Jobs at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Duties and Responsibilities:

• The consultant will undertake the following duties: Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of UNEP Head, Climate Change Adaptation Unit or his/her designated mandated representative(s) as well as the NAP project Coordinator within the EAD of Malawi and MTEA of Eswatini Specifically, the CTA will: Project Management:
• Provide overall technical backstopping, operational guidance and support to the National Project team to ensure that project objectives are being met and that activities are carried out within agreed deadline and under high technical standards
• Assist the Project Coordinator in planning the implementation of project activities, and in any adjustment to the projects Results Framework, Work Plans and Budgets that might be required and in line with corporate requirement and GCF rules
• Provide quality assurance and technical review of projects outputs such as technical reports, studies, assessments, training materials, and knowledge products.
• Draft or review, as requested, ToRs for technical consultancies and sub-contracts, and assist in the selection and recruitment process
• Provide technical guidance and supervisory function to the work carried out by national and international consultants hired by the projects
• Assist the Project Manager and coordinate the preparation of the annual GCF Annual Progress Report (APR) other M&E reports and reviews required by UNEP, the GCF and Government departments Adaptation Planning:
• Provide lead technical support in guiding the Malawi National Adaptation Planning processes in accordance with the UNFCCC’s Least Developed Expert Group (LEG) on adaptation released guidelines for National Adaptation Plans (2012) , Green Climate Fund (GCF)’s guidance on adaptation planning approaches as well as existing supplementary guidelines including UNEP Ecosystem based Adaptation (EbA) NAP guidelines with particular focus on ensuring that:
• Climate science informs risk assessments and identification of adaptation options
• Appraisal of adaptation options are based on economic, social and environmental cost and benefits to guide prioritization and trade-offs
• Priority adaptation strategies and measures are integrated into national, sub-national plans, sectoral strategies, public budget processes, and national and sectoral monitoring and reporting systems.
• Closely collaborate with and support the work of the national and international NAP project consultants to deliver quality outputs,
• Oversight and technical inputs provided toward the specialist consolidating and developing the NAP document
• Perform any other tasks within the context of the NAP project as may be requested by the Project Team, the Project Steering Committee, and the UNEP Task Manager. Monitoring and Progress Controls Clear description of measurable outputs, milestones, key performance indicators and/or reporting requirements which will enable performance monitoring Reporting lines The Chief Technical Advisor will report to the UNEP Task manager under the Climate Change Adaptation Unit.

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent)disaster risk reduction, environmental planning or management, natural resources management, public policy and management, international Development, adaptation planning, geography and urban and regional planning, public policy and management, international development or related fields is required. A first-level university degree, combined with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• A minimum of 5 years’ work experience in a technical lead or planning position on development/climate/natural resources management programmes, preferably in a developing country context is required.
• A minimum of 2 years’ international work experience in either institutional strengthening, stakeholder engagement and capacity building or development/climate/natural resources management programmes is required Sound Communication skills both written and spoken is desirable
• Experience in teamworking and collaborating with different stakeholders is desirable Experience managing for results and supporting development of budgets, work plans, and procurement plans is desirable

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RESPONSIBILITIES

• Under the direct supervision of UN-Habitat project focal point in ROAF, the expert will be responsible for the following: Technical oversight and quality control
• Provide technical oversight and guidance to the project as necessary, providing technical advice to the project decision making and ensuring technical quality control across all project components. Project management and coordination
• Assist in leading the key project implementation steps, including: procurement, team setup and onboarding of technical consultancy firms; supervision of consultancy firms, inception of preliminary feasibility studies; undertaking of in-country missions including organization of kick-off meetings; and consultation of the findings and review of draft reports, in close collaboration with UN-Habitat country offices and development partners.
• Assist in coordination of project implementation at the regional level, ensuring harmonization of approaches across country activities and facilitating communication between regional and country offices. • Technically supervise project personnel in country project offices for the implementation of project activities at the country level, including work planning, activity coordination, quality control and trouble shooting, among others.
• Oversee procurement, budget and financial management, recruitment and onboarding of project staff and consultants.
• Coordinate project monitoring and project reporting. Establish country-level government coordination mechanisms in partner countries/cities
• Map relevant stakeholders in coordination with the government counterpart.
•  Assist in the establishment of country-level coordination committees with government ministries, local departments, Universities, Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders
• Provide technical support to the facilitation and functioning of the country-level coordination committees Partnership building
• Assist in partnership building and liaison with development partners at the regional level.
• Develop and maintain partnership with development partners, relevant UN agencies and other stakeholders (e.g. academic communities, civil society, …) at the country level in coordination with UN-Habitat project focal point in ROAF.
• Assist in the participation of UN-Habitat in conferences, workshops and meetings, including preparation of talking points, presentations and other necessary materials.
• Coordinate with UN-Habitat HQ branches and other regional offices as required. Knowledge sharing
• Coordinate compilation of lessons learned of the project implementation at the country level.
• Assist in the organization of national, regional and interregional knowledge sharing workshops and events, leveraging existing events such as World Urban Forum, African Urban Forum, and national urban forums.
• Assist in the development of visibility and communication materials in support of knowledge sharing nationally, regionally and internationally.
• Other Perform any other related duties as assigned by UN-Habitat project focal point in ROAF.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Environmental/Civil Engineering/Waste Management, Environmental Sciences or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in waste management and related areas is required.
• Experience in implementing development programmes/projects, particularly in Africa, is desirable. Experience working with the United Nations system or an international organization is desirable.