Consultant (Biologist)

Result of Service The Consultant (Biologist) will be responsible for delivering a complete proposal of urban parks management plan regarding their technical specialty and the civil society’s perspective. The Consultant will work in close collaboration with the operational and technical teams of UN-Habitat in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Government officials, multilateral and bilateral donors, and civil society.

Work Location São Paulo (hybrid)

Expected duration The consultancy has an expected duration of twelve (12) months.

Duties and Responsibilities Background

The main mandate of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is to promote sustainable development of human settlements and policies conducive to adequate housing for all. Within this framework, UN-Habitat supports central and state governments, as well as local authorities and other partners for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. UN-Habitat helps reducing urban poverty by transforming cities into safer, more inclusive, compact, integrated, resilient and connected places with better opportunities where everyone can live with dignity. It works with organizations at every level, including all spheres of government, civil society and the private sector to help build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban development. UN-Habitat’s Regional Office for Latin American and the Caribbean – ROLAC – is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Agency puts emphasis on developing and managing activities in the host country. Indeed, for the past years, UN-Habitat has expanded its portfolio in Brazil by working with the three tiers of government in order to support the formulation and implementation of more effective, sustainable, participative and socially fairer urban economic, social and environmental policies. As part of a partnership with the Municipality of São Paulo to improve green public spaces, the project “Viva o Verde SP” implements city-wide and neighborhood-level approaches to generate more inclusive and sustainable green public spaces. One of the project’s outcomes aims at improved frameworks of São Paulo municipality for managing green public spaces. Contributing to achieve this outcome, the project’s output 3.1 is a built management and maintenance framework for green areas, including the Parks Management Plan foreseen in the Municipality's 2021-2024 Target Program. For this purpose, UN-Habitat will develop management plans for eight municipal parks, aiming to generate more inclusive and sustainable public spaces. Within this purpose, UN-Habitat will design new and innovative methodologies for the development and implementation of urban parks management plans. The content of the plans will include: identifying the parks’ fundamental values, as well as key related issues, assessing and prioritizing data, current policies and legal framework, objectives and action plans, zoning, rules, regulations and management guidelines, and the results of the workshops and public hearings conducted during their development. In order to properly implement this project, a Consultant (Biologist) is required to ensure good execution of the work programme.

Report to UN-Habitat Manager

The Consultant (Biologist) will report to the National Officer for Brazil, who will evaluate them.

Outputs/Work Assignment

The following products foresee activities to be conducted in eight urban parks in São Paulo. The main result is to deliver eight management plans, one for each park. The contemplated parks are: 1) Água Podre; 2) Alto da Boa Vista; 3) Aristocratas; 4) Augusta; 5) Bispo; 6) Fazenda da Juta; 7) Jardim Apurá: Búfalos; 8) Paraisópolis. The contemplated parks can be changed to better meet the needs of the project.

• The Consultant must apply established methodologies for park management indicated by UN-Habitat and SVMA. This Terms of Reference considered ICMBio’s methodological guide “Roteiro metodológico para elaboração e revisão de planos de manejo das unidades de conservação federais” (2018) as a reference, which has been adapted to better meet São Paulo’s urban parks’ context. The Consultant will deliver the following products.

Product 1: Work Plan

Description: Work Plan including: (i) Purposes, goals, and a preliminary summary; (ii) description and schedule of activities; (iii) fact sheet for each of the eight urban parks; (iv) evaluation of available data, needs assessment, and prioritization needs. As part of the Work Plan, the Consultant must indicate unavailable and insufficient data. The consultant will also collect the necessary primary and secondary data and define a methodology and schedule for fieldwork. Expected delivery date: 7 days after the signature of the contract.

Product 2: Report on fundamental and dynamic elements

Description: The assessment must have: (i) purposes, goals, and significance of the 8 urban parks; (ii) analysis of urban, historical, social, and environmental main values; (iv) analysis of each urban park’s main issues; (v) review on legal framework; (vi) fieldwork report. The analysis will focus on: a. Environmental risks and vulnerabilities; b. Biomes and phytophysiognomy; c. Current and historical occurrences of typical flora and fauna species; d. Threatened, rare, endemic, migratory, exotic, invasive, hunted, synanthropic, and economically valuable species of fauna and/or flora; e. Flag species; f. Diversity and degradation bioindicators; g. Environmental conservation conditions and regeneration of degraded areas; h. Natural heritage; i. Aquatic environment; j. Eco systemic and environmental services; k. Impact of human uses and activities on environment; l. Civil society and governmental perspective of urban parks management; m. Any other relevant information related to urban environmental dynamics.

The Consultant must collect primary data through fieldwork according to the need, to the schedule determined by Product 1 (Work Plan), and to the consultant coordinator request. Expected delivery date: 120 days after the signature of the contract.

Product 3: Proposal on normative elements

Description: The proposal must have: (i) urban park zoning; (ii) rules, regulations, and guidelines for each zone according to the current legal framework; (iii) recommendation of specific plans, programs, projects, and studies; (v) fieldwork report. Expected delivery date: 240 days after the signature of the contract.

Product 4: Organize, facilitate, and report on workshops and public hearings

Description: The Consultant must: (i) propose themes and activities for workshops and public hearings. (ii) organize, facilitate, and report on the workshops and public hearings; (iii) gather and transcribe civil society recommendations with a feasibility analysis; (iv) review the fundamental, dynamic and normative elements, considering civil society recommendations; (v) select the most relevant specific plans, programs, projects, and studies recommended by participants and elaborate on their potential application for each of the 8 parks; and (vi) synthesize the proposals drawn up from the workshops and public hearings on a final report. Expected delivery date: 300 days after the signature of the contract.

Product 5: Management plan: analytical section – biological aspects

Description: (i) a management plan for each of the eight (8) parks containing: a. Factsheet on each of the eight (8) parks; b. Legal framework; c. Urban context; d. Purposes and significance; e. Origins and history of the site; f. Urban integration; g. Location and access; h. Evaluation of fundamental values and key issues; i. Potential uses and required infrastructure and facilities; j. Risks and vulnerabilities; Expected delivery date: 330 days after the signature of the contract.

Product 6: Management plan: proposal section – biological aspects

Description: (i) a management plan for each of the eight (8) parks containing: a. Zoning proposal with rules, regulations, and guidelines; b. Management, operation, conservation, janitorial, and expenses; c. Recommendations extracted from the social participation process; d. Alternatives of management models for urban parks; e. Recommendations on specific plans, programs, projects, and initiatives related to biological and ecological aspects. Expected delivery date: 360 days after the signature of the contract.

The Consultant will be responsible for compiling and reporting information concerning their technical specialty (biological aspects) to subsidize the development of the management plans for each of the eight (8) parks.

The definition of the work plan for the implementation of this consultancy may include other activities beyond those indicated in this Term of Reference.

The Consultant (Biologist) shall assist in the implementation of the above-mentioned project according to the responsibilities indicated below.

Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the National Officer for Brazil and the Project Coordinator, the Consultant (Biologist) will: i. Deliver a Work Plan for the consultancy; ii. Desk review of different methodologies for the development and implementation of urban park management plans; i. Participate in meetings with UN-Habitat and other partners; ii. Organize and facilitate workshops and public hearings with civil society, together with the team of consultants hired for the development of management plans; iii. Discuss the Work Plan and the expected results of the management plans with members of UN-Habitat São Paulo; iv. Assess available data, prioritized information, needs and develop recommendations; v. Conduct fieldwork at the 8 urban parks, as requested by the leading consultant; vi. Identify and analyze the fundamental urban, historical, social, and environmental values and key issues of the 8 urban parks; vii. Develop a zoning proposal, with related rules, regulations, and guidelines for each of the 8 urban parks; viii. Deliver detailed documentation for the fauna and flora of the 8 management plans, including the concept, references, and methodologies used in the project; ix. Create content for theoretical and practical training, including reading materials and a presentation about the management plan; x. Deliver technical information and materials and perform other duties which may be requested by the supervisor.

The Consultant will be responsible for completing all courses and training activities that are indicated to them by their supervisor. The security course BSAFE is required to be accredited during the first month of employment.

The Consultant will be responsible for their own security, so the person should get familiarized with United Nations security mechanisms and comply with them according to the Framework of Accountability for the United Nations Security Management System.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications:

Required

¿ Bachelor's degree in biology or related areas. ¿ Postgraduate degree (Lato or stricto sensu) in biology or in any field related to social and environmental issues in protected areas, or additional four (4) years of relevant experience to the post, beyond the requirement.

Experience:

¿ A minimum of five (5) years of experience on social and environmental assessment, and/or protected areas or park management, and/or urban planning; ¿ Experience in organizing and leading fieldworks; ¿ Experience in implementation of participatory workshops and its methodologies is highly desirable; ¿ Experience in protected areas or park management, urban planning, and civil society relationship is desirable. ¿ Professional or academic experience on themes related to public policies, public administration, sustainability, social and urban development, public spaces, articulation, and coordination of stakeholders on implementation of policies and projects is an asset; ¿ Previous experience within the UN System would be an asset.

Skills:

¿ Good handling of technological tools, as Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office, are required; ¿ Knowledge and experience with data collection and analysis is desired; ¿ Professional or academic experience handling geospatial data and software (ArcGIS or QGIS) is considered an added advantage.

Knowledge Management

¿ The person must know the processes, procedures, and norms of UN-Habitat, in order to guarantee an adequate quality of the activities described above, following the standards of the organization. ¿ The person will propose formats and procedures that allow the efficient implementation of the activities related to the project development. ¿ The person must know the file of the Office, work with it and ensure its proper maintenance, accessibility for all staff and due updating. ¿ The person will prepare databases related to the project running. ¿ The person will make sure that all relevant technical information will be adequately shared with the correspondent staff. ¿ The person will ensure that all produced material will be fit-for-purpose and delivered, in an organized way, for posterior consultation and use of the Agency.

Competencies

¿ Professionalism: Experience working in inter-institutional environment, project management, monitoring-evaluation; approaches and strategies regarding to good urban governance and local and regional development. ¿ Planning and organization: Professional approach to work, strong sense of responsibility, operate with minimal supervision; proven organizational skills and ability to manage a workload efficiently and within set deadlines. ¿ Communication: Ability to write clearly and effectively; listen to others, interpret messages correctly and respond appropriately; show openness in information sharing and keep everyone informed; solid abstract reasoning skills together with a proven capacity to write documents for diverse audiences. ¿ Teamwork: Ability to work with teams, demonstrate leadership, conflict management and consensus facilitation skills; ability to work in a multicultural and multi-ethnic environment, and to respect diversity; sensitivity to the mainstreaming of vulnerability; willingness and ability to work in difficult environments.

Languages ¿ Fluency in Portuguese is required; ¿ English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, and Spanish is the working language of the Regional Office. Good command in oral and written Spanish and English will be considered as an added advantage.

Additional Information Remuneration

SB-4/2 (50%, part-time) - UNDP Brazil Salary Scale

The Consultant will receive a total amount of BRL 58.242,47 according to the following schedule: ¿ Payment 1 (10%): Upon delivery and approval of Product 1 (BRL 5.824,25). ¿ Payment 2 (25%): Upon delivery and approval of Product 2 (BRL 14.560,62). ¿ Payment 3 (16,25%): Upon delivery and approval of Product 3 (BRL 9.464,40). ¿ Payment 4 (16,25%): Upon delivery and approval of Product 4 (BRL 9.464,40). ¿ Payment 5 (16,25%): Upon delivery and approval of Product 5 (BRL 9.464,40). ¿ Payment 6 (16,25%): Upon delivery and approval of Product 6 (BRL 9.464,40).

Travel details

The consultant must be available to travel to the places related to the activities in the country, if requested by the National Officer for Brazil and/or the International Officer. If the Consultant is not based in São Paulo, they will be responsible for travel expenses to the duty station when needed.

Notes Appointment against this post is on local basis and only nationals from Brazil or external candidates who hold a permanent visa in Brazil may apply. It is required for all the curricular information to be inserted in the system, which may take a few hours. Only complete applications in English will be considered. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. Due to the volume of applications received, receipt of applications cannot be acknowledged individually. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

Applications should be submitted through INSPIRA and must include all documents required at the system, please be ready to include the following information at the “Candidate Profile” (CP) at Inspira:

1. Cover memo (maximum 1 page) 2. Educational Background (incl. dates) 3. Professional Experience (assignments, tasks, achievements, duration by years/ months) 4. Expertise and preferences regarding location of potential assignments 5. Other Experience and Expertise (e.g. Internships/ voluntary work, etc.)* * Please note that Internships, self-employment and part-time count as 50%. In addition to it, note experience not relevant to the position will not be considered.

All applications should be submitted to: Inspira

Deadline for applications: UN-HABITAT does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: [email protected]

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.