UNDP Jobs - 52939- Mauritius National Coordinator

Mauritius National Coordinator - SWITCH Africa Green - (Open to Mauritian Nationals Only)

Location :

Port Louis, MAURITIUS

Type of Contract :

FTA Local

Starting Date :

01-Apr-2015

Application Deadline :

02-Feb-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

NO-B

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 year with possibility of renewal

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

1 year

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

The 17 United Nations agencies, funds, and programmes that comprise the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) for Mauritius has committed themselves to the “Delivering as One” (DaO). In line with the new Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review, Standard Operating Procedures, and UNDG Strategic Priorities 2013-2016, a UN Strategic Framework is being developed. The framework will focus on a few broad outcome areas, among which is the “Green Economy”).

In support to this, UNEP, with financial support from the European Union and in collaboration with UNDP, UNOPS and other regional and national partners, is implementing SWITCH Africa Green project. The overall objective of SWITCH Africa Green is to support 6 countries in Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa and Uganda) to achieve sustainable development by engaging in transition towards an inclusive green economy, based on sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns, while generating growth, creating decent jobs and reducing poverty. The objective will be achieved primarily through support to private sector led inclusive green growth. The project period is 2014-2017.

The specific objective is to support the development of green businesses and eco-entrepreneurship and use of SCP practices by having in place (i) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (M&SMEs) and business service providers that are better equipped to seize opportunities for green business development, ii) better informed public and private consumers, and (iii) enabling conditions in form of clear policies, sound regulatory frameworks, incentives structures, tax, other fiscal and market-based instruments influencing key sector(s) in the 6 African countries.

The SWITCH Africa Green project will combine work at the micro and macro-levels, providing targeted support to green private sector development initiatives. M&SMEs will be supported through intermediary business organisations that facilitate changes in practices and choices by producers and consumers. The project will also focus on policies, which influence investment choices. The project will seek to link on-going bilateral projects and programmes supported by the EU and its Member States, which support green business development and SCP practices, and will build on experience in other similar EU-funded projects such as SWITCH Asia and SWITCH Med.

The project has three main components: i) Policy support for each pilot country which will build on and scale up activities to strengthen institutions and appropriate tools and instruments; ii) Green Business development to enable Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (M&SMEs) to start and develop resource efficient and green business based on sustainable production practices; and iii) Networking Facility to enable dissemination of lessons learned from the project.

The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development will be responsible for the implementation and coordination of the project and chair the National Technical Coordination Committee (NTCC).

The NTCC will be composed of:

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development;
Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection;
Ministry of Tourism and Leisure;
Ministry of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives;
Ministry of Agro-Industry & Food Security;
Ministry of Finance and Economic Development;
Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities;
Ministry of Local Government;
Maurice Ile Durable Commission;
Joint Economic Council;
Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture;
Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
Association des Hôteliers et Restaurateurs de l'île Maurice (AHRIM);
European Union Delegation to Mauritius;
United Nations Development Programme;
Mauritius National Coordinator - SWITCH Africa Green.

The National Coordinator will operate under the overall supervision of the United Nations Resident Coordinator (RC) in Mauritius who chairs the United Nations Country Team (UNCT). On a daily basis, the National Coordinator will work under the direct guidance of the UN Coordination Analyst in the RC Office and the Team Leader of the Environment Unit in the UNDP country office, with a strong matrix management line to the Regional Project Coordinators at the UNDP Regional Service Centre in Addis Ababa, the UNEP Regional Office for Africa in Nairobi, and the UNOPS Africa Regional Office in Nairobi.

Duties and Responsibilities

Launch and management of the inception phase of the project:

Initiate national roundtable with relevant government ministries, private enterprises and investors, relevant business intermediaries, experts, civil society and relevant development partners to better define the necessary outputs of the project in the national context;
Support the National Technical Coordination Committee (NTCC) established to guide implementation of the project and serve as its secretary;
Develop a ‘Country Implementation Report’ detailing: management structure for SWITCH Africa Green at the national level; composition of the NTCC; national level delivery plan, and logical framework;
Develop a ‘Country Inception Report’ covering the results of policy support analytical work, i.e. analysis of focal areas, existing policies, regulations, review of business environment and green business opportunities.

National coordination and leadership:

Provide information on the project to all relevant partners and stakeholders;
Respect of visibility guidance provided by the EU in its Communication and Visibility Manual;
Link directly to the government focal points and the NTCC;
Provide detailed description of focal areas/activities through consultations at national level/national coordinators, and of the key stakeholders in the public and private sector and civil society that should be engaged;
Support the organization of national and local training to be carried out under the project;
Support in conducting thorough analysis and research of the political, social and economic issues impacting the transformation towards an inclusive green economy in Mauritius;
Support in mapping out UNCT activities in Mauritius that are related to green economy transformation, in coordination with the UNCT Green Economy Focal Point, as well as mapping out of the relevant technical resources available within the UNCT, particularly in reference to the Partnership for Action on the Green Economy (PAGE) initiative;
Facilitate synergy and coordination of the implementation of the SWITCH Africa Green project with on-going UN programmes and activities, including the Green Economy Results Framework, building on existing collaborative projects and working closely with UN Country Teams under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator;
Participate in and act as secretary to the four Technical Working Groups that have been set up to address the specific sectors of manufacturing, tourism and agriculture, and cross-cutting issue of energy, under the Switch Africa Green Programme.
Conduct a mapping of the above four sectors

Policy support and research:

Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues;
In collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners, contribute to: inventory of existing policies, regulations, standards and instruments and mapping of gaps; assessment of the business environment in focused sectors and identification of capacity building needs; review of green investment opportunities in the selected sectors;
Review, build upon, or initiate green economy scoping studies. With particular reference to the ILO reports Skills for Green Jobs in Mauritius, the Stocktaking Exercise on Trade Union Involvement/Activities in Green Jobs in Mauritius, and the Green Jobs in Mauritius Experiences from a Small Island Developing State. The forthcoming (June 2014) National Green Economy Assessment and Fiscal Policy Study, and Green Economy Action Plan supported byUNEP/UNDP should also play an important role;
Support inputs to the governments Blueprint on Realising the High Income Economy Vision which has Green Economy as a cross cutting theme;
Support in identification of green economy opportunities for new UN engagement and share these with UNCT members for consideration and support development of new UN initiatives.

Monitoring and risk management of grants along the project duration:

In support the green business development component, and in close collaboration with the UNEP-UNDP-UNOPS Regional Project Coordinators, support the preparation of the call for proposals (e.g. drafting of guidelines for grant applicants) and the review of proposals (e.g. assessment of formal requirements and physical verification of grant applicants);
Effective application of Results Based Management tools, establishment of management targets and monitoring achievement of results;
Financial and substantive monitoring and evaluation of the grants, identification of operational and financial problems, development of effective and efficient solutions;
Constant monitoring and analysis of the grant implementation as per the monitoring framework to be provided by UNOPS;
Prepare and submit grant monitoring reports (quarterly and annual) to the UNEP-UNDP-UNOPS Regional Project Coordinators, and the NTCC, as per the requirements of the project;
Prepare and submit progress reports to the UNEP-UNDP-UNOPS Regional Project Coordinators, and the NTCC, as per the requirements of the project.

Facilitate knowledge building and management:

Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues;
Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned directly linked to grant implementation;
Promote knowledge management, document best practices and lessons learned from project implementation, and facilitate dissemination in appropriate format to relevant stakeholders;
Support capacity enhancement through knowledge sharing among key stakeholders;
Liaise with advocacy networks at national level and regional networks (ARCSP and RECP-net);
Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice as appropriate.

Competencies

Excellent conceptual, analytical, and critical thinking;
Strong good communication skills, both oral and written, including the ability to write clearly and concisely on technical, socio-economic and financial issues;
Proven ability to analyse and communicate complex information at a simpler level to a wide audience;
Demonstrated ability to efficiently and effectively manage complex issues with partners in the public and private sectors;
Proven ability to think strategically, including the ability to think beyond the country context and to act within a regional and global framework;
Excellent organisation, problem-solving, teamwork and coordination skills and strong ability to manage demanding and complex programmes;
Ability to establish effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;
Excellent knowledge of the public and private sectors of Mauritius;
Ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines;
Commitment to the values of the United Nations.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development, Economics, Natural Sciences or other relevant field.

Experience:

A minimum of 2 years professional experience, of which at least two years in project management in Green Economy related areas such as, but not limited to, energy and resource efficiency, manufacturing, tourism, sustainable agriculture and fisheries, waste management, etc.;
Proven experience in multi-stakeholder coordination;
Proven experience in research and design of research methodologies.

Language:

Fluency in spoken and written English, spoken Creole;
French is an advantage.

Nationality:

Qualified Mauritian only.

Mode of Application:

Interested and qualified candidates should apply on-line through UNDP jobs website: http://jobs.undp.org or www.mu.undp.org (under Operations);
Please ensure that you upload the Personal History Form – P11 (available at www.mu.undp.org under Operations/Jobs) and your CV as one attachment in the relevant field of the on-line application; Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.
You are required to provide the exact titles of your degrees/qualifications (as per certificates) in the Personal History Form and CV.
Incomplete applications or applications received after the closing date will not be given consideration;
Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted;
Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

Attention to all applicants:

As part of the application submission process, candidates must submit and upload the Personal History Form – P11 (available at www.mu.undp.org) and a CV as one attachment in the relevant field of the on-line application.

UNDP reserves the right not to make any appointment following this advertisement.