Bangladesh: Senior Organizational Development Specialist

Background Information - Job-specific

UNOPS’ work in the South Asia region focuses on the construction and operation of high quality sustainable infrastructure and sustainable procurement, project management, timely provision of services, and the use of most relevant technologies. One of the main focuses on UNOPS work in South Asia is to reduce the vulnerability of population to unsafe infrastructure, maximize the impact of public investments in infrastructure, and improve the effectiveness and financial viability of the public services delivered out of key public infrastructures. Such projects provide social and economic benefits to vulnerable populations across the region, and contribute to poverty eradication. Projects target a range of sectors such as education, health, urban development, environmental services, climate change mitigation, as well as a range of “soft” support in Capacity Building, operations and maintenance of public assets, local governance, etc.

UNOPS Bangladesh has received an invitation from the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) to submit proposal for the Establishment of a Climate Resilient Local Infrastructure Centre (CReLIC). The Centre is intended to fill up the gap between the increasingly diverse and competent landscape of think tanks and scientific institutions that provide policy advice and scientific data in Bangladesh and best practices generated within the LGED on the other side. CReLIC is one of the three components of the Climate Resilient Infrastructure Mainstreaming (CRIM) Project funded by KFW Development Bank and Green Climate Fund. The other two components are: Climate Resilient Rural Infrastructure and Climate Resilient Urban Infrastructure**.**

In particular, the services to be provided include technical and management support to LGED in the following areas:

• Establishment of a knowledge management system within the LGED to facilitate climate proofing in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of all local infrastructure on a sustainable basis.
• Adjustment of standards, procedures and guidelines of LGED accordingly.
• Mainstreaming climate proofing throughout the LGED organization and their local partners.
• Set-up and development of the Climate Resilient Local Infrastructure Centre (CReLIC) as a staff unit under the LGED top management and initiate the permanent institutionalization structure of CReLIC.

This project has four work packages: 1) Knowledge Management; 2) Guidelines, Standards and Procedures; 3) Communication, Consultation and Training; and 4) Institutional Development.
This 5 year project will lead to the institutionalization of the Centre as a staff unit under the LGED top management which will be responsible for: establishment of the knowledge management system for climate proofing in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of all local infrastructure; and setting of standards, procedures and guidelines for ensuring climate proofing.

Overall, the services will require designing and steering a comprehensive change process in a large organization and establishing a sustainable cooperation network on the national and international level.

Functional Responsibilities

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

The overall purpose of the assignment is to contribute to a strong technical leadership, guidance, capacity building and improved organizational effectiveness of LGED in the establishment and management of the Climate Resilient Local Infrastructure Centre. The post will require strong specialist capacity on organizational development with particular focus on adjustment of guidelines, standards and procedures relative to the operation of the centre. The objective is to work closely with LGED counterparts for transfer of capacity as well as with other experts in the team to ensure effective delivery of services and assistance to LGED.

The Senior Organizational Development Specialist (SODS) will primarily be responsible for the implementation of Work Package 2: Guidelines, Standards and Procedures. In particular, the SODS will manage and closely cooperate with the specialists of Work Package 2 and the specialists of Work Packages 1 and 3. This is to ensure/foster mainstreaming of good practices and to translate feedback from the field into adjusted concepts.

Functional Responsibilities

The SODS will be responsible for the adjustment of standards, procedures and guidelines with the following primary tasks:

• Review, screening, adaptation / development of guidelines, standards, (e.g. standard designs and standard materials) and procedures that translate the knowledge generated in WP1 into institutional practice
• Research of good practices for adjusted designs and construction materials
• Conception of and participation in multi-stakeholder and expert workshops to discuss current practices, best practices and required adjustments with regard to designs, building materials and procedures
• Facilitation of field tests of climate proof Development Project Proposals (DPP) and Technical Project Proposals (TPP)
• Close cooperation with the pilot infrastructure components of the CRIM project
• Development of training concepts and training in close cooperation with the experts of Work Package 3
• Development of Terms of Reference for specialists and provide guidance and supervision to short term experts in Work Package 2.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education

• Master’s degree in geography / urban planning and management, economics, business administration or related fields
• Additional years of experience with a Bachelor's degree may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.

**
Work Experience**

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in infrastructure planning and construction
• Professional experience in Bangladesh and/or countries in South Asia with similar socio-economic conditions is a distinct advantage
• Experience in editing construction standards and guidelines
• Experience working for international development agencies
• Knowledge of climate change impacts and their effects on various types of infrastructure, preferably in South or Southeast Asia
• Proficiency in using ICT

Languages

• Proficient English skills (at least C1-level according to the Common European Framework of References for Languages)

Click on the link below:

https://jobs.unops.org/Pages/ViewVacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=17372