1. POSITION VACANT: Project Manager-Life Skills (1 vacancy), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Bhubaneswar, Odisha

2. ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND:\

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is partnering with the Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI), ST and SC Development Department, Government of Odisha for promoting health, nutrition and wellbeing of students in the residential schools. UNFPA has been implementing the Life Skills Education programme in STSC residential schools since the year 2013, to ensure adolescents from the most marginalized communities experience a healthy, safer and informed growing up.

The second phase of the LSE programme will include a multi pronged approach integrated into the existing tribal residential school system. The project will cover all residential schools under ST and SC department with intensive interventions in 13 districts that have a high concentration of ST and SC residential schools. The focus will be on system strengthening for creating an enabling environment and ensuring health and well being of adolescents. The Life Skills Education will be imparted to students from 5th to 10th standard through trained teachers and peer educators in 1100 residential schools (middle schools, high schools and higher secondary residential schools in the state of Odisha). Convergence will be established with Health and Family Welfare Department for organizing Adolescent Health Days (AHDs), streamlining Weekly Iron Folic Acid supplementation and tracking health and nutrition of students. Healthy lifestyles will be promoted among students, robust disease surveillance mechanisms will be put in place through the functionaries of the residential schools and strong linkages established with the health sector for prompt referral and management.

The program’s second phase will be intensified in a phased manner initially covering five districts (Gajapati, Raigada, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Bolangir) and then scaled up to other districts.

3. JOB DESCRIPTION/ RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reporting to Director ST & SC RTI, SSD Department, the Project Manager-Life Skills will work in close coordination with SCSTRTI and District Life Skills Education Coordinators and shall be responsible for the following:

(1) Overall responsibility for implementation of the project on health, nutrition and well being of adolescents in tribal residential schools;

(2) Planning and rolling out state and district level workshops and training progammes, including co-curricular activities on life skills;

(3) Facilitate in developing the database of boarders and students of SC/ST schools. Introduction of IT/digital tools for tracking service delivery and well being of students in schools in close coordination with the agencies hired for the purpose;

(4) Interface with state and district level officials to implement the project activities and ensure circulars and communications from the department to the district;

(5) Coordinate the functioning of team members, finalizing their workplans and monitoring of their school visits;

(6) Ensure health profiling of adolescents in convergence with RBSK and RKSK teams at the district level and conduct of AHDs;

(7) Institutionalize the LSE programme in the tribal education system by building capacities of various stakeholders and by establishing monitoring mechanisms;

(8) Ensure convergence of various units under the SC/ST department so that a robust monitoring mechanism is established for ensure health and well being of students in residential schools;

(9) Facilitate in organizing advocacy and sensitization programmes at state, district and school levels including for parent teacher association;

(10) Ensure reporting to UNFPA as per the set timelines.

Undertake any other assignments as desired by Project Manager, Director SCSTRTI and UNFPA.

4. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES:

Qualification and Experience

(1) Applicants must have a Master’s degree in Science, Sociology, Social Work, Public Health or a related field of studies with at least five years of experience with Government or NGOs in the area of adolescent health, nutrition, or a related subject; 

(2) Working experience in leading large-scale projects at State/National level will be an added advantage;

(3) Well conversant with the government functioning and the residential education system.

Skills and Competencies

(1) Good communication skills in English and Odia;

(2) Excellent communication and ability to work in teams;

(3) Effortlessly multi-task and meet deadlines;

(4) Working knowledge of MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel is a must;

(5) Good in documentation and preparing creative presentations;

(6) Willingness to travel as the position involves travel to the field/project sites.

5. NATURE OF ENGAGEMENT:

The Project Manager-Life Skills shall be hired on a consultancy contract through Strategic Alliance Management Services P Ltd. (SAMS), a respected HR Agency.

6. REMEUNERATION:

Gross compensation budgeted for the position is Rs. 82,000/- per month and will be commensurate with candidates’ salary history.

7. LOCATION: Bhubaneswar, Odisha

8. DURATION: The successful candidate shall be issued successive consultancy contracts for a period of one year by UNFPA’s third-party payrolling partner(s).

The initial contract from the date of joining till June 30, 2023, shall be issued by SAMS. The subsequent contract for the balance period shall be issued by SAMS and/or UNFPA’s successor third-party payrolling partner.

9. REFERENCE: PM-LS-UNFPA-OD

10. CONTACT INFORMATION:

Team SAMS
Strategic Alliance Management Services P Ltd.
1/1B, Choudhary Hetram House, Bharat Nagar 
New Friends Colony, New Delhi 110 025
Phone Nos.: 011- 4081 9900; 4165 3612

11. APPLICATION PROCESS:

Eligible candidates interested in the position are requested to apply using the link https://recruitment.samshrm.com/Jobs/UNFPA, by or before May 10, 2023