UNDP Jobs - 48275- Boots on the Ground Consultant

Boots on the Ground Consultant - Asia

Location :

Bangkok, THAILAND

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Aug-2014

Application Deadline :

26-Jul-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

5 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

1 August - 31 December 2014

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

UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2014 – 2017 focuses on supporting the organization’s mission to help countries eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities and exclusions while ensuring environmental sustainability, good governance and resilience. In line with the Strategic Plan there is a critical need to provide leadership and technical support to deliver on, and contribute to, sustainable development and resilience-building, including addressing the challenge to development generated by climate change. This challenge threatens to further exacerbate inequities, degrade natural resources, and impoverish vulnerable populations. The Strategic Plan sets out to improve the capacity of the poor and increase their prospects for sustainable employment and livelihoods that are resilient to future climatic changes. In this context, the need for expertise to assist countries to plan, adopt policy frameworks, and build institutional capacities to substantially reinforce action on climate change continues to be a crucial area of work for UNDP.

There is increasing concern that climate change, including variability, could undermine the achievement of a number of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), most notably in poverty reduction. This is particularly true for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), which are most likely to bear the brunt of climate change, yet are least equipped to adapt. Consequently, developing countries are increasingly turning their attention to the formulation of comprehensive approaches to address climate change, in particular the human development and economic implications, and the investment decisions that need to be made to implement these.

UNDP Country Offices are, in consequence, receiving an increasing number of national requests for assistance with understanding the implications of climate change on national development and preparing integrated strategies and plans to manage anticipated challenges and opportunities. To respond to these requests, UNDP developed the Strategic Initiative to Address Climate Change in LDCs, also referred to as the "Boots on the Ground Programme” that supports 26 LDCs in responding to the threat of climate change by strengthening high-quality and timely policy advice and providing sustained institutional and capacity development support on climate change at the country level. Through this initiative, UNDP is intensifying its policy support to LDC governments through a network of 26 national climate change specialists and 4 regional climate change policy specialists who draw on the expertise and knowledge management tools and products developed by UNDP more broadly.

The consultant will be placed in UNDP’s Regional Service Centre in Asia and sub-centre and will work in support for and close collaboration with national climate change specialists. As the Boots on the Ground programme is refreshed in 2014, the consultant will contribute to these outcomes in Asia, helping to strengthen technical capacities of LDCs in the region to integrate climate change risks and opportunities into human development based planning, programming, and public and private investments. The Consultant will work under the direction of the Boots Coordinator and the Climate Change team lead in HQ to ensure integrated service delivery to the countries concerned.

Strong links are also made with the disaster risk reduction, energy, capacity development and gender teams in the regional service centres and in HQ, so as to better incorporate these perspectives and skills into climate change support and promote inter-linkages between areas. The consultant will build on the policy, technical, and methodological guidance developed by the EEG climate change team at HQ and ensure consistency and coherent application at the regional and country level.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will work under the primary supervision of the Boots Coordinator and the Head of Climate Change in EEG, and the secondary supervision of the Regional Practice Manager in Bangkok (Regional Team Leader for Resilient and Sustainable Development), and in collaboration with the climate teams of the Regional Service Centre and HQ/EEG and national climate change officers. The Consultant will also work and collaborate with the Regional Specialist based in Fiji, to ensure coordination and linkages between the Boots on the Ground programme in Asia and Pacific. The Consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:

Provide policy advice and support to programme delivery

This will include building on and ensuring consistency with policy guidance, approaches, methodologies, and strategies provided by HQ. Specific tasks and outputs include:

Facilitate clear guidelines to Country Offices for engagement in climate change policy dialogues at the national level with key partners such as governments, donors, civil society, ensuring adherence with, and consistent and integrated application of, HQ/global approaches, methodologies, and strategies;
Draft Region specific guidelines and briefings to COs on specific issues for climate change policy dialogues at national level with key partners, including key line Ministries, donors, NGOs, private sector, and civil society on preparing for a post-2015 institutional and financial regime, building on and ensuring consistency with international climate policy guidance provided by HQ;
Contribute substantive comments and technical inputs to individual Country Offices and governments on national low-carbon, climate-resilient development strategies and plans (including NAPs and LEDS) and review of sector policies, which can provide the foundation for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), building on the methodologies developed by EEG;
Produce regionally applicable policy guidance in close coordination with BDP/EEG, in the context of multilateral negotiations/discussions on climate change, including those associated with the UNFCCC (including the processes of the National Communications), for dissemination to country offices;
Provide technical inputs to support Country Offices develop strategic and thematic partnerships with governmental agencies, UN agencies and other important actors in climate change;
Conduct briefings as necessary to support the capacity development of governments to programme climate change-related resources and provide advice on the effective use and management of different climate financing mechanisms;
Seek strategic opportunities with Country Offices and governments that can maximize synergies between climate change, gender, poverty, and MDG-related activities, including south-south cooperation schemes and innovative clean technology options for energy access for the poor, and support for engagement in these opportunities;
Develop and implement strategies for liaison with regional development partners and donors, building strategic alliances on behalf the Regional Service Centre and HQ that deliver benefits to national governments and NGOs and Country Offices;
Provision of global specialized support in a particular area of climate change (e.g. technology, adaptation, capacity development, gender, economics, etc), building on existing technical and policy work by EEG in these areas, and complementing the expertise of the other regional and national Boots’ advisors.

Research and Content Development/Knowledge Management
Specific tasks and outputs include:

Adapt HQ briefings, for Country Offices, governments, and Regional Service Centre senior management. These will focus on the international climate change negotiations, forthcoming climate events in the region, major regional and HQ initiatives under way, and climate change projects being implemented by UNDP and other UN organizations in the region, including National Communications;
Development and implementation of i) workable mechanisms and ii)a process that facilitates the flow of information between the Country Offices, the Regional Service Center, and HQ to ensure the region and Country Offices know about climate change related activities undertaken by HQ and other UN bodies and major global and regional actors, while also delivering information on national needs for policy support to the Regional Service Centre senior management and HQ;
Provide specific inputs to contribute to the improvement and promotion of the knowledge management mechanisms put in place by HQ and to share information about climate change related initiatives (e.g. ALM, CFO, etc), based on regional experience in Asia;
Draft or prepare regional policy briefs and position papers, adapted from HQ inputs, and in collaboration with other practices, that address links between climate change and other development concerns such as governance, private sector, poverty alleviation, gender, crisis prevention and recovery, and capacity development;
Provide specific climate change advice and inputs to Regional Service Centre colleagues from all practice teams, as needed;
Recommend good examples of lessons learned, to be disseminated between countries. This should also identify and support linkages between countries in the region as appropriate.

Policy Development/Practice Management/Practice Advocacy
Specific tasks and outputs include:

Development of strategic plan for the regional activities addressing climate change and their incorporation into the regional business plan;
Specific contributions and inputs for planning meetings involving the Regional Bureaux, both in HQ and regional centers, HQ and Country Offices, as required;
Development and identification of proposals for value-added activities based upon internal discussions and identification of in-house best practices and capacities.

Institutional arrangement:

The Consultant will directly report to and will seek approval/clearance of outputs from the Boots on the Ground Coordinator in HQ.

Duration of work:

The expected duration of work is 1 Aug- 31 December 2014.

Duty station:

Bangkok, Thailand. Consultant will be expected to travel for work when appropriate. Note that all travel will be arranged and paid for by UNDP in accordance with UNDP entitlements and travel policy.

Competencies

Corporate Responsibility & Direction:

Serves and promotes the vision, mission, values, and strategic goals of UNDP.

People Skills:

Recognizes and responds appropriately to the ideas, interests, and concerns of others; gives credit to the contributions of others.

Managing for Results:

Plans and prioritizes work activities to meet organizational goals.

Partnering & Networking:

Builds and sustains relationships with key constituents (internal/external/ bilateral/ multilateral/public/private; civil society).

Innovation & Judgment:

Conceptualizes and analyzes problems to identify key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate;
Generates creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations;
Devises new systems and processes, and modifies existing ones, to support innovative behaviors.

Communication:

Demonstrates excellent and effective written and oral communication skills;
Demonstrates effective communication skills in a multidisciplinary working environment;
Demonstrate respect to knowledge and culture and religion in a multidisciplinary working environment.

Job Knowledge & Expertise:

Applies the required depth and breadth of knowledge and expertise to meet job demands;
Uses Information Technology effectively as a tool and resource.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree in climate sciences, environmental sciences, earth sciences, natural resource economics, political science, related social sciences or related discipline.

Experience and requirements:

At least 7 years of relevant work experience on issues related to climate risk, vulnerability reduction and capacity development;
At least 7 years of technical experience on specific climate issue (e.g., capacity development, technology, adaptation, gender, economics, etc);
Strong background in partnership building will be an essential requirement;
Experience in working with government, donors or UN is an asset, particularly within the region of hire;
Proven track record in policy analysis, development work in the area of climate change and related issues.
Ability to engage in and contribute to high-level policy dialogues and advisory functions involving high-level government counterparts and other stakeholders;
Thorough knowledge and understanding of the global debate on climate change and experience in multilateral environmental debates and dialogues and processes;
Experience in advising on climate change adaptation and energy policy development in the region is a major asset.
Knowledge and experience with GEF and adaptation funds is desirable.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English;
Fluency in other UN languages is an asset.

Kindly note we will not accept any applications through this website. For more information on how to apply for this consultancy, please go to :http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=16606.