Career Opportunities at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

 Duties and Responsibilities  

• Under the general supervision of the Head of the Nairobi Convention Secretariat, the consultant will be responsible for the following: 
• Develop a case for MSP in the WIO, concepts and methodology, drawing from the WIO MSP strategy, emphasizing on readiness of MSP, institutional capacities, policies, and regulations, particularly in the NMC countries, giving examples of implementation where appropriate.  
• Participate in MSP related workshops in the NMC region and provide analysis report to showcase Component 1 activities and share best practices. Include in the report some elements about all MSP related training programs in the NMC countries, partners involved, participants and any resultant national MSP roadmaps. 
• Provide finalized geo-spatial analysis outputs related to the activities regarding MSP in the NMC region 
• Design and analyze key trends and identify new or emerging issues to enrich the substantive work on the NOCAMO project and links with ongoing initiatives in the Western Indian Ocean region, to guide MSP in the NMC region. 
• Work in synergy with the project managers of WIOSAP, SAPPHIRE, SWIOFC Partnership and ACP Meas projects on the development of a common technical approach to support the Ocean Governance Strategy development process and blue economy in the WIO region. 
• Review and advise on the technical reports received from technical partners and provide guidance for activity extension. 
• Develop fundable proposals to support MSP implementation at regional and national level within the Convention area working with the regional MSP TWG and other partners

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) is required in Marine Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Natural Resources Management or similar disciplines. 
• A first level degree with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Minimum of six (6) years of relevant progressive experience in organizations with mandate or relevancy to the marine and coastal environments or a related area is required. 
• Experience working on coastal and marine environment issues in the Western Indian Ocean is required.
• Familiarity with regional development objectives of Western Indian Ocean countries and the goals and procedures of international development organizations is desirable.
• An experience in Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is required.

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SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES  

• In close consultation with the Evaluation Manager, the Evaluation Consultant will be responsible for the overall management of the Evaluation and timely provision of its outputs, data collection and analysis and report-writing. More specifically:  
• Inception phase of the Evaluation, including: 
• Preliminary desk review and introductory interviews with project staff  
• Draft the reconstructed Theory of Change of the project 
• Prepare the evaluation framework
• Develop the desk review and interview protocols  
• Draft the survey protocols (if relevant)
• Develop and present criteria for country and/or site selection for the evaluation mission 
• Plan the evaluation schedule
• repare the Inception Report, incorporating comments until approved by the Evaluation Manager  

Data collection and analysis phase of the Evaluation 

• Conduct further desk review and in-depth interviews with project implementing and executing agencies, project partners and project stakeholders;  (where appropriate and agreed) conduct an evaluation mission(s) to selected countries, visit the project locations, interview project partners and stakeholders, including a good representation of local communities. Ensure independence of the Evaluation and confidentiality of evaluation interviews. 
• Regularly report back to the Evaluation Manager on progress and inform of any possible problems or issues encountered and; 
• Keep the Project Manager informed of the evaluation progress.  

Reporting phase,  

• Draft the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring that the evaluation report is complete, coherent and consistent with the Evaluation Manager guidelines both in substance and style; 
• Liaise with the Evaluation Manager on comments received and finalize the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring that comments are taken into account until approved by the Evaluation Manager 
• Prepare a Response to Comments annex for the main report, listing those comments not accepted by the Evaluation Consultant and indicating the reason for the rejection; and (where agreed with the Evaluation Manager) prepare an Evaluation Brief (2-page summary of the evaluand and the key evaluation findings and lessons)  Managing relations, including: 
• maintain a positive relationship with evaluation stakeholders, ensuring that the evaluation process is as participatory as possible but at the same time maintains its independence; 
• communicate in a timely manner with the Evaluation Manager on any issues requiring its attention and intervention.  
• The Evaluation Consultant shall have had no prior involvement in the formulation or implementation of the project and will be independent from the participating institutions. The consultant will sign the Evaluation Consultant Code of Conduct Agreement Form.    
• The Evaluation Consultant will be selected and recruited by the UNEP Evaluation Office through an individual consultancy contract.  Comprehensive terms of reference will be shared with the consultant separately.

Qualifications/special skills

• A first level university degree in environmental sciences, international development or other relevant political or social sciences area is required and an advanced degree in the same areas is desirable.  
• A minimum of 9 years of technical / evaluation experience is required, preferably including evaluating large, regional or global programmes and using a Theory of Change approach;  A good/broad understanding of integrating environmental considerations into sustainable development programming at regional, sub-regional and national levels, and UN reforms to ensure their incorporation in the system-wide delivery at all levels;
•  Working knowledge of the UN system and specifically the work of UNEP is an added advantage

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Responsibilities

• The Consultant's main responsibility will be to support coordination of REDD+ efforts to achieve the country’s REDD+ objectives, including but not limited to access to REDD+ results-based payment schemes, carbon markets and other transactions under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
• The REDD+ Technical Advisor to DRC will thus convene all stakeholders involved in the existing initiatives (technical assistance, projects, and programmes) to join efforts and promote synergies across the board towards that end.  
• The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN-REDD Africa Coordinator and in close collaboration with CN REDD, FONAREDD, UN-REDD focal points for the DRC, (FAO, UNDP and UNEP country teams, sectoral Ministries, mainly the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable development, and other REDD+ and Sustainable forest management technical assistance providers in the country (e.g. Ricardo, US Forest Service, JTAP, etc.).  
• More specifically, the REDD+ Technical Advisor to DRC will conduct the following tasks:  Related to UN-REDD Technical Assistance:  Follow up on the implementation of the UN-REDD Technical Assistance to the country as per the validated workplan.  
• Promote synergies between initiatives such as Aim4Forest, Restoration Factory, and other targeted initiatives under UN-REDD TA, as well as UNEP-led initiatives in the          country (e.g. GEF, IKI project) in coordination with the UNEP Congo basin team.  
• Coordinate  efforts for filling technical gaps (carbon accounting, legal title to ERRs, approaches for consultations for rights holders, strengthening capacity of stakeholders on REDD+ safeguards, benefit sharing mechanism, etc.) for the country to be able to register under the ART TREES and progress in the LEAF process.
• Contribute to the overall drafting and consultation process for the LEAF jurisdictional program in Tshuapa province for the TREES registration document (TRD) and TREES monitoring report (TMR). Contribute to Verification and Validation process for TREES documents.  
• Related to the overall national coordination of the REDD+ work in the country:   Work closely with the two main government focal points FONAREDD and CN REDD to ensure information exchanges and operational aspects of REDD+ implementation is timely and quality delivery.  
• Monitoring and analysing existing projects and jurisdictional REDD+ initiatives' (PRE and PiREDDs) implementation and drawing lessons learnt from their experience for the upcoming jurisdictional endeavour in the country.  
• Engage with stakeholders working on advancing the REDD+ agenda in DRC, including government, technical assistance providers, NGOs, civil society, legal experts, private  sector, academia to determine pathways for ensuring DRC’s REDD+ strategy is properly implemented to contribute to enhanced NDC ambition and the country’s sustainable development strategy.
• Contribute to exchanges of information, approach, experience and promote synergies and coordination between the above key stakeholders.
• Contribute to national efforts to align with requirements of international standards for jurisdictional REDD+, aiming at producing high quality/integrity credits (e.g. ART TREES, VCS JNR Framework, FCPF 2.0, etc.) as identified and prioritized by the Country.
• Coordinate efforts related to access to REDD+ results-based payment schemes, carbon markets and other transactions under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Contribute to the review of and suggest approaches for an aligned benefit sharing mechanism for the proceeds from LEAF.  
• Coordinate ongoing efforts on the operationalization and implementation of the national authority to regulate carbon markets (ARMCa), the national REDD+ registry, the          development of its transactional module.
• Coordinate efforts in leading to and implementation of the national framework on nesting.  
• Promote gender and social inclusion in REDD+ activities and decision-making processes.
• Foster partnerships and collaboration with international donors, the private sector, and other relevant entities to mobilize resources for REDD+ activities.

Qualifications/special skills

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, Forestry, Climate Change, Geography, sustainable development, or related field is required.
• A minimum of five years of experience in REDD+, climate change, forestry, or environmental management, or related field is required. Familiarity with international and national regulatory frameworks related to REDD+, carbon markets, such as the Paris Agreement, carbon market, nesting, Jurisdictional REDD+ is desirable.      
• Thorough understanding of the political economy of DRC, especially in the environmental sector and the Ministry of Finance is desirable.
• Familiarity with REDD+ phases, standards, ART TREES, and experience in coordinating multi-stakeholder initiatives is desirable.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a multicultural and multi-disciplinary environment is desirable.

Skills:  

• Strong, proven project management/coordination skills.
• Strong leadership and coordination skills.
• Ability to convene partners and build consensus among diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills.
• Analytical and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision.