UNDP Jobs - 25308- Local Consultant in Hungary for Position Paper Sup

Local Consultant in Hungary for Position Paper Support

Location :

home based and local travel to Central-Tisza region, Budapest, and other locations in Hungary as required

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

08-Sep-11 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

estimated September – December 2011

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

approximately 17 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

“Tisza community-led demonstration project for sustainable development and integrated land and water management”
(Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine)

The assignment is a replication of experience gained within the GEF- Mid-Size Project “Integrating multiple benefits of wetlands and floodplains into improved transboundary management for the Tisza River Basin”. The assignment is implemented within the UNDP pilot and demonstration component aimed at development, implementation and evaluation of transboundary community-led projects that promote sustainable development through integrated land and water management (ILWM) practices at the community level in Tisza countries: Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine.

The Hungarian demonstration project focused on the assessment of the geographic, physical, legal, structural and organisational potential to the implementation of a non-structural, diverse and multilateral approach to the land use and water management issues in the Hungarian Tisza valley with the intention to practical implementation of such an approach at a local site. In the course of the project it became clear that enormous legal, structural and financial barriers as well as deficiencies in the awareness of stakeholders prevent fruitful conclusion of such efforts.

The Hungarian government decided to take an alternative approach to the water management issues of the Tisza and to build a series of emergency reservoirs outside the main line of defense on the protected side of the flood control works along the entire Hungarian section of the river. The project was hailed as an integrated approach to water and land management but due to lack of funding, lack of interest, reconsideration of the concept and lack of political will it remained a business as usual water management project half way through implementation. The current situation still provides the opportunity to re-engineer the proposed works to a more sustainable and environmentally less harmful solution.

In 2010 the Ministry of Rural Development announced the preparatory works for a comprehensive rural development strategy which is now under public discussion. This long term strategy opens up the possibility for reviewing the potential of integrating the land use development concept into both the New Vasarhelyi Plan (VTT) and the rural development objectives. Should such an approach prove to be viable, the necessary legal changes can be proposed to political decision makers.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of, and reporting to the project manager in UNDP, and in cooperation with the entity organising the national consultation workshop the consultant will develop, prepare and present at the national consultation workshop a position paper outlining mainly:

The potential for an integrated land and water development approach in the Hungarian Tisza valley
The current legal and structural barriers in place to such an approach
An assessment of the new Vásárhelyi Plan, implementation so far, potentials for a more integrated approach to include land use issues and reduce hydromorphological stresses to the river
The potential for inclusion both the revised VTT and the Integrated Land Development (ILD) into the current rural development strategy of the Hungarian government

The position paper will be discussed at a national consultation workshop with the participation of all stakeholder groups including ministerial decision makers, water management authorities, land use authorities, development agencies and members of Parlament. Specific tasks of the consultant include identification of stakeholders for participation at the workshop, prior circulation and the presentation of his/her paper to stakeholders and facilitating the workshop to arrive at a conclusion. The outcome of the workshop should be a proposal for political decision makers to review current legislation and amend it to allow implementation of ILD in the Tisza valley.

Deliverables

The key products expected from this assignment are the following:

The position paper in English and Hungarian, describing the integration potential of the rural development strategy, the VTT and the outcome of ILD
Active participation at the national consultation workshop
Active participation in the development of the legislative proposal to decision makers
A Final Report in English that summarizes the work accomplished by the consultant.

Duration

The total time frame for the carrying out of this assignment is maximum 3 months starting in September 2011. The Final Report shall be submitted by 5 December 2011 latest. Estimated number of working days is 17. The contract will be paid as lump sum, including costs of occasional in-country travel.

Approach

The consultant is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach ensuring close engagement with UNDP Regional Centre in Bratislava, the government counterparts, national and regional partners, and key stakeholders.

Although the Consultant should feel free to discuss with the authorities concerned, all matters relevant to its assignment, s/he is not authorized to make any commitment or statement on behalf of UNDP.

Terms of Payment

Lump sum payable upon satisfactory completion and approval by UNDP of all deliverables, including the Final report; payable in 2 installments, as follows:

70% upon submission of the position paper outlining the current potential for decision makers to integrate water and land management and development issues by the reconciliation of the outcome of the UNDP/ICPDR Tisza ILD project, the Hungarian rural development strategy published by the Ministry of Rural Development currently under public discussion and the reconsideration of the new Vásárhelyi Plan (VTT) for integrated water management in the Hungarian Tisza valley (approximately 1.5 months after the start of the assignment)
30% after the national consultation workshop organised for the discussion of the position paper and submission of the Final Report on the performance of the Technical Advisor

The costs of in-country mission(s) of the Consultant are to be included in the lump sum.

Competencies

Strong interpersonal skills, communication and diplomatic skills,
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

Academic qualification / Education:

Possess an advanced university degree in the appropriate development field (agriculture, water engineering, geography or rural development).

Experience:

Be a recognized expert in the areas of river basin management and sustainable development, work experience in relevant areas for at least 10 years
Have experience in working with government officials, civil servants and technical public administration agencies and authorities;
Be familiar with development issues of the Tisza River Basin; in particular concerning the ILD Tisza Project;
Computer-literate (MS Word, Excel, Power Point, Internet and email)

Language skills:

Excellent English and Hungarian writing and communication skills

Evaluation of applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

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

Criteria A– max points: 5
Criteria B – max points: 15
Criteria C – max points: 15
Criteria D – max points: 25
Criteria E – max points: 5
Criteria F– max points: 5

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

Application procedures

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via http://jobs.undp.org by 1 September 2011.

The application should contain:

Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work (if applicable). Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees, please upload the P11 instead of your CV. (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc );
Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (indicating the number of anticipated working days – separately in the home office and on mission, daily fee rate, travel – international and/or local, per diems and any other possible costs).

Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination, office costs and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org

General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://europeandcis.undp.org/home/jobs

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

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.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.