Project Facilitator

Rolling Plans Pvt. Ltd (RPPL) announces the vacancy for Rural Enterprises and Remittance Project (RERP) . SAMRIDDHI is a seven-year project funded by International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and executed by the Ministry of Industry (MOI). Government of Nepal (GON) that aims at providing sustainable sources of income to poor households, migrant families and returnees in the Eastern and Central Regions of Nepal, by supporting the creation and expansion of family, micro, small and medium rural enterprises, both in the farming and off farming sectors. The goal of the project is reducing poverty and achieving sustainable peace through employment-focused, equitable and inclusive economic development.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

Application should include a cover letter, updated Bio-data and self-verified copies of necessary documents that qualify the CV. The application through email and/or by post should mention the job position and vacancy code in the subject line or in the envelope respectively. 

Fill the Application Form online from the link: www.rollingplans.com.np/samriddhi

The TOR may be revised at the time of employment agreement.

The organization reserves the right to reject any/all applications without assigning any reason whatsoever. Canvassing at any stage of the process shall lead to automatic disqualification.

DEADLINE:

The application needs to be received latest by 17:00Hrs, October 30, 2016 (Kartik 14, 2073) 

PROJECT FACILITATOR

POSITION & KEY FEATURES

Job Title: Project Facilitator

Duty Station: PMO at Itahari, Sunsari District with about 50% travels to the Project Districts and Kathmandu.

Mode of Contract: Annual, with initial six-month' probation period, and extendable up to the project period based on satisfactory performance

Reporting to: Project Manager

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Rural Enterprises and Remittances (RER) - SAMRIDDHI is a seven years’ project signed between the Government of Nepal (GON) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on 10 December 2015 covering 16 hills and Terai districts. It aims at providing sustainable sources of income to poor households, migrant families and returnees in the Eastern and Central Regions of Nepal, by supporting the creation and expansion of family, micro, small and medium rural enterprises, both in the farming and off-farming sectors. Ministry of Industry (MOI) is the Executing Agency. Agro Enterprise Center (AEC) under Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Helvetas Nepal, selected financial institutions and the business development service providers extending services to the rural areas are the key implanting partners. The Project comprises three inter-linked components encompassing the full set of interventions required to support RMSEs’ profitable and sustainable growth:

• Component 1: Promotion of RMSEs aims at (i) strengthening micro and small entrepreneurs, migrants and their families with sustainable access to adapted Business Development Services (BDS), i.e. non-financial services in support to enterprise creation and/or expansion; and (ii) vocational training and apprenticeship to poor households to build their skills and to secure gainful wage employment in RMSEs. Activities will be driven by an assessment of markets, business opportunities and available services and by an inventory and classification of existing RMSEs through a validation process.
• Component 2: Productive Investment builds on results of component 1 and aims at (i) facilitating RMSEs/migrants/remittance recipient households’ access to financial services at an affordable cost by sustainable financial institutions; and (ii) mobilizing migrants’ resources and skills for creating assets and promoting profitable rural enterprises. It will develop innovative financial instruments designed to offset major constraints faced by RMSEs in accessing investment loans at an affordable cost and to stimulate migrants’ savings and investment in profitable business development.
• Component 3: Institutional Support and Project Management aims at promoting a favorable policy and institutional environment supporting the development of RMSEs at a national scale and the contribution of migration to sustainable development.

Implementation Arrangements

The MOI is overall responsible for coordination and oversight. A Project Management Office (PMO), located at Itahari is responsible for day-to-day implementation of project activities with support from two Corridor Teams providing technical and management support to Enterprise Service Centers (ESCs) and migration-related activities at the district level. Technical partners - Helvetas Nepal and South Asia will support to implement of vocational training and knowledge management aspects. Besides, selected financial institutions and business development service providers’ are expected to support the implementation. A Project Steering Committee headed by MOI Secretary at the national level will provide oversight and guidance.

Expected Results

The development objective of the Project is that viable RMSEs, in both farming and off-farming sectors, provide sustainable sources of income to poor households, migrant families and returnees. Main indicators are: (i) 60,000 RER supported rural entrepreneurs expand their existing business or create a new one; (ii) 30,000 rural youth access job placement services; (iii) 30,000 RER-supported enterprises are still in business after 3 years, of which 33% owned by women/30% owned by migrant returnees; and (iv) 21,000 RER supported vocational trainees and apprentices, of which 33% of women, are in gainful employment over at least 6 months

Scope of Assignment

The Project Facilitator (PF) is responsible to support the Project Manager (PM) and the Project Team in implementing the project activity towards the achievement of the project development objective. S/he will ensure that the implementation of Project activities is realized according to the conditions of the loan agreement and the Project Appraisal Report. S/he supports the PM in ensuring effective and timely implementation of all Project activities, with special attention to providing overall inter-agency coordination and facilitation at various levels. Under the direction and supervision of the PM, the PF supports the PM in managing the PMT, Corridor Offices and ESCs to ensure that the deliverables are met in a timely and efficient manner. Particularly, the PF technically leads implementation of all project activities including planning, M&E, financial management, procurement and knowledge management in close guidance of the PM. The PF also supports the PM in ensuring that there are sufficient and appropriate personnel with the right level of skills, resources and other support needed to implement the Project. 

This is a senior managerial position responsible for ensuring achievements of intended outcomes and impacts. Working closely under the guidance of the PM, the PF should technically lead the preparation various plans including annual work plan and budget (AWPB), monitoring the implanted activities, evaluating the results, communicating with the stakeholders and service providers, supervising the work of various specialists on their specific assignments and ensuring a smooth running of the project. The person should have a grasp of the entire project activities and initiatives and be able to provide the necessary leadership especially on technical aspects of the project implementation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

The PF is responsible for supporting the PM in coordinating and management of the project activities towards delivering project's expected output and outcomes. Specific responsibilities, but not limited to, include the following:

Project Management, Coordination and Implementation

• Support the PM in managing the project. Review the existing staff strength including number and types of technical experts with required expertise to ensure the smooth and effective implementation of project activities and suggest if any adjustment/changes are required. 
• Periodiclly review and update the project plans such as Financial Management Plan, District Coverage Plan, Beneficiary Outreach Plan, Procurement Plan, Human Resource Management Plan etc finalized during the start-up workshop and set the target for each Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWPB) accordingly so that all targets are met by the end of project period. 
• Orient the project staff from Project Management Team (PMT), corridor and Enterprise Service Center (ESC) and stakeholders at various levels on the approaches and working modality of the project including Project Implementation Manual (PIM); breakdown the project targets by district by year. Train the staff mermbers in prepartion of AWPB and periodic progress reports.
• Review PIM annually and update it based on the experiences gained through the implementation;  propose required changes to IFAD and PSC through the PM. 
• Identify various types of service providers (SPs), both national and international, and the services required from them to the project;  facilitate the procurement of services from SPs required for the project in a competitive and transparent manner. 
• Facilitate the implementation of project activities in accordance with the Project Design Reports and the Financing Agreement signed between Government of Nepal (GON) and IFAD, and ensure the the procedure adopted in project implementation follow the rules of the GoN as well as those of the IFAD
• Facilitate oragnization of periodic staff, progress rweview meetingsat various levels (PMT, Corrodor and ESC), support the PM in reflecting the decisions/feedback through management decisions and assist the PM in managing external relationship with stakeholders, government agencies and other development partners
• Support the PM in preparing agenda and organization of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting; present progress report, priority issues and way forward to be discussed. Minute decisions of the PSC meeting, facilitate implementation of the decisions and share the minutes with all relevant including IFAD 
• Assist the PM while reviewing the proposals at different stages for procurement of services, goods and works from the SPs, implementing partners and BDS providers including review of RFPs/RFQs, bid documents, job description and terms of reference
• Support the PM in managing and supervising all types of project staff;

Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

• Ensure adoption of bottom-up planning process by the project. Support the PM in timely preparation and submission of AWPBs to IFAD and GON; ensure that IFAD’s ‘no objection’ is obtained before the final AWPB is submitted to GON.
• Ensure that a full functional M&E and MIS system in place to capture project’s outputs, outcomes and achievements; provide guidance to PM&E and KM specialists in setting up of a software-based M&E and MIS system;
• Encourage the PME and KM team to use geo-referencing and record GPS coordinates of the 
• Ensure that the M&E system provides a regular feedback to the Project Management in improving working approaches and methodologies, coordinating and collaborating with various partners and also in decision making processes of the project implementation at various levels;
• Ensure that project’s achievements and lessons learnt including case studies are documented in a professional manner and shared widely, both internally and externally; including on-going IFAD supported projects in the country. Also ensure sharing the project publications and knowledge products through social media;

Reporting and Communication

• Prepare and submit regular periodic progress reports such as trimester/annual progress reports including financial reports, RIMS, SIMES and other periodic reports to the PM to ensure timely submission of these reports to IFAD and Government of Nepal (GoN) within the stipulated timeline. Ensure that all progress reports are uploaded to Project’s website for wider dissemination;
• Support the PM and financial management staff in getting timely audit of the project accounts, and activities; ensure timely submission of Project Financial Statements and Audit Reports to IFAD; 
• Ensure that the project has a communication strategy in place embedded with a feedback mechanism/grievances handling system and all project staff and stakeholders are kept informed of policies/procedures/changes related to the Project;

Knowledge Management

• Facilitate to establish a culture of lessons learning and sharing among all Project staff and implementing partners by organizing periodic KM events and production of knowledge products at various levels; prepare policy briefs based on these events for sharing
• Support the PM to capture and shares lesson learned through the M&E system, supervision and evaluation missions, periodic visits to sites, Annual Outcome Surveys and periodic Opinion Polling
• Facilitate  exchange  of  experiences  by  supporting  and  coordinating  participation  in knowledge sharing workshops, teleconferences, contribution to IFAD Asia portal and any other existing knowledge sharing network of IFAD at the country, regional hub and global level;
• Identify and facilitate participation of project in additional networks, for example scientific or policy-based networks that may also yield lessons that can benefit Project implementation; 
• Ensure that minutes, action plan and notes of all official meetings, technical reports on all training/workshop/seminar/consultations are properly documented, packaged and shared as appropriate; and
• Document, package and disseminate lessons emerging from implementation of project activities frequently targeting different audience level and also for the policy

Others

• Develop the  performance evaluation  indicators for all staff members from the PMO, Corridor level and the ESC in a participatory manner and submit to the PM for final review
• Assist the PM in evaluating the performance of each staff member at the end of each year or before signing the extension of contract for the next period
• Support the PM in maintaining regular communication and reporting to the IFAD, government and other stakeholders
• Any other tasks as assigned by the PM 

Qualification, Experience and Competencies

• Post Graduate or higher degree in economics, migration or other relevant  social sciences from a reputed institution 
• Seven years’ of working  experiences in an externally funded development project or institution in a senior management position with at least three years’ of experience in private sector/business development or enterprise promotion
• Working experiences or a sound knowledge of migration and remittance issues in Nepal
• Knowledge of the goals and working procedures of international donor organizations such as the UNDP, World Bank, ADB etc
• Ability to work with multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural groups and environment with ability to handle stresses and work within a tight deadline
• Ability to coordinate and communicate with a diverse group of professionals and para-professionals from public bodies, private industry, research institutions, or non-governmental organizations 
• Ability to understand and work with senior level government officials 
• A good team player and team builder with ability to guide and develop capacities of team members, counterpart staff and other key stakeholders
• Willing to undertake field visits and able to provide on-the-spot guidance to the field staff
• Professional approach with strong work ethics
• Excellent communicator in English and Nepali – both oral and written 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite - inclusive of MS Project, and MS PowerPoint

Desirable

• Understanding of the IFAD system and procedures

Salary and Benefits

• The salary will be paid for only twelve (12) months and is negotiable within the range between NPR. 150,000 to NPR 200,000 as decided by the Project Manager. 
• Tax on the salary will be applicable as per the prevailing GON rules and regulation. 
• Travel and the Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) will be as per the prevailing GON rule as applied for the gazetted class II officer while traveling out of the work station for official purpose. 

Other Entitlements

• Leave: The Specialist will be provided with 21 days of home leave and 6 days of casual leave annually, which will not be carried over to the next year. S/he will also be provided 12 days of sick leave per year, which if not consumed, will be carried over to the next year. The unspent sick leave will be compensated as per the existing salary scale at the time of termination of the contract or closing of the Project. In addition, s/he will also be provided with Mourning Leave – 15 days, Maternity Leave -2 months for women (15 days for men, for maternity care leave) and all public holidays.
• Insurance: The Specialist has to insure his/her life including accidental insurance. The Project will reimburse 50 % of the monthly premium for the period working with the Project, not exceeding Rs. 300 per month, upon submission of copy of insurance policy and receipts.

Performance Assessment

The performance assessment of the Admin/Finance Officer will be based on the quality and timely completion of the tasks assigned and contributions to the Project outputs and outcomes. Details on the indicators for performance assessment will be negotiated and agreed upon on a later stage once s/he signs contract with the Project. The Project reserves the right to terminate the contract if the performance of the MS is assessed as unsatisfactory.

These Terms of Reference are subject to revision/update annually per requirement of the Project based on planning trajectory, modification in project design, or as recommended by Joint Reviews/Supervision Missions and lessons learned during the course of implementation.