UNDP Jobs - 71167- Project Coordinator

Project Coordinator

Location :

Mbabane, SWAZILAND

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

14-Apr-2017

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 months renewable based on performance and availability of resources

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

18 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 severity of climate change and disasters is increasingly impacting on the socio-economic performance of the country, detouring achievement of the sustainable development national targets. Currently, the country’s economic performance is at 1.7%, the lowest in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). Such performance is partly due to relapse caused by climate risks and economic shocks. The country has limited resources whether from national budget and bi/multilateral support for enabling the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) objective to drive climate change adaptation and mitigatory actions. Considering the high poverty levels (63%), high HIV and AIDS prevalence (26%) and the spiraling agricultural productivity (68% reduction in agriculture production 2015 from 2014), give rise to low uptake of resilience practices, more so in the condition under increasing recurrent droughts.

Swaziland adopted the National Climate Change Policy in 2016 along with the operationalization of the climate change strategic action plan which was costed at US Dollars $50 Million[1]. While resources for addressing climate change issues have been obtained from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for implementing the climate change-integrated sustainable land management (SLM) and biodiversity (BD) interventions, there still a significant resource gap. The National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (NCCSAP) identified the Green Climate Fund (GCF) as an international climate change funding mechanism for the developing such as Swaziland to undertake a low emissions development path.[2] Harnessing such resources would equally require matching national capacities.

Swaziland received support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to build its national readiness capacity. The readiness support requested from the GCF would reinforce the GCF-National Designated Authority (NDA), and undertake the Fund related activities by enabling institutional capacity to identify and prioritized GCF interventions. The readiness support will also facilitate the development of working guidelines and provide the platforms for broad dissemination of information relevant to improve the country’s access to international climate finance, through policy-based approaches to adaptation and mitigation. Such would entail awareness creation, stakeholder engagement for inclusive institutionalization of GCF-NDA including identification of a National Implementing Entity (NIE) and development of tools demonstrating cooperation amongst national stakeholders, in particular, the private sector.

The GCF readiness project will be executed by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MTEA) Department of Environment in collaboration with Climate Change Unit, under the guidance of the NDA and UNDP, the delivery partner. The Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs (MTEA) seeks the services of a GCF Readiness Project Coordinator to manage the day-to-day implementation of the GCF Readiness.

[1] National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, 2014-2019.

[2] The country projected 0.8tCO2e/year emissions, INDC, 2015.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Coordinator will work with the Chief Environment and Climate Change Unit under the guidance of the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs (MTEA) to support the NDA. The Project Coordinator will:

Organize the Inception Meeting with the national stakeholders within three (3) weeks from when the Project Coordinator is contracted;
Manage the key institutions and stakeholders’ consultation processes to enable obtaining of quality information to facilitate decision-making;
Develop the International and National Consultants terms of reference and their management for achievement of quality results;
Work with national stakeholders coordinate the GCF readiness activities on behalf of the MTEA to undertake the planned activities ensuring the participatory approach during the project implementation as well as to ensure effective information sharing and communication of project outputs with targeted audience;
Ensure that the project management is adequately undertaken;
Prepare a simple costed monitoring and evaluation framework;
Organise and serve as the Secretariat to the Project Steering Committee quarterly meetings;
Facilitate the Project Independent Audit;
Draft the quarterly and annual progress/report on activities implementation for approval by the Project Steering Committee;
Assist in the identification of Climate Change readiness programs for climate action.

Key Outputs:

Effectively organized GCF Readiness Inception Workshop and a report;
Simple monitoring and evaluation system adopting the approved baselines for tracking achievement of output results;
Effectively organized stakeholders’ meetings and reports;
Quarterly and annual project reports;
Efficiently supported GCF Readiness Independent Audit.

Competencies

Demonstrated expertise in drafting substantive project proposals and documents;
Ability to communicate effectively to communicate complex, technical information to technical and general audiences;
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as a member of a team to produce quality outputs in a timely manner;
Skills in negotiating effectively in sensitive situations;
Skills in achieving results through persuading, influencing and working with others;
Skills in facilitating meetings effectively and efficiently and to reach consensus among stakeholders from various sectors using participatory processes.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree in climate change, development studies or related discipline.

Experience:

At least five (5) years of demonstrated experience working with national stakeholders undertaking a coordination of facilitation role;
Fully conversant with the log-frame approach to the project development;
Extensive knowledge of climate change issues, global resources windows and specifically the GCF;
Knowledge of institutional and policy frameworks on Swaziland related to the proposed project, institutional and policy issues on climate change would be an advantage.

Languages:

Mastery of oral and written English is a requirement; and
Knowledge and understanding of the SiSwati language will be an advantage.

Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.