Background
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Afghanistan is responsible for implementing a number of projects on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan and the aid donor community. The Afghanistan Operation Centre (AGOC) has been set up as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the Implementing Agency.
The National Rural Access Program (NRAP) is one of the most important National Priority Programs (NPP) of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The primary focus of the program is the rehabilitation, (re-) construction and maintenance of the rural roads network in all 34 provinces of the country and is funded by different donors, including the WB, EC, DFID, JSDF and USAID.
The primary function of the National Rural Access Program NRAP-MPW and MRRD Units is to assist the government of Afghanistan in the rehabilitation of rural transportation infrastructure for the Ministries of Public Works (MPW) and Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) through the provision of quality engineering services and accountable management for the program, and to build the MPW and MRRD counterparts capacity to plan and manage similar projects in the future. The project geographical areas can cover all provinces in Afghanistan.
The current component under NRAP is the National Emergency Rural Access Program (NERAP). The targets under NERAP are (a) to accelerate the capacity building initiatives within the MPW and MRRD, (b) the rehabilitation and reconstruction of around 2000kms of selected secondary and tertiary rural roads, (c) the implementation of the Ministries rural roads maintenance strategy, including emergency repair works, (d) provision for environmental and social management plans, monitoring and maintenance, and (e) project implementation support for both works and non-works.
Duties and Responsibilities Based on the overall objective of NERAP to rehabilitate rural secondary and tertiary roads, including bridges and structures, UNOPS proposes to divide implementation activities over the full 36-month life of the program into program-level and project-level actions. The Project Management Office (PMO) will undertake the majority of the national-level activities including work planning, leveraging and coordinating complementary investments, financial tracking, monitoring and evaluation, and progress reporting. Road construction and capacity building activities will be implemented through two Programme Implementation Units (PIUs) one embedded in the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) and the other in the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) and at the regional (project) levels. Each PIU will be led by a CTA who will report directly to the TL.
The Team Leader (TL) for NERAP – working from the Project Management Office will be ultimately responsible for the overall success of the program. The TL will provide overall program management to ensure that the road rehabilitation is implemented effectively to achieve the Government’s goal of promoting stability and security in Afghanistan. The TL will liaise with the National Coordination Unit (NCU) to review and plan program activities and to report on technical and financial progress. The TL will manage program staff, lead the mobilization of additional resources on behalf o UNOPS and support the NCU in their resource mobilization activities, and provide quality assurance for road rehabilitation, capacity building, and community outreach activities to ensure that the desired program results are achieved on time and on budget, and contribute to the Government of Afghanistan’s social, economic and environmental aims as expressed in the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). The TL will ensure that World Bank financial and other resources are used appropriately and effectively.
Specific Duties
Working with the relevant experts and through the Deputy Team Leader and the Chief Technical Advisors for each PIU, the Team leader will have overall responsibility for the successful implementation of the NERAP program including:
Oversight and overall program scheduling, financial management, contract management and quality assurance of all components of the program including:
• Management of all activities of the program in accordance with UNOPS’ Management Services Agreements (MSAs) with the two executing Ministries; • Provide overall coordination between UNOPS and its key partners including the NCU, MPW, MRRD (their respective PIUs), and the World Bank; • Coordinate and ensure effective administrative support to the programme such as human resources (IC staff only), procurement (related to project implementation), donor coordination complementary to NERAP, office and facilities management (IC and regional offices), and logistical support etc.; • Ensure the timely preparation and dissemination of annual budgets and/or budget revisions for Ministries and World Bank; • Represent the programme as required in Inter-Agency mechanisms, with appropriate Afghan authorities and donors; • Coordinate the provision of security services to the entire program; • Provide oversight on implementation of the road rehabilitation works; • Coordinate project activities with those of other projects of the UN, other donors and international agencies and Government of Afghanistan. • Assist the UNOPS Country Operations Centre Management to ensure adherence with corporate administrative requirements and report on Programme performance as and when needed;
Technical advice and support to the NCU and respective PIUs including:
• Engineering advice to the NCU and PIUs as required; • Facilitate the incorporation of technical designs and documentation developed by the Programme into the national standard as appropriate; • Promote awareness on road safety issues and assist in properly addressing them during construction, including coordinating the implementation of road safety audits as required; • Ensure production, dissemination and induction of technical standard designs and adoption of these designs by the Programme personnel; • Support training for National consultants and civil servant staff assigned to the Programme on relevant technical topics including but not limited to:
Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting on Programme Progress to NCU including
• Ensuring compliance with ESMF requirements; • Ensure the development and implementation of common database management services including common monitoring and reporting platforms within each of the PIUs in line with the requirements of the MSAs as well as supporting the Ministries’ planning and programming needs; • Project controls – scheduling, tracking and reporting to NCU, MPW and MRRD on construction activities; • Financial and project status reporting to NCU; • Ensuring technical and performance monitoring of the contracts is in conformance with the project performance indicators;
Required Selection Criteria
Education/Experience/Language/Competencies • • University Degree in Civil Engineering. A Master of Science degree is desirable • At least Sixteen 16 years experience in successfully conducting and implementing similar programs using IDA’s Procedures. • Experience with similar World Bank projects. • Previous experience in Afghanistan desirable. • Demonstrated ability to manage large scale rural road rehabilitation projects using labour-intensive and/or LBAT methods and utilising private sector and community contractors. • Demonstrated experience building capacity including systems, procedures and standards. • Fluent English both written and spoken. Knowledge of Dari, Pashtu or other regional languages are an advantage. • Strong Leadership and Management Skills • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. • Excellent documentation skills
Submission of Applications
Qualified candidates may submit their application, including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form () English Version or French Version, via e-mail to Kindly indicate the vacancy number and the post title in the subject line when applying by email.
Additional Considerations
- Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. - Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified. - Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. - UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post.
For more information on UNOPS, including its core values and competencies, please visit the UNOPS website at .
