National Coordination Officer

While Samoa’s contribution to global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions is negligible, climate change mitigation remains a critical government priority in light of the already felt and predicted increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The transport sector in Samoa, which is entirely dependent on fossil fuels, is the country’s largest emitter of CO₂, accounting for 27.4% of GHG emissions (based on Samoa’s National GHG inventory, 2020). Reliance on energy-dense fossil fuels is expected to render decarbonization of the transport sector particularly difficult. Transport demand has grown in parallel to economic development, and with structural changes, it grows faster than that of other sectors. Whilst some interventions to decarbonize the transport sector in Samoa have initiated, efforts remain fragmented due to a lack of investment and coordination across ministries, agencies, development partners, financial entities, private businesses, and individuals.

In order to meet Samoa’s Second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target to reduce national GHG emissions by 26% from 2007 levels by 2030 (equivalent to 91 Gg CO₂e), the rapid decarbonization of both land and maritime transport systems is fundamental. Research-based evidence, best practices and lessons learned globally indicate that a number of interventions can catalyze the paradigm shift required to decarbonize the transport sector, including electrification of transport systems, along with supportive policy and business model innovations to catalyze systemic electrification.  

The project Climate Action Pathways for Island Transport (CAP-IT): Accelerating the Decarbonization of Samoa’s Land and Maritime Transport Sectors, funded by the Government of Japan, aims to promote urgent and inclusive transformation of the land and maritime transport sectors towards decarbonization by accelerating the uptake of electrical vehicles and outboard motors in support of the achievement of Samoa’s enhanced NDCs for the energy and transport sector by 2030. This will be achieved through a three-fold approach:  

1. Creating an enabling environment through strengthened and gender-sensitive institutional governance, financial, legal, and technical capacities for accelerating the decarbonization of both land and maritime transport systems; 
2. Accelerating inclusive decarbonization of the land transport sector with a focus on adoption and imports of electric vehicles and accessible electrification service networks targeting public transport and public service delivery vehicles; and,
3. Introducing and piloting low-carbon outboard motors for Samoa’s fishing fleet through a gender sensitive grant mechanism for local fisherfolk and training scheme on installation, operation, and maintenance. 

CAP-IT is implemented through the UNDP Direct Implementation Modality (DIM), with some activities to be delivered by national implementing entities as Responsible Parties (RPs) contracted by UNDP. 

Under the overall supervision of the Project Manager and in close cooperation with the Project Management Unit (PMU), National Steering Committee (NSC) and Technical Advisory Group (TAG), the National Coordination Officer will support the effective coordination and timely implementation of the project, including all substantive and administrative matters.

Effective management and timely implementation of the project:

• Facilitate national partners’ inputs and contribute to the development of annual and quarterly work plans and budget in accordance with the project document;
• Coordinate the implementation of all project activities as per the project document;
• Mobilize goods and services to support project activities, including drafting TORs and works/product requirements and specifications;
• Effectively coordinate national partners’ feedback on expert inputs, submissions and products to foster national ownership of project outputs;
• Lead coordination and communication between internal and external partners including on planning and organization of NSC, TAG and other project-related meetings, consultations, workshops, trainings and/or events;
• Lead the planning and organization of NSC, TAG and other project-related meetings with partners, including logistics and documentation of the meetings as well as follow-up;
• Provide coordination support to implementing agencies or responsible parties if/as needed to develop joint partnership, resource mobilization and/or sustainability strategies.

Support monitoring and reporting of project results:

• Actively monitor, evaluate, and report on progress of all project activities against Project Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, including but not limited to the organization of site-visits, support drafting of back-to-office reports (BTORs) and/or any other M&E corporate requirements such as the annual Results Oriented Analysis Report; 
• Prepare analytical reviews and systematically capture lessons learnt from implementation;
• Provide inputs to, and support drafting of, narrative and annual reports, including donor reporting requirements;
• Identify and monitor risks that could interfere with programme delivery, and design and action mitigation measures accordingly; and,
• Support knowledge management, including but not limited through systematic documentation and filing of all project-related matters and corporate requirements.

Strategic partnership and communication:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination: Level 4: Able to make difficult decisions in challenging situations, inspire confidence
• Engage and Partner: Level 4: Construct strategic multi-partner alliances in high stake situations, foster co-creation
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: Level 4: Create ethical culture, identify/address barriers to inclusion

Business Direction & Strategy

• Entrepreneurial Thinking: Ability to create clarity around UNDP value proposition to beneficiaries and partners and to develop service offers responding to client meeds based on UNDP’s organizational priorities and mandate
• System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgment to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall  process or system, and to considering how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Development    

• Collective Intelligence: Ability to bringing together diverse groups of people, data, information or ideas and technology to design services or solutions
• Human Centred-Design: Ability to develop solutions to problems by involving the human perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process

Business Management

• Results-based Management: Ability to manage programme and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results
• Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
• Partnerships Management: Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civill societies and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies

• Master’s and/or Bachelor’s Degree equivalent in Project Management, Public Administration and/or Policy, or related fields.

• Master’s Degree with at least 7 years of relevant experience in project management; Or,
• Bachelor’s Degree with at least 9 years of cumulative experience working in the public sector, United Nations and/or any other international organization and/or development agency is advantageous
• Experience working in Samoa, other Pacific countries or SIDS globally;
• Excellent knowledge of project management and coordination, organizational and implementation skills, and ability to action best practices;
• Interest in low-carbon development, sustainable transport, climate change mitigation and green/blue economy with demonstrated self-initiative to proactively research, learn and contribute to technical-level discussions;
• Good understanding of the environmental and development context of Samoa, including socio-political, economic and gender equality issues;
• Excellent people management skills including networking and stakeholder engagement;
• Excellent reporting, writing and communication skills, and advanced knowledge of computer office software packages.

Required Languages:

• Fluent in oral and written English and Samoan are essential;
• Knowledge of Japanese is an advantage.

Other Considerations:

• Female candidates are encouraged to apply.