities and Procurement Plans for the project’s implementation period.
Ensure that the project produces the results specified in the project document to the required standard of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost. Maintain the production of project outputs through activities. Coordinate with stakeholders including CSR, industry, Local Bodies and government agencies for better implementation of schemes at the ground level.
Assist in successful coordination and facilitation of Appraisal Committee meetings, coupled with thorough review and analysis of documents and datasets, will ensure the effective operation of schemes, and fulfil assigned responsibilities within the Programme Division.

Advocacy, Research and Support to Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs)

Support and strategize the advocacy work, identify research areas and develop capacity building programmes, especially related to TRIs, fostering continuous improvement and innovation in tribal research and education initiatives.
Support in enhancing coordination and consultation with State Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs), successfully achieving objectives outlined in the 'Support to Tribal Research Institute (TRIs)' and 'Tribal Festival, Research Information, and Mass Education' schemes.
Support in developing and implementing digital tools and mechanisms will enable the capture and dissemination of research findings from studies conducted by TRIs, thereby enhancing accessibility and utilization of valuable insights.
Ensure that project contributes to the promotion of gender equality by reaching, involving and benefiting both women and men in its activities (gender mainstreaming).

Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing relevant to the assigned project

Provide support in the dissemination and sharing of relevant data and lessons learned within the CO and regionally.
Keep pulse on emerging best practices nationally, regionally, and internationally that relate to the work of the assigned project.
Make sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice. Support compiling and systematizing project knowledge, products and tools as well as their wide distribution to partners.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization. Willingness to travel when required.

Competencies

Core Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of
pressure simultaneously
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

People Management Competencies

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

Business Direction and Strategy

Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions; Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP.

Business Management

Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
Monitoring: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.
Partnerships management: Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and other in-line with UNDP strategy and policies.

Partnership Management

Multi- stakeholder engagement and funding: Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multi- stakeholder funding platforms.
Relationship management: Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.

Digital & Innovation

Story telling: Ability to empathize with people's perceptions, motivations, feelings and mental models and craft narratives to build an emotive argument for change accordingly. Ability to present data, insights or information in compelling ways to mobilize resources, talent or action. Ability to choose media and channels that is fit for purpose to reach specific target audiences.

Education

Required Skills and Experience

Secondary education is required
A university degree (Bachelor´s degree) in Social Sciences, international development, social work, public policy or related fields will be given due consideration but is not a requirement.

Experience

Minimum 7 years (with secondary education) or 4 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in rural and tribal development sector.
High-level of IT/computing skills (minimum: Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Knowledge of and experience in gender mainstreaming
Demonstrated experience of working on issues of Tribal development
Prior experience in research and analysis of policy and programmes related to Tribal development.
Experience in project management in the fields of Tribal development, laws and policies, innovations in governmental or non-governmental organizations.
Working experience in government/international agency funded projects
Experience and domain knowledge in areas like governance, convergence, tribal affairs, social justice and social inclusion.
Good knowledge and experience in planning, designing, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and schemes for marginalized communities.

Required Languages