Project Associate

As the United Nations lead agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Our work is concentrated in three focus areas; sustainable development, democratic governance and peace building, and climate and disaster resilience. UNDP’s mandate is to end poverty, build democratic governance, rule of law, and inclusive institutions. We advocate for change, and connect countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP has been working in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development. Together with the Government of India and development partners, we have worked towards eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities, strengthening local governance, enhancing community resilience, protecting the environment, supporting policy initiatives and institutional reforms, and accelerating sustainable development for all. With projects and programmes in every state and union territory in India, UNDP works with national and subnational government, and diverse development actors to deliver people-centric results, particularly for the most vulnerable and marginalized communities. As the integrator for collective action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the UN system, we are committed to supporting the Government of India’s national development vision and priorities and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs for the people and the planet. UNDP India’s current Country Programme, 2018-2022, is in its final year of implementation. Our new Country Programme (2023-2027), which comes into effect in 2023, builds on our prior work and aims to provide an integrated approach to development solutions in three strategic portfolios: - Strong, accountable, and evidence-led institutions for accelerated achievement of the SDGs - Enhanced economic opportunities and social protection to reduce inequality, with a focus on the marginalized - Climate-smart solutions, sustainable ecosystems and resilient development for reduced vulnerability You are invited to join a team of future-smart development professionals to support India in achieving the national and globally agreed goals. As part of the UNDP team, your focus will be to work with diverse stakeholders to find country-specific solutions that lead to sustainable development and reach those furthest behind first.

The Action for Climate and Environment (ACE) Unit at UNDP is organized around the thematic areas of climate change adaptation and mitigation, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem & land restoration, disaster management and resilience, and access to clean and efficient energy. In May 2023, through an official communication to all the state governments of India, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) officially endorsed UNDP’s role to provide technical assistance to the state governments in implementing the recommendations of the XV Finance Commission recommendations. Since then, UNDP has finalized technical proposals with the states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Bihar. Additional states where discussions and proposal development are ongoing are Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Haryana, Maharashtra, J&K, Jharkhand, Odisha etc. In June 2024, the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) approved UNDP’s programme of collaboration with the SDMAs. This now paves the way for UNDP’s formal engagement with the SDMAs of the states and Union Territories of India. For this assignment, the UNV will work to support the cities of Ghaziabad and the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), which has been selected as a winner of Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayors Challenge after a competitive process that received applications from 640 cities around the world.

Under the direct supervision of Programme Specialist (Resilience), the Project Associate will perform the following tasks: A. Support in Day-to-Day Programme Development and Implementation - Support the team in the development of RFPs and RFQs under the project. - Support the cities in developing the activities finalised under the Mayor’s challenge. - Assist the team in evaluating the bids received under the projects - Provide technical inputs for activities like rapid visual screening of the schools and hospitals, structural safety audit and training. - Support the M&E expert in timely reporting for UNDP’s Project Annual Report and Result Oriented Annual Report. Prepare supporting documents for the updation of Social and Environmental screening procedure (SESP), Environment and Social Management Plan (ESMP), Environmental and Social Management Aspect (ESIA) and ensure that such plans are approved by the relevant authorities before implementation the project. B. Contribute to Knowledge Management and Learning - Draft reports, policy briefs, and case studies summarizing project outcomes and lessons learned in line with the UNDP guidelines. - Support the development of visually engaging knowledge products and presentations. - Assist in documenting innovative approaches and best practices in disaster resilience and community preparedness around flood, cyclones, heatwaves, thermal cooling, AI integration and structural safety. C. Facilitate Socially Inclusive and Equitable Programming - Support the integration of social inclusion considerations addressing the needs of women, persons with disabilities, elderly, youth, and marginalized communities into project design. - Develop inclusion-sensitive indicators and support data disaggregation by gender, age, disability, and social group. - Contribute to the preparation of social inclusion assessments and strategies to ensure equitable participation and benefit-sharing across all project interventions. D. Undertaking Research and Analytical Support on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Resilience Themes - Support the team in literature reviews, compiling data, and synthesizing best practices on DRR and climate resilience. - Support in the integration of the upcoming technologies in the programme E. Support Coordination and Field-Based Monitoring Activities - Assist in planning and conducting field visits to project sites to monitor implementation progress. - Contribute to field visit reports with recommendations for improving the delivery and effectiveness of interventions. F. Other Responsibilities: - Assist in data collection and validation processes conducted by project partners, interns, or field enumerators. - Support organization of team meetings, workshops, and reviews to track project progress and challenges. - Contribute to planning and logistics for field missions, ensuring smooth coordination among stakeholders. - Facilitate information flow and coordination between field teams, UNDP team members and government counterparts.