Technical Coordinator (CITinova)

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.

In March 2018, the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI, the Executing Partner) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) concluded an Executive Programme for the implementation of the project entitled “Promoting Cities in Brazil through integrated urban planning and investment in Innovative Technologies” (CITinova). UNEP is the implementing agency for the project and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) provides funding to a total of more than US$ 22.6 million dollars.

The project has been under implementation since April 2018 through the work of co-executing partners. These are: (1) the Recife Agency for Innovation and Strategy (ARIES) (through the Nucleo de Gestao do Porto Digital), which manages Recife project activities; (2) the Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE), which manages project activities related to the Sustainable Cities Innovative Observatory and provide execution support to Brasilia project activities; and the (3) Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP), which manages project activities related to the project’s knowledge platform. Furthermore (4), the UNEP Brazil Office provides execution support to the project. The co-executing partners (ARIES, CGEE and SCP) receive GEF funds from UNEP through project cooperation agreements and undertake their own, inter alia, fund management, procurement, recruitment, and travel.

Under the guidance of MCTI and the supervision of the UNEP Brazil Office Representative, the Technical Coordinator will manage a multidisciplinary team and work with the co-executing partners to guarantee the integration of the project, as well as the delivery of the products as planned. To this end, the person should maintain a regular overview of the progress of the project, supporting partners on the implementation of their activities and in the preparation of their monitoring reports and recommending, along with MCTI and UNEP, proposals for redirecting actions to ensure greater assertiveness in achieving the proposed results.

The Technical Coordinator will work in close collaboration with the National Director and National Coordinator, the Project Manager, the UNEP Implementing Agency team through the Task Manager, co-executing partners as well as other stakeholders. The Technical Coordinator will work with administrative support of the UNEP Brazil Office and will be located in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations, Brasilia.

The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

Project technical coordination

• Establish working procedures and workflows with UNEP Brazil Office, MCTI, the Project Manager and the co-executing partners for ensuring effective internal communication related to project implementation, including as related to project meetings and events, and reporting guidelines and deadlines;
• Manage the technical coordination team, that will subsidize him to ensure that the partners fulfill their objectives. ensuring that the partners fulfill their projects objectives;
• Support the co-executing partners of the project to monitor progress in achieving the indicators contained in Annex A of the CEO Endorsement Document;
• Developing a monitoring framework to support MCTI, UNEP and the GEF to accompany the project’s project in achieving the indicators contained in Annex A of the CEO Endorsement Document;
• Coordinate the elaboration of technical summaries of work undertaken by project partners or the project as a whole, as maybe required by MCTI, UNEP and the GEF, including as related to experiences, good practices and lessons learned.
• Establish articulation with project partners and review their work plans and terms of reference for goods and services and make recommendations to the Project Director (MCTI);
• Coordinate the preparation of a monitoring plan to follow up the project's progress in relation to its objectives, indicators and goals, in line with Annex A of the CEO Endorsement Document;
• Keep the National Project Director, National Project Coordinator and the UNEP Task Manager informed about the project's progress, issues and problems, as well as the actions taken to mitigate these;
• Identify and seek to address technical issues that arise with the execution of the project, together with partners, and take steps with the Project Directorate and UNEP, as needed;
• Identify actions to accelerate the execution of technical elements of the project implemented by the partners.
• Identify ways to enhance the impactfulness of the project, by identifying ways to increase the technical, environmental and social viability of interventions proposed by partners.
• Coordinate the revision of communication products to ensure their technical accuracy.
• Establish articulation between the project partners and the World Bank's Global Sustainable Cities Platform.
• Follow up implementation of the work plan as scheduled, ensure delivery and evaluate the technical quality of outputs presented by partner institutions.
• Coordinate technical discussions and prepare minutes of the meetings.

Reporting

• Work with the Project Manager and MCTI team to define and implement workflows and procedures for approving project documents;
• Coordinate revision and analysis of projects’ reports and other related documentation received from the project co-executing partners (all reports must be submitted in English). Prepare technical notes for the consideration and approval by the Executing Partner (MCTI). Reports include:
  • Budget revisions and letters of modification. Review the received documents from the partners on technical issues and submit to UNEP for approval;
• Coordinate (in close collaboration with the Project Manager and technical team) the preparation, revision and consolidation of all project progress reports required by UNEP/GEF to be submitted by the co-executing partners. Prepare technical notes (in collaboration with the Project Manager) of the reports for the consideration and approval by the Executing Partner (MCTI). Reports include:
  • Half-yearly Progress Report: Coordinate with co-executing partners and support them to provide inputs for the half-yearly progress report. Prepare in English a consolidated overall project half-yearly progress report for the period 1 July - 31 December for each project year;
  • Project Implementation Review (PIR) report: Coordinate with co-executing partners and support them to provide inputs for the PIR report. Prepare in English a consolidated annual PIR report for the overall project for the period 1 July – 30 June for each project year. The PIR report shall be accepted as the Half-yearly Progress Report for the period 1 January - 30 June;
  • Final Report: within 3 months of the project completion, prepare a consolidated Final Report for the overall project and a list of outputs detailing the activities executed under the project, lessons learned and any recommendations to ensure the sustainability of project results and improve the efficiency of similar activities in the future.

• Coordinate (in collaboration with the Project Manager and technical team), the revision and consolidation of the bi-annual workplans prepared by the co-executing partners and to be submitted for the approval of the responsible parties at UNEP and Executing Partner (MCTI), as well as to the Project Steering Committee, when applicable;
• Prepare summarized progress reports for the Executing Partner (MCTI), when requested;

Project meetings and travel

• Organize regular meetings with partners, to follow up the progress of the Project regarding its technical requirements and established results, as per the CEO and workplans;
• Participate, in workshops, seminars, meetings and other events related to the project´s objectives, when requested by the MCTI team and/or by the UNEP Brazil Office;
• Carry out visits to the locations of the project co-executing partners as needed to facilitate effective project evaluation, reporting and prepare visit reports, upon request of MCTI team;
• Connect external stakeholders to the project co-executing partners regarding national and international events.
• Represent the Executing Agency, MCTI, in project related meetings, when requested by MCTI.

All services to be performed under this Term of Reference will have a direct impact on the development and implementation of the Project "Cities-IAP: Promoting Sustainable Cities in Brazil through Integrated Urban Planning and Innovative Technologies Investment” (CITinova).

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNEP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies

• Professionalism: Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations
• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; Places team agenda before personal agenda; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings
• Planning and Organizing: Demonstrated effective organizational skills and ability to handle work in an efficient and timely manner. Demonstrated ability to coordinate tasks to meet deadlines.

Education: 

• Advanced University Degree in Applied Social Sciences, Human Sciences, Biological or Earth Sciences.

Work Experience:

Mandatory

Important applicant information

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