Technical Project Officer

Unrest in the Syrian Arab Republic has been ongoing since March 2011 and has deteriorated ever since. Syrians are increasingly deprived of access to Community Infrastructure due to the level of physical and infrastructural destruction left behind by the hostilities or competition for scarce resources, also as a result of massive internal displacement. Inside Syria, over 13.1 million Syrians are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Four out of five people live in poverty. Without security, jobs, Community Infrastructure, and infrastructure, the living conditions of Syrians and their livelihood prospects have significantly eroded, severely increasing their vulnerability, and undermining their ability to cope with the consequences of the crisis. 

All projects under Community Infrastructure contribute to strengthening the resilience of 14 governorates in Syria through the implementation of early recovery and livelihood restoration efforts in partnership with local actors including UN agencies, NGOs, CBOs, and FBOs. They address major service delivery problems and basic infrastructure rehabilitation to contribute to the early recovery, improve living conditions for people in the affected areas, help accelerate the return of the IDPs to their homes, and the revitalization of basic business services in the targeted areas. 

These projects target affected communities through the rehabilitation of social buildings (schools, hospitals, health centers, shops, bakeries, civil service centers, vocational training centers, and Museums…) and the rehabilitation of sewage, water, and irrigation networks, especially in high-priority areas in different governorates. 

UNDP Syria aims to expand its program to support community resilience towards environmental and ecosystem degradation and mitigation of climate change. 

The services related to Solid Waste and Debris Management are poor due to the lack of human, financial, and physical capacities of municipalities. Thus, UNDP will support this thematic area being a priority, particularly since the removal of Solid Waste and debris is essential for conserving health, and the environment and promoting economic and social stability
 

Under the overall direction of the Team Leader for Pillar 2: Local Governance and Community Infrastructure and the supervision of the Project Manager of the Community Infrastructure unit, the technical project officer will work in close collaboration with the Project team for the attainment of the following:

• Provide technical advice and do the technical tender evaluation for projects related to the Community Infrastructure unit (rehabilitation of basic infrastructure, social buildings, solid waste management, and debris removal. 
• provide technical follow-up on the implementation of Community Infrastructure projects, including regular travel (where security permits) to the Targeted Areas.
• Review the initial designs of Community Infrastructure projects received from the field, evaluate them, and assess their feasibility both technically and economically.
• Follow up technically with the local authorities and the field team to prepare proper design and tender documents.
• Provide technical follow-up for implementing projects related to the Community Infrastructure Unit and attend meetings on-site when needed.
• Monitor the implementation effectiveness of the projects.
• Consider ongoing work on planning, infrastructure rehabilitation, and restoration of Community Infrastructure.
• Carry out the infrastructure assessments in specific areas in accordance with UNDP developed infrastructure strategy.
• Provide all reports, deliverables, and communications in both English and Arabic languages as needed.
• Provide written feedback as needed.
• Assist the project Manager in updating the risk register for risks associated with the related projects.
• Daily follow-up and monitoring of the progress in implementation of the works related to the project’s activities and certifying the completion through submission of technical progress reports.
• Follow up on procurement needed ensuring value for money, transparency, and competition as per UNDP rules and regulations, including preparation or clearing the terms of references and condition books for technical works related to the project. 
• Provide regular reports and briefs related to project activities, as needed.
• Document lessons learned and shared experience with UNDP related team.
• Engage with the government and other partners to identify new joint opportunities and provide technical support to the Partnership Unit.
• Develop a monitoring plan and mechanism to track projects’ activities, including site visits.
• Prepare and share monthly infrastructure performance progress with the Project Manager.
• Generate a Database for local market material prices and update it regularly.
• Additional tasks may be requested subject to the workload within the unit.

Institutional Arrangement

Reporting to the Project Manager (Community Infrastructure)