UNDP Jobs - 71065- Chief Technical Advisor

Chief Technical Advisor - Development of Cornerstone Public Policies and Institutional Capacities to Accelerate Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) Project

Location :

Maseru, LESOTHO

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

18-Apr-2017

Application Deadline :

21-Mar-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

15 weeks employment period in a period of 12 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

60 weeks employment period in a period of 48 months

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 Government of Lesotho is cognisant of the fact that 76.3% of the country’s population lives in the rural areas and only 8.65% (DoE, 2014) of them have access to electricity services. To provide the un-electrified 91.35% of the rural population with electricity services through grid extension will simply be an insurmountable task in view of the very high costs associated with construction of electricity lines across a mountainous terrain to supply the small amounts of electricity that the rural population requires. Consequently, there is a keen awareness among decision makers, of the need to shift towards more decentralised, sustainable and modern forms of energy for the much dispersed rural areas in terms of cooking, lighting and heating during the winter months. Thus, renewable energy sources present an excellent alternative to grid extension. Renewable energy technologies can be utilised in isolated mini-grid configurations to provide the rural population with modern energy services, including electricity.

The Government of Lesotho through the Ministry of Energy and Meteorology and the UNDP Country Office will, for the next five years (2016 – 2021) implement a GEF-financed project “Development of Cornerstone Public Policies and Institutional Capacities to accelerate Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) Progress”. The objective of the project is to catalyse investments in renewable energy-based mini-grids and Energy Centres to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and contribute to the achievement of Lesotho’s Vision 2020 and SE4All goals. It proposes to put in place an enabling environment for the development of these renewable energy systems and develop a suitable business model and financial instruments for their viability and replication. This objective is proposed to be achieved through the participation of the private sector working hand in hand with community organisations. Thus, this programme will not only benefit rural households and small commercial enterprises, but will also connect the private sector, financial institutions, technical training and local organisations to promote the establishment of distribution channels to develop the renewable energy market for the provision of electricity services. Project outcomes are as follows:

Development of cornerstone SE4All Policies and Strategies to facilitate investment in renewable energy-based mini-grids.
Improved capacity of energy stakeholders and government officials for decentralized clean energy planning and decision-making on the basis of quality energy data.
Successful establishment of a village-based energy service delivery model for replication nationally
Outreach programme and dissemination of project experience/best practices/lessons learned for replication nationally and throughout the region.

The project will be implemented in the five districts namely Mokhotlong, Qacha’s Nek, Thaba Tseka, Quthing and Mohale’s Hoek.

The project is seeking the services of a Chief Technical Advisor (CTA). The CTA will be responsible for providing overall technical backstopping to the project. He/She will render technical support to the Project Manager, the Project Steering Committee (PSC) and other Government counterparts as may be deemed necessary.

Duties and Responsibilities

Specific Responsibilities

Working closely with the Project Manager (PM), the non-resident Chief Technical Adviser will:

Work closely with the Project Manager in coordinating and facilitating inputs of government agencies, partner organizations, scientific and research institutions, subcontractors, and national and international experts in a timely and effective manner;
Provide guidance and assistance to the Project Manager and project staff to ensure that the project activities conform to the approved project document;
Formulate procedures for the Financial Support Scheme (FSS) and support its implementation;
In close cooperation with the Project Management Unit (PMU), UNDP, DOE and in consultation with the project partner organizations and stakeholders, prepare Annual Project Work Plans to be agreed upon by the PSC;
Provide “on-the-job” technical guidance and mentoring to the PMU in order to strengthen their capacity to effectively implement the technical aspects of the project;
Contribute to the development of the technical contracts of internationally acceptable standard for investors/contractors engaged by the project; and assist with selection process, approach and recommend best candidates.

Provide technical peer function to subcontractors; provide training and backstopping where necessary.
Provide quality assurance and technical review of project outputs.
Support the Project Manager during project implementation in the provision of technical supervisory function to the work carried out by national and international consultants hired by the project. Provide quality checks of the work of consultants.
Assist in monitoring the technical quality of project Monitoring &Evaluation (M&E) system, including Annual Work Plan (AWPs), project indicators and targets.
Assist the Project Manager in the preparation of the Project Implementation Reporting, other technical reports, and quarterly financial reports for submission to UNDP, the GEF and DoE, as required;
Provide advice on best suitable approaches and methodologies for achieving project targets and objectives, suggest mitigation measures where appropriate;

Support the Project Manager in reporting to the PSC on the progress of project implementation and achievement of project results in accordance with the project's logical framework matrix;
Support the Project Management Unit in project-related meetings, as required;
Review reports of national and international consultants, project budget revisions, and administrative arrangements as required by UNDP/GEF procedures;
Assist the Project Manager in the development of a concrete Monitoring and Evaluation Plan at the outset of the project;
Assist the PMU in development of relevant TORs and recruitment/mobilisation of qualified national and international experts//contractors as needed to provide specific consultancy and engineering services;
Support the Project Manager in preparing project progress reports, information releases, as well as monitoring and review reports in accordance with UNDP/GEF monitoring and evaluation rules and procedures;
Support the Project Manager in the preparation and implementation of Mid-term Review and Terminal Independent Evaluation Missions (TORs, identification and recruitment of appropriate candidates, organization of missions, joint field missions and discussion with evaluators, etc.);
Support UNDP Country Office staff on their annual monitoring visits to project sites.
Facilitate the development of strategic regional and international partnerships for exchange of skills and information related to climate change mitigation;
Facilitate the development of communication for results, project documents including factsheets and programme reports
Provide advice/guidance to the implementation of the mini-grid pilots through the Build, Own & Operate (BOO) mechanism on technical, financial and business issues;
Provide advice/guidance to Consultants/Department of Energy /Project Manager / on the development and implementation of the stakeholder training programmes;
Provide guidance and assistance in tracking and verifying the GHG emissions reductions on an annual basis as well as at MTR and TE.
Provide advice/guidance to Consultants/Department of Energy/ Project Manager on the development and implementation of the information clearing house for mini-grids.

Competencies

Extensive knowledge of renewable energy technologies, policy issues and sustainability of decentralised energy services;
Knowledge of institutional and international policy frameworks for mini grid deployment;
Strong analytical knowledge and skills in GHG emission calculations for power generation plants;
Strong presentation and reporting skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Minimum of a Masters’ degree in an engineering discipline related to clean energy and rural electrification and to business/international studies. Training in Project Management will be an added advantage.

Experience:

Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in implementing renewable energy projects in combination with knowledge of economic and financial analysis, institutional, regulatory and policy frameworks;
Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in the renewable energy sector with extensive knowledge and experience with rural electrification and mini-grid business models.
Demonstrated leadership ability and technical ability to communicate complex information verbally and in writing.
Good knowledge of and experience in GEF Climate Change issues, operational modalities and familiarity with UNDP-GEF procedures would be an advantage;
Familiarity with UNDP rules, regulations and administrative procedures would be an advantage;
Prior knowledge and experience of the political, social and environmental factors and issues related to energy development and climate change mitigation in African Developing States;
Computer proficiency, especially related to professional office software packages.

Language:

Excellent drafting and communication skills in English.

Procedure:

Submit P11, Confirmation of Interest and Availability and a Methodology;
P11 and Confirmation of Interest Templates and detailed TORs can be viewed at: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=36174.