Planning Systems Technical Consultant

Planning Systems Technical Consultant

Terms of Reference

Planning Systems Technical Consultant

Project Overview

The Kaizen Company (Kaizen) is an international development consulting firm and an incubator for innovative, scalable solutions that address emerging market challenges and opportunities. Our proven solutions catalyze locally driven organizational and institutional performance improvements and establish communities of practice that facilitate peer-to-peer learning and the achievement of shared goals. We aspire to transform the nature and impact of development assistance and work to strengthen organizations and institutions through innovative approaches to organizational development, reform, and change.

The Kaizen Company is seeking applications for the Planning Systems Technical Consultant position under an anticipated USAID-funded activity in Jordan. Kaizen aims to support USAID/Jordan to provide assessment expertise, technical assistance, capacity building, collaboration, facilitation, and training to targeted stakeholders and counterparts to improve existing management systems and procedures used by the Government of Jordan (GoJ) in the education sector.

Purpose of the Assignment

To improve the existing land use and planning processes for the public schools’ construction projects in Jordan, The Planning Systems Technical Consultant will drive the collaborative improvement of planning processes, land management, and systems used by the Government of Jordan for the planning, construction, and utilization of ministry-funded schools.

Kaizen is seeking to hire a Planning Systems Technical Consultant to drive the School Infrastructure (SI) projects towards adopting improved planning, land management, and site selection processes and procedures. The Technical Consultant will identify relevant technical improvement opportunities and coach the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MPWH) and the Ministry of Education (MoE) central, and field directorates to achieve intended objectives.

Scope of Assignment

The technical capacity of school infrastructure planning and management at MoE, on the national and local levels, remains insufficient and demonstrates a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities between the decentralized and centralized levels. Although numerous plans related to development and land management exist, implementing these plans and enforcing regulations is weak, leaving much room for informality.

The Technical Consultant will work with government officials, relevant stakeholders, and other related parties to make large-scale decisions regarding site selection and land use to improve the land management planning for school construction at the central level, directing resources towards needs, and prioritizing and specifying land needs at the central and local levels to influence the decentralization planning process.

Tasks

• Facilitate the development and implementation of an annual school infrastructure operational plan for school construction and maintenance in Jordan. GoJ-developed deliverables could include yearly maintenance plans, risk assessment plans, and school construction goals. Planning should be based on data from government data systems and should utilize the Microsoft Project platform.
• Work on the development of related planning research and reporting schedules within GoJ, along with related capacity building in data analysis and report writing.
• Contribute to implementation and support of an IT-based school planning and feasibility module within the ministry's Construction Management Information System (CMIS).
• Support the efforts targeted towards:
  • Improving the government’s land management processes and procedures.
  • Strengthening governorate councils' capacity in planning and budgeting for school’s infrastructure needs.
  • Improving the governorate councils' education sector annual decentralization planning and budgeting.

• Support the transfer of knowledge to GoJ counterparts by developing regular training, workshops, and peer-to-peer learning.

• Guide construction planning activities, including developing and revising construction schedules, and forecasting demand.
• Provide technical advice for meeting scheduled milestones and progress according to the work plans.
• Carry out investigations of international best practices and techniques for information system and policy improvements.
• Work on the system and process improvements related to planning strategies, in partnership with GoJ counterparts, including drafting standard operating procedures, instructional manuals, and other process documents related to the position.
• Deliver high-quality training, identify key learning goals, help develop structured teaching materials, and promote peer-to-peer learning with sustainable, formalized ministry-based capacity building.
• Engage and share knowledge with the relevant key stakeholders and donors to ensure coordinated delivery of activities.
• Contribute to identifying, disseminating, and sharing best practices and lessons learned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, business, urban planning, environmental sciences, management, or public administration; Master’s degree (preferred).
• A minimum of 5 years of demonstrated progressive experience in activities related to system or project planning
• Technical and administrative knowledge of engineering/construction industry contracting practices, government and commercial procurement regulations and practices, policies, and procedures.
• Proven skills to manage system and policy improvement activities, including process and system improvement consultants.
• Experience in change management activities, including incorporating data-driven decision-making into system processes and procedures.
• Familiarity with donor-funded school construction projects implemented in the education sector in Jordan is preferred.
• A cultural understanding of project management within Jordan is a must.
• Possession of logical thinking with strong analytical and systematic skills.
• Prior experience working with USAID-funded projects preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both Arabic and English.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft and Google Suite products.
• Ability to organize work with minimum supervision.

At Kaizen, A Tetra Tech Company, we find strength in our diversity. We are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive working environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to fulfill their potential. We know that we can only do development differently if we are open to and inclusive of new and unique perspectives. We encourage candidates of all abilities, ages, gender identities and expressions, national origins, races and ethnicities, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations to apply. Further, we urge parents and non-parents, married and unmarried, those from different or non-traditional educational backgrounds, and persons of all other diverse identities or experiences to apply. Kaizen is an equal-opportunity employer.

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