UNDP Jobs - 52342- International Consultant for Lead Hydrologist/Lead

International Consultant for Lead Hydrologist/Lead Hydraulic Structure Engineer

Location :

Baku, AZERBAIJAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

05-Jan-2015

Application Deadline :

24-Dec-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

11 months

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

Azerbaijan belongs to the world’s water stress countries. With current deficit of water resources being about 5 km3, the additional pressures on water resources due to climate change will seriously affect the rural water supply. The region of Greater Caucasus has been identified as particularly vulnerable in this regard.

Water is unevenly distributed across the seasons and geographic areas in Azerbaijan. Despite an overall trend of rainfall reductions in the country, the mountainous regions of Greater Caucasus experience increasingly prolonged inundations and flash floods during the wet season and extended dry spells during the dry seasons. Variation of water flow may reach 30% between the dry and wet seasons. Paradoxically, most of the quality ground waters are formed in foothills of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus and constitute 24 million m3 (8.8.km3) per year. However, currently, only 20% of a total resource has been used. And as Azerbaijan's Second National Communication (SNC) suggests, with the view of increasing water deficit, the country will have to increase ground water extraction both for irrigation and fresh water supply needs.

The project aims to reduce vulnerability of the mountain communities of the Greater Caucasus region of Azerbaijan to climate change induced water stress and flood hazards by improved water and flood management through addressing the management framework at the legislative and policy level, strengthening institutional capacity by introducing new non- structural methods and providing training and empowering communities to actively participate in water and flood management.

Azerbaijan already has considerable experience of structural measures and therefore the proposed project focuses on non-structural measures. These measures mainly address institutional and management challenges, as well as improving public understanding of the problems and potential solutions, developing both organizational and community involvement in the process and pilot actions to improve micro-watershed management practices with a direct engagement of affected communities. The project proposes to sensitize water management policies and practices to the long term risks of, and adaptation to, climate change. Other aspects of flood mitigation and reduction of water stress, such as improved land use management and flood zoning, also require the sensitization of both government and civil society and these tend to have become very much secondary considerations in water management.

Project has following Components:

Water and Flood management policy and regulatory frameworks to respond to climate change risks;
Technical capacities to improve climate risk management in the Greater Caucasus;
Water and Flood management practices demonstrated to lead to community resilience.

Expected Outcomes:

Water and Flood management framework is modified to respond to adaptation needs and improve climate risk management on over 10,838.5 sq. km 3of land in highly vulnerable region of Greater Caucasus;
Key institutions have capacities, technical skills, tools and methods to apply advanced climate risk management practices for water stress and flood mitigation;
Community resilience to floods and water stress improved by introducing locally tailored climate risk management practices benefiting over 650,000 people on total land area of 10,838.5 km2 of the Southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus.

Duties and Responsibilities

Contribute to development of training plan for IWRM;
Contribute to preparation of guidance and training documents for Flood Risk Mapping;
Develop materials and conduct trainings on hydrological modelling – HEC-HMS;
Prepare hydrological inputs and training of local specialists for flood mapping of Kishchay basin;
Finalise hydrologic data sets for Turyanchay river basin surface water modelling;
Prepare hydrologic data sets for surface water modelling of Kishchay river basin;
Prepare materials and conduct training for Hydrometeorological Data Management;
Contribute to the determination of environmental flow levels for water allocation modelling;
Contribute to the assessment of hydrologic impacts of climate change and demographic changes consultations in Turyanchay basin;
Prepare guidance and training documents for condition inspection of existing hydraulic structures;
Develop rehabilitation/removal/redesign plan for Turyanchay river basin concurrent with training sessions for local experts;
Prepare long list of options for FRM for Turyanchay river basin;
Based on consultations with stakeholders, prepare short list of options and undertake economic and technical evaluation to define preferred option;
Detailed (feasibility) design of preferred option;
Contribute to preparation of FRM plan for Turyanchay river basin;
Prepare guidance and training documents on design methods for FRM structures;
Carry out studies to identify preferred structural and non-structural options involving community consultations in Kishchay basin;
Develop rehabilitation/removal/redesign plan for Kishchay river basin concurrent with training of local experts;
Prepare long list of options for FRM for Kishchay river basin;
Based on consultations with stakeholders, prepare short list of options and undertake economic and technical evaluation to define preferred option. Provide appropriate training in the methodologies used.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Functional Competencies:

Ability to work in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams;
Ability to work under pressure against strict deadlines;
Ability to present complex issues persuasively and simply;
Ability to think strategically;
Computer literacy and good report writing skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A post graduate academic degree, preferably PhD. in hydrology, flood management, water resources management or river basin management.

Experience:

Minimum of ten years of professional experience in hydrology, specifically flood hydrology, flood forecasting, water stress/drought hydrology;
Experience of mountainous catchment hydrology will be an advantage;
Experience of hydrological Modelling software.

Language:

Full working knowledge of spoken and written English, including the ability to draft and edit project documents.