International Consultant for provision support and leading the achievement of expected project results

Background

The UNDP Country Office in Tajikistan, together with Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, is launching a large-scale project “An integrated landscape approach to enhancing the climate resilience of small-scale farmers and pastoralists in Tajikistan” funded by Adaptation Fund.

The objective of the proposed project is to enhance the livelihoods of the small-scale farmers and pastoralists living in the Kofarnihon River Basin (KRB) under impending climate change conditions. Such conditions are expected to include increased frequencies and intensities of extreme climate events such as intense rainfall, flooding and droughts. The overarching approach of the project is to employ integrated catchment management approaches within KRB. To this end, a climate-resilient catchment management strategy will be designed for the basin, which will enable national rural development planners, local government, and local communities to manage a wide range of climate risks.

Complementing the catchment management strategy, the proposed project will directly build the resilience of selected communities by: (a) implementing on-the-ground EbA; (b) supporting agro-ecological extension services to provide technical assistance on climate change adaptation practices to local community members; (c) promoting the development of business models that capitalize on EbA interventions; and (d) developing a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) approach to support the long-term financing of climate-resilient catchment management plans across Tajikistan.

Three interrelated components within the project will contribute to achieving this objective, namely: i) Integrated catchment management to build climate resilience; ii) Integrated approach to building the climate resilience of agro-ecological landscapes operationalised at village level; and iii) Knowledge management on building climate resilience through integrated catchment management and EbA in the KRB.

The project will be nationally implemented (NIM) by the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan (COEP) with support from the UNDP, in line with the Standard Basic Assistance Agreement (SBAA, 1993), the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2016-2021 signed between the UN and the Government of Tajikistan, and the UNDP Country Programme Document 2016-2021 signed between UNDP and the Government of Tajikistan.

In recognition of the importance of a livelihoods enhancement of small farmers and pastoralists in Kofarnihon River Basin, UNDP in collaboration with COEP, seeks to recruit a Chief Technical Advisor (CTA), with significant experience to assist on delivering the envisaged project results and lead the achievement of expected project results, by providing strategic guidance to the project staff for the implementation of activities in accordance with the Project Document.

Objectives 

The Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) of the project will be contracted by UNDP Tajikistan and will work closely with the National Project Manager (PM) and the project team. The CTA will report to the UNDP Team Leader/Climate Change, DRR, Energy and Environment and will work under the guidance of Deputy Resident Representative.

Duties and Responsibilities

General Responsibilities:

The CTA is expected to support the implementation of all three project components as well as the project management.

Five main functions of CTA are as follows:

•           Lead and provide technical supervision and advice, and quality assurance.

•           Strategic policy advice and knowledge management.

•           Programme planning, implementation, M&E and reporting.

•           Capacity building and knowledge transfer.

•           Partnerships and advocacy on climate change and adaptation, and human development work.

Specific Tasks and Responsibilities: 

• Coordinate and provide technical guidance and support the project implementation, including regular and timely feedback to UNDP Country Office on the project status including progress, bottlenecks, and main challenges;
• Ensure that the project maintains strategic direction through provision of support to set-up and implementation of the monitoring and evaluation system with a particular focus on assessing the progress based on the results framework and towards the project’s targets and indicators;
• Support the Project Manager (PM) and the project team to ensure standard project management tools are in place and used in a day-to-day basis to produce quality outputs;
• Support the PM and the project team in observing general conditions of the contract agreed upon with the donor including operational standards and regulations.
• Support to preparation of Terms of References (TORs) for national and international technical experts, consultants, and technical companies;
• Technical guidance for overall management and administration: Provide technical and managerial feedback and inputs to all activities of the project as well as to progress and donor reporting requirements;
• Support adoption of a learning and adaptive approach to project management and implementation;
• Provide policy advice and technical support to government, UNDP Country Office and other partners on related project concepts, approaches and mechanisms;
• Strengthen project’s focus on quality outputs, through reviews and inputs to all major project outputs and assist in documentation of lessons learned throughout the project implementation;
• Provide technical advice on development of annual and multi-year work plans, review of the project road map, and theory of change, project technical reports, project activity reports, and project monitoring and evaluation reports including annual progress reports and project reports to the donor (AF);
• Provide international best practices and share knowledge on key project strategies including integrated catchment management, EbA, CSA, SLM, and rural development approaches. Actively contribute in development of knowledge, learning events, synthesis of best practices and lessons learned for organizational sharing and learning as well as external information;
• Conduct regular field visits to the pilot sites in order to review the progress of the project activities on the ground and advise and guide the project team apply corrective measures in line with the project strategy and work plan;
• Sector-wide coordination and strategic partnership: Support UNDP Country Office, PM and the team in development of synergies with similar active projects, coordination frameworks and platforms to exchange on available best practices. Provide inputs for further resource mobilization efforts with UNDP Country Office;
• Take the lead in designing appropriate monitoring tools and mechanisms for the project and support monitoring and evaluation processes during implementation of the project;
• Ensure development and sound implementation of the project sustainability plan/exit strategy.

In addition to the tasks above, the CTA is expected to deliver on the development of integrated catchment management strategy and an associated capacity building framework (Training Programme) for Kofarnihon river basin. This will include:

• Guiding development of Multi-Hazard Climate Risk Models for the Kofarnihon River Basin;
• Supporting an upgrade of automated weather stations in Kofarnihon River Basin watersheds, including guidance on relevant capacity building interventions;
• Development of integrated catchment management strategy for the Kofarnihon River Basin, including associated capacity building interventions (Training Programme);
• Development of institutional improvement and governance mechanisms for integrated climate-resilient catchment management;
• Development of payment for Ecosystem Services models to support the long-term financing of integrated catchment management strategy implementation;
• Support establishment of agro-ecological extension services in the Kofarnihon river basin;
• Support identification, prioritization and implementation of ecosystem-based adaptation measures in the watershed (selection and design of EbA demonstration plots).
• Travel:
• The Consultant will provide 60 working days of home-based support and 80 working days on mission in the country (UNDP Tajikistan country and field offices). The CTA shall be traveling to the country as per the detailed mission programme agreed upon with UNDP.

PURPOSE

The CTA will assist the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan to deliver on the envisaged project results. The CTA will lead the achievement of expected project results, by providing strategic guidance to the project staff for the implementation of activities in accordance with the Project Document.

The CTA 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.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The CTA will provide support to the project with international standards and quality. The CTA will hold the expertise and guide the project team and government stakeholders in framing and executing integrated watershed management approaches and strategies in the target Kofarnihon river basin. S/he will monitor and support the implementation of all project components through home-based work as well as field presence and coordinate all related specialized inputs throughout the project implementation.

CTA’s technical support will include missions to Tajikistan as feasible with an average duration of 8 days which will include working in UNDP Country Office, project offices and visiting the field (project pilot sites), responding to technical queries, commenting on, and acceptance/approval of the project technical reports, project progress reports, project monitoring and evaluation reports and reports to the donor, etc. 

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

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

Functional Competencies

• Climate change adaptation in the context of natural resource management broadly;
• Knowledge of integrated catchment management approaches to sectoral and community level land use and management solutions; ability to undertake or coordinate multi-hazard risk assessment and modelling work is an asset;
• Research and analytical skills combined with good communication skills, including drafting skills and writing skills, in English and possibly another UN language (Russian, Persian);
• Able to work independently and as part of team and deliver on time under pressure.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

• Minimum advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Development Studies, Natural Resources Management, Rural Development, Social Development, Economics, or related field that is relevant for natural resources management and climate change mitigation/adaptation in developing countries.

Professional experience.

• At least 10 years of broad international experience in climate resilient development, community resilience, including climate smart agriculture and rural development.
• Solid experience in providing policy advice to the government agencies to enhance national and sectoral policies to respond to climate change risks.
• International expertise and experience in integrated watershed management approaches to climate risk reduction, climate change adaptation, sustainable land management, river basin and catchment management, ecosystem-based adaptation, drought, and water scarcity is a great asset.
• Extensive experience in design and running adaptive management tools, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
• Proven experience as Team Leader/CTA from one or more projects of similar nature. Good track record of project management with United Nations System or any other international multilateral agencies. Successful records of engagement in AF, GEF funded projects is an asset.
• Substantial experience in leading teams of national and international experts and working in a multi-cultural environment.
• Experience in working, liaising, and collaborating with government representatives, officials, local authorities, civil society organizations, and public international organizations.
• Familiarity with Tajikistan’s institutional and cultural context is an asset.

Knowledge of languages:

• Excellent knowledge of oral and written English.
• Knowledge of Russian and/or Persian is an asset.

Application Procedure:

Please follow the link to download Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and follow the application procedures indicated in the downloaded ICPN: 

http://www.undp.tj/va/upload/va/ICPN_CTA%20International%20Consultant_fin.pdf

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.

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP.
• Personal CV and/or resume.
• Brief description of approach to work/technical proposal of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a proposed methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment; (max 1 page)
• Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price and all other travel related costs (such as flight ticket, per diem, etc.), supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template attached to the Letter of Confirmation of Interest template.  If an applicant is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the applicant must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

All application materials should be submitted by email at the following address ONLY: (ic.tj@undp.org) by (11 March 2021). Incomplete applications will be excluded from further consideration.