Project Manager – UNDP

Mission and objectives

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in some 170 countries and territories, supporting their own solutions to development challenges and developing national and local capacities that will help them achieve human development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Our work is concentrated on three main focus areas: • Sustainable development; • Democratic governance and peacebuilding; • Climate and disaster resilience. UNDP helps countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our activities, we promote gender equality and the protection of human rights. UNDP has enhanced its support to countries to work towards the eradication of extreme poverty, enabling us to build back better and work towards innovative solutions to the complex global challenges. We have refined our service offering through six signature solutions to provide a more integrated response to the development challenges that we are all facing in this complex global environment. This includes a mix of policy advice, technical assistance, catalytic financing and innovative programmes tailored to country specific needs to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals through six our signature solutions on – poverty, governance, resilience, environment, energy, gender equality.

Context

UNDP Zambia Country Office provides technical and catalytic finance resources targeting women, youth, and people with disabilities to support the people of Zambia to work towards their national development priorities as defined in Vision 2030. Through its Country Programme Document 2016-2022, the UNDP Zambia Country Office works with partners on the ground and our global development network to support interventions in three core areas: (i) Inclusive growth and poverty eradication, (ii) Good governance and (iii) Environment and Energy. Transport and communications play a critical role in the growth and development of Zambia’s economy. However, in Zambia, transportation costs are among the highest in the sub-region working against the welfare of people, particularly the poor. Government recognizes that while transport and communications are critical to economic growth and poverty reduction if inappropriately designed, transport strategies and programmes result in networks and services that worsen the conditions of the poor, harm the environment, ignore the changing needs of users, and exceed the capacity of public finances to maintain them. Currently, in many of the main cities in Zambia, and especially Lusaka, pedestrians are relegated to the margin of the roads in dusty and uneven, small dangerous spaces. According to a JICA Household Interview Survey, conducted as part of a Comprehensive Urban Development Plan for Lusaka in 2009, walking is the dominant mode of movement for home-based trips, accounting for 65% of the total daily urban movement, while public transport accounts for 23% and private transport 10%. Non-motorized transport (NMT) modes provide basic mobility and affordable transport and offer crucial first and last mile connectivity to public transport. The overall goal of this project is to contribute to improving sustainable mobility in Zambia to help the most disadvantaged populace, have access to safe and affordable means of non-motorized transport. This will contribute to the well-being and livelihoods of the overall population and will have positive environmental benefits. Safe walking and cycling infrastructure, not only will decrease the cost of transport for the disadvantaged but also will in turn, improve people’s health and have positive benefits on economic productivity. The project will also be a catalyst for converting Lusaka into a livable city that will encourage business investments especially in the tertiary and service sectors and contribute to reduced carbon emissions. Ultimately, this will contribute to transforming Zambia into a nation of healthy and productive people. The three main outcome areas of this project are: • Policy development and implementation to create an enabling environment to support the principle of livable cities and safer roads are strengthened; • Multi-stakeholder participation to advocate for an inclusive, safe, and sustainable mobility for non-motorized road users is created; • Physical design and construction of walkways and bikeways that meet the principles of sustainable and livable cities and safer roads are completed.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Office-In-Charge (OIC), Inclusive Growth Unit, the Project Manager will undertake the following tasks: • Provide internal and external coordination work support with UN Agencies and other partners, in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and Ministry of Transport and Logistics; • Assist in the preparation of project proposals, project design documents, project intervention concept notes, activity reports, quarterly, mid-year, annual and donor reports and support inputs into UNDP (e.g., ROAR) and UN annual reporting requirements as per UNDP and UN guidelines, respectively; • In close co-ordination with Local Authorities, Line Ministries, and Implementing Partners, supervise technical feasibility studies for identification of sites to construct safe walkways at Provincial, District, and Constituency levels; • In collaboration with the Project Team, mobilize and facilitate activity implementation and engagement of implementing/responsible parties; • Facilitate the development of monitoring and progress reports on project implementation and related field missions in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development as well as the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, as requested or as per field visit; • Provide technical support to the UNDP Country Office on the establishment of walk-ways facilities and infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists, wheelbarrows and wheel-chairs users to cross-cutting issues, including environmental and community-based protection; • Attend partnership meetings and other relevant programmes and UN Result Group meetings when called upon; • Identify resource mobilization opportunities with other partners including the private sector and global initiatives in close collaboration with the UNDP Programme Compliance Oversight and Monitoring Unit (PCOM); • Organize and participate in project level coordination meetings and/or technical working groups as per project document and AWP; • Support the development of a “walkability” strategy following the Master Plan principles and incorporate green areas/other infrastructure components as necessary; • Provide input and assist with the preparation of communications and public relations materials to increase the visibility of the project; • Support the systematic building of capacities of Implementing Partners through introduction of innovation and best practices, access to knowledge and expertise and promote its application to project implementation; • Promote teamwork, information sharing and collaboration within the Project Team and amongst the stakeholders; • Facilitate project documentation and knowledge sharing of best practices and lessons learned as applicable to Zambia.

Requirements