UNDP Jobs - 89753- Leading Technical Expert of the Western Balkans an

Leading Technical Expert of the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe network on Measuring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) and Transparency (IRH)

Location :

Home based with missions to recipient countries

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

12-Feb-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Estimated March 1st, 2020 – February 28th, 2021

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

up to 100 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

The Global Support Programme (GSP) is a jointly implemented programme by UNDP and UNEP that provides support to developing Parties in order to prepare National Communications (NCs) and Biennial Update Reports (BURs) that are submitted to the UNFCCC. More information can be found here: http://www.un-gsp.org/ .

Some of the major gaps faced by countries in the region in updating their National Communications and their Biennial Update Reports are related to the development and maintenance of their national inventories of greenhouse gases (GHGs) over time as well as the establishment of sound MRV systems. The main challenges have to do with the implementation of adequate institutional arrangements and the creation and maintenance of sustainable technical capacities to inform and support national policies on climate change, as well as to comply with international reporting requirements established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

To overcome these deficiencies, the GSP is eager to enhance a regional cooperation through the support of formalization and the strengthening of the following Network: Western Balkans and Eastern Europe Network on MRV and Transparency

The main objective of the Network is to provide support and enhance cooperation and collaboration among all countries covering the Western Balkans with an additional potential support to other countries in the region by providing technical assistance and building institutional capacities on enhanced transparency frameworks (ETF) and measuring, reporting and verification (MRV), in order to adequately report under the UNFCCC commitments.

Learning from each other, exchanging knowledge and good practices are key prerequisites of effective functionality of this cooperative Network. The Network facilitates the exchange of knowledge through a diverse range of tools and mechanisms (e.g. virtual networks, webinars, thematic workshops, bilateral exchanges, etc.), providing technical support, among others in:

Application of various models of institutional arrangements for ETF and MRV;
Sharing effective implementation strategies to operationalize the components of national GHG inventories;
Building capacity in transitioning to the use of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines;
Establishing sound MRV systems, processes and arrangements;
Address common barriers in data collection and application of quality control and quality assurance (QC/QA) systems.

Duties and Responsibilities

Having in mind abovementioned, UNDP is seeking the Technical Expert to lead this regional Network on MRV and Transparency under the overall guidance of the GSP Coordinator.

His/her responsibilities are:

Provide technical assistance to the targeted countries and the GSP on designing the workplan under the overall direction of UNDP (through its GSP team) and support its successful implementation.

Support the constructive collaboration among the member countries by leading at least three national workshops, organize and moderate one regional dialogue meeting, organize at least two webinars and hold weekly virtual interactions (e.g. emails, calls).

Provide technical inputs to the identification, design and roll-out of workshops at the regional and national levels. The workshops will be focused on climate transparency and MRV systems, as per inputs generated by the countries’ NCs, BURs and CBIT.

Plan, lead and facilitate the annual dialogue meeting among the Network participants.

Assist the GSP Coordinator in providing inputs on MRV and transparency for concept notes, translate short documents and elaborate technical documents.

Design and develop agenda for in-country trainings on the enhanced transparency framework and NDC tracking, support their organization and elaborate training materials.

Support tasks related to the needs of the Network and to the global work of the GSP.

Outputs:

Solid work plan for the Network elaborated, in partnership with the GSP – approximately 15% of the contract time;

Summary report on technical assistance provided on the enhanced transparency framework to the network - approximately 60% of the contract time. This assistance, to be provided upon demand, may be implemented through:

at least 2 webinars and weekly virtual interactions;

at least 3 national workshops, such as in-country trainings on NDC tracking and on the enhanced transparency framework;

provision of inputs on MRV for concept notes;

support in translation of short documents;

support in elaboration of technical documents.

Annual dialogue meeting planned and implemented successfully – approximately 25% of the contract time.

Institutional Arrangements:

The Consultant will report to, and be directly supervised, by the GSP Coordinator.

The estimated level of effort is up to a total of 100 working days from March 1st, 2020 to – February 28th, 2021, spread across various tasks on a monthly basis (on average, approximately and tentatively 8 working days per month). At the beginning of each month, based on demand originating from country recipients, the consultant shall present a monthly work plan, including estimated working days, for discussion and approval of UNDP. However, UNDP does not warrant that any quantity of services will be purchased during the term of the Individual Contract, as this will depend on forthcoming needs;

The contract will be for a fixed all-inclusive daily fee;

In case of travels and missions, those will be paid separately by the GSP budget. It is estimated that up to 8 missions will be required to travel to the member countries of the Network in line with what established by the work plan and as required by the GSP coordinator;

Once the contract is signed, if there is a specific assignment, the GSP Coordinator would contact, by email, the consultant informing of specific deliverables and timeline;

The consultant will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;

The consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own work station (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to reliable internet connection;

Specific timeline for delivery of services will be agreed with the supervisor at the beginning of each month. Payments will be made upon submission of the detailed time sheet and certification of payment form on a monthly basis and acceptance and confirmation by the GSP Coordinator on days worked and outputs delivered. If the quantity does not meet the standards or requirements, the consultant will be asked to rewrite, revise or re-do (as necessary) the assignment before proceeding to payment.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

Strong analytical, reporting, and writing abilities;
Openness to improve and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
Ability to plan, organize, implement, and report on work;
Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
Positive, constructive attitude to work;
Excellent human relations, coordination, planning and team work skills;
Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations;
Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities;
Exceptional communication and organizational skills;
Proven ability to manage projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in Environmental sciences Economics, Engineering or related field from an accredited academic institution is required.

Experience:

At least 4 years of professional experience in climate reporting and climate transparency, preferable at the national level in the framework of NCs and/or BURs are required;
At least 4 years on-the-ground work experience in Eastern Europe and Balkans on climate change issues are required;
Technical experience in writing reports and analytical reviews on climate change and reporting under the UNFCCC;
Experience in leading and facilitating trainings, workshops and capacity building exercises on climate change, UNFCCC processes and international development;
Experience in working with international organizations is required.

Language skills:

Fluent in English is required;
Fluent in Serbo-Croatian is an asset.

Evaluation of Applicants:

Individual contract applicants 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 should 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 (P11/CV desk reviews, methodology evaluation) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only candidates who will get at least 70% in technical evaluation (Criteria A-I) will be considered for financial evaluation.

Technical Criteria: 70% of total evaluation (max. 70 points):

Criteria A: (desk review) Education in Environmental sciences, Economics, Engineering or related field from an accredited academic institution (maximum 5 points);
Criteria B: (desk review) Professional experience in climate reporting and climate transparency, preferable at the national level in the framework of NCs and/or BURs (maximum 15 points);
Criteria C: (desk review) Experience in leading and facilitating trainings, workshops and capacity building exercises on climate change, UNFCCC processes and international development (maximum 10 points);
Criteria D: (desk review) On-the-ground work experience in the targeted region on climate change issues (maximum 10 points);
Criteria E: (desk review) Technical experience in writing reports and analytical reviews on climate change and reporting under the UNFCCC (maximum 5 points);
Criteria F: (methodology evaluation) Quality of methodology and approach on how the consultant sees his/her role in implementing the assigned tasks in the frameworks of the Network (max: 10 points)
Criteria G: Experience in working with international organizations (maximum 5 points);
Criteria H: Fluency in English (maximum 5 points);
Criteria I: Fluency in Serbo-Croatian (maximum 5 points)

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation (max. 30 points)

Application procedure:

The application submission is a two-step process. Failing to comply with the submission process may result in disqualifying the applications.

Step 1: Interested candidates must include the following documents when submitting the applications (Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF attachment as the system only allows upload of one document):

Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
Filled P11 form or CV including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/dam/rbec/docs/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc); please mention past experience in at least 3 similar projects
Methodology on how the consultant sees his/her role in implementing the assigned tasks in the frameworks of the Network (please, provide text under additional questions, maximum limit is 1,000 words)

Step 2: Submission of Financial Proposal - Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and requested to provide a financial offer.

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://on.undp.org/t7fJs.

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