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1. Background

RIMES was established on 30 April 2009 through the signing of its Founding Members of the RIMES regional cooperation agreement. RIMES is governed by its Member States[1] and Collaborating Countries[2], though the RIMES Ministerial Conference and the RIMES Council. RIMES was registered with the United Nations under Article 102 of the UN Charter on 1 July 2009. RIMES operates from its regional early warning center, located at the campus of the Asian Institute of Technology in Pathumthani, Thailand.

RIMES’ end-to-end approach capacitates institutions and communities in its Member States and Collaborating Countries across the 5 distinct but inter-connected components of the early warning/climate information value chain:

• Improving data availability: enhancing observation and monitoring systems for generating data, and facilitating seamless integration of data into a platform that can be easily accessed and used by various National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs).
• Modelling and forecasting: enhancing forecast skill, and forecast spatial and temporal resolutions, as required by stakeholders.
• Transforming data into information: co-production of services between NMHSs and sectoral institutions for impact-based forecasting, including, but not limited to, the development of decision support systems (DSSs) for various sectors
• Tailor made services to deliver user specific information for resources and risks management: user requirements, assessed via the Monsoon Forum/Climate Application Forum process, and user needs assessment activities, serve as basis for evolving/designing and delivering early warning/risk information products
• Community outreach: ensuring that customized early warning/climate information products reach communities through effective communication channels, and training communities to enable them to undertake forecast/early warning/risk information-based anticipatory action and provide feedback.

RIMES designs and implements programs to address gaps in the 5 pillars of the early warning/multi-hazard information value chain per demands and needs of in-country stakeholder institutions like the NMHSs, National Disaster Management Organizations (NDMOs), and national agencies in hazard-sensitive sectors of water resources, agriculture, infrastructure, policy and development planning, and public health, among others, by leveraging support from development partners such as the World Bank, UNESCAP, UNEP (GCF), WFP, USAID, etc. RIMES maximizes impacts of support from development partners by holistically implementing capacity development interventions in countries such that support from development partners on one or two pillars of the early warning/climate information value chain are complemented by RIMES support to address countries’ needs and demands in other early warning/multi-hazard information value chain pillars. RIMES sustains capacity development intervention outcomes, post-projects, as required by the countries.

In Nepal, a RIMES Member Country, programs and projects are currently implemented with support from key development partners including the World Bank, UNESCAP, and USAID. These programs and projects contribute in meeting the targets of the RIMES 5-Year Master Plan.

2. Objective

The Country Program Lead, reporting to the RIMES CARE Project Director and in close coordination with other project leads and relevant members of Project Teams, as may be needed, will lead the implementation of RIMES projects in Nepal. S/he will act as RIMES’ and country stakeholder institutions’ main focal point relevant to RIMES projects, and shall effectively and efficiently manage human and other resources to facilitate successful achievement and sustainability of projects outcomes.

3. Scope of Work

Position description: The Nepal Country Program Lead is responsible for coordination, and technical and managerial support to the World Bank-supported CARE Project and other RIMES projects in Nepal. Specifically, s/he will lead the coordination with country partners for implementation of project activities; provide technical support to project activities at national/sub national and community levels; ensure accurate and efficient recording and reporting of project expenditures; support the documentation and periodic reporting of project implementation progress, successes, and lessons; and support project evaluations.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Development

• Conduct periodic assessment of capacities and gaps in the end-to-end early warning/climate information value chain, to identify priority needs, and recommend actions on how to meet those priority needs.
• Provide inputs to development of projects for meeting in-country stakeholders’ priority needs, for enhancing the generation and application of muti-hazard information for resources and risks management, and ensure that project design align with national and sub-national development plans/targets.
• Identify potential donors and partners, for materializing initiatives to strengthen the end-to-end early warning/climate information value chain.
• Coordinate with donors and partners for the duration of the project cycle, as well as after the project implementation.

Project Implementation and Management

• Ensure that projects are implemented in accordance with contractual obligations and donor guidelines.
• Ensure that projects are implemented timely, using credible approaches and best practice methodologies.
• Ensure that technical inputs to projects are provided timely and adequately.
• Support design, development and deployment of regional and national DSSs, including, but not limited to, the generation and communication of forecast-based anticipatory actions up to the last mile, and obtaining feedback.
• Ensure that outputs from external consultants are qualitatively sound and submitted timely.
• Undertake research, as required.
• Ensure that activities are adequately funded in accordance with the project budget, with expenditures properly and adequately documented and reported.
• Coordinate with, and provide practical and technical guidance to project staff to ensure that project staff works cohesively, complementarily, and efficiently in meeting project targets.
• Plan and conduct regular progress meetings with the stakeholders and provide progress updates
• Facilitate and lead the data collection process from different stakeholder institutions.

Project Monitoring and Evaluation

• Conduct periodic monitoring of project activities.
• Identify constraints and problems that hinder efficient and effective project delivery, and recommend and undertake corrective actions.
• Gather data and information on the progress of implementation against project targets and performance indicators, and undertake measures to address lags in implementation progress, if any.
• Support the periodic review of project logical frameworks, and provide inputs for revision of performance indicators as necessary.
• Undertake project impact assessments.
• Facilitate project external evaluations.
• Ensure that monitoring and evaluation information are used in reporting, adaptive management, and learning.

Project Reporting

• Ensure that technical progress reports are submitted with sound content, good quality, appropriate format, and according to deadlines.
• Provide inputs to financial reporting.
• Assist in communicating to stakeholders RIMES work/activities, including accomplishments, good practices, and lessons learned from project implementation.

Networking

• Develop a network of contacts and maintain good working relations with important government, non-government, and private sector partners.
• Build strategic alliances with NGOs and community groups for local project implementation.

Management

• Contribute to the development/updating of RIMES’s five-year strategic plan (Master Plan)
• Contribute to the preparation/evaluation of the annual work program.
• Represent RIMES in external forums as needed.
• Manage smooth operation of the RIMES project office and maintain a healthy working environment.

Capacity Building of NHMS and Sectoral Institutions

• Work closely with the Nepal Meteorological Department and sectoral institutions to identify areas where technical and other support are necessary to complement/supplement ongoing project efforts.
• Spearhead the process of the formalization of the RIMES Master Plan and its implementation in Nepal, though PMD
• Provide technical and other support and supervise technical assistance programs for stakeholder departments.
• Facilitate user feedback and document user uptake of early warning/forecast/risk information in plans and decisions.
• Ensure relevance of early warning/multi-hazard information value chain to various users.

Others

• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned by supervisor(s) and/or the Director of RIMES Program Unit.

4. Qualifications

Knowledge

• Preferably Master’s degree in Hydrology, Meteorology, IT, international development, development planning, environmental management, disaster risk management, or related field

Experience

• At least 8 years of experience in implementing development projects that makes best use of scientific/research data, and capacitate institutions and communities in applying such scientific/research data in plans and decisions.
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating work with donors, government officials, community stakeholders, and other in-country stakeholders.

Skills and abilities

• Demonstrable leadership, sound organizational management abilities, and skilled handling of difficult/complicated situations.
• Ability to network, coordinate, and cooperate with partners, government authorities, and other stakeholders, and build strong mutual relationships.
• Ability to identify potential bottlenecks in project implementation and put in place win-win anticipatory measures to deflect possible project implementation difficulties.
• Proven ability to strategize, plan, and organize work, and monitor activities, budget and expenditures.
• Demonstrated applied research skills.
• English proficiency in communication, presentation, and report writing.

Personal qualities

• Self-motivated, with ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines, manage institutional/project staff of various backgrounds and skills, and cope with changing priorities.
• Flexibility and ability to work effectively and efficiently independently and in a team setting.
• Takes ownership of responsibilities.
• Excellent work ethic.

5. Contract Duration

The contract duration will be for 12 months, subject to a 6-month probationary period, and annual performance review.

[1] 22 countries that have signed the RIMES cooperation agreement, viz.: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Comoros, Djibouti, India, Kenya, Nepal Lao PDR, Madagascar, Maldives, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Tonga, and Yemen.

[2] 27 other countries including Nepal that are in various stages of RIMES cooperation agreement consideration and approval.