Project Assistant

Job Description
Background
Aspire To Innovate (a2i), a Whole-of-government ICT Division Program Supported By The Cabinet Division And UNDP, Catalyzes Citizen-friendly Public Service Innovations, Simplifying Government And Bringing It Closer To People. The Aspire To Innovate (a2i) Program Is The Flagship Digital Transformation Program Of The Government Of Bangladesh, Infusing Massive Reform In Public Service Delivery For The Last Decade. The Project's Objective Is To Increase Transparency, Improve Governance, And Reduce The Time, Difficulty, And Costs Of Obtaining Government Services For The Underserved Communities Of Bangladesh. This Is To Be Achieved By The Following Major Three Components Of The Project

Component 1: Institutionalizing Public Service Innovation and Improving Accountability.

Component 2: Catalyzing Digital Financial Services and Fin-tech Innovations.

Component 3: Incubating Private Sector-enabled Public Service Innovation.

The project is funded by the Government of Bangladesh, UNDP, and other development partners, and is implemented by ICT and Cabinet Division.

Under the component Institutionalizing Public Service Innovation and Improving Accountability, a2i is implementing the Multi-Sectoral Data Integration (MSDI) project to strengthen routine vaccination system and accelerate digital health service integration. Estimating the target population for vaccination is challenging due to verification difficulties and a lack of valid birth records, especially among out-of-school children, marginalized communities, migrants etc. These gaps make it difficult to establish denominators for the target population, posing a risk of missing vulnerable groups in the vaccination effort. The project aims to improve accurate identification and enumeration of vaccine eligible population by triangulating multiple data sources to inform policymakers and program managers. To support the effective implementation and coordination of this project, a2i seeks to onboard two Program Assistants to provide technical, logistical, and communications support to ongoing projects, including donor-funded health initiatives, knowledge management efforts, and innovation-driven events.

Duties And Responsibilities
Summary of Key Functions
Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the International Project Manager, a2i, UNDP Bangladesh and in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, the incumbent will perform the following responsibilities:

• Assisting the International project Manager for the smooth implementation of projects.
• Assisting in strategic communication, content development, and outreach efforts.
• Support day-to-day project coordination and stakeholder communication.
• Support the organization of stakeholder consultations, workshops, events, meetings, and field visits.
• Supporting research on digital health, best practices, and innovations.
• Any other tasks assigned by the Supervisor.

S/he will have the following, but not limited to the following specific duties and responsibilities:

Assisting the International project Manager for the smooth implementation of projects

• Assist in the development, tracking, and management of project plans, timelines, and deliverables to ensure alignment with strategic goals.
• Providing support in maintaining liaison with stakeholders and ensuring timely communication.
• Support procurement processes by coordinating with vendors and tracking performance.

Assisting in strategic communication, content development, and outreach efforts

• Assist in developing professional communication materials including PowerPoint presentations, campaign content, and visual aids tailored to digital health and project themes.
• Contribute to the drafting of technical reports, policy briefs, and manuscripts for publication.
• Support the development of concept notes and research proposals aligned with project objectives.

Support day-to-day project coordination and stakeholder communication

• Maintain organized project documentation, including meeting notes, partner correspondence, and activity trackers.
• Follow up on action items and deadlines with relevant team members and stakeholders to ensure timely progress.
• Support the preparation of routine project updates, summaries, and reports for internal and external use.

Support the organization of stakeholder consultations, workshops, events, meetings, and field visits.

• Assist in planning and coordinating logistics for stakeholder consultations, workshops, official meetings, and field visits.
• Coordinate with vendors and service providers to ensure venue setup, transport, supplies, and other logistics are in place.
• Provide on-site and remote support during events and visits, including registration, documentation, and coordination.
• Assist in documenting key discussions, decisions, and follow-up actions from meetings, events, and field visits.
• Ensure timely preparation and distribution of event materials, agendas, and logistical information to participants.

Supporting research on digital health, best practices, and innovations

• Assist in collecting background information and relevant data from various sources to support project planning and decision-making.
• Help develop checklists or questionnaires to gather feedback from the field.
• Support in organizing and summarizing information, case studies, and lessons learned from project activities.

Institutional Arrangement
The incumbent will report directly to the Project Manager, a2i, UNDP Bangladesh and will work closely with relevant government bodies, development partners, NGOs, and private sector entities. The incumbent will be a part of the a2i Digital Health Accelerator team.

Competencies
Core Behavioral Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible

Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

Thematic Area Name Definition

Technical Competencies Digital inclusion Knowledge of how digital inclusion works opportunities and challenges for governments and society

Technical Competencies Digital literacy Ability to apply terms and concepts from digital communications in daily work.

Technical Competencies Public Relations Ability to build and maintain an overall positive public image for the organization, its mandate and its brand, while ensuring that individual campaigns and other communications and advocacy initiatives are supported in reaching the public

Cross functional Competencies Campaign management Ability to produce and implement communications and advocacy campaigns which lead to impactful change

Cross functional Competencies Event planning and execution Ability to plan, manage and execute of public and private events to ensure that they support and amplify individual communications and advocacy initiatives, as well as UNDP's overall brand and mandate.

Cross functional Competencies Private sector engagement Ability to identify, conduct outreach, and manage relationships with the private sector

Required Skills And Experience
Min. education requirements :

• Secondary Education or Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences/ Sociology/ Social welfare/ Development Studies/ Public Health/ General Science, or a related field.

Min. Years Of Relevant Work Experience

• 4 years' experience with Secondary Education in project implementation/ coordination in the development sector.
• 1 years of experience in project implementation/ coordination with a bachelor's degree

Required Skills

• Experience in supporting health-related projects.
• Experience in supporting data collection and preparing case study.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

• Experience building and maintaining partnerships with local government and private sector stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience in supporting workshops, meetings, consultations, or field visits.
• Ability to draft reports, presentations, policy briefs, or outreach materials.
• Ability to take meeting notes, and follow-up actions to manage deadline.
• Experience in using Microsoft office packages.

Required Language(s)
Fluent in English and Bangla is required.

Equal opportunity
As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority
UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates
UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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