Organization: UNDP – United Nations Development Programme
Location: Dhaka
Grade: Administrative support – NPSA-7, National Personnel Services Agreement
Occupational Groups:
Information Technology and Computer Science
Closing Date: 2025-02-01

Context

The three guiding principles of UNDP are diversity, equity, and inclusion: we promote inclusion to ensure that all employees have the ability to contribute to our mission, we value diversity as a reflection of the variety of countries and cultures in which we operate, and we guarantee equity and fairness in all that we do. By approaching our diversity initiatives with a “leave no one behind” mentality, we can increase the representation of marginalized groups. We particularly urge those who identify as members of marginalized or excluded groups to apply. Find out more about working at UNDP, including our inspiring tales and ideals.

Discrimination, harassment of any type, including sexual harassment, and sexual exploitation and abuse are not acceptable to UNDP. As a result, all chosen applicants will go through stringent background and reference checks.

The three guiding principles of UNDP are diversity, equity, and inclusion: we promote inclusion to ensure that all employees have the ability to contribute to our mission, we value diversity as a reflection of the variety of countries and cultures in which we operate, and we guarantee equity and fairness in all that we do. By approaching our diversity initiatives with a “leave no one behind” mentality, we can increase the representation of marginalized groups. We particularly urge those who identify as members of marginalized or excluded groups to apply. Find out more about working at UNDP, including our inspiring tales and ideals.

Discrimination, harassment of any type, including sexual harassment, and sexual exploitation and abuse are not acceptable to UNDP. As a result, all chosen applicants will go through stringent background and reference checks.

All of the achievements that NGOs in Bangladesh have achieved may be attributed to the Prime Minister’s Office’s NGO Affairs Bureau (NGOAB). Only 347 NGOs were registered at the start, and there were only 67 human resources available. However, as of 2023, there will be 2554 NGOs registered under the NGOAB (2289 national and 265 foreign NGOs), all of which have the same 67 human resources. Lack of proper staff, necessary employee skills, and an intelligent system that can provide timely services and guarantee oversights to a large number of NGOs and projects have all made it difficult for NGOAB to carry out its duties. Every year, NGOAB gets millions of foreign donations, which it also clears through proposals from other NGOs. A realistic picture of SDG development with GO and NGOs’ contributions will be shown if the outcomes and advancements can be recorded and portrayed in a complementing way.

In light of this, the nation’s economy is growing and will reach middle-income status by 2026. As a result, there is room for NGOs in Bangladesh to reevaluate how they operate and engage in tackling development issues, and NGOAB may play a significant role in this. Since UNDP Bangladesh has been collaborating with a number of government organizations to promote sustainable LDC graduation and the attainment of SDGs, UNDP views its partnership with NGOAB as a means of focusing on significant enhancements in service delivery via online procedures and digitization. This is consistent with UNDP’s mission to work with our partners to help the government of Bangladesh realize its long-term development agenda.

In order to strengthen the NGOAB/NGOs service system generally over the following two and a half years, UNDP, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and NGOAB created a 2.5-year initiative called “Institutional Strengthening for Promoting Accelerated Transformation (ISPAT).” By 2030, the project’s ultimate goal is to enable NGOAB to offer NGOs quick, effective, and efficient services for handling international donations and helping them to help achieve the SDGs. The project will examine a three-pronged approach to enhancing work culture and system strength by: i) increasing institutional capacity through service digitization; ii) enhancing the professional skills and competence of NGOs and NGOAB officials to more effectively implement gender-responsive digital services;

and iii) offering technical support to improve policy support in order to guarantee more sectoral policy convergence and service simplicity with relevant policy guidelines.

In light of this, this implementation plan describes ISPAT’s approach to use digital innovation to enhance the service delivery system. The following outcomes will be attained in part by this project:

Goal 1: Making sure that foreign gifts are used effectively and efficiently to raise the socioeconomic standing of women, the impoverished, and other disadvantaged groups.
Outcome 2: Acknowledging and recording NGOs’ contributions to achieving national and international agendas, such as lowering poverty, enhancing governance, and providing services that respect women’s rights.
Outcome 3: By promoting and expanding nationwide, NGOs’ creativity and policymaking are strengthened.

Under the project manager’s direct supervision, the IT Associate will be in charge of creating, overseeing, and implementing IT software for NGOAB’s service delivery; training on the digitalization of NGOAB/NGOs’ services, particularly regarding their approval, documentation, and reporting processes; managing software-based data collection and analysis for result reporting; creating an IT plan; putting IT infrastructure in place on the ground; and regularly providing backstopping support to NGOAB/NGOs for IT solutions.

The following section describe the functions under each of these categories with expected results:

Software Development and Management for Smart NGOAB Services:

• Support to develop IT infrastructure and online system for NGOAB in close collaboration with a2i team.
• Oversee and supervise IT firms in developing and implementing required software and web platforms for NGOAB’s service delivery.
• Ensure that the software solutions meet the specified requirements and are user-friendly within the stipulated time frame.
• Manage the lifecycle of the software development process, including planning, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance.

Training and Capacity Development to the Relevant Stakeholders:

• Initiate capacity mapping of NGOs and support to fill up the IT-based gaps of those organizations.
• Support to utilize Mobile Apps and Social Media platform for IT-based information dissemination.
• Facilitate IT-based procurement with proper specification to ensure value for money.
• Develop and conduct training sessions for NGOAB and NGOs on the use of digital services and software applications.
• Prepare training materials and documentation to facilitate learning and ensure comprehensive understanding of new digital processes.

IT Infrastructure and Online Processes Development:

• Develop an IT plan for the installation and maintenance of necessary IT infrastructure at NGOAB.
• Oversee the installation of hardware and software components, ensuring compatibility and optimal performance.
• Ensure regular maintenance and updates of IT infrastructure to minimize downtime and enhance efficiency.
• Lead the digitalization efforts for NGOAB’s reporting, approval, and documentation processes.
• Implement and manage online platforms to streamline service delivery and improve transparency.

Data Management and Analysis:

• Design and manage software-based data collection systems to facilitate efficient data entry, storage, and retrieval.
• Analyze collected data to generate reports on service delivery, NGO performance, and foreign donation utilization.
• Ensure data integrity and security in compliance with relevant policies and standards.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Compliance:

• Monitor the performance of IT systems and software to ensure the needs and objectives.
• Evaluate the impact of digital solutions on service delivery and make recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with UNDP, NGOAB/Govt. IT policies and standards.
• Implement security measures to protect sensitive data and ensure confidentiality.
• Regularly review and update IT security protocols to address emerging threats and vulnerabilities.
• Stay updated with the latest technological trends and innovations to propose and implement improvements in IT solutions.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Core 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 discriminat