Job Identification : 13618

Locations : Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Posting Date : 09/13/2023, 02:33 PM

Apply Before : 09/28/2023, 03:59 AM

Degree Level : Advanced/Postgraduate Degree

Job Schedule : Full time

Agency : UNDP

Grade : NB4

Vacancy Type : National Personnel Service Agreement

Practice Area : Nature, Climate and Energy

Bureau : Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS

Contract Duration : 1 Year

Education & Work Experience : Master’s Degree – 2 year(s) experience OR Bachelor’s Degree – 4 year(s) experience

Required Languages : English and Russian

Desired Languages : Tajik

Vacancy Timeline

2 Weeks

Mobility required/no mobility

no mobility required

Job Category : Management

Job Description

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

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.

UNDP’s Country Office in Tajikistan, active since 1994, plays a crucial role in supporting the country’s national development strategy for poverty alleviation. The organization is guided in its work by the Country Programme Document, which in turn builds upon the Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP has made a significant contribution to developing the National Development Strategy with an outline of policies and investments necessary to reach the SDGs on time by 2030. Together with the Government of Tajikistan, civil society and the people of Tajikistan, UNDP works towards identifying local solutions to global and national development challenges. Our main focus is reaching sustainable development by enhancing accountability of the current governance system, mitigating natural disaster threats, contributing to environmental sustainability and reducing the burden of HIV/AIDS on the population.

In July 2021, UNDP in partnership with the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan launched a 3 (three) years project on “Enabling an Effective National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Process for Tajikistan” funded by Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The main goal of the project is to establish the institutional arrangements and human/institutional capacities to develop and execute National Adaptation Plans (NAP) to implement Tajikistan’s National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (NCCAS). As part of the NAP process, the project will also capacitate responsible agencies for the four priority sectors which have been identified by the GoRT as being particularly vulnerable (energy, water resources, transportation, agriculture and health) and advance mainstreaming of climate change adaptation considerations in these agencies. The agencies will also develop sectoral adaptation plans, which will be com- piled as part of the national NAP. The result of the project will be the establishment of the institutional arrangements and capacities which will empower the CEP to lead the process of translating the country’s adaptation priorities as articulated in the NCCAS and other documents into implementation plans (NAPs).

The project will be implemented by UNDP in Tajikistan following UNDP’s Direct Implementation Modality (DIM), according to the Readiness and Preparatory Support Grant Framework agreement between UNDP and GCF.

The Project Board will include representation by the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan (NDA) as the Senior Beneficiary along with UNDP as the Executive and Senior Supplier.

The Project Manager will assist the Government, to deliver on the envisaged project results. The PM will lead the achievement of expected programmatic results, by providing strategic guidance to the project staff for the implementation of activities in accordance with the signed Project Document.

The PM will ensure that the principles of human rights-based approach, gender mainstreaming, conflict sensitive management, results-based management (RBM), as well as a client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations are applied and promoted consistently.

The Project Manager will be based in Dushanbe city (Tajikistan). The Project Manager’s prime responsibility will be to ensure that the project produces the results specified in the project document to the required standard of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost.

Duties and Responsibilities

Organization and Management:

•  Develop annual work plans and execute project activities in consultation with the UNDP CO and the
•  “Enabling an Effective National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Process for Tajikistan” Project Steering Committee;
•  Ensure adherence of the project work plan to the Project Document, prepare revisions if required, and ensure synergies with other donor funded initiatives focused on climate change;
•  Prepare regular progress reports in line with reporting schedules, as well as any other reports requested by UNDP, donor, Government and or other stakeholders;
•  Prepare final project report and process all other requirements for the project auditing, midterm and
•  final evaluation and closure of the project as per UNDP standard procedures;
•  Ensure timely recruitment and procurement of quality services and equipment and implementation of project activities in line with applicable UNDP rules, regulation and standards;
•  Manage the human and financial resources for achieving results in line with the outputs and activities
•  outlined in the project document and annual work plan;
•  Lead, manage and oversee the project staff and consultants to ensure timely implementation of project activities and achievement of expected results;
•  Ensure the project team members have clear set goals and targets as per which performance assessment is conducted;
•  Ensure that all project personnel maintain a high level of transparency, responsibility and accountability in M&E and in reporting of project results
•  Undertake timely actions to respond to any project deviation or delays informing donor and partners;
•  Review and ensure technical soundness and cost effectiveness of project activities;
•  Support the establishment of monitoring frameworks and provide on-going feedback and technical
•  backstopping and regularly monitor progress towards the identified indicators;
•  Organize meetings of the Project Board (Project Steering Committee);
•  Represent the project at the Project Steering Committee meetings, technical meetings and other appropriate for a in coordination with UNDP Country Office;
•  Ensure timely planning and implementation of the envisaged baseline surveys, annual action research and project evaluations to inform project level planning and decision making;
•  Ensure that project outputs have been achieved as appropriate, the project is successfully closed and that project outputs are revisited during the project evaluation process to assess the impact of project outputs on expected outcomes;
•  Ensure security of the staff and assets belonging to the projects.

Delivery of Project Results:

•  Oversee and monitor implementation of work plans and budgets for all project activities. Ensure that the project produces the results (outputs) specified in the project documents to the required standard of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost;
•  Monitor the project expenditures, commitments and balance of funds under the project budget lines, and
•  draft project budget revisions in accordance with UNDP’s ATLAS system including the reporting on project
•  funds and related record keeping;
•  Monitor project expenditure, commitments and balance of funds under the project budget lines for cost –
•  efficiency and consistency with the Project Document and corresponding Annual Work Plan. Prepare results framework for each output and establish performance and impact assessment indicators and system.
•  Ensure conformity of results with the Project Document and UNDP rules and procedures through budget preparation and management, planning and general monitoring of the project;
•  Manage delivery of results by using up-to-date best practices and know-how in the subject area and accordingly plan delivery of resources for the performance year;
•  Ensure that all project deliverables and documents are noted and stored, that the project is both operationally and financially closed in Atlas, that all tasks have been completed, that all assets have been transferred, that all issues are resolved and that the project is “done”;
•  Ensure that the standard UNDP and GCF M&E requirements are fulfilled to the highest quality:
•  Review professional performance and document implementation processes and results through a project-based professional reports.

Policy and Technical Advice:

•  Prepare plan of action for policy support services;
•  Provide intellectual or substantive leadership in the subject area through identification of key policy issues and formulation of best possible and alternative policy and programme options at local and national levels;
•  Stimulate strategic thinking in the subject area, taking into account the needs of Government, local
•  authorities, non-government and development partners as well as opportunities to develop national public goods;
•  Map on a consistent basis the climate-related development issues, covering the situation and strategic opportunities in the form of reports;
•  Identify opportunities to enhance teamwork within the project and with other UNDP projects to capitalize on the specific advantages of multi-disciplinary support within the framework of the project;
•  Support to provide policy advice on the on-going policy development on climate change adaptation and
•  ensuring the optimal design and sequencing necessary for enhancing the existing legal framework and institutional strengthening.
•  Contribute to policy briefs, strategic notes, discussion papers on emerging climate change adaptation related issues, for consideration by the Government and other stakeholders;
•  Review and contribute to all outputs and deliverables produced under the project;
•  Analysis and aggregation of project results/outputs, and reporting of project progress at the objective and outcome level.

Knowledge Management:

•  Support the development and implementation of capacity building activities aimed at government counterparts, civil society groups, media and relevant stakeholders.
•  Contribute written inputs to UNDP flagship products/newsletter/policy briefs, based on project results, data and information, lessons learned and best practices.
•  Formulate a framework for data sharing among stakeholders, for project implementation
•  Support the Government with analysis and substantive research into national adaptation planning, and
•  other major national and local development issues;
•  Sharing international best practices on implementation of climate change adaptation policies and practices through participatory processes and techniques involving civil society, women and minority groups.
•  Ensure systemic capturing of key lessons learnt generated by the project through feasibility studies, research, surveys as well as other primary and secondary sources to produce knowledge -based products;
•  Serve as peer reviewer, as and when required.

Partnership, Communication and Resource Mobilization:

•  Identify stakeholders and partners for the undertaking of various project outputs and activities;
•  Develop new partnerships with civil society and/or non-governmental/ community-based organizations;
•  local communities and private sector to deliver the project outputs and activities, as required;
•  Establish and maintain sound partnerships with the Government, namely Committee for Environmental
•  Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, donors and other strategic partners;
•  Ensure that project activities are closely coordinated with stakeholders and that a high level of collaboration and cooperation is in place at the national, regional, provincial and district level;
•  Liaise with project partners to ensure their co-financing contributions are identified, secured and provided within the agreed terms;
•  Liaise with other relevant government and relevant partners/stakeholders regarding the project, including to share information about trends, issues and results, to coordinate and utilize resources effectively and efficiently; represent UNDP at coordination meetings with donors and counterparts and take the lead in ensuring ownership of the process and results by national and international counterparts supporting adaptation in Tajikistan.
•  Ensure adequate information flow, discussions and feedback among the various stakeholders of the project according to the agreed management arrangements;
•  Proactively identify potential sources of funding and assist in resource mobilization for the implementation of the National Adaptation Plan and follow up actions to the project, including through the development of concept notes and funding proposals to the potential donors and promoting project deliverables at the relevant development platforms;
•  Prepare proposals for mobilization of human, technical or financial resources from international development organizations, non-government organizations and the private sector;
•  Mobilize resources to support the achievement of project outputs and outcomes;
•  Ensure regular communication of project results, including producing communication products and
•  visibility materials, and liaison with media in Tajikistan and beyond;
•  Ensure visibility of the project, including adherence to visibility standards and templates of the donor, UNDP and Government, as required.

Competencies

Core Competencies

•  Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
•  Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
•  Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
•  Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
•  Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
•  Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
•  Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

People Management Competencies

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

•  Climate Change Adaptation
  •  Embedding adaptation into development policy/planning/decision making
•  Climate Change Adaptation
  •  Adaptation strategies
•  Strategic Thinking
  •  Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP´s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions.
  •  Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP.
•  Knowledge generation
  •  Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need
•  Project Management
  •  Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
•  Resource Management
  •  Ability to allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with principles of accountability and integrity
•  Communication
  •  Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

•  Master’s degree or equivalent from the recognized university in rural development, international relations, public administration, natural resource management, climate change, economics, business administration, environmental studies or related disciplines.
•  Bachelor’s degree in combination with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the Master’s degree.

Experience:

•  Minimum 2 years (with Master’s degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of experience in management and implementation of state and/or development programmes focused on climate change, natural resources management public administration, rural development, environmental studies and/or relevant areas.

Required Skills:

•  Good knowledge about Tajikistan, Central Asia and its development context in environmental protection and natural resources management in general and climate change in particular;
•  Excellent computer skills, including full command of text and spreadsheet programmes, data bases and web-based communication tools.

Desired Skills:

•  Experience in working with Government and a wide range of donors, the UN, international organizations, and/or civil society;
•  Experience in the development of national strategies or action plans;
•  Experience in stakeholders´engagement -specially women- in planning processes;
•  Experience in the preparation of donors´ technical and financial reports;
•  Experience in resource mobilization.

Languages:

•  Fluency in English and Russian (written and spoken) is mandatory.
•  Knowledge of Tajik would be considered a strong advantage.

Institutional Arrangement

The Project Manager (PM) will report to the UNDP Team Leader on Climate Change, DRR, Energy and Environment and will work under the guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative. The Project Manager will work in close collaboration with the Committee for Environmental Protection along with UNDP Programme, Operations, Communications and other project teams in the UNDP Country Office (CO) for effective achievement of results, anticipating and resolving complex project related issues. The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems. The Project Manager will liaise and work closely with all partner institutions to link the project with complementary national programmes and initiatives. The PM will be technically supported by contracted national and international service providers, based on needs as determined and approved by the Project Steering Committee, as needed.

Disclaimer

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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