Under the overall supervision of the Senior Project Manager of the NRM project, the incumbent will be responsible to support the delivery of the project activities in specific areas defined in consultation with the Senior Project Manager (PM), including through broad scale stakeholder engagement. Through his/her technical expertise, the Liaison Senior Officer will seek to increase community (local authorities and beneficiaries) involvement through working and support with design management and site supervision for the infrastructure scope of work within the targeted location and coordinate, in close consultation with the Senior Project Manager.
The Liaison Senior Officer will support the Senior Project Manager in the delivery of project activities, focusing on stakeholder engagement, community involvement, and infrastructure interventions within the targeted locations in Syria. The role involves project coordination, development of infrastructure interventions, monitoring and quality assurance, and liaison with stakeholders to ensure effective coordination and alignment with local priorities
1. Project Coordination
* In collaboration with the PM and other team members, implement the workplan guided by the project documents and strategy.
* Ensure close and effective collaboration with all key stakeholders and ensure their active participation in all project activities and committees.
* Support the PM in the design and planning of processes and systems to improve and expand NRM support.
* Support validating needs assessments with national priorities as well as wider UN strategies and frameworks.
* Where necessary, prepare and analyze information from the target locations and prepare summaries, briefing notes, implementation plans and roadmaps.
* Prepare and implement a coordinated response to the needs of the communities.
* Promote the project by providing substantive input for stories, articles and other PR activities.
* Support the PM in overseeing grants in the field.
* Perform other duties as required.
2. Development of infrastructure interventions
* Review designs related to infrastructure works centered on the end user’s needs, which meet stakeholders’ requirements, UNOPS quality standards for design and construction, the project’s objectives, and budget constraints.
* Take into account users’ specific needs based on gender, age, disabilities, socio-cultural norms, etc.
* Consider all stages of an infrastructure life cycle (design and planning, raw material acquisition, materials processing, construction, community training for operation, maintenance, renovation, decommissioning, and recycling) and optimize the proposed infrastructure’s value for money.
* Review the budgets of the proposed infrastructure interventions.
* Conduct participatory workshops with partners to refine the understanding of the causes of service gaps, their capacity-building needs, and their expectations, where necessary.
* Participate in evaluating bids, conducting detailed and substantiated technical evaluations and verification/assessment of the references submitted by the bidders (acting in full compliance with the provision of the Procurement Manual), when needed.
3. Monitoring, quality assurance and reporting on infrastructure interventions
* Contribute to setting up and managing remote supervision systems, including but not limited to the setup of remote monitoring systems based on the “UNOPS Collect” application
* Conduct regular field visits of infrastructure interventions implemented by contractors, assess the quality of the interventions and coordinate with the contractors to address any potential issue.
* Perform quality assurance and quality control for all infrastructure interventions.
* Report timely and qualitatively on the progress of the infrastructure interventions, with a focus on impact, quality, risks and issues and lessons learned.
* Review and approve all test results related to Infrastructure.
4. Liaison and relationship building with stakeholders
* Support the PM in participating in relevant inter-agency working groups, meetings and events, including UN coordination mechanisms (when requested).
* Liaise with Local authorities community and Implementing Partners to ensure effective coordination, smooth implementation of project activities, and alignment with local priorities.
* Inform the PM on local authorities and local communities priorities in NRM related sectors in the targeted locations
5. Reporting
* Ensure accurate and timely reporting of progress and conditions on-site through daily site records.
* Prepare and submit to the PM a monthly (or as requested) report, summarizing the progress of NRM activities in the location, quality control issues, resourcing and scheduling issues, and any other pertinent facts as required.
* Produce any appropriate documentation identified by the PM professionally and accurately
* In collaboration with the PM and other team members, implement the workplan guided by the project documents and strategy.
