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Meta's Regional Senior Associate

Colombia

  • Organization: GGGI - Global Green Growth Institute
  • Location: Colombia
  • Grade: Junior level - X7
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Administrative support
  • Closing Date: Closed

Meta's Regional Senior Associate

The position will be part of the regional team, reporting to the Subnational Coordinator. S/he will be responsible for providing technical advisory services to relevant sub-national counterparts focused on the Department of Meta for the identification of Green Growth opportunities associated to deforestation control and sustainable landscapes. Delivery will be focused on policy incidence, structuring of bankable projects and enhanced management of financial resources that can support such opportunities for the public and private sectors. This support should materialize in increased local capacity for public management and project structuring towards Green Growth objectives.  The position will offer technical and policy assistance in Meta, coordinate new initiatives and partnerships with the private sector, academic institutions among others and liaison with national-level policies, investments and initiatives that have local impact.

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Based in Seoul, The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is an intergovernmental organization founded to support and promote a model of economic growth known as "green growth", which targets key aspects of economic performance such a poverty reduction, job creation, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. GGGI works with countries around the world, building their capacity and working collaboratively on green growth policies that can impact the lives of millions. The organization partners with countries, multilateral institutions, government bodies, and private sector to help build economies that grow strongly and are more efficient and sustainable in the use of natural resources, less carbon intensive, and more resilient to climate change.

GGGI has a diverse portfolio of programs in developing countries around the world. These in-country programs, together with global products and services, focus on delivering results through an integrated approach of evidence-based green growth planning and implementation aligned to countries’ development priorities. The organization also focuses on knowledge development and management activities which build a strong theoretical and empirical basis for green growth, while providing concrete options and guidance for policymakers; as well as building the conditions for public and private green infrastructure investments. 

 

COLOMBIA PROGRAM BACKGROUND 

 

GGGI has been working with the Government of Colombia to advance green growth policies and green investments, through strategic partnerships such as with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Finance and Public Credit and the National Planning Department, among others. In a new phase of collaboration with Government agencies at the national and sub-national level, GGGI with the support of the Kingdom of Norway will expand its Colombia Country Program by virtue the transition towards a greener growth pathway that is socially inclusive and contributive to Colombia´s medium term development agenda. Five years of support (2017-2022) will expect to see an impact of an increased capacity to mainstream green growth objectives into development planning and investments within the priority sectors and regions that are critical for Colombia´s future green growth, particularly in those areas that are highly susceptible to increased natural resource degradation and forest cover loss.

The program was divided in two phases: Phase I taking place from 2017 to2019, and Phase II for 2020-2022. Phase II was designed to increase green growth investments in priority regions and sectors, in addition to supporting the GoC for reducing their current deforestation trends. The program outcomes are aligned with the GoC´s nationally determined contributions (NDC) targets and sustainable development goals (SDGs), GGGI’s Strategic Plan 2015 – 2020 and GGGI Colombia Country Planning Framework (CPF) 2016-2020, as well as the Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) strategic objectives. 

The desired impact of the activities carried between 2020-2022 is to facilitate Colombia in achieving its SDGs, those which include the following by the National Development Plan (NDP) 2018-2022:

  • A reduction in the deforestation growth trend predicted by the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) from 0% to 30%.
  • An accumulated reduction of 36 MTnCO2eq of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, in relation to the national point of reference.
  • An increase in proportion of overall share gross domestic product (GDP) by the forestry sector from 0.79% to 1%.
  • An increase in areas under sustainable conservation management (restoration, agroforestry systems, sustainable forest management) from 701,000 ha to 1,402,900 ha.
  • An increase in areas under payments for ecosystem services (PES) schemes and incentives for conservation from 65,000 ha to 260,000 ha.

 

Phase II of the program is focused on: (i) strengthening conditions to increase the effectiveness of institutes to enforce deforestation control measures and deforestation reduction; and, (ii) the implementation and subsequent upscaling of sustainable and/or restorative production systems through a landscape management approach.

The program capitalizes on GGGI’s comparative advantage to provide context-specific, tailored, green growth solutions, as well as its experience to date on promoting the green growth agenda in Colombia and other countries.  Phase II of the program is designed to ensure that results are delivered consistently and the outcomes of Phase I are sustained. This is achieved by leveraging lessons learned as well as by taking advantage of synergies with other donor-funded activities and programs. This is made possible by the unique position of GGGI within the GoC which now includes providing direct support to the Ministries of Agriculture and Finance. Given Norway’s support, GGGI has certainly built a strong reputation in the country, becoming the go-to institution for the GoC on sustainability-related topics. This is also made clear by the decision of the GoC to recently approve Law 1954/2019 for the Establishment Agreement of GGGI in Colombia and moving towards an additional ongoing bill in Congress for the approval of the Host Country Agreement, expected to be finalized this year.  

The Theory of Change of the proposed program was developed in consultation with key government actors such as the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture, Environment and Commerce, the DNP, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, the Norwegian Embassy in Bogotá and other development partners.

The intrinsic logic of this program lies in the fact that to reduce the loss of forest cover and increase the sustainability and inclusiveness of production landscapes, not only do current forest stands need added-value in order to provide conservation incentives, sustainable, inclusive and productive transformation of landscapes must also be promoted alongside. 

There are various underlying principles which underpin the fundamentals of Phase II of the program. The main principle being that GGGI will continue to build upon existing efforts to promote green growth, such as the implementation of the Green Growth Policy (emphasizing on the forest economy) along with other relevant goals aligned with the NDP, such as lowering the deforestation rate, increasing areas under sustainable conservation systems and PES. Secondly, significance is placed on delivering results at the subnational level that are linked to reducing deforestation in the selected jurisdictions (Departamentos) and to amplify the number of hectares and investments managed under a sustainable and restorative production systems approach.

Finally, key partners and stakeholders will be kept close to accelerate the market pull of low-deforestation and highly sustainable practices throughout value chains. This will reward and incentivize businesses to adopt such production standards and scale up sectoral ambition on these topics. Target sectors to be addressed through the program will include forestry and non-timber forest products (NFTPs) (including sustainable forest management), sustainable livestock and nature-based tourism products.

Operating at the subnational level therefore becomes imperative to attaining tangible positive impacts of a greener development model, one that is low in deforestation and high in environmental and social dividends. Crucial to achieving long term green growth objectives is the effective decentralization of green growth and climate friendly policies to the subnational level, which also includes integrating these into local sectoral planning and investments, as well as the generation of success. Progress towards a greener and climate friendly economy in Colombia with increased generation of jobs and income will be highly dependent on adequate public and private financing that is in alignment of green growth objectives. Currently, general public expenditure instruments, such as territorial transfers, compensation mechanisms, and traditional public investment (on infrastructure, for example) do not yet integrate climate change and green growth principles. This means several opportunities to ensure a more efficient use of public funds towards common, greener development objectives, including through a system of royalties and other public investment instruments.

During the last three years, GGGI´s engagement in Meta has contributed substantially to the positioning of green growth as a key development framework in the region by mainstreaming sustainable development objectives into policy and private sector interest. Highlights of this work include greening sectors such as Non-Timber-Forest-Products, the implementation of economic instruments aimed at reducing deforestation such as Payment for Ecosystem Services Schemes and deforestation control efforts. 

 

 

PURPOSE

 

Reporting to the Subnational Coordinator, Meta´s Regional Senior Associate role is managing integrated process and aligning the Subnational work in Meta. The successful candidate will:

 

  • Reviews projects components to be developed in Meta and develops project resource profiles and timelines. Monitors project implementation through site visits, identifying operational issues.
  • Provides technical advice and understanding to local stakeholders in identifying the Green Growth opportunities and their materialization into bankable projects;
  • Identify jointly with the Subnational Coordinator, new workstreams and elaborate proposals to be able to meet local needs in terms of reducing deforestation actions and other related green growth topics. This implies budgeting, proposal preparation, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
  • Support local and regional governments in identifying and improving the processes that are fundamental in resolving the management bottlenecks, particularly to advance the Green Growth agendas and objectives.
  • Support local and regional governments in the implementation of their development plans by identifying concrete opportunities of Green Growth and create conditions to make them feasible within reasonable time periods.

 

ENGAGEMENT

 

  • Identify, build and maintain local networks with government and other partners with whom GGGI can collaborate in the delivery of set targets and scope of work at the subnational level, particularly NGOs, governmental organizations, community leaders and private sector allies that can be relevant in the context of the program´s objectives, and define a framework for collaboration on green growth with local stakeholders
  • Provide technical inputs, consultation and support to the CCO team and subnational entities upon request related to Meta-specific activities and projects, as well as for other regions as need fit.
  • Be up-to-date and advise the COO of the policy development framework, institutional landscape, public management and financing structures of the Department of Meta aligning it with the local political environment
  • Closely collaborates and liaises with other GGGI-Colombia team members for technical consultation and inputs to align efforts and workstreams from national to sub-national level
  • Support territorial entities in the implementation of their development plans by identifying concrete opportunities of Green Growth and create conditions to make them feasible within reasonable time periods, as well as in other areas of management such as establishment of working strategy with the territories to improve or strengthen their management in matters of planning and financial management that can lead to concrete Green Growth objectives.
  • Works closely with subnational counterparts to build cooperative relationships and establish the organization as an effective partner
  • Support GGGI´s team in developing and consolidating a Subnational GGGI program for Colombia that aligns well with national priorities, SDGs and Colombia´s international commitments towards climate change mitigation
  • Support territorial entities in identifying and improving the processes that are fundamental in resolving the management bottlenecks, particularly to advance the Green Growth agendas and objectives
  • Guide and support local administration officials to effectively engage with local counterparts, produce high-quality deliverables, coordinate technical efforts and deliver outputs in a timely manner
  • Advise GGGI´s Subnational Coordinator on the possible scope of work and critical route for the establishment of sub-national level partnerships that will enable fulfillment of the joint agenda with Meta
  • Work closely with subnational government partners towards implementing the above stated while recognizing the importance of the government investment and ownership in the implementation of all activities under the collaborative and integrated country program.Be known as a key regional technical expert for Green Growth in the Department of Meta and focal point responsible for the agenda defined between GGGI and the main department-level counterpart.

 

DELIVERY

 

  • Monitors Colombia-GGGI-Norway Green Growth Program (Phase II) activities in Meta to ensure consistent/appropriate use of resources, delivery proceeding on schedule and operational demands are within project parameters;
  • Identify Colombia-GGGI-Norway Green Growth Program (Phase II) delivery issues and ensures effective coordination of project activities and resource execution to ensure that objectives are reached alongside their established timeframes and budget;
  • Provide quality supervision to consultancy contracts related to the product delivery at the subnational level, ensuring all rules and regulations of GGGI are met;
  • Provide technical advisory for the identification, development and consolidation of subnational work-streams, aligning policy and investment outcomes with local counterparts and seeking integration of these with national, NDC and SDG targets as well as with Colombia-GGGI-Norway Phase II program goals;
  • Support development and supervision of quality outsourcing work needed to carry out activities defined within the regional work-streams;
  • Supervise the work of other staff/consultants when requested;
  • Organize relevant workshops, consultations and focal group discussions with key department-level stakeholders to ensure alignment of GGGI´s service with client needs.

 

REQUIREMENTS
QUALIFICATIONS

 

  • A Bachelor’s Degree with preferably 6 years of relevant experience in public administration, public management, sustainable development or economic development roles with a strong background in environmental policy and practices, public investment, planning and implementation of development plans as well as budgets within the public sector, particularly in the Department of Meta. Master degree in sustainable development related areas is desirable.
  • Strong background on development projects and programs within public sector; experience in the REDD+, agriculture, land use or rural development sectors is a plus;
  • Familiarity and understanding the green growth issues, trade-offs, benefits, evaluation tools, poverty reduction and development.
  • Relevant experience in supporting government entities in the Department of Meta as well as development and green growth-related topics. Local candidates will have an advantage.
  • Relevant experience in supporting government entities in the Department of Meta as well as development and green growth-related topics.
  • A solid track record of policy and/or project formulation in the field of development and public management in Meta.
  • (MANDATORY) Must be a Colombian citizen, or a foreigner holding a valid Work Visa.
  • An excellent command of written English and Spanish. Able to communicate information and ideas in a clear and articulate manner in both the oral and written format.

 

FUNCTIONAL

 

  • Achieves results in a quality, timely, and cost-effective way. Sees priorities, plans the efficient use of resources, and monitors progress against objectives.
  • Anticipates crucial risks and risk management strategies in projects. Formulates alternative means of achieving objectives. Responds effectively to unforeseen events.
  • Sets high but achievable standards for self and others, in addition to seeking opportunities to improve processes and outcomes. A constant reviewal of performance to identify areas of improvement.
  • Capacity to provide technical guidance towards strategic targets, work plans and high-quality deliverables.
  • Ability to provide solid and appropriate technical advice, understanding the counterparts´ needs, limitations and capacities.
  • Measured confidence to take on demanding work or put forward views when they may be challenged.
  • Stays calm in a crisis and overcomes conflict easily. Handles competing demands. Overcomes setbacks. Welcomes and learns from feedback;
  • Versatile, personable and flexible when facing complex projects, continuously changing new people and political support to the project. Attention to detail, quality control and very good organizational abilities.
  • Attention to detail, quality control and superb writing and organizational abilities.

 

CORPORATE

 

 

  • Understand and actively supports GGGI’s mission, vision and values.
  • Promote the best use of public resources.
  • Promote an organizational culture of trust, transparency, respect and partnership.
  • Process and share information easily.
  • Manage emotions and stress positively, builds rapport and resolves conflict easily.
  • Promote creativity and innovation among staff.
  • Be able to lead where needed and support the Country Representative to make sound decisions

 

 

 

Values Logo

Child protection – GGGI is committed to child protection, irrespective of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. GGGI’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This vacancy is now closed.
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