Only nationals and/or permanent residents of the country of the duty station are eligible to apply. Female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.

VACANCY  ANNOUNCEMENT TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT OF PROJECT PERSONNEL

Organizational Context

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. The mission of UNIDO, as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States. The relevance of ISID as an integrated approach to all three pillars of sustainable development is recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will frame United Nations and country efforts towards sustainable development in the next fifteen years. UNIDO’s mandate is fully recognized in SDG-9, which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. The relevance of ISID, however, applies in greater or lesser extent to all SDGs. Accordingly, the Organization’s programmatic focus is structured in four strategic priorities: Creating shared prosperity; Advancing economic competitiveness; Safeguarding the environment; and Strengthening knowledge and institutions. Each of these programmatic fields of activity contains a number of individual programmes, which are implemented in a holistic manner to achieve effective outcomes and impacts through UNIDO’s four enabling functions: (i) technical cooperation; (ii) analytical and research functions and policy advisory services; (iii) normative functions and standards and quality-related activities; and (iv) convening and partnerships for knowledge transfer, networking and industrial cooperation. Such core functions are carried out in Departments/Offices in its Headquarters, Regional Offices and Hubs and Country Offices.

The position is located under the Agro-Industries Technology division (PTC/AGR/AIT) an integral part of the Department of Agri-Business Development (PTC/AGR). The Department provides a range of technical cooperation services to assist developing countries add value to the output of their agricultural sector and generate employment opportunities in off-farm activities for rural communities, thereby contributing to increased food security and a sustainable reduction of poverty. The conceptual framework is that of agribusiness value chains: comprehensive analyses offer a rigorous base for the deployment of specialized services targeting the weaker links of the chain: agricultural mechanization, modern processing technologies, packaging of perishable products, the promotion of food safety in the processing and regulatory environment; and interventions to improve competitiveness and productivity.

COUNTRY CONTEXT Since 1986, the Government of Uganda (GoU) has focused on improving transport infrastructure to accelerate economic development in the country. The current 2nd National Development Plan (NDPII, covering 2016/16 - 2019/20) “A Transformed Ugandan Society from a Peasant to a Modern and Prosperous Country within 30 years”, puts a clear emphasis on this issue. The NDPII further notes that “there is a close relationship between regional integration, growth, and transport infrastructure. Infrastructure development helps to: reduce the cost of production and of doing business; widen and integrate markets; achieve economies of scale; encourage participation of the private sector; and attract foreign direct investment and technology, hence increase a country’s competitiveness and effective participation in regional and global value chains.” This is an especially salient issue for agriculture, one of the key sectors of the Ugandan economy. Furthermore, this issue is exacerbated by Uganda’s landlocked position, resulting in higher transport/production costs vis-à-vis countries with direct access to seaborne trade. In 2014, the GoU invested around USD 160 million to purchase a total of 1,151 road equipment from Japanese companies such as Komatsu, Sakai and Fuso in an effort to improve the national road network and thereby increase farmers’ accessibility to markets and productivity-enhancing agricultural inputs through reduced travel times and transport costs. The user credit facility of USD 131 million was obtained from the Japan Bank for International Corporation (JBIC) for the procurement. The delivery of road equipment to the Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT) was completed in May 2018. This is in line with the Works and Transport sectoral objective No. 1 (develop an adequate, reliable, and efficient multimodal transport network in the country) and intervention No. 3 (rehabilitate and maintain the district, urban and community access road network) of the NDPII. Despite the above initiatives, the GoU has not matched the investment in road machinery with a commensurate investment in human resources to operate the equipment. There have been a number of machine failures and damages caused by improper operation observed during joint monitoring activities with Komatsu. In light of this, MoWT and Komatsu conducted one-off regional trainings in Central, Northern, Eastern and Western Uganda for a total of 1,000 operators in 2017 and 2018. However, this style of one-off training was neither adequate nor sustainable in addressing the acute challenge of inadequate level of expertise required for proper operation of construction equipment. A continuous training approach is therefore needed for operators to obtain adequate and sufficient operator skills and to increase the number of properly-trained operators to meet the industry needs both in the public and private sector. PROJECT CONTEXT UNIDO has received funding from the Government of Japan to implement a project to establish a training center for construction equipment operator training. The project also aims to conduct Training of Trainers (ToT) for instructional staff and assist them in conducting operational trainings for construction equipment operators. In short, the project focuses on the importance of qualified human resources for inclusive and sustainable industrial development and serves as a clear indication that there is a positive correlation between the sustainability/longevity of machines and the training of their operators. The involvement of the GoU/MoWT as well as private sector partners demonstrates the proposal’s inclusiveness and intends to serve as a catalyst for policy-making reform. The project outputs and activities include followings: Output 1. Fully-operational and functional training center for the safe and effective operation of construction equipment established - Conduct assessment of required facility and equipment for a training center for the operation of construction equipment including a dormitory for students - Identify and develop training materials on financial and administrative management of the training center - Provide training on financial and administrative management of the training center Output 2. MoWT instructional staff capable to effectively manage and deliver safe training for construction equipment operators - Develop a teacher training framework that provides standardized curricula and pedagogical tools to instructors - Organize workshops for training content development for both instructors and operators of construction equipment - Develop a teacher education curriculum and learning materials - Institutionalize the certification - Conduct training of instructors - Conduct construction equipment operator training Output 3. Improved gender-sensitive employment opportunities for young men and women in the sector of works and transport through training on the operation of construction equipment - Plan and conduct awareness raising workshops for young men and women to attract their interest in the infrastructure development and maintenance sector, with a strong focus on empowering women to join the industry to target gender equality - Design and develop an apprenticeship programme in cooperation with the public and private sector - Develop a training impact evaluation system to track performance of students participating in apprenticeships Duty station: Tokyo, Japan EOD: as soon as possible; COB 31 March 2010 (with possibility of extension)

Main Functions

The Liaison Officer will work under the overall guidance and report to the International Project Manager (IPM) based in Uganda in-close consultation with the UNIDO allotment holder / backstopping officer, based at Headquarters in Vienna. To achieve the goals of this project, the project will be delivered through close communications with private sector partners such as Komatsu and Sumitomo Corporation. In addition, a major investment is planned in the establishing and equipping of a training center with new technology. This close coordination with project partners as well as the supply, installation, and commissioning requires a Liaison Officer to handle all internal and external processes to ensure technical operations are properly managed by coordinating with all necessary technical officers, manufacturers, technicians and school authorities. The overall objective is to ensure smooth technical operations through efficient partnerships and successful commissioning of new equipment and technology that will enable teachers and students to develop their operator skills. The Liaison Officer will assist the IPM with supporting technical operations management across project teams. She/he will support effective communication and information flow among project partners and teams, monitor and ensure compliance to all UNIDO operational policies and procedures, and develop strategies for the efficient management of technical resources. The position calls for someone who is systematic and has the ability to concentrate on things within their area of knowledge, experience and education. The person fulfilling this role should be approachable, thorough, methodical, self-disciplined, logical, careful and diplomatic in-approach. Moderation, consistency and the ability to tie up all the loose ends and finish a task will be of importance. The ideal candidate would remain self-controlled when things do not work out as planned, be prepared to listen to what others say, deal with conflict in an accommodating manner and use practicality as method for reaching a solution. Develop a team atmosphere through hard work, calmness and self-control, tolerance, consistency, and inclusiveness attempting to fulfil the project goals with integrity. This position will be best filled by those who are supportive of the existing leadership. A mild-mannered and accommodating approach to the achievement of work-related goals is necessary for success in this position. The incumbent will undertake the following duties: Partnerships Development/Management  Develop innovative partnerships with the private /public sector in Japan, including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), which have an interest to partner with UNIDO for the project 180144 to establish a training center in Uganda.  Facilitate close communications with private sector partners to discuss and develop training curriculum and materials for training instructors and students of a training center to be established under the project in Uganda.  Arrange and facilitate discussions with project key partners to identify and dispatch long-term and short-term experts to Uganda to conduct high quality trainings on construction equipment operation and road construction for both instructors and operators.  Lead advocacy efforts in Japan to communicate to public / private actors on the progress and achievements of the project 180144 both in Japanese and English.  Organize regular status meetings with project partners and provide regular updates on the project.  Lead communications with the Embassy of Japan in Uganda as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in Tokyo, Japan to provide regular updates on the project. This will include, but not limited to, report submissions, event coordination, budget revisions, project proposals, and/or extension requests. Reporting  Provide substantive and regular reporting to the IPM. UNIDO Rules and Regulations  Ensure adherence to UNIDO rules and regulations for financial and administrative matters.  Foster a positive work environment, respectful of both men and women and ensure that the highest standards of conduct are observed. Others:  Ad-hoc tasks assigned by the IPM.

Core Competencies

WE LIVE AND ACT WITH INTEGRITY: work honestly, openly and impartially. WE SHOW PROFESSIONALISM: work hard and competently in a committed and responsible manner. WE RESPECT DIVERSITY: work together effectively, respectfully and inclusively, regardless of our differences in culture and perspective. WE FOCUS ON PEOPLE: cooperate to fully reach our potential –and this is true for our colleagues as well as our clients. Emotional intelligence and receptiveness are vital parts of our UNIDO identity. WE FOCUS ON RESULTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: focus on planning, organizing and managing our work effectively and efficiently. We are responsible and accountable for achieving our results and meeting our performance standards. This accountability does not end with our colleagues and supervisors, but we also owe it to those we serve and who have trusted us to contribute to a better, safer and healthier world. WE COMMUNICATE AND EARN TRUST: communicate effectively with one another and build an environment of trust where we can all excel in our work. WE THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND INNOVATE: To stay relevant, we continuously improve, support innovation, share our knowledge and skills, and learn from one another.

Minimum Requirements

Education

Advanced university degree in development studies, international relations or other relevant field.

Languages

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required. • Knowledge of additional official UN language is desirable, but not essential. # • Fluency in written and spoken Japanese is required.

Computer Skills

Field of Expertise

• Minimum 7 years of work experience in private sector fundraising, or areas related to corporate social responsibility, marketing, communication, or business consulting. • Experience with the vocational education sector will be considered an advantage. • Exposure to the needs, conditions and problems in developing countries will be considered an asset. • Sound computer proficiency essential (i.e. MS Office). • Proven ability to delivery under pressure and in short timeframes. • Strong communication skills (oral and written). Ability to work as a member of a team with good inter-personal communication skills. • Demonstrates leadership skills with ability and willingness to face challenges, solve problems, and motivate others, while maintaining effective relations (internal and external).

<strong>This appointment is limited to the specified project(s) only and does not carry any expectation of renewal. </strong>