Introduction of the Programme

SNV is a not-for-profit international development organization. Founded in the Netherlands nearly 50 years ago, we have built a long-term, local presence in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Our advisors work with local partners to equip communities, businesses, and organizations with the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to increase their incomes and gain access to basic services. SNV works to empower people to break the cycle of poverty. SNV provides innovative solutions in Agriculture, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, and Renewable Energy in around 24 countries worldwide. For more information, please refer to our website: www.snv.org

Programme Background

SNV under the Urban Sanitation Programme with the support from BMGF and DGIS aims to support Local Authorities (Khulna and Gazipur City Corporations, Kushtia, Jhenaidah, Jessore and Benapole Paurashavas) to address service delivery challenges in FSM and advance the sector development as a whole, through strategic engagement with Government Agencies and partnering with other experienced civil society and private sector organisations working in the sector. 

SNV aims to facilitate a decisive shift in sector thinking, culture and practice through close alignment with respected sector agencies and working collectively with government and local partners to address underlying systemic sector issues that limit sector development. One of the main issues is availability, reliability and management of data at municipal level.

The Project consist of 5 components:

1)    Sanitation demand creation and behavioral change communication;

2)    Strengthening sanitation supply chain development;

3)    Improving WASH Governance and multi-stakeholder sector development;

4)    Facilitating Sustainable Finance and Smart Investment, and;

5)    Introducing environmentally safe treatment and re-use technologies.

Context and purpose of the job

Resources are scarce, municipalities need to make decisions which impact accountability, management and investment in services. Access to data is a development issue, but with access to geo-localised data services can be delivered more efficiently and equitably, reducing service costs and improving inclusivity. Currently, data is underutilised in most Bangladeshi municipalities. Most data are paper based with very limited digitalisation and almost no data geo-localised in GIS. Moreover, data is deconcentrated and not shared among institutions, duplicating potential common databases across sectors and services, and lack of integration with national databases. To tackle these issues, SNV conceptualised the Integrated Municipal Information System (IMIS).

IMIS is a web GIS-based information system integrating spatial data on buildings, roads, drains and containments (septic tanks and pit latrines), which can integrate endless layers. IMIS was originally designed to help municipalities and service providers to manage efficiently Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) services. However, as holding ID and building footprint are linked, it now enables city authorities to integrate different municipal functionalities and services (water, holding tax, solid waste, trade license...). Most importantly, it enables evidence-based decision making and planning for municipal services in line with government’s Smart City initiatives, with potential linkages to national databases (health, education, emergency response). Additionally, the system contains a customizable dashboard to monitor Key Performance Indicators, used for accountability with national government.

The IMIS, initially supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and developed by IT service providers, is currently implemented in 2 city corporations (Khulna and Gazipur) and 2 Paurashava (Jhenaidah and Jashore), planning to expand to other 2 municipalities, water utilities and other cities. And potentially other countries. The system is capturing attention of several donors and national government.

The  Digital Innovation (IMIS) Coordinator will lead the replication and implementation of the IMIS system across different cities in the country (and potentially abroad). From one side, he/she will be responsible to replicate and expand the system in new cities and with potentially different donors/clients. This will require communication and coordination with national and local government officials from different institutions (DPHE, LGED, A2I, etc). From the other side, he/she will be responsible to ensure the implementation and usability of the system at local level. For this purpose, his/her role will be to act as the linkage between the local governments/utilities and the software developers, to ensure that the issues and requirements by users are translated/transferred to the developers, and that new modules and improvements are used correctly by users. He/she will take care of the easiness of the user interface (UX) to ensure functionality and accessibility by non-technical users.

We are looking for a motivated, proactive and skilled professional that, preferably, combines knowledge and experience in urban planning (to understand city’s needs and how urban services management works), Geographical Information Systems (GIS)/data capture (basic understanding of geospatial databases) and/or Software Development (basic or moderate IT knowledge about web-based systems). Moreover, we expect this professional to be able to orient and train non-skilled local government officials and service providers in the use of the IMIS, with patience and teaching/orientation skills.

The Digital Innovation (IMIS) Coordinator will work jointly with SNV’s GIS & Data Coordinator Expert, an IT Software Development Bangladeshi company that SNV is currently working with and/or other companies, as required. Besides, he/she will have support from the overall SNV’s WASH team and its city coordinators. We expect thee IMIS Coordinator to be very close to the local government and utilities to ensure the use of the system, with continuous visits and communication.

Result areas

 Project set-up and design

Initiates contract handover from the Business Development Team. Sets up and communicates administrative, governance, accounting, HR, M&E structures and procedures for the project. Initiates implementation of the project plan upon approval of donor(s) and sector leader and/or country director, in accordance to the SNV project management procedures, relevant SNV structures and procedures, accounting principles, donor requirements and contracted commitments.

 Project Coordination

Leads, manages and motivates the IMIS team, partners, consultants/firms and relevant stakeholders. Plans and assigns deliverables and activities, reviews their progress and addresses deviations in terms of timelines and quality, based on project planning, deliverables agreed and budget set. Manages project closure and evaluation process including hand-over of complete and up-to-date project file to Sector Leader or Country Director based on project management procedures.

Project quality assurance

Takes responsibility for the functionality, visualisation (UX) and usability of the IMIS, and ensures quality of the deliverables by IT software developers and ensures sufficient technical input to meet the quality standards.

Analysis & Reporting

Ensures collection, consolidation and review of project information, according to SNV’s monitoring and evaluation guidelines.

Contract Management & Project Accounting

Manages and accounts for full compliance of administrative, finance and HR components of the project with SNV internal procedures and requirements specified in the donor, sub-consultancy and consultants/partner contracts in consultation with sector leader or CD. Ensures that approval for, coding and booking of all expenditures is done according to the relevant procedures and authorisation levels. Prepares, accounts for, manages and reports on project budget (and revisions thereof). Discusses and obtains approval of donor for contract / budget deviations. Discusses security and (financial risk) mitigation (incl. due diligence). Fully understands procurement and comply with requirements and contracts.

People Management & Team Leadership

Guides, develops, coaches and motivates team members and prepares resource estimation based on forecast in order to attract and recruit (SNV staff, consultants and/or local partners). Advises HR and country management on contract conditions for consultants and local partners, within guidelines and project budget.

Candidate profile

• Desired profile: Urban Planner with Digital Skills.
• Proficiency level equivalent to bachelor’s or Master’s degree in urban planning, civil engineering or related fields to this post,
• Minimum 3 to 4 years-experience in the field of digitalization
• At least least 7 years of development work experience, thorough knowledge of project design and implementation.
• Knowledge and/or experience on geographical information systems (GIS) and/or in IT software development is essential requirement. Experience working with local government or urban water and sanitation will add value.

Competencies

Planning and organising

The ability to determine goals and priorities and to assess the actions, time and resources needed to achieve those goals.

Communication 

The ability to communicate in clear language and to adjust one’s use of language to the audience’s level, making sure ideas and essence are understood by the audience. 

Problem analysis

The ability to detect problems, recognise important information and link various data to trace potential causes and look for relevant details.

Result orientation

The ability to take direct action in order to attain or exceed objectives.

Focus on quality

Setting high quality standards and striving for continuous improvement and quality assurance.

Duty station                   :   Dhaka with frequent travel to programme cities.

Contract Duration           :  The duration of the proposed contract is up to 30 June 2023 with a possibility of extension depending on performance and availability of funds.

Expected Joining Date    :   As soon as possible.

Working Hours               :   Full time (minimum of 40 hours per week)

Salary & Benefits            :  

The total gross salary package (basic salary + House Rent Allowance + Transportation Allowance +Medical Allowance) will range between BDT 101,128 and BDT 123,750 per month, depending on the selected candidate’s work experience and competencies.

In addition 

• Communication Allowance
• Festival Allowance
• Group life insurance coverage for employee.
• Hospitalization & COVID19 Special insurance Coverage for employee and family member (spouse and children)

Application 

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position. If you believe that your credentials meet the outlined profile, we invite you to apply by submitting a brief letter of motivation (1 page) and your CV (not more than 3 pages). Your CV should highlight your prior work achievements; it should not be a list of your current or prior job responsibilities. Please apply through SmartRecruiters link below by 5 July 2022.

We do not appreciate third-party mediation based on this advertisement. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Any form of solicitation by phone or other means will be treated as disqualification of the candidate.