Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist

Result of Service

2. Objective.

The Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist will be responsible for project planning, preparation of work plans and budget, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning, and reporting of technical and budgetary execution according to the requirements of UNEP, the Adaptation Fund and MADES.

The Specialist will perform the following tasks:

1. Perform project planning, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning, and support the coordination of the implementation of the project.
2. Prepare procedures, formats and tools for the collection and systematization of project´s information and results, validated by the PMU.
3. Identify and advice on opportunities to improve the overall management of the project.
4. Prepare reports according to the UNEP and donor´s standards, in close coordination with the PMU.
5. Review project´s documents, institutional agreements with the Adaptation Fund, MADES´ regulations, minutes of the Steering Committee and any other necessary information to plan project´s implementation, and report deviations in a timely manner.
6. Monitor the coordination of project activities with the National Climate Change Direction (NDCC), the Adaptation Department and other relevant MADES’s Departments and Offices, in close consultation with the PMU.
7. Monitor the coordination of project activities with other Ministries, relevant Institutions, UNDP and other UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes, and local associates and NGOs, in close coordination with the PMU.
8. Monitor the implementation of Project Cooperation Agreements (PCA), Simplified Legal Agreements (SLA) with UNDP and other UN Agencies, UN to UN Agreements, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and cooperation agreements with different partners and stakeholders, in close consultation with UNEP, PMU and MADES
9. Identify new relevant partners for the implementation and sustainability of the project, maintain the relationship and ensure synergies with the current and new partners and relevant initiatives and report them in a timely manner.
10. Monitor the environmental and social safeguards, the implementation of gender and indigenous communities’ policies in all project activities and report them in a timely manner.
11. Prepare work plans and project budgets in accordance with the approved project documents and the guidelines and requirements of the Adaptation Fund and UNEP, and in consultation with MADES.
12. Work closely with the PMU and monitor the procurement processes and contract of consultants, services, and goods, including the quality control of terms of reference or other bidding documents, ensuring that the specifications and procedures are according to UNEP´s requirements or any other procedure duly approved, and report them in a timely manner.
13. Ensure that work plans and costs are aligned with the activities and budget approved by the AF.
14. Prepare, in close consultation with PMU´s personnel, procedures, formats and tools for the collection and systematization of project´s information and results.
15. Monitor the execution of activities and elaborate periodic reports on the progress of work plans and budget execution, in close coordination with the PMU.
16. Identify and report on the implementation´s bottlenecks and advice PMU´s personnel on how to overcome them.
17. Prepare, in close coordination with the PMU´s personnel, technical and administrative reports of the project for UNEP, AF and MADES.
18. Extract the lessons learnt from the project, report them on a timely manner and prepare them for learning exchange.
19. Contribute to the formulation of the communication strategy and provide oversight for the communication products of the project, in constant coordination with the PMU.
20. Prepare technical products as established in the project document “Ecosystem Based Approaches for reducing the vulnerability of food security to the impacts of climate change in the Chaco region of Paraguay”.

Work Location

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Paraguay, Project Management Unit, Asunción, Paraguay.

Expected duration

9 months

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Purpose.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global Environment.

UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office (LACO), located in Panama City, works closely with the 33 countriesof the region -with a population of about 588 million people-and its activities are integrated into the Medium-Term Strategy and the Programme of Work approved by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).

The office works towards the implementation of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the new Paris Agreement and the priority actions defined in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and National Adaptation Plans (NAP) of the region.

In terms of supporting countries in the region attain the global commitments signed within the framework of the Paris Agreement, the Latin America and the Caribbean UNEP Sub-programme on Climate Change aims at strengthening the ability of countries to move towards climate-resilient and low emission strategies for sustainable development and human well-being. In this framework, the UNEP Sub-programme on Climate Change, through its Climate Change Unit, leads and supports several initiatives oriented at designing, promoting and implementing innovative mitigation and adaptation solutions at the national and subnational level, and strengthening the transparency framework of the countries.

The expected accomplishment regarding climate change adaptation is that adaptation approaches, including the Nature based Solutions with an ecosystem-based approach, are implemented and integrated into key sectoral and national development strategies to reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience to climate change impacts. Furthermore, the UNEP’s Sub-programme on Climate Change is also committed to ensure that cross-cutting issues such as gender equity and women empowerment are effectively integrated in the development of its tasks to guarantee an equitable development in line with its adaptation objectives.

The adaptation team of the Climate Change Unit is implementing a portfolio of projects and continuously developing a pipeline of new projects, both for adaptation planning and for implementation of concrete measures, in the three subregions of the region: Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The adaptation team works in close coordination with the rest of the Climate Change Unit and regional office, UNEP regional, sub-regional and national offices in the region and worldwide, including Headquarters; other UN System Agencies, Programmes and Funds; Regional and Subregional Organizations, countries’ institutions, and national and local organizations; and donors and financing institutions such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) or the Adaptation Fund (AF).

As part of this support to countries in the region, UNEP signed an agreement with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Developmentof Paraguay (MADES) to implement the project “Ecosystem Based Approaches for reducing the vulnerability of food security to the impacts of climate change in the Chaco region of Paraguay” (AbE Chaco Project), with the financial contribution of the Adaptation Fund (AF).

The Project started its activities in April 2019, and aims to contribute to the reduction of food security vulnerability to the effects of climate change in the following communities of the Paraguayan Chaco: i) General Díaz, ii) Cacique Sapo, iii) Pozo Hondo, iv) Jasyrendy and v) Campo Loa in the Department of Boquerón, and vi) Toro Pampa, vii) Colonia María Auxiliadora, viii) San Carlos, ix) 14 de mayo, x) Sierra León, and xi) Bahía Negra in the Department of Alto Paraguay.

The project has three components:
Component 1: Knowledge management on vulnerability and resilience to climate change improved with tools and instruments to implement cost-effective adaptation measures.
Component 2: Adaptive capacity in rural areas of greatest vulnerability strengthened through concrete adaptation measures favoring and ecosystem-based approach.
Component 3: Capacity development and awareness to implement and upscale effective implementation of adaptation measures at national and local levels.

Project´s implementation relies on a Project Management Unit (PMU), which is accountable for the technical, operative and administrative management of the project as well as for the development of activities in the field. To fulfill project´s objectives and results one Technical Specialist per Chaco Department is required to support the PMU on the execution of the project and activities, to ensure proper implementation of the adaptation project with a focus on resilience and sustainability, considering safeguarding and gender equity, and according to UNEP, AF and MADES’s requirements.

The Planning, Monitoring and Accountability Specialist will operate under the overall supervision of the Adaptation Programme Officer of UNEP’s Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, in close coordination with the Project Coordinator. She/he will work within the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Paraguay, Project Management Unit, Asunción, Paraguay., in close collaboration with UNEP’s Adaptation team, from Monday to Friday, 40 hours per week, full time.

Qualifications/special skills

ACADEMIC:
- Master’s Degree in environmental science, development, project management or related field is required.
- Bachelor’s degree in environmental, agrarian, forestry or related fields is required.
- Additional studies or specific training in project cycle is an advantage.

PROFESSIONAL:
- At least 7 years of relevant professional work experience in development programmes and projects, including at least 3 years of demonstrated experience in planning, monitoring and evaluation of development projects is required.
- Demonstrated experience in project coordination/management is an asset.
- Demonstrated experience in climate change adaptation or resilience is required.
- Relevant experience overseeing and monitoring social, environmental, gender and indigenous communities’ safeguards is required.
- Relevant experience in project planning tools such as Trello, Asana, Jira or another is desired.
- Relevant experience with climate change and vulnerable communities is an asset.
- Relevant experience with projects in the Chaco Region of Paraguay is an asset.

Languages

- Fluency Spanish and English is required.
- Knowledge of Guaraní is desired.

Additional Information

- Strong analytical skills to understand complex situations and solve problems.
- Excellent organizational abilities to set priorities.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills as well as active listening.
- Capacity to gather, analyze and synthesize data and generate relevant information.
- Innovation, creativity and critical thinking.
- Ability to pick up new terminology and concepts easily.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.