Background

For the last three years, South Sudan has been facing the consequences of the climate emergency through unpredictable weather patterns leading to more intense and erratic rainfall that result to devastating floods. This mainly affects pastoralists and crop farmer communities in the country's poorest and most vulnerable populations, and whose resilience is increasingly challenged. As a developing country with pockets of middle-income population, South Sudan is generally characterized by slow social and economic development.

The Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) was established after the enactment of the RRC bill, in 2016. RRC is an independent commission and legal entity in collaboration with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management plays a central role in disaster risk preparedness, response, and recovery, including supporting capacity for disaster management and mobilizing resources and developing comprehensive measures to address disasters, establish strategic storage facilities for repositioning of stock supplies for emergency intervention. The RRC coordinate with relevant government institutions and national and international partners in the event of disasters and facilitate humanitarian-related work and mobilize resources from internal and external sources for the reconstruction of affected areas and resettlement of displaced persons.

In view of the above, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) South Sudan is providing technical support to the RRC in strengthening national disaster risk management coordination and response capabilities to improve resilience and disaster mitigation. This is intended to ensure timely and effective humanitarian response in times of disasters. Through agreement between RRC and UNDP, a Response and Recovery Coordination Experts will be deployed in Unity State (Bentiu) and Jonglei State (Bor) inorder to provide technical advise and lead on the implementation of activities like the development of a National Contingency and Recovery

Duties and Responsibilities

The Response and Recovery Coordination Expert is expected to contribute to building critical disaster management and preparedness capacity while strengthening existing disaster coordination mechanisms. He/She is expected to undertake the following tasks:

  • Analyze the coordination mechanism and institutional architecture for emergency response and recovery and provide technical advice in enhancing the effectiveness of coordination structures and activities, as well as, the appropriateness of response activities;
  • Engage with relevant international partners with specific mandates on disaster response, management such as UNDP, UNDRR and OCHA, ICRC with the objective of strengthening the humanitarian, peace, and development nexus;
  • Support the RRC Commissioner in the conduct of coordination meetings, including the preparation of the agenda and relevant documentation, and in following-through with decisions taken;
  • Support strengthening of multi-sectoral coordination linkages, emergency preparedness and response planning, and DRR mainstreaming in various sectors at local level;
  • Support the conduct of rapid assessments;
  • Lead the gathering and transmission of necessary data/information to the national level and undertake local level analysis and report preparation on response and recovery;
  • Review existing State level contingency planning and preparedness processes used by state actors with a view to identifying the nature and scope of inclusion of preparedness and contingency planning;
  • Identify existing capacity gaps in emergency preparedness and contingency planning of state actors and recommend areas of support include training workshops;
  • Provide relevant substantive inputs to knowledge management and networking, including responding to RRC and UNDP requests for information on best practice;
  • Provide inputs for the production and dissemination of reports on Government and UN activities on DRM, emergency response, and resilience;
  • Document lessons learned and good practice, DRM coordination, and capacity gaps;

Work with UNDP and other DRR partners to set up coordination platforms to better link up efforts to increase resilience and mitigate the impact of floods and have common messages and priorities for support to Government structures and plans.

Competencies

The Response and Recovery Coordination Expert is expected to demonstrate the following competencies:

Professionalism:

  • Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to disaster risk management, climate change, and sustainable development.
  • Ability to identify issues, analyses and participate in the resolution of issues/problems.
  • Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities.
  • Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter.
  • Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results.
  • Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges.

Teamwork:

  • Ability to work together with the government counterparts, donors, local consultants, and UN agencies.
  • Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others.
  • Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication.

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda:

  • Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating UNDP and SSRRC, MoHADM mandate with regard DRM.

Building Strategic Partnerships:

  • Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up to date on partnership-related issues.

Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders

Deliverable

Inception report 10%

First (monthly) coordination report 15%

Second (monthly) coordination report 15%

Third (monthly) coordination report 15%

Fourth (monthly) coordination report 15%

Fifth (monthly) coordination report 15%

Final report 15%

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor degree in Disaster Risk Management, Emergency Response, Social Sciences, or related field

Experience:

  • At least 2 years field experience. Knowledge and experience from disaster response operations an asset.
  • Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate information collection and monitor own work plan
  • Ability to work, establish and maintain strategic partnerships with government institutions, donors, civil society partners and other UN agencies;
  • Excellent communication, writing skills, and analytical skills;
  • Good interpersonal skills and result oriented
  • Ability to work under pressure;
  • Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages.

Language:

Proficiency in English.

Consultancy Evaluation Criteria

Offers received will be evaluated using a Combined Scoring method, where the qualifications and Required Skills and Experience will be weighted 70%, and combined with the price offer, which will be weighted 30%.

National Consultant technical evaluation criteria

Criteria to be used for rating the qualifications and Required Skills and Experience is outlined below:

  • Qualifications of the candidate in the required area or course applied for: Disaster management, development studies, social sciences, or another relevant field. (10%).
  • A minimum of two (2) years field experience in disaster response and risk management activities, and (related) provision of advice on DRM concepts and principles to a wide variety of stakeholders on different levels. (25%)
  • A good understanding of the conduct of rapid assessments and community-driven, area-based development in a post-disaster setting. (20%)
  • Experience on disaster response and recovery coordination. (25%)
  • Knowledge of capacity-building activities for (local) government officials, and national and local NGOs and CBOs. (20%)

NOTE: Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the Technical Evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Financial evaluation (total 30 points)

All technically qualified proposals will be scored up to 30 based on the formula provided below. The maximum points (30) will be assigned to the lowest financial proposal. All other proposals receive points according to the following formula: p y (/z)

Where:

  • p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated
  • y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal price of the lowest-priced proposal
  • z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

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.