UNDP Jobs - 57002- International Consultant on Financing Green Urban

International Consultant on Financing Green Urban Development and Innovation Hubs

Location :

Home-based, with 2 Missions of at Least 5 Working Days Each to Chisinau, MOLDOVA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Jul-2015

Application Deadline :

22-Jun-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

35 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

Currently, over 50 percent of the world’s population lives in urban areas consuming over 70 percent of the global energy supply while being responsible for 70 percent of the world wide carbon dioxide emissions. By 2030, it is expected that 5 billion people worldwide will live in cities. This is mainly caused by people moving from rural to urban areas searching for better economic and employment conditions. Moldova is in line with the global trend of continuously growing urbanization from 47% in 2010 to 60% in 2030. Chisinau, Moldova’s capital and also the largest city whose inhabitants make up over 22% of the total country population, is the largest energy user, emitter of GHGs, and consumer of resources in the country.

Therefore, UNDP and GEF are currently developing a project which aims to create a model for sustainable green cities in Moldova by supporting a shift towards low-emission and resilient urban development and implementing mitigation policies in the most efficient and cost effective manner. This project places specific attention on finding integrated solutions for increasing the involvement of the private sector and promoting the green economy, addressing the private sector as supplier of urban services, provider of innovative technologies and management practices, and implementer of low-emission policies.

The five components of the project consist of:

The establishment of an innovation hub in Chisinau which identifies, develops, and secures financing for innovate green urban development proposals, thus providing support to the following three components;
Support for integrated urban planning in the area of waste with a focus on developing an integrated waste management strategy for the City of Chisinau including the development, scoping, financing, implementation and operation of a waste-to-energy project.
Support for integrated urban planning in the area of sustainable transport with a focus on developing and adopting a Sustainable Urban Transport Plan (SUTP), a parking strategy for Chisinau, and an integrated traffic management system (ITMS);
Support for the energy sector with a focus on developing a national database on energy consumption for all public buildings, an Energy Management Information System (EMIS), and detailed and comprehensive trainings on ESCOs all contributing to catalyze additional investment in energy efficiency;
The replication of the integrated urban planning approach to at least three other cities with special emphasis on outreach and dissemination of best practice including establishing innovation hubs.

In summary, the project will address the modernization of urban policies, develop integrated urban development plans and methodological guidance by using innovation hubs as the key mechanisms to drive investment and develop innovative approaches for broader citizen engagement through incentive schemes, awareness raising and capacity development targeting the urban population. Priority sectors for technology transfer and accelerated uptake of low-emission technologies, approaches and mitigation options are energy efficiency, transport, and waste management. The private sector will be systematically engaged as a partner since private sector investment mobilized is a key indicator of project success. In addition, dissemination of best practices will be replicated from Chisinau to other towns and cities.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will be part of a team of consultants which will conduct a number of studies and stakeholder consultations with the view to further develop the approved project concept into a fully formulated project document. The final output of the initiation plan will be a UNDP-GEF project document and GEF CEO endorsement template ready for submission to UNDP and GEF including GEF tracking tools, and all co-financing letters. The consultant will mainly be involved in developing a business plan for the innovation hubs including detailed activities, management structures, financing opportunities that are ensuring the post-project sustainability of these hubs.

For detailed information, please refer to the Terms of Reference.

http://www.undp.md/jobs/current_jobs.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Strong interpersonal skills, communication skills and ability to work in a team;
Ability to plan and organize his/her work, efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations;
Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced University degree in economics, energy, engineering, international relations, environmental science, social sciences or a related field.

Experience:

At least 7 years of work experience related to the identification, development, and securitization of financing innovate green urban development interventions in several country settings;
Strong technical knowledge and work experience with innovative means of catalyzing financing for integrated urban development, such as through green bonds and other financing instruments;
Strong technical knowledge and experience with the development of business plans, preferably for innovation hubs/ centres in the field of integrated urban planning;
Knowledge and experience on international best practice of integrated sustainable planning preferably in the fields of energy, transport, and waste is an advantage;
Experience with partnerships/resource mobilization for urban interventions is an advantage;
Knowledge of MS Word, Excel and email communication software.

Language:

Excellent English writing and communication skills

Important notice:

Applicants who have the statute of Government Official / Public Servant, prior to appointment will be asked to submit the following documentation:

A no-objection letter in respect of the applicant received from the government; and
The applicant is certified in writing by the government to be on official leave without pay for the duration of the Individual Contract.

A retired government official is not considered in this case a government official, and as such, may be contracted.

The detailed Terms of Reference and Procurement Notice can be found at http://www.undp.md/jobs/current_jobs.