UNDP Jobs - 56161- Consultancy Services for the EWACC Project

Consultancy Services for the EWACC Project

Location :

UNDP, SAMOA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

15-May-2015

Application Deadline :

12-May-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

120 working days

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 project “Economy-wide Adaptation to Climate Change” implemented by the Government of Samoa in collaboration with UNDP became operational in November 2014 with the objective to address expected impacts of climate change in losses of lives, livelihoods, and assets of vulnerable communities in Samoa.

The US $12.3 million project, funded by the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), will contribute to overcoming barriers to climate change adaptation by strengthening institutional capacity within the government; enhancing inter-ministerial coordination of climate change adaptation; promoting the inclusion of climate change concerns into development strategies across all sectors; climate-proofing of communities’ physical assets; introducing more climate-resilient livelihoods options; and sharing lessons learned and best practice on climate change adaptation across the Pacific region. The Implementing Entity is the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment. Responsible parties include the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Women, Communities and Social Development, the Land Transport Authority and the UNDP.

MNRE will invest the bulk of the LDCF resources in Component 2, aimed to enhance the resilience of communities as first responders of climate change-induced hazards. This component focuses on flood-protection infrastructure interventions, ecosystem-based adaptation approaches, resilient livelihoods support and revision and implementation of Disaster Risk Management plans for 100 villages.

UNDP is recruiting a Chief Technical Advisor to provide technical and operational support to the project management unit and the GoS in the inception phase (first year) of the project, especially focusing on providing strategic and technical guidance to the interventions under Component 2.

The CTA must have strong expertise in the areas of water engineering, water resource management, climate change adaptation project design and management, disaster risk management, and community-based interventions.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) will be responsible for providing strategic direction and overall technical backstopping to MNRE (Disaster Management Office and Water Resources Division), Land and Transport Authority, Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, and all other Government responsible parties, and to support the PMU in the inception phase of the project with special focus on interventions under Component 2. He/She will work under the guidance of the Project Steering Committee and report to UNDP to provide advice to the project management team and other consultants hired within the project. He/she will also be responsible for producing the Inception Report of the project.

The scope of work for the consultant will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following key activities:

Provide technical advice and support for effective project implementation

Provide technical expertise and strategic guidance to Component 2 (and to Components 1 and 3, if and when requested by GoS and with the approval of the MCO), provide quality control of interventions, and support the Project Manager in the definition ofimplementation and procurement plans and in the coordination for planned activities under the project, as stipulated in the project document and work plan;
Serve as international expert on flood-risk management infrastructure solutions, ecosystem-based approaches, and monitoring and evaluation expert in the context of climate change adaptation;
Serve as international expert on design resilient livelihood interventions, in the context of climate change, and targeting women and youth groups;
Define roles for all responsible parties and reflect these in the inception report; ensure roles are coordinated
Give input and guide development of technical training packages for all target groups and provide a peer review function; in certain cases carry out selected training events;
Advise on key policy and technical issues pertaining to the project;
Develop Terms of Reference for consultants and sub-contractors that will be necessary for the implementation of the project, and assist with selection and recruitment processProvide technical supervisory function to the work carried out by the other technical assistance consultants hired by the project;
Assist the PM in coordinating the work of consultants and sub-contractors, helping to ensure the timely delivery of expected outputs, and effective synergy among the various sub-contracted activities;
Provide guidance to ensure that technical contracts meet the highest standards.

Provide technical assistance for effective monitoring and evaluation:

Provide technical guidance to the responsible Govt parties (MWCSD, MNRE and MoF) for the livelihoods intervention to use reliable baseline data for the selection of beneficiaries;
Provide technical guidance to the consultant (local or international) hired to design the Experimental Design strategy for adequate monitoring of the livelihoods intervention, which per the Project Document should be designed and agreed for the selection of beneficiaries;
Assist the PM in the preparation and revision of the Management Plan as well as the Multi Year Work Plan; the Annual Work Plans (AWPs) as well as formalizing the activities for the first years;
Assist the PM in reviewing the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and monitoring tools;
Assist the PM in adjusting the project Results Framework, as required per the inception workshop discussions and follow-up, and in line with corporate requirements;
Assist the PM in defining the necessary coordination mechanisms at the national and regional level for efficient implementation of the project.

Relationship building:

Identify strategic opportunities for the project to achieve greater development impact through partnerships building and adaptive management;
Liaise with project partners, donor organizations, NGOs and other groups to ensure effective coordination of project activities and potential leverage of additional resources;
Engage on and contribute to policy dialogues within MNRE and other relevant agencies.

Facilitate Knowledge Building and Communications:

Assist in the definition of a knowledge management, communications and awareness raising strategy;
Provide guidance on knowledge management, communications and awareness raising and on document lessons from programme implementation and make recommendations to the Project Board for more effective implementation and coordination of programme activities.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates commitment to the Gov. of Samoa mission, vision and values;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning:

Shares knowledge and experience;
Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

Ability to perform a variety of specialized tasks related to administrative supports, including project data management support, reporting, and logistics for project implementation;
Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new system, including new IT based systems.

Leadership and Self-Management:

Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Remains calm, in control and good humoured even under pressure;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
Good inter-personal and teamwork skills, networking aptitude, ability to work in multicultural environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Postgraduate degree in water engineering and management or other closely related field.

Experience:

Minimum 10 years of experience on water resources mangament and infrastrure;
In-depth and proven knowledge and experience in the area implementation of development initiatives, policies and programmes relating to coastal and riparian management, including substantial knowledge of climate change adaptation measures and climate proofing of infrastructure in coastal/riparian zones, including impacts on environment related to human development and poverty reduction;
Working experiencethe Pacific region in general and Samoa in particular is a requirement;
Experience with UNDP-GEF projects in the Pacific is a requirement, in Samoa a strong asset;
Previous experience with MNRE and knowledge of the Vaisigano river and the greater Apia area is a strong asset;
Proven practical experience of Results Based Management (RBM), with sound knowledge on LogFrame and Project Cycle ;Management (PCM);
Strong skills in M & E;
Excellent communication, analysis and writing skills;
Experience on effective coordination of large, multidisciplinary teams of experts and consultants.

Language:

Fluent in English.

Please visit the procurement website to download copy of the TOR and relevant templates to assist with your proposal: http://procurement-notices.undp.org