Governance Officer

Division

International Development Services

Reporting to

Senior Governance Manager

Duration

16 months (fixed term)

Location

Kathmandu with frequent visit to project district

Job Profile

Mott MacDonald is an employee-owned management, development and engineering consultancy serving the public and private sector around the world, with more than 16,000 staff worldwide. 

Our International Development Services Unit, IDS, operates portfolios within the international development sectors of Environment, Climate, Water, Roads, Rural & Urban Development, Education, Health, Social and Economic Development in over 40 countries. Together we implement and manage projects in developing countries and emerging economies around the world, supporting national governments and municipalities in policy, planning, project design and delivery. We are committed to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to provide our expertise to improve the lives of people in need.

Project Description

Mott MacDonald is managing the DFID-funded programme: ‘Purnima: UK Support to Post-Earthquake Recovery in Nepal’ in four Districts (Gorkha, Dhading, Nuwakot, and Rasuwa). This programme aims to achieve long-term positive change in the lives of people in earthquake-affected regions of Nepal.

The implementation phase of the programme commenced in July 2018 with a 4.5-year duration. It comprises five Output Areas:

1. Support and capacity building to Government at central, district and local level in reconstruction planning.
2. Reconstruction of rural infrastructure, including water supply, foot trails, footbridges, schools, public buildings, and potentially other types of infrastructure.
3. Analysis of, and interventions to address, constraints to the private sector, including access to finance, supply of labour, materials and transport in the construction sector.
4. Mobilizing and managing a Challenge Fund to leave no-one behind in the reconstruction effort.
5. Monitoring, evaluation and learning.

The project is intended to help Gaunpalika strengthen capacity of its elected members and staff to ensure quality improvements in multiyear annual planning, project cycle management, transparent and accountable financial systems, wider consultations among stakeholders, timely audit, reporting and dissemination of information to the public. The project activities range from institutional, organizational to individual levels.

Output 1 is responsible to establish a framework for other outputs of Purnima. Output 1 conducts several capacity development activities, which produces a wealth of information through various reports submitted by service providers. The reports come in various formats, and styles and require to be examined minutely for quality assurance both for content and language. Similarly, output 1 coordinates and engages with multiple actors both at the federal and local levels for policy interventions and capacity development activities which requires consistent documentation and reporting. It also interacts internally with relevant team members to access information for stronger linkages within outputs. As output 1 expands from 22 Rural Municipalities/Municipality, to 25 in August 2020, followed by a gradual exit starting from May 2020, these multiple activities will require a number of parallel activities for a smooth transition. The various undertakings done by Output 1 can be a repository of learning for similar projects and programmes funded by DFID and other donors, hence knowledge management, documentation, and visibility in the media has become important.

For this, the senior team in Kathmandu will need additional support to carry out varied functions, perform moderately complex duties requiring knowledge of capacity development, programme management, financial management, partner interface, and research and development initiatives. Hence, Purnima will hire a Senior Governance officer – Governance who will carry out the duties.

The Governance Officer is an intermediate professional position for output 1 providing professional support to the Senior Governance Manager and Senior Inclusive Governance Advisor. Specific duties will include development, technical, administrative and financial management support, documentation of TA support learning, analysis and review of reports submitted by consultants and oversight of ongoing activities.

Job Description

The Governance Officer will report to the Senior Governance Manager. The main responsibilities of the position will be to:

- Ensure quality of reports submitted by service providers and prepare short summaries as required in English or Nepali. This will include coordinating with the output 1 team in the field for planning and delivery.

- Identify key issues to strengthen better Knowledge Management for implementing reforms and develop strategic approaches for identifying solutions.

- Support in planning for workshops and trainings. Critical review and reporting of output 1 activities in coordination with Senior Capacity Development Expert and Capacity Development Expert.

- Coordinate with local governments during the exit process and document process of the exit strategy.

- Ensure linkages established with partners (federal and local governments, CSOs) is strengthened through regular contacts and sharing of information

- In coordination with the Senior Governance Manager and Senior Inclusive Governance Advisor and in cooperation with programme staff, the Governance Officer will be involved in a broad range of tasks related to the implementation and administration of Output 1:

• - Work with the other Output Area Leads to ensure close alignment of synergy of impact activities and documentation of good practices so that all activities contribute towards developing sustainable, effective and inclusive local government delivering high quality and resilience for service delivery.
• - Support communication and stakeholder engagement activities with government (national and sub-national), CSO and private sector.
• - Prepare output 1 newsletters and knowledge products for better visibility
• - Engage with media for broader outreach of Output 1 activities as and when required
• - Document activities, outcomes and lessons learned from training and other capacity- building efforts
• - Work closely with partner organizations or groups and output 1 field team to ensure that their efforts are supported in a conflict sensitive manner.

- Assist in the preparation and formulation of reports and work plans required for the implementation of Output 1, including training concepts, progress reports, work plans and budgets. More specifically;

- Contribute to the bimonthly and quarterly progress reports, in coordination with partners in getting the necessary information;

- Documentation of Output 1 activities and learnings and best practices throughout the project lifecycle, which will feed into the project knowledge management system for broader institutional learning.

- Support and provide inputs in learning exercises;

- Lead DRR related activities in local governments

- Participate in programme review meetings; providing analytical and evaluative techniques to identify and resolve issues or problems; and

- Perform other duties as required by the programme.

Candidate Specification

Required Qualification and Experience:

1. Post graduate degree in a relevant field
2. Minimum 8 years’ experience working in recovery, peace building, governance and disaster management in a similar context
3. At least three years’ programme management experience, preferably on a donor-funded international development projects (DFID experience an advantage)
4. Significant technical expertise in capacity building and institutional strengthening at subnational and national level in Nepal particularly earthquake affected districts
5. Political intelligence and an ability to understand, continuously re-assess and respond to a dynamic political economy at local and national levels
6. Advanced knowledge of the use of information management in recovery environments; highly developed conceptual, analytical and innovative ability to identify and articulate the information management requirements of complex situations requiring a coordinated response between disparate actors;
7. demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to use sound judgment to ensure the effective and timely completion of complex tasks;
8. Ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment
9. Excellent communication and training (spoken and written) skills including the ability to convey complex information management concepts and recommendations to staff at all levels, both orally and in writing, in a clear, concise style that can be readily understood by non-information management practitioners.
10. Promotes knowledge management and a learning environment in the office
11. Strong knowledge and experience in any of the other programme Output Areas is highly desirable
12. Demonstrated understanding of the challenges of post-earthquake reconstruction and recovery
13. Strong interpersonal and leadership skills
14. Proven ability to build and maintain effective working relationships
15. Ability to work effectively under pressure and to manage competing priorities;
16. Attention to detail and ability to effectively and efficiently perform multiple tasks and balance competing priorities often within a required timeframe
17. Team player and willingness to learn and support learning of others
18. Fluency in written and spoken English is essential