Project Background & Job Description

 Field Manager, Rehabilitation of Lift Irrigation Project, Orissa, India (12 months resident)

 The Project

The Adam Smith Institute has been contracted to manage a £4 million DFID-funded project to rehabilitate over 6,600 lift irrigation points (LIPs) in Eastern Orissa which were damaged in the 1999 cyclone.  Most LIPs are fairly simple tube well systems, typically powered by small 10-15  hp electrical pumps.  Each LIP is typically 25-50 acres with 25 – 50 beneficiaries;  most LIPs have been in operation for over 10 years.  Damage caused by the cyclone included flooding, and falling trees breaking canals, distribution tanks and pump houses.  Restoration of damaged power supply lines is being undertaken by the (privatised) electrical utility company. 

There are two aspects of the project:

·       the physical rehabilitation of LIPs, most of which have suffered small levels of damage (usually in the range of          around £250-1000 per LIP);

·       the formation of Water User Associations (WUAs) in the LIPs from the farmers who will benefit from the             rehabilitation, in order to encouraging their participation and “ownership” of both the immediate rehabilitation             works and the subsequent management of the LIP.

The project is very closely related with a separate project – also managed by the Adam Smith Institute -  to reform a state-owned public enterprise (the Orissa Lift Irrigation Corporation - OLIC), which currently owns and maintains the LIPs on behalf of farmers.  OLIC is, however, in financial crisis: its staff are not being paid salaries, and it is unable to find resources to even maintain existing schemes.   The Government of Orissa’s strategy is to transfer LIPs to farmers Water User Associations, and downsize the corporation.  In future instead of “design, build and keep LIPs”, the OLIC will “design, build and transfer to farmers”.  By rehabilitating damaged LIPs this scheme directly support this process/

The project provides for:

·       the purchase of new pumps, pipes, etc and for minor civil works to repair the schemes (approx £ 4 million);

·       technical assistance for implementation of the project including:

-      core team (Field Manager, Office Manager, Finance Assistant, Social Adviser);

-      provision of six mobile teams (fees, travel costs, etc) who are supervising the use of the funds for rehabilitation,        working closely with staff of OLIC;

-      other activities (e.g. environmental appraisal, project audit). 

Progress on the rehabilitation project has been mixed.  Bureaucratic delays have held up physical works, although over £2 million of pumps, pipes etc has been tendered.  However, significant progress has been made with WUAs.  Six mobile teams have been contracted (each team comprises an engineer, social specialist and accountant), and they are working with local NGOs and communities.  In the period August – October 2000, the mobile teams have visited 3,000 LIPs, and have signed letters of agreement (the first stage in WUA formation) from 1,000 LIP groups.   Over 60% of farmers want to be involved in the minor works and repairs activities which are now underway.

 The current Field Manager’s contract ends in April 2001.  It is proposed that the project will be extended initially by a further year, and a Field Manager is required to manage this extension from March 2001, benefiting from a one month overlap with the current Field Manager.   There is a possibility that the project may be subsequently extended, through expansion of the scope of the project to include another 4,000 or so LIPs which were not cyclone damaged but which can be transferred to WUAs.

Job Description

Location:            Bhubaneswar (Orissa)

Reports to:             ASI Resident Project Manager India  (also based in Bhubaneswar)

Principal Functions:

The role of the Field Manager is to help to ensure that the DfID-funded project on the rehabilitation of lift irrigation points (ROLIP) delivers its overall goals through:

·       Directing the six contracted mobile teams;

·       Directing the work of the locally engaged project administrator and finance assistant;

·       Management of the tendering and procurement process for pumps, pipes and ancillary items (e.g. electric starter motors);

·       Ensuring effective co-ordination between the project and related donor-funded inputs, in particular:

-      support for formation of Water User Associations within the wider PE Reform Project for the reform of OLIC;;

-      KfW funded support for the development of WUAs in around 700 LIPs funded by the German Government where WUAs have already been established (KfW) will fund three mobile teams, plus NGO training in the cyclone affected areas)

-      The public information campaigns in support of GoO’s policy of transfer of LIPs to WUAs.  There is both a general GoO campaign to support WUA in all forms of irrigation scheme (including major and minor canal schemes, as well as lift irrigation schemes) and a specific campaign for lift irrigation reform falling within the wider PE Reform Project.;

·       Ensuring robust expenditure management, control and reporting systems, within the framework of the Rehabilitation Procedures agreed by GoO and DFID;

·       Ensuring effective use of the project database for monitoring and reporting progress.  The database holds detailed records, estimates, progress information on all 6,600 LIPs;

·       Providing appropriate, relevant and timely reports on progress to the projects key stakeholders including:

-      DFID, as funding agency;

-      GoO, Department of Water Resources;

-      OLIC;

-      other agencies (e.g. Orissa State Disaster Management Agency; Chief Ministers Office);

·      Ensuring effective liaison and communication between key GoO departments (in particular DPE and DWR) and DfID (India), through:

-      participation in the regular (weekly) project meetings between ASI, OLIC and DWR;

-      regular and informal liaison with DFID, OLIC and DWR as necessary  to keep the project on track;

·       Regular field visits to cyclone damaged LIPs to:

-      assess qualitative aspects of progress;

-   monitor the work of the mobile teams;

-      identify and, as far as possible resolve, issues arising in the field;

·       Ensuring that tender processes are transparent and comply with the procedures set out in the framework of the Rehabilitation Procedures

·      Provision of technical support to the accounting contractor responsible for provision of accountants within the mobile team,  in particular on:

-      Auditing of bank transactions

-      Auditing of expenditure on major items procured (e.g. pumps, pipes);

-      Auditing of expenditure on minor works (be it through contractors or through farmers themselves)

·       Provision of relevant guidance, skills development and on-the-job training in order to support the work of:

-      Mobile teams

-      Project Administrator

-      Finance Assistant

·       Ensuring effective financial management through:

-      Project budgetary control, management and reporting

-      Approval of invoices and timesheets submitted by mobile teams

-      Progressing monthly payments from DfID through to the ASI Bank Account and SBI and thence to the District level accounts

·   Other tasks as agreed with the Resident Project Manager and the Project Director.

What Kind of Person are we Looking For?

Essentially we are looking for a combination of skills, ideally combining financial, development and engineering; together with developing country experience.   We are keen to review candidates with a range of backgrounds and skills; however our thinking at the moment is that the likely candidate might have either an accountancy or an engineering qualification, matched with rural development experience. 

Relevant skills include:

·       financial management;

·       development (project monitoring & evaluation, participatory approaches);

·       some knowledge of engineering (civil, mechanical or electrical);

·       project management, monitoring & reporting

·       contracting & contract management

Qualifications:

Flexible on qualifications, but valuable qualifications would be in:

·       Accounting or management;

·       Engineering

·       Development

Aptitudes:

·       Physically fit

·       Drive & energy

·       Enthusiasm, even in face of daunting bureaucracy

·       Team player

Experience

At least 3 years experience in developing countries, ideally in South Asia.

What’s it Like Working in Bhubaneswar ?

There are excellent office facilities.  You will be working in a fully equipped, independent office.  Reporting to you would be the six mobile teams, and also:

·       the office manager,

·       the project finance assistant.

You will report to the full-time expatriate project manager based in the same office who has overall responsibility for:

·       a £12 million public enterprise reform project (privatisation, divestment, voluntary retirement);

·       this ROLIP project. 

In the project office we also have a number of excellent Indian consultants and there are regular visits from a number of expatriate consultants working on these projects.

What’s it Like Living in Bhubaneswar ? 

Bhubaneswar is the Capital of Orissa, a predominantly rural state in Eastern India.  Compared to other cities in India, it is relatively clean and free of population. 

 Shopping – unless you have special tastes, you can get most things you need, but don’t expect European selections of wine & cheese ! 

Sports facilities are limited, although there are tennis courts, and a nine-hole golf course.  Swimming pool facilities are available in 5 star  hotels.  There are 2-3 gyms in Bhubaneswar. 

Facilities for week-ends away include:

·       Jagannath Temple in Puri

·       temples of Konark

·       beaches of Puri, Konark and Golapur-on-Sea;

·       house-boats on Lake Chilka.

The weather and climate is good for most of the year, except for April-May when it is very hot.

Connections

There are daily flights to Delhi and Calcutta, and 3-5 flights a week to Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai.  Typical routes to Bhubaneswar from Europe are via Mumbai or Delhi.  Rail travel is slow (2 days) to Delhi, though there are overnight trains to Hyderabad and Calcutta.

Telecommunications are usually good.  Email works fine, and there are local mobile phones in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and a growing number of major towns.  New connections for fixed landlines can take time.

Who to Contact ? 

For further details, please contact:

William Morrison (Project Director)

Adam Smith Institute, London

Tel:       +44 (20) 7735 6660

Fax:      +44 (20)  7793 0090

email:            WillMorrisonasi@cs.com