UNDP Jobs - 53230- Payment for Ecosystems Specialist

Payment for Ecosystems Specialist

Location :

Dili, Timor Leste

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

23-Feb-2015

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

20 Working days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

20 Working days

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

International Consultant, payment for ecosystems specialist to join project team for building shoreline resilience of Timor-Leste to protect local communities and their livelihoods.

Duties and Responsibilities

Identify gaps, conflicting mandates and the opportunities to reconcile these;
Assess past climate extreme events/climate related disasters in coastal areas, including incorporation of analysis from the National Climate Change Scenarios (under the Initial National Communication, and other national and regional studies);
Review the underlying causes of vulnerability of coastal communities – with attention to population density, gender disparity, land use practices, livelihood activities, employment rates, access to public services and income generation opportunities (disaggregated by gender);
Identification and assessment of prior interventions and pre-existing gaps to cope with climate extreme events, including coastal storms, inundation and so forth at provincial, district and community levels;
Assessment of tools and manuals available for facilitating coastal management and development planning and budgeting processes;
Review of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures and requirements relating to coastal infrastructure development, with focus on the Tibar Bay Port and other coastal development investment plans;
A review of the coastal infrastructure development investment profile of the Petroleum Fund, including availability of climate risk information or requirement guidelines for decision making;
Review of current legislation and land use policy and related guidelines including traditional Tara Bandu land use and coastal agreements and compliance;
Review of government coastal protection/defence investment plans, and examine their effectiveness, including cost-effectiveness of existing sea walls and coastal embankments;
Review of government and other sources regarding current status of mangrove forest stands in the coastal regional and related march and wetland systems that provide hydrological support to mangroves – including aquifer quality, reef system and other coastal habitat conditions;
Review public expenditure, budget allocations for the protection of mangroves and other coastal habitat, including the establishment of financial gaps and identification of feasible financial instruments in which to leverage additional or public funding for the protection of coastal habitats, and;
The identification of relevant indicators and the collection of baseline data for these indicators, and specific sites for intervention.

Competencies

Ability to effectively communicate complex, technical information to broader audiences, demonstrated through previous roles working in multi-disciplinary teams; and
Good knowledge of results based management (RBM) demonstrated by previous project reporting to agencies or donors that require RBM;
Strong particularly good written communication skills;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

An advanced degree (Masters or PhD) in environmental economics, economics, environmental management, natural resource management or related areas of expertise.

Years of experience:

Minimum 5 years of demonstrable knowledge of natural resource management in the context of payment for ecosystems services;
Minimum 5 years of experience in applying payment for ecosystem services in coastal ecosystems or watershed contexts - for ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation (e.g. terracing and similar water harvesting and sloping land technologies, wetland management, watershed approaches);
Minimum of at least 3 years of experience working on the valuation of Mangrove protection and/or restoration;
Demonstrable knowledge of Timor-Leste or other countries in Asia, demonstrated by previous experience and involvement in the country/region.

Language(s) required:

Proficiency in English is required;
Language skills in Tetun, Portuguese or Bahasa Indonesia would be advantageous.

For more information please visit to this Link.