Background

The Black Sea is one of the most vulnerable regional seas in the world given its limited exchange of water with the open oceans and the large area of continental Europe from which it receives the drainage. The four strongly interlinked priority trans-boundary problems of the Black Sea are eutrophication - nutrient enrichment, changes in marine living resources, chemical pollution (including oil), and biodiversity/habitat changes, including alien species introduction - as well as the underlying root causes like industrial activities, agriculture, domestic wastewater, sea transport (oil spills, ballast water), and coastal zone degradation (urbanisation, tourism). The Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution (Bucharest Convention) addresses these problems through enhanced cooperation among its signatories. The development/improvement of a monitoring network and data collection to provide for ecosystem-based and knowledge-based decision-making is considered to be a management target of high priority. Further coordination in policies and legislation between the Black Sea countries is of common interest in the region and specifically to the EU's partners countries – being also members of the Black Sea Commission (BSC) - in so far it influences their own ability to comply with EU legislation and policies, notably the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).

The overall objective of the project is to help improve the protection of the Black Sea environment. This objective will be pursued through the implementation of those initiatives that were elaborated and planned during the preparatory phase of this project (EMBLAS-I).
The specific objectives are as follows: i) to improve availability and quality of Black Sea environmental data in line with the MSFD and Black Sea Strategic Action Plan 2009 (BS SAP 2009) needs; ii) to improve partner countries' ability to perform marine environmental monitoring along MSFD principles, taking into account the Black Sea Diagnostic Report II recommendations on capacity building.

The main results to attain the mentioned objectives are:

• Implementation of the provisions of the Bucharest Convention on scientific and technical cooperation and monitoring advanced;
• Establishment and implementation by the Black Sea Commission of a coordinated regional marine environment monitoring programme (further development of Black Sea Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme(BSIMAP) in line with MSFD and the BS SAP 2009 supported;
• Capacities of the relevant national authorities to carry out marine environmental monitoring in the Black Sea along MSFD principles increased;
• Revised monitoring programmes tested (including in open sea and with the development of a network of regional reference stations and transects to trace transboundary environmental problems);
• Quality assurance and quality control procedures in field and laboratories systematically applied;
• Environmental data management capacities improved and data quality control enhanced;
• BSIS further developed and data products in support of informed decision-making in Black Sea environmental protection provided;
• On-line Black Sea Monitoring Catalogue and Manual with monitoring specifications agreed and used;
• Sharing of marine environmental information between Black Sea riparian countries facilitated and enhanced;
• Harmonisation of marine environmental practices further advanced;
• Regional cooperation at basin level strengthened;
• Public awareness about the need of high quality marine environmental data increased;
• Projects results widely incorporated in decision-making and cooperation of ongoing projects facilitated through a web-based platform and with the BSC participation.

The following activities are carried out in the Phase 2 of the project – EMBLAS II:

• Project Activity 1: Continue support to the implementation of countries’ obligations under the Bucharest and other related Conventions and Agreements;
• Project Activity 2: Implementation of cost-effective and harmonised marine environmental monitoring programmes in accordance with reporting obligations under multilateral environmental agreements, the WFD and the MSFD;
• Project Activity 3: Large scale implementation of training programmes on monitoring methods and quality assurance adhering to the ISO 17025 standard;
• Project Activity 4: Implementation of Joint Surveys and environmental assessment of the Black Sea along the lines of the WFD and the MSFD;
• Project Activity 5: Operate the web-based Black Sea Water Quality Database;
• Project Activity 6: Dissemination of Knowledge and Best Practices, Public Awareness and Visibility.

The project will strengthen capacities of the respective national authorities for biological and chemical monitoring of the Black Sea, taking into consideration the requirements of EU water related legislation (EU WFD and MSFD). Significant effort will be put into training and other capacity building activities. In order to promote ownership, engagement of local experts and organisations is foreseen.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Management Advisor (PMA) will act as a key expert and team leader in the project and he/she will have an overall responsibility for implementation, coordination and results of the project activities implemented in, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine. He/she will work under the direct supervision of the UNDP Regional Technical Advisor for International Waters, who will have the overall supervision role on the project from the UNDP side.

The PMA will liaise directly with the representatives appointed by the Ministries and Black Sea Commissioners during the project implementation. The PMA will be supported by other international experts – Expert for Monitoring, Expert for Data Management and Assessment and the Expert for Communication and Coordination, as well as project assistant and water programme analyst from UNDP Regional Centre for Europe and the CIS (further Project Team  - PT).

The PMA will liaise with the EMBLAS I Project Manager supervising the transfer of EMBLAS I deliverables to EMBLAS II. The PMA will distribute among the PT members and other project experts as needed the EMBLAS I deliverables for evaluation and recommendations of further work.  The PMA will communicate with the EMBLAS I Project Manager to finalize all EMBLAS I deliverables.

The PMA will be responsible for the management, implementation plan, monitoring of expenditures, quality of outputs/deliverables from project experts and partner organizations, identification of controversial points or deviations from the initial planning, analysis of options for correcting deviations (if any) and reporting to the Steering Committee.  The PMA will have an overall responsibility for the organisation of the Steering Committee meetings, including meetings' documentation.

In detail, the Project Management Advisor (PMA) will have the following tasks in the project:

• In the Project Activity (PA) 1, the PMA will contribute to finalization of the following key project documents: Diagnostic Report, Compliance indicators, Good Environmental Status Methodology, Reference conditions and environmental targets. The consultant will also support organization of harmonization workshops. If requested by the project beneficiary countries, the PMA will also support development of the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan Implementation Report and support countries on issues related to EU association agreements;
• In the PA 2, the PMA will contribute to finalization of the following key project documents: Concept of BS monitoring catalogue/factsheets, Monitoring guidelines and Sustainable Operational Monitoring – Concept. The consultant will also ensure cooperation with other projects, to facilitate exchange of results (e.g. EMEP-east, BS GOOS, MyOcean II, EuroArgo, BulArgo);
• In the PA 4, the PMA will be responsible for preparation and coordination of the Joint Black Sea Surveys (JBSS), tentative dates May-June 2015-2016. The PMA will be also involved in the organization of workshops focused on biological guidelines. He/she will be responsible for preparation of Methodology/template for the Status of Environment report of EMBLAS II;
• In the PA 5, the PMA will be involved in the preparation of the manual for the online phytoplankton  database;
• In the PA 6 the PMA will be involved in the organization of national stakeholder meetings as well as preparation of visibility & PR products for the project.

The PMA will prepare several deliverables in cooperation with the project experts, within the following time frame and payment schedule:

December 2014 (40% of payment):

• Detail work plan for the activities in EMBLAS II and List of deliverables, as an input for the ToRs for partner organizations and experts, based on the Project Document/Description of Activities and contributions from the project partners;
• Draft Terms of Reference for project experts and partner organizations (based also on the proposals of partners for their participation in EMBLAS II);
• Inception meeting (agenda, List of Participants, minutes), draft Inception Report including overall Project Workplan and detailed Workplan for the 1st year of implementation (to be ready for Inception meeting 2014);
• Draft and Final Inception Report and Dissemination Plan (by end October 2014);
• Evaluation of the Black Sea Diagnostic Report (drafted in EMBLAS I) and recommendation for further work;
• Progress report (for EC donor) on activities undertaken until October 2014 (with information on preparations for field work);
• Annual workplans  and budgets for the Steering committee approval;
• Evaluation of the List of Compliance Indicators (drafted in EMBLS I) and recommendations for further work;
• Input to the preparation of Harmonization workshops (Agenda, List of participants).

June 2015 (25 % of payment):

• Planning and Organization of the 1st Black Sea Survey;
• Full Annual progress report April 2014- April 2015;
• Summary on input to GES Methodology, Concept and materials for Pilots, contribution to the Black Sea SAP Implementation report- if requested.

December 2015 (10% of payment):

• Finalized version of the List of Compliance Indicators;
• Summary on input for the Draft Manual for the Phytoplankton online database.

August 2016 (25% of payment):

• Summary on contribution to the GES Methodology, to Concept of BS monitoring catalogue/factsheets and to the manual for the Phytoplankton online database;
• Draft of Sustainable Operational Monitoring – Concept;
• Planning and Organization of the 2nd Black Sea Survey;
• Draft Methodology/template for the Status of Environment report of EMBLAS II;
• Full Annual progress report April 2015- April 2016;

In addition, the PMA will be responsible for:

• Preparation of relevant progress reports: i) 6 months progress reports, according to the donor requirements, containing description of progress – technical and financial, including problem encountered, challenges and recommendations, planned activities of the following 6 month period; ii ) brief quarterly overview on progress of activities, their results, the difference between initial planning and actual state of play, problems encountered and how they were managed in order to keep the donor and PSC updated on the project progress; iii) substantive part of all project progress monitoring documentations in line with UNDP and EU requirements;
• Oversight and preparation and finalization of key technical reports of the project, prepared with input from the project experts and partner organizations;
• Monitoring of the progress of work of the other project experts, national and international as well as follow-up on the deliveries prepared by the project partners;
• Preparation of other specific substantive reports as needed and carry out tasks assigned by UNDP Regional Technical Advisor for Intl. Waters.

The assignment will require travel in the region, upon request by UNDP (to be covered separately). The consultant is expected to work closely with UNDP Regional Centre for Europe and the CIS, with the staff, responsible for the project implementation.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent communication and management skills and demonstrable capacity to lead a multi-national team and to work with government institutions;
• Demonstrated ability to develop strategies and work plans to accomplish objectives, empower others to translate visions and efforts into results, identify strategic issues, opportunities and risks and devise timely and effective responses;
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
• Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations;
• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Minimum Master Degree in either chemistry, chemical oceanography, hydrobiology, biology, environmental/natural sciences or environmental engineering.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of demonstrable experience and a proven track record in fields required for the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFWD) and/or the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and other EU Directives;
• Experience demonstrating an understanding of transposition, implementation or enforcement of the EU environmental legislation, particularly the EU WFD and/or MSFD, and of capacity building challenges faced by environment/water authorities in the beneficiary countries or EU Member States;
• At least 5 years of management experience in projects with multidisciplinary teams related to water environment, having a management position, as a team-leader or equivalent, in a development project of similar size and complexity, including stakeholder involvement in the integrated water resources management process;
• Working experience in international projects related to research and development, at least in one of the following fields: integrated resources water management, water quality, monitoring programmes, data collection and management, development of guidelines, trainings, monitoring surveys;
• Relevant experience in the beneficiary countries of the Black Sea is a strong asset.

Language:

• Excellent writing editing and oral communication skills in English;
• Working knowledge of Russian is an asset.

Evaluation of Applicants:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (P11 desk reviews and interviews) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only those candidates, who will receive at least 70 % of technical points based on the P11 desk review will be invited for the interviews. Candidates who obtained at least 70% of points in each of the steps of the process will be considered for financial proposal evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 70 points:

• Criteria A – academic qualification / education  – max points: 10;
• Criteria B – general professional experience in EU environmental Acquis (WFD and MSFD) - max points: 10;
• Criteria C – specific professional experience in management position, team-leader or equivalent, in  development project of similar size and complexity, including stakeholder involvement in integrated water resources management (IWRM) process – max points: 10;
• Criteria D – specific professional experience at least in one of the areas of project (IWRM, water quality monitoring – chemical & biological, guidelines development, trainings, monitoring surveys) – max points: 10;
• Criteria E – particular experience in the Black Sea region – max points: 10;
• Criteria F – language, writing skills (publications) - max points: 10;
• Criteria G – interview (technical and communication skills) - max points 10.

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points.

Application procedure:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website.

The application should contain:

• Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application;
• Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ); please upload the P11 instead of your CV;
• Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount in USD for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days and any other possible costs); travel costs for missions will be paid separately according to the UN rules and regulations;
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). Travel costs for missions will be covered separately according to UNDP rules and regulations.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org.

General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://on.undp.org/t7fJs.

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.
Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.