UNDP Jobs - 50538- Re-advertisement: International Consultant for Reg

Re-advertisement: International Consultant for Regional Support on Drought Resilience in the Horn of Africa

Location :

Home-based

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

10-Nov-2014

Application Deadline :

22-Oct-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

70 working days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Those who had applied previously need not re-apply.

The Nairobi-based Centre is one of the six UNDP Global Policy Centres. The Centre is responsible for supporting sustainable and inclusive development in the drylands, including the implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The Centre works at the policy-practice interface and uses an integrated approach embodied in its Integrated Drylands Development Programme (IDDP) to address development challenges in the drylands. The IDDP promotes the drylands on the global development agenda; facilitates inclusive national policies that are conducive to drylands development; and supports individual and institutional capacity building, good practice and South-South cooperation to inform policy and facilitate knowledge sharing.

In the face of recurrent disasters, tremendous efforts have been made in the Horn of Africa (HoA) region to integrate various actions in different operational sectors under one umbrella of 'resilience building', as highlighted in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD) Drought Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRSI) Strategy adopted in 2012. With increasing humanitarian and development investments in the region, there is a need to measure their actual impacts towards resilience building.

It is in this context that the Centre developed the Community Based Resilience Analysis (CoBRA) Phase II Project, with the financial support from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO). Building on the experiences and achievements of CoBRA Phase I (2012-2013), the project aims to strengthen the capacities of IGAD, its Member States and other relevant stakeholders to align their planning and programming frameworks with the local needs for long-term climate resilient and sustainable development. The specific objective of the project is to improve the coherence of resilience measurement/analysis tools and their findings under the shared understanding and operational framework, through which to enhance evidence-based disaster resilience policymaking, open data access and investment decision-making in the IGAD region.

The Terms of Reference at hand is for the International Technical Expert, who will support the UNDP and the Resilience Analysis Unit (RAU), in terms of providing consultancy services to the realization of the activities under the two result areas of the Project:

Regional-National Coordination: This component aims at clarifying and strengthening the partnership between IGAD and its Member States by developing a common guiding principles and operational frameworks for resilience M&E and knowledge management and supporting the ongoing effort to establish a systematic resilience investment database for the IDDRSI implementing countries.

National Capacity Building: This component aims at enhancing the institutional capacity on climate resilience mainstreaming with special focus on Kenya based on the priorities of the IDDRSI Kenya Country Programming Paper (a.k.a. Drought Risk Management and Ending Drought Emergencies Medium Term Plan for 2013-17 [EDE MTP]).

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager and in close collaboration with relevant partners, particularly those participating in the Resilience Analysis Unit (RAU) initiative, i.e., IGAD, FAO, UNICEF and WFP, the International Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks.

Under Result 1

Participatory development of an analytical and operational framework for resilience M&E and knowledge management systems for IGAD and its Member States:

Prepare a draft framework for resilience in a participatory manner through desk review, analysis of existing data, key informant interviews and group consultations, etc., with the IDDRSI partners and other stakeholders in the HoA;
Lead in organizing consultative meeting(s) among the stakeholders from IGAD, its Member States' focal government entities and other relevant entities, and facilitate the processes of reviewing the outputs of Activity;
Guide the discussion on principles and operational frameworks under which to enhance regional-national collaboration on M&E and knowledge management throughout the IDDRSI implementation process.

Provision of technical backstopping support to the ongoing multi-agency efforts to develop a regional/national database on resilience investments in the IGAD region among the IDDRSI implementing countries:

Liaise closely with the partners to identify the most suitable approach for aligning and coordinating the data collection tools, approaches, criteria and procedures among different agencies at different levels;

Based on the outputs of the above activity, help develop the clear institutional, operational and financial framework and arrangement for the data management, updating and sharing among the data contributors and users;

Under Result 2

Development of EDE MTP resilience assessment tools/guideline in Kenya:

Provide the technical inputs to the participatory process to be facilitated by the National Technical Specialist (consultant) for the identification of resilience impact indicators, progress markers and/or intermediate development outcomes and impact pathways for the entire EDE MTP and for each pillar group;
Support the National Technical Specialist (consultant) in organizing the participatory consultative meeting(s) among the EDE stakeholders from respective pillars to agree upon the programme-wide framework for the EDE MTP M&E and resilience assessment/analysis.

Outputs/Deliverables

The payment will be disbursed in 6 (six) instalments based on the satisfactory submission of the following deliverables and outputs.

Milestones to be Achieved/Deliverables to be Submitted (payment out of 100%).

Result 1

Draft analytical and operational framework for resilience M&E and knowledge management systems (20%);
Draft institutional, operational and financial framework and arrangement for the resilience investment data management, updating and sharing (20%);
Completion of the consultative meeting(s) for the stakeholders with meeting report (10%);
Final resilience M&E and knowledge management framework and 2) final resilience investment database framework (30%);

Result 2

Comprehensive technical inputs to the EDE MTP resilience assessment tools/guideline (10%);
Completion of the participatory stakeholders’ consultative meeting(s) with inputs to the meeting report (10%).

This is a lump sum contract. All envisaged travel costs, including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses, would be included in the above instalments. In the case of unforeseen travel, payment of travel costs will be agreed upon prior to travel, between the Centre and Individual Consultant, and the Centre will reimburse.

Formats of the deliverables should comply with the UNDP requirements. The detailed outline of these deliverables shall be agreed upon the commencement of the assignment. All the draft deliverables shall be submitted in English by the Consultant to the Centre for review and feedback.

Duration and Implementation Modalities of the Assignment:

This consultancy is envisioned to be completed in 70 (seventy) working days spread over the period of 6 (six) months, starting on 10 November 2014. The position is home based with one (1) confirmed mission to Nairobi/or Djibouti, however, there might be additional missions to other countries in the HoA region.

The consultant will work under the supervision of the Project Manager housed by the Centre and will be bound by the terms and conditions of UNDP Procurement rules and guidelines. S/He will be briefed at the beginning of the assignment by teleconference.

Competencies

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with strong cultural sensitivity and adaptability;
the ability to compile information in coherent and succinct formats and explain complex analysis and data in a clear and simple manner to non-native English speakers.
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.
High attention to detail; and
Ability to work under tight deadlines.
IT competencies at least in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and internet.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in disaster management, environment, development or similar with strong emphasis on M&E, knowledge management and research skills.

Experience:

Minimum 10 (ten) years of relevant post Master’s working experience;
Substantial prior experience in high quality research using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including statistical analysis of data;
In depth knowledge and good understanding of disaster resilience concepts, drought, and livelihood systems in the HoA region, specifically;
Profound expertise in the area of quantitative/qualitative impact assessment, database development, M&E and/or knowledge management;
Excellent skills and experiences in participatory consultations and facilitations of national, regional and/or international meetings targeted to a diverse audience;
Previous experience with the United Nations and/or other multilateral, bilateral organizations and international civil society development partners is considered an asset.

Language

Excellent written, oral, presentation and communications skills in English.

Application Procedures

Qualified and interested candidates should submit the requested documents in English:

Personal CV and P11 form (attached as Annex 1), indicating all past experience from similar projects and at least three (3) professional references;
A Cover letter with a brief write up (max. 1 page) of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
A brief work plan (max 2 pages) for the assignment; and
A financial Proposal that indicates the all –inclusive fixed total lump-sum cost of the assignment including the envisaged travel costs to Nairobi/Djibouti and any other expenses related to the execution of the activities in USD. Must be submitted as a separate e-mail in a financial proposal form (visit http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=18619).
Interested applicants are required to submit their applications to the Centre by email at ddc@undp.org on or before 22 October 2014.

NB:

Complete Terms of Reference for this assignment and application procedures can be obtained from http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=18619.