Project Coordinator

Guided by the global UNDP Strategic Plan (2022 – 2025) and UNDP Country Programme for Lao PDR (2022 – 2026), UNDP in Lao PDR works closely with the line Ministries, mass organizations, civil society, development partners, and the private sector at both national and sub-national levels in pursuit of the national socio-economic development priorities defined in Lao PDR’s five-year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UNDP’s work is strongly focused on the provision of policy advice and technical support to the Government of Lao PDR in the design and implementation of national legislation and strategies across four broad Priority Pillars – (1) inclusive growth and reduced inequalities, (2) UXO clearance and risk education, (3) natural resources, climate change and disaster risk reduction, as well as (4) effective, responsive, and accountable governance. 

UNDP has a long history working in Lao PDR. UNDP’s comparative advantage has been its ability to work closely with a very broad range of government and local-level institutions at all levels. The new UNDP country programme is aligned with the 9th NSEDP and is anchored in UNDP’s long-term partnership with the Government of more than three decades. The new programme builds on the achievements of the previous CPD that saw the incorporation of the SDGs into the national planning architecture. It will aim to support Lao PDR recover from the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and continue its transition from LDC status, with a particular emphasis on supporting inclusive growth and reducing inequality.

The Project Coordinator will work under the supervision of the Team Leader for Natural Resources Management, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Unit, UNDP CO Lao PDR (or as assigned by UNDP to ensure clear delinking of implementation and oversight) and works closely with Programme Analyst as well as the Implementing Partner and other key government counterparts. 

The position will be located at either the government or UNDP office (Arrangement will vary between projects) UNDP may consider hiring several candidates from this recruitment process for performing similar tasks for newly launched projects.

UNDP is preparing several other policy and project initiatives in the Natural Resources Management, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction portfolio, which are expected to be launched in 2022-2023. The Project Coordinator will be assigned one or several projects from this pool to lead and bear responsibility for their implementation. UNDP reserves the right to hire several candidates from this recruitment process for similar positions in other projects.

Summary of key functions 

• Ensuring effective project management of the assigned projects by maintaining the delivery of appropriate technical, operational, financial and administrative outputs, while tracking the project progress by monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
• Building strategic partnerships needed to achieve results and maintaining collaborative working relationships among key project partners, through effective communication, consultation and reporting.
•  Ensuring gender mainstreaming within the project. 

Specific tasks and responsibilities:

Expected results: Ensuring effective project management of the assigned projects by maintaining the delivery of appropriate technical, operational, financial and administrative outputs, while tracking the project progress by monitoring, evaluation and reporting

• Managing and coordinating the implementation of the respective activities based on the relevant project documents, including, as needed, supervision and guidance of other project staff, consultants and experts with a view to achieving project results.
•  Developing comprehensive/detailed project work-plans that include all project activities and roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders and setting-out corresponding milestones.
• Monitoring the progress of implementation of project activities and key event schedules observing the work-plans and set deadlines including monitoring of the financial resources and accounting to ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reports.
• Mobilizing goods and services to support project activities, including drafting TORs and works/product requirements and specifications.
• Managing and monitoring project risks initially identified, submitting information on the new risks and possible mitigating measures to the Project Board for consideration and updating the status of these risks by maintaining a Project Risk Log.
• Assuming responsibilities in line with the office Internal Control Framework and act as a `first authority` for Project transactions.
• Ensuring adherence of project activities to the existing financial, procurement and administrative processes that are in line with prevailing UNDP rules and regulations and, at the same time, observing the project timelines.
• Preparing project progress reports (progress against planned activities, update on risks issues, expenditures…) and ensuring timely submission of the reports to the relevant instances, such as the project boards and relevant donors.
• Managing project tracking in QUANTUM in accordance with UNDP procedures.
• Managing the transfer of project deliverables to national beneficiaries and other project stakeholders.

Expected results: Building strategic partnerships needed to achieve results and maintaining collaborative working relationships among key project partners, through effective communication, consultation and reporting: 

• Cultivating relationships with the central and local authorities, academia, NGOs and other Project stakeholders, ensuring full understanding, cooperation and an appropriate fit of the project activities with the main needs of the beneficiaries.
• Establishing effective linkages with other relevant projects and initiatives in the sector with a view to developing substantive partnerships and generating synergies.
• Disseminating project reports and respond to queries from concerned stakeholders.
• Maintaining strong relationships with the implementing partners, especially government partners and other relevant partners.
• Maintaining regular coordination and quality assurance of expert inputs and products as well as among project partners to ensure coherence and complementarity of project activities. 
• Identifying opportunities for deepening the cooperation and recommending adequate approaches to dealing with different stakeholders based on information on all relevant stakeholders gathered during project implementation.
• Maintaining regular communication on relevant project issues with the local counterparties, consultants and experts with an aim to ensure quality and timely delivery of all agreed outputs.
• Engaging groups and communities in project activities that affect them.
• Communicating project goals, activities and results clearly to both stakeholders and the wider public 
• Submitting reports to UNDP, partners and donors in a quality and timely manner.

Expected result: Ensuring Gender mainstreaming within the project 

• Ensuring gender is effectively mainstreamed throughout the project activities, work plans, budgets, reports, researches, analyses and, where specifically relevant, analyzed in detail.
• Ensuring gender equality is mainstreamed throughout team, consultant and staff management activities.
• Ensuring knowledge on gender equality is incorporated in Project Knowledge management activities and products. 
• Ensuring collection of gender disaggregated data

Performance Indicators for evaluation of results 

• Project activities executed in line with UNDP corporate rules and procedures.
• Project funds delivered in accordance with the endorsed Annual Work Plans.
•  Project staff/ team(s) effectively and efficiently guided and backstopped, as needed.
• Links with other relevant projects/initiatives established and joint objectives effectuated.
• High quality reports prepared and submitted on time

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:

Engagement and Effectiveness  

• Effectiveness: Performance analysis on programming; Performance and data analysis and sharing lessons; Programmatic Risk Management and Analysis; Project Quality Assurance; Systems and tools for managing risk.

 People               

• Gender: UNDP’s Gender Equality Seal Initiative; Climate Change and Risk Management of Disasters with a Gender Perspective, Integrated Water Resource Management.

Planet 

• Nature, Climate and Energy: Integrated Water Resource Management; Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risks Management.

Communications        

• Advocacy strategy and implementation: Ability to create and implement advocacy strategies which lead to impactful change.

Partnership     

• 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.

Ethics  

• UN policy knowledge – ethics: Knowledge and understanding of the UN Staff Regulations and Rules and other policies relating to ethics and integrity

Business Direction & Strategy             

• System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.