UNDP Jobs - 56229- International Consultant for Water Resources Engin

International Consultant for Water Resources Engineer/Lead Trainer on IWRM

Location :

Baku, AZERBAIJAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

22-May-2015

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 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 11,838.5 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 11,838.5 km2 of the Southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus.

Duties and Responsibilities

Review regional development plans to estimate likely water demand;
Undertake water demand assessment for the urban and rural domestic water supply sector, irrigation demand, livestock watering and wildlife use, industrial and mining demands and any other demands;
Collaborate with various experts to determine groundwater components for water allocation modelling;
Lead training on water allocation modelling (CWM training) provided by other parties;
Establish criteria for water allocation modelling;
Prepare an assessment of environmental flows for incorporation into allocation modelling;
Review structure and functions of WUAs and define appropriate organizational form;
Prepare resource allocation options for different planning horizons;
Incorporate climatic and demographic variables in scenario modelling;
Provide orientation on options for water conservation measures;
Conduct IWRM training;
Other tasks requested by UNDP.

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 water resources engineering/management or river basin management.

Experience:

Minimum of 12 years of professional experience in water resources management with adequate good experience in the planning, investigation, and design of water management projects;
The candidate should have good understanding of developments in international water resources management;
The specialist should have good knowledge of climate change impacts on water resources as well as water resources conservation measures, specifically in the Caucasus area. He/she should have good knowledge and experience in holistic water resources planning;
He/she should have good knowledge of water resources scenario modelling;
Experience with environmental flow calculations.

Language:

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