UNDP Jobs - 54358- Project Coordinator (For Ghanaian Nationals Only)

Project Coordinator (For Ghanaian Nationals Only)

Location :

Accra, GHANA

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

21-May-2015

Application Deadline :

23-Mar-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

One Year

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

The Green Climate Fund (GCF), which was established as an operating entity of the UNFCCC financial mechanism, is expected to become the main global fund for financing climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. While it has been agreed that Direct Access will be one of the modalities for the disbursement of the funds, it is recognized that certain levels of capacity will be required by governments and other actors involved in accessing the GCF. For the GCF to succeed, national capacities and mechanisms need to correspond to the GCF requirements, while also aligning with country planning, budgeting, programming and MRV systems.

With support from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), UNEP, UNDP and WRI (“the Partners”) are currently at the start of the implementation phase, developing a full-fledged GCF Readiness Programme (the Programme) in 9 countries. The implementation phase is based on a previous inception phase that yielded country readiness plans drawn from country specific needs assessments. The Programme is expected to offer needs-oriented support to countries for accessing and using the GCF once it is fully operational. The Programme will include (i) specific capacity building programmes in 9 target countries, (ii) the development of national project pipelines on the basis of existing and potential specific national plans and policies, together with feeding back lessons learned identified with GCF processes to support the work of the GCF Board and Secretariat.

In Ghana, the Programme targets the key domestic institutions responsible for ensuring climate finance is used effectively. This includes those with fiduciary responsibility for national and international funds received but also those institutions responsible for allocating finance and ensuring it achieves its intended purpose, including Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Ministry of Finance, and National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), as well other climate-change related public institutions and local-level governments. The Programme also targets private sector actors that will play a key role in the implementation of specific projects, financial institutions that may invest in climate related activities and civil society actors that may support government in developing capacity as well as in strengthening mechanisms for monitoring and accountability.

The implementation phase of the programme will include the operationalisation of the country readiness plans developed during the inception phase by the partner agencies and the national governments. The project coordinator will serve as the day-to-day manager of the implementation of the Programme in the country, working closely with UNDP, UNEP, WRI and the national government. The project coordinator will also serve as the secretary of the National Coordination Committee (NCC), comprised of national government representatives, private sector, civil society representatives and the donor community.

The project coordinator will work on behalf of and be guided in his/her work by the three partners UNEP, UNDP and WRI. He/she will provide regular status updates to and reports to the Head of Sustainable Development Cluster in UNDP Ghana Country Office, UNEP Programme Officer in charge, and to the Global Programme Coordinator who represents the three partners for this purpose. On behalf of the partnership, UNDP will contract the project coordinator. This contract will be renewable on an annual basis and subject to yearly performance reviews. Although the project coordinator will hold a contract with UNDP, he/she will be required to work with UNEP to provide implementation support for the UNEP-funded components of the Programme.

Duties and Responsibilities

The project coordinator will have the following overarching responsibilities:

Day-to-day management of the Programme implementation, including programme and administrative support;
Technical advice and support;
Ensuring coherence with the readiness framework developed on the global level and with relevant initiatives at the national level
Monitoring, evaluation and reporting:

For day-to-day management of the implementation, the project coordinator will carry out programme activities as outlined in the project document (both UNDP and UNEP) and as approved by the NCC.

In so doing, the project coordinator will:

Manage the overall national Programme implementation, including regarding Programme activities (such as workshops, studies and publications, advisory services and other activities and outputs), subcontracts, equipment and administrative support;
Ensure that the national Programme produces the outcomes specified in the Programme document at the required quality standards and within the specified cost and time limits;
Coordinate the activities of the three partners in the Programme to ensure harmonisation and avoid redundancy;
Promote overall integration of the programme into the country’s existing and planned readiness and related activities, the national climate change policies and plans, and encourage shared learning with national partners and the other national project coordinators;
Supervise personnel engaged in delivering aspects of the Programme including subcontractors;
Represent the partnership on the NCC and provide secretariat services to the NCC; this will include conveying/organizing/coordinating the NCC meetings; ensuring that all NCC representatives receive relevant information ahead of meetings; presenting the Programme’s progress to the NCC; taking notes during – and circulating notes after the NCC meetings;
Ensure timely preparation and submission of required reports, including technical and financial reports;
Ensure continuous liaison with relevant national institutions;
Support the development and approval process of annual operational work plans;
Ensure close coordination between other relevant climate change projects and programmes, both in-country and those lead by the partners, the GCF Secretariat, and other organisations;
Facilitate coordination and other support for consultants hired for the Programme, and for any relevant UNEP, UNDP, and WRI missions directly related to the Programme;

In his/her technical advisory role, the project coordinator will:

Provide technical inputs to the implementation of the different Programme activities and outputs – including by organizing and participating in meetings, trainings, workshops and other events and by providing analysis of results of the workshop/trainings/meetings/events and study/assessment, by providing technical inputs to workshop presentations, to studies, to advisory services and to other activities and outputs of the national Programme;
Prepare, in consultation with the partners, TORs of consultants and comment on their reports;
Facilitate the building of capacity and awareness of key stakeholders regarding climate finance readiness, including among others the private sector and civil society;
Develop relevant policy briefs, lessons learned documents, communication materials, website updates, and other relevant publications;

Ensuring coherence with the readiness framework developed by the global programme coordinating committee, the project coordinator will:

Coordinate the implementation of the country Programme in accordance with the GCF Readiness Programme at the global level;
Update and seek authorization from the Partner agencies at the global level regarding significant changes to annual work plans, in order to ensure global coherence of the Programme;

Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting, the project coordinator will:

Carry out regular follow-up and monitoring of implementation activities;
Carry out regular monitoring and reporting on risks and mitigation measures;
Ensure timely preparation and submission of required reports, including technical and financial reports;
Provide regular updates on the Programme’s progress to the Global Programme Coordinator, to the NCC as well as to UNEP, UNDP, WRI and Germany BMUB upon their request;
Facilitate independent evaluations as fielded by Programme partners.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Demonstrated excellence in clear, concise and convincing writing and communication skills;
Highly organized with strong analytical and research skills;
Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a collaborative team and process;
Ability to work with multiple stakeholders across a wide range of disciplines.

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standard;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in environmental policy, finance, economics or other relevant subject.

Experience:

Minimum 5 years of experience in project management, policy analysis, advice and capacity development related to climate and/or development finance, public policy/finance/budget management and in engagement of the private sector/finance sector in climate related activities in developing countries;
Expertise and experience in climate change, finance, and relevant sectors such as energy, forestry, agriculture, water and cross-cutting issues such as gender;
Experience in Programme formulation is an asset;
Experience working for the UN is an asset;
Ability to work under pressure and time constraints.

Language:

Excellent written and oral communication skills;
Fluency in English is required.