DRR Project Manager

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title: Project Manager – Disaster Risk Reduction

Duty Station: TBD (mobile in Dolakha, Sindhupulchowk, Kavre and Nuwakot)

Position Category: Full-time, Part-time AND Regular Temporary

Salary Level: Level 6

Duration: 12 months

Current Employee: New position

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

On April 25, 2015, a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter Scale struck Nepal, causing significant loss of life and injuries as well as extensive damage to infrastructure, including roads, markets, buildings and eco-systems. An estimated 8 million people have been directly affected by the earthquake and its numerous large and small aftershocks, with a death toll reported over 8,000 and many more injured and displaced. As a result, Mercy Corps launched a significant emergency response in areas of shelter, food/non-food, water and sanitation programming. As we transition away from immediate emergency relief distributions, the focus must now shift to preparing communities for the after-effects on already fragile communities of the monsoon season in the form of flooding, severe erosion and landslides, helping communities rebuild safely, restart their businesses and to build back better, more safely and more securely. Mercy Corps, after responding to immediate emergency needs in 9 districts of Nepal, will focus its recovery and development activities in four priority districts: Nuwakot, Kavre, Sindhupulchowk and Dolakha.

BACKGROUND:

Mercy Corps is an international, non-governmental humanitarian relief and development agency that exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. Mercy Corps works in 40 countries, and has been present in Nepal since 2005. Mercy Corps’ current work focuses on helping build the absorptive, adaptive and transformative potential of vulnerable individuals and communities across Nepal. The goal is attained through a systems-based approach to market development, financial services, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and youth engagement.

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Through the generous support of thousands of private donors, Mercy Corps is building up core teams in recovery, DRR, financial services and market systems development. The immediate focus of the DRR team is carry out rapid desk-based research and mapping into areas of critical concern regarding flood and landslide risk in the four target districts, starting from our target distribution VDCs and their “sub-basins” of risk. This is to be followed by targeted VCAs in the areas determined to be at most immediate risk, which will seek to raise awareness, map community risks and hazards, vulnerable households and individuals, links to response and recovery bodies, disaster preparedness and response plans and to identify safe evacuation routes, safe places and modalities, while also mapping out priority structural mitigation priorities for monsoon and/or post-monsoon interventions. Post-monsoon priorities will focus on the design and implementation of a full DRR intervention around group formation/strengthening, education/awareness, more in-depth disaster preparation and management planning and the implementation of adaptive and mitigative infrastructure (i.e., civil engineering, bioengineering, etc.).

The DRR team will in the initial months be primarily a mobile team working across the four districts of Nuwakot, Sindhupulchowk, Kavre and Dolakha in close cooperation with the Emergency Teams and their District Coordinators stationed in each district to ensure transparent, efficient and targeted coordination and with close support from the DRR Team Leader based in Kathmandu.

This emergency relief and recovery phase is intended to have immediate impact that gives at-risk, earthquake affected communities the information and planning they need to prepare and respond to the challenges post-earthquake and throughout the monsoon, while also building evidence through programmatic achievements and results that will lead to and help build more detailed and longer-term DRR and DRR-integrated programs in the target districts.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The DRR Project Manager will be overall responsible, with close support and oversight from the DRR Team Leader, together with a small mobile team of DRR Project Officers, for primary mapping and identification of priority VDCs within the four target districts. The DRR Project Manager, working within the DRR team, is responsible for the planning, design, implementation, management and supervision of VCAs in the identified priority VDCs leading to the development of immediate priority disaster preparedness and management plans in those VDCs. S/He will also be responsible for the identification of priority mitigative infrastructure and/or interventions required in those VDCs and communities around the specific risks they face regarding potential and current disasters, including flood, severe erosion and landslides, during and immediately following the monsoon season. S/He will also identify such actions that may be possible during the monsoon season.

Post-monsoon, the DRR Project Manager will assist in the planning, design, costing, implementation and supervision of small-scale mitigation work and ensure quality implementation within stipulated time and cost. S/he will be responsible for building capacity of implementing partner staff and relevant community members for the quality implementation and supervision of small- to medium-scale mitigation. This position works in close collaboration with and with the support of the DRR Team Leader, working to achieve program objectives and targets. The Project Manager and her/his team will work closely with District Coordinators in each target district, providing technical advice and supervising engineering interventions in each project location, and across different target areas and markets. The Project Manager will also provide technical input for the integration of small- to medium-scale mitigation work in and with the target communities.

Key responsibilities include the management and carrying out of community-inclusive and awareness raising VCAs and the identification of small- and medium-scale mitigation techniques that can contribute to disaster risk reduction. The DRR Project Manager will lead the capacity building for the DRR team, local partners and communities, including assisting them in implementation of construction works. S/he will search for different resources and explore different best and most relevant practices on mitigation works developed by Mercy Corps and its partners and others, as might be appropriate existing elsewhere in the country.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Directly manage, oversee, support and organize the DRR emergency program team.
• Pre-identify high priority VDCs and communities based on existing mapping and data at greatest risk of monsoonexacerbated disaster for immediate intervention.
• Develop and carry out VCAs in those VDCs and/or communities resulting in the creation of immediate impact disaster preparedness, management and response plans, including the identification of safe evacuation routes and safe places, along with communication channels for reporting of such events to the relevant authorities and agencies.
• Identify priority small- and medium-scale mitigation activities together with the DRR emergency program team for implementation during the monsoon, when possible, or post-monsoon.
• Coordinate small- and medium-scale mitigation activities together with the DRR emergency program team, MC District Coordinators and partner staff, ensuring high quality performance and program delivery focused on planned results.
• Contribute to any necessary revision or improvement of training curriculum, strategy and tools for small- and medium-scale mitigation activities.
• Develop site-specific needs assessment reports around risks and hazards faced by communities with recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.
• Develop or contribute to the development of site-specific technical designs for DRR interventions in target communities/VDCs together with the DRR Team Leader, as appropriate.
• Contribute to the development of technical design and implementation guidelines and train partners as necessary.
• Organize training for partner organizations and communities on different small- and medium-scale mitigation techniques.
• Develop detailed processes and procedures for the implementation of small- and medium-scale mitigation works and training of partner staff and communities.
• Identify and work with related government/non government agencies and facilitate community linkages to access resources and technical support.
• Work together with District Coordinators to develop and maintain relationships with district implementing partners.
• Prepare monthly progress reports and submit to DRR Team Leader and Director of Programs.

Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

• Prepare monthly work plans, which adhere to the overall project objectives and activities and assist local partner staff in doing the same.
• Oversee the work plans, their quality and adherence to them of the DRR team.
• Coordinate with DM&E team to develop tools and facilitate its implementation to collect feedback, capturing and documenting learning.
• Organize regular field visits to ensure implementation of mitigation work is being carried out with desired quality and within stipulated time and resources.
• Review the progress reports received from the DRR team and local partner staff and provide feedback/ suggestions; support will be provided by the DRR Team Leader as needed. 

Other Support

• Ensure that MC operational policies and procedures are followed, while ensuring downward and upward project efficiency, transparency and accountability.
• Manage good relationships with project stakeholders, including local NGO partners, GoN officials, community officials, and colleague agency officials.
• Ensure that innovative approaches, good practices, particular challenges, or good results are documented to support agency learning.
• Participate and contribute to joint initiatives, training activities and media events organized collectively by the Mercy Corps country team and implementing partners countrywide or regionally, as required.
• Conduct him or herself in a manner so as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and so as not to jeopardize its humanitarian mission.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: DRR Project Officers and Engineers

ACCOUNTABILITY REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Director of Programs and DRR Team Leader

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: DRR team/Project Officers, DRR Team Leader, District Coordinators, M&E Officers, Partner Project Team, Disaster Management Committees, Project Support Unit, DM&E Unit.

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Country Director; Director of Programs; DRR Team Leader; Mercy Corps policies and procedures; DRR and Emergency Response project teams in the field; Position Description; and DRR best practices.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Strong experience in community DRR programming, specifically around the carrying out of VCAs required.
• Minimum Bachelor degree in civil engineering strongly preferred.
• Strong experience in building and managing small, effective, mobile teams strongly preferred.
• Experience of designing and implementing bioengineering intervention strongly preferred.
• Minimum five years’ experience with community-based programs.
• Experience working with local NGO(s), government officials and integrating them into program implementation.
• Experience building capacity of diverse team.
• Strong organization and communication skills.
• Strong writing/spoken English.
• Strong skill on training design and facilitation.
• Ability to search different resources to develop innovative approaches.
• Strong level of computer skills required.
• Willingness to travel frequently to remote areas.
• Competence riding a motorbike preferred.

Please refer to nepal.mercycorps.org for the full position description before applying.

“Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision, and we encourage people from all backgrounds, especially women and members of disadvantaged groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer”.

Interested candidates are requested to submit a CV and cover letter by June 30, 2015 to the address below. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. Telephone enquiries will not be entertained.

Attn: Human Resources Officer

[Please mention the title of the Position for which you are applying on the subject of the e-mail]

Email to: jobs@np.mercycorps.org OR

GPO Box: 24374 Kathmandu, Nepal