UNDP Jobs - 65803- International Consultant in the Development of Nat

International Consultant in the Development of National Mercury Profiles and Mercury Initial Assessment Reports for “Minamata Initial Assessment for Albania” Project

Location :

Home Based and on Site, Albania

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

30-Apr-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

40 days over a two year period (30 Days home-based and 10 days in three missions to Albania) for a t

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 will support the government of Albania through the Ministry of Environment to undertake an initial mercury assessment to identify the national mercury challenges and the extent to which legal, policy and regulatory framework will enable Albania to implement future obligations under the Minamata Convention.

Project Description and objective

Albania became a signatory to the Minamata Convention on 9 October 2014 and it has been also actively participating in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Mercury.

During the past 10 years the Ministry of Environment (MoE) has been engaged in policy dialogues involving potential donors in prioritizing interventions to address the problematics of inherited industrial pollution. Currently, the Government of Albania is in the process of transposing European Union legislation related to the management of chemicals, (such as REACH, CLP, POP Regulation, Import-export regulation) into its national legislative framework.

The project’s objective is to undertake a Mercury Initial Assessment to enable the Government of Albania to determine the national requirements and needs for ratification of the Minamata Convention and establish a sound foundation to undertake future work towards the implementation of the Convention. It will do so by implementing four components as specified in the GEF guidelines (GEF/C.45/Inf.05 paragraph 19), as well as a fifth component on mainstreaming.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective of the assignment

The International consultant will provide an overall technical backstopping support to the Project Manager of the Mercury project and Steering Committee, and be responsible for helping to plan data collection, oversee data collection and data analysis, and oversee monitoring and evaluation of activities being implemented, and provide support in writing the National Mercury Profile and Initial Assessment Report.

Duties & Responsibilities

The ITE will provide up to 30 days of home-based support, and up to 10 days of support spread over three missions in Albania, all of which aim to bring international technical assistance to the project. The main duty of the ITE will be to provide technical guidance to the National Project Manager and the Project Steering Committee on the overall implementation of project activities, with specific reference to the following:

Provide technical guidance and advice in the detailed planning of project activities, elaborating on the two-year work plan.This will be initiated through home-based inputs and consolidated during the first mission to Albania scheduled for the first steering committee meeting in Q2 2016;
Advice in the awareness raising plan preparation of the project;
Review and comment on the awareness raising plan of the project to be prepared in Q2 and Q3 2016 (home-based);
Design and facilitate national capacity training for both the National Project Team (including consultants collecting data) and key personnel of Government institutions.Prepare and deliver training materials as necessary.The training will also be undertaken during the second mission to Albania in Q3;
Assist the national team in developing a methodology and work programme for the Mercury inventory to be developed during Q3 (home-based);
Through email and Skype contact, support the national team during data collection, analysis and preparation of the Mercury inventory to be conducted from Q3 to Q4 (home-based);
Take a leading role in drafting the National Mercury Profile, based on the Mercury inventory, and support the national team in its presentation at a validation workshop (third mission to Albania);
Take a lead role in the preparation of the Mercury Initial Assessment Report, support the national team in the national review process as necessary (home-based);
Review and provide inputs into project quarterly and annual reports as requested by the National Project Manager;
Assist and provide guidance to any other technical issues arising within the project as needed.

Deliverables are as follows:

Written contribution to project quarterly and annual reports which describe the general status of the project achievements and challenges faced, and make recommendations to the SC and Project Manager to address issues arising;
Written advice on the preparation of the project awareness raising plan;
Written review of the project awareness raising plan;
National capacity training materials;
Lead authorship on the National Mercury Profile;
Lead authorship on the Mercury Initial Assessment Report.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
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 favouritism;
Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment;

Functional Competencies

Demonstrable ability to maintain effective communications with different stakeholders;
Good presentation and reporting skills;
Have effective interpersonal skills and ability to work in complex, multi-stake-holder projects;

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Minimum of a Masters’ degree in an appropriate subject related to chemicals

Work Experience:

Minimum of 10 years of experience in preparation of national reports and assessments related to chemicals in the environment, POPs and heavy metals inventory, etc.Specific experience with Mercury inventories is preferred.
Demonstrable experience in training and capacity building of national stakeholders and institutions related to the above.
Practical experience in similar projects in the region is preferred.
Demonstrated leadership ability and technical ability to communicate complex ideas verbally and in writing.
Prior UNDP/GEF project experience and knowledge of UNDP and GEF procedures and guidelines is an advantage.

Languages:
Excellent English, both written and oral.

Timeframe of the assignment

The total duration of the assignment is expected to be 40 working days over approximately 24 months. A detailed timeframe will be worked out with the consultant at the start of the assignment.

Payment modalities and specifications

20%.at submission and approval of the detailed planning of project activities, elaborating on the two-year work plan and assisting the First Steering Committee.
30%.following submission and approval of the first report.
50% following submission and approval of the final deliverables.

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultant will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants and financial proposal.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 70 points - Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points

Minimum of 10 years of experience in preparation of national reports and assessments related to chemicals in the environment, POPs and heavy metals inventory, etc. Specific experience with Mercury inventories is preferred: 30 marks
Demonstrable experience in training and capacity building of national stakeholders and institutions related to the above: 30 marks
Practical experience in similar projects preferably in the region : 10 marks

Application procedures:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification. The application should contain:

Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application;
Completed Personal History Form (P11 form) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs) including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://www.al.undp.org/content/albania/en/home/operations/jobs.html . Please upload the P11 instead of your CV;
Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availibility-please fill in the attached form...
Financial Proposal - lump sum amount in USD (including the breakdown of consultancy daily fee; travel /per diems or other possible costs related to the assignment if any). Please attach the Financial Proposal with your P11 form in one file document as only one upload is allowed in the site.

How to Submit the Application:

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs) - Download here
Merge your UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs), Financial Proposal cover letter and Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availibility into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;”
Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their financial proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores. UNDP retains the right to contact references directly.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.