Local Coordinator

Local Coordinator for Bethlehem Urban Area

The Palestine Liberation Organization, for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority has sought financing from the World Bank for (4 years project): the Integrated Cities and Urban Development Project (ICUD). The Project Development Objective is to assist participating urban areas to enhance their capacity to plan for sustainable urban growth.  Concretely, the project will strengthen the institutional and technical capacity of participating urban areas (Ramallah area, Nablus area, Bethlehem area, Hebron area, and Gaza City) to plan for sustainable urban growth. The project will be implemented by the Municipal Development and Lending Fund (MDLF) and technically overseen by Ministry of Local Government (MoLG).

The MDLF, as the delegated implementation agency of ICUD, intends to use part of the ICUD Grant from the World Bank (WB) fund to hire an individual consultant to serve as a “Local Coordinator for Bethlehem Urban Area”.

Objective of this assignment

The Local Coordinator will work under the supervision of the project’s Technical Supervisor on facilitating the implementation of all project activities at the local level in the respective urban areas. He or She will act as the liaisons between MoLG and MDLF on one hand and the LGUs on the other hand. The Local Coordinator will work with the respective urban area in close collaboration with the staff of the LGUs to ensure that implementation of project activities advance with satisfactory quality. He or she will be responsible for:

• Working closely with the Technical Supervisor on the design and technical preparation of all project activities, ensuring that local conditions or constraints in the designated urban area are adequately taken into consideration in the project design;
• Facilitating coordination and collaboration mechanisms among project’s participating LGUs;
• Working with the GIS Specialist to identify gaps in the necessary GIS capacity (skills, software, hardware) and data (layer availability, geographic coverage) available for their urban area;
• Working with the LGU staff on gathering and organizing required data for the project’s technical assistance activities;
• Organizing meetings, training workshops, planning sessions, and any other events related to the project on behalf of the LGUs;
• Assisting the Technical Supervisor and the GIS Specialist on adapting training materials to the local context, as needed;
• Providing inputs to the Technical Supervisor on the ICUD Annual Work Plan, Budget, and Procurement Plan;
• Assisting the Technical Supervisor on monitoring and managing project activities, ensuring the LGUs’ adherence to the Annual Work Plan, Budget, and Procurement Plan approved by the World Bank, and raising any potential concerns regarding project progress to the Technical Supervisor in a timely manner;
• Providing inputs to the Technical Supervisor for project reporting purposes, related to project activities and Result Indicator Achievements;
• Coordinating between all participating LGUs within their designated urban area, including facilitating the exchange of data and expertise, organizing meetings, and, should any conflicts or obstacles arise, helping to resolve them or bringing them to the attention of the Technical Supervisor/ MoLG;
• Sharing project-related information with the Local Coordinators from other urban areas;
• Keeping the relevant officials (mayors, department heads) in the LGUs up-to-date on project progress and requirements;
• Preparing any materials regarding the designated urban area that may be requested by the Technical Supervisor,
• Similarly, preparing any materials regarding the project that may be requested by the LGU.

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The Municipal Development and Lending Fund (MDLF) invites eligible qualified individuals to provide information indicating their qualifications, experience and appropriate skills to perform the services. The main qualifications of the consultant are as follows:

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in urban planning, architecture, or another relevant field to the project. A master’s degree in a relevant field is highly desirable.
• At least, 4 years of previous relevant experience working in the urban development or the local government sectors in Palestine. Or, 3 years of experience for master degree holders.
• Substantial knowledge of the urban and governance context in Bethlehem area, particularly the functioning of LGUs in that urban area.
• Proven track record in effectively playing a coordinating or facilitating role in a project.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills.
• Fluency in English and Arabic and strong report writing skills.
• Excellent computer skills. Some knowledge of GIS software is preferred.

The attention of interested consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’s: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank Borrowers published by the World Bank in January 2011, revised in July 2014 (“Consultant Guidelines”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

Individual Consultants shall be selected through comparison of qualifications of those who have expressed interest in this position.

The duration of the assignment is one year on a full-time basis, extendable to the full length of the project (3 years). The expected start date for the position is July 1 2018.

Individual Consultants may obtain further information at the address below from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM from Sunday to Thursday. Expressions of interest must be delivered to the address or e-mail below by June 10, 2018.

Address is: Al-Amal Tower