UNDP GEF Jobs - 51462- National Project Manager (NPM)

National Project Manager (NPM) - Nationals of Swaziland Only

Advertised on behalf of

UNDP GEF

Location :

Mbabane, SWAZILAND

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

01-Jan-2015

Application Deadline :

30-Nov-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 months (renewable based on performance)

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 years

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

Despite the global significance of its biodiversity, Swaziland’s formal Protected Area (PA) estate is comprised of relatively small and vulnerable PAs, covering only 3.9% of the country and inadequately representing the countries varied ecosystems. There is therefore a need to expand the PA estate, while strengthening PA management competencies. This will in turn require the participation of a broad range of stakeholders, including private landholders, local communities and the tourism industry, to establish new State PA, private and community managed reserves. A landscape approach is needed, to strategically place these different PAs in proximity to one another, and manage land in immediately adjacent areas to reduce threats to biodiversity and improve connectivity between the PA sites. The long term solution is that Swaziland adopts a landscape conservation paradigm that allows a broader range of stakeholders to work together to manage biodiversity more effectively. Under this approach, PAs will be established and managed in critical biodiversity areas as clusters—different sites managed by the State, private landowners and communities in proximity to one another. These PAs will need to be managed as part of a matrix of land uses across landscapes that allow biodiversity management objectives to be integrated in the strategies, production practices and decisions of a range of land and resource users occupying land immediately adjacent to PAs (and between them—so as to maintain functional corridors).

The project’s goal is to strengthen the management effectiveness of the PA system of Swaziland to ensure a viable set of representative samples of the country’s full range of natural ecosystems are conserved, through a network of PAs. The project objective is to effectively expand, manage and develop Swaziland’s protected area network in order to adequately protect the biodiversity and landscapes of the country. This will involve devising a system of integrating land and natural resource management that transforms the current PA patchwork into a protected areas network, while creating incentives for all Swazis (land management agencies, conservancies, private landowners and tourism operators) to work together toward conservation and sustainable economic development.

In order to achieve the project goal and objective , the project’s interventions have been organised in three components:

Component 1: Knowledge based platform operationalised at the National and regional level to address current and emerging threats to PAs and biodiversity conservation;
Component 2: Landscape approach operationalised and leads to expansion of PA network;
Component 3: Strengthening PA functioning through improved Conservation management and Operational support for existing and new PAs, including both formal and informal PAs.

Objective

The SNTC –seeks the services of a National Project Manager (NPM) to effectively coordinate and facilitate the implementation the Strengthening of the National Protected Areas System of Swaziland project. The NPM will facilitate the overall daily operation of the project to ensure project outputs are achieved.

Duties and Responsibilities

The National Project Manager (NPM) will be working under the full guidance of the SNTC Chief Executive Officer and the Project Board:

Facilitating the day-to-day functioning of the project staff;
Supervise the SNTC and BGP Project Managers;
Supervise and coordinate the production of project outputs, as per the project document in a timely and quality fashion;
Mobilise all project inputs in accordance with UNDP procedures for nationally executed projects;
Supervise and coordinate the work of all project staff, consultants and sub-contractors ensuring timing and quality of outputs;
Coordinate the recruitment and selection of project personnel, consultants and sub-contracts;
Prepare and revise project work and financial plans, as required by the Project Board (PB), SNTC, BGP and UNDP;
Liaise with UNDP, PB, SNTC, BGP, relevant government agencies, and all project partners, including donor organisations and NGOs for effective coordination of all project activities;
Facilitate administrative backstopping to subcontractors and training activities supported by the Project;
Oversee and ensure timely submission of the Inception Report, Combined Project Implementation Review/Annual Project Report (PIR/APR), Technical reports, quarterly financial reports, and other reports as may be required by UNDP, GEF and other oversight agencies;
Disseminate project reports and respond to queries from concerned stakeholders;
Report progress of project to the PB, and ensure the fulfilment of PB directives;
Document the exchange and sharing of experiences and lessons learned with relevant community based integrated conservation and development projects nationally and internationally;
Ensures the timely and effective implementation of all components of the Project;
Coordinate and assist scientific institutions with the initiation and implementation of all field studies and monitoring components of the Project;
Carry regular, announced and unannounced inspections of all sites and the activities of the project site management units.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Management ability for a team to produce quality outputs in a timely manner;
Demonstrated expertise in programme/project management for results for a large, multi-stakeholder project;
Ability to administer budgets, train and work effectively with counterpart staff at all levels and with all groups involved in the project;
Exceptional presentation, reporting and facilitation skills to affect consensus building among the stakeholders at various levels;
Negotiation, organization, coordination, skills to influence a win-win position to facilitate achievement of results;
Strong knowledge about the political and socio-economic context related to the CFS Master Plan, protected area system, biodiversity conservation at national and state levels;
Ability to communicate effectively complex, technical information to the audiences at various levels;
Strong computer skills, in particular mastery of all applications of the MS Office package and internet search.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A Masters degree (preferably MSc) in a subject related to Natural Resource Management, Environmental Sciences, Development Studies or related discipline; A PhD in any ofthe disciplines will be an added advantage.

Experience:

At least 10 years of experience in natural resource management (preferably in the context of PA planning and management);
At least 5 years of demonstrable project/programme management experience;
Working experience with ministries, national or provincial institutions concerned with natural resource management and environmental protection is a plus, but not a requirement.

Language:

Excellent command of both English and Siswati.