Landscape Project Coordinator
Support the implementation of biodiversity and land management projects.
Overview
Support the implementation of biodiversity and land management projects.
You have:
- Field-level experience in implementing environmental projects at the block level in collaboration with communities, along with proven expertise in operations and administration; experience of working in the Nandurbar district preferred.
- Experience of working with international organizations, NGOs/INGOs, including the UN, in the implementation of projects with central ministries.
- Excellent working knowledge of MS Office-Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Intra-Internet, e-mail applications etc.
- Ability to build and maintain constructive relationships with colleagues (and reports where inappropriate).
- Self-motivated, with the ability to work with minimum supervision and handle tight deadlines.
- Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment.
- Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel.
Contract
This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.
The Action for Climate and Environment (ACE) Unit at UNDP is organized around the thematic areas of climate change adaptation and mitigation, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem & land restoration, disaster management and resilience, and access to clean and efficient energy.
The Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity pillar of ACE is supporting the Government of India in meeting national development objectives along with commitments under important multilateral environment agreements especially the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The programme/projects under the pillar have been supporting the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), National and State level planning for land restoration and biodiversity conservation, habitat restoration, carbon sequestration through enhanced restoration, promotion of nature-based livelihoods and One Health approach.
UNDP is supporting the Ministry in the implementation of a GEF -7 project “Sustainable management and restoration of degraded landscapes for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in India”. The project aims to achieve land degradation neutrality by creating additional carbon sinks through an ecosystem-based approach for restoring degraded agricultural, forest, pastoral lands, and surface water bodies. It involves enabling institutional frameworks and policies for integrated sustainable land management practices and up-scaling landscape-wide practices in 3 states Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh contributing to the national target of restoring 26 Mha of degraded lands by 2030.
The project being implemented over a period of five years will lead to the following outcomes: (1) Enhanced national, state and district-level enabling frameworks incentivizing SLM practices and supporting participatory multi-sector platforms to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate mitigation; (2) Integrated participatory landscape design and financing models established in support of avoidance, reduction and reversal of land degradation, desertification, biodiversity loss and negative impacts of climate change to generates multiple sustained environmental and economic benefits; (3) Improved capacity for LDN monitoring, assessment and reporting to UNCCD in support of LDN target setting and evaluation of capacities of partners; allowing government institutions and other agencies to better document, analyse and disseminate effective intervention strategies for restoring productive landscapes and replication of best practices at national and state level, and at international level through improved South-South cooperation, knowledge and adaptive management.
UNDP seeks to engage the services of a Landscape Project Coordinator to support the District Collector (DC), and Landscape Project Management Unit in implementation of the project. S/he will work under the supervision of District Collector (DC).
Under the direct supervision of District Collector (DC). The Landscape Project Coordinator will perform the following tasks:
- Assist the Landscape Project Officer in coordination, and implementation of the project activities in accordance with the project document and results framework, under the guidance of DC and DFO.
- Coordination with the multi-stakeholder Landscape Level Coordinating Committee, as an ongoing forum for support to the process of mainstreaming biodiversity into local governance and development planning and budgeting.
- Assist in developing landscape specific annual work plans.
- Provide administration and operational support at the national, state and landscape project management unit and in budgeting, ensure adequate information flow, discussion and feedback among relevant stakeholders of the project.
- Prepare the project expenditure reports at the landscape level.
- Assist in preparation of documents, guidelines, presentation and follow up on the operations and finance related matters with state partners.
- Facilitate data and information collection with the sectoral line departments for undertaking the project activities.
- Maintain financial records, petty cash and monitor systems to record and reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data for day-to day transactions and reports.
- Assist Landscape Project Management Unit in managing vendor contracts, drafting & processing of letters and facilitate payments.
- Assist in preparation of legal documents for contracting and procurement of goods and services, including maintenance and physical verification of assets.
- Coordinate and organize meetings/workshops, trainings and capacity building workshops and provide administrative and logistical support for organizing workshops and meetings.
- Assist in collation and compilation of data and information from the concerned implementing partners.
- Interact with other state departments and provide support, for convergence and sharing knowledge and best practices learnt in the project landscapes for scale up and replication.
- Assist in providing inputs for timely submission of Monthly, Quarterly Progress Reports, Annual Progress Reports, Project Implementation Report, FACE Form, Utilization Certificates and mid-term progress reports to MoEFCC and UNDP, as per General Financial Rules 2017, bank reconciliation certificate and other financial reports as and when required.
- Assist in providing inputs for progress against the approved workplan, and project result framework.
- Support in developing new proposals for resource mobilization to augment support to the programme/project.
- Any other tasks and responsibilities related to the project assigned by the LPO, DC, DFO and UNDP.
• Accountability • Adaptability and Flexibility • Building Trust • Commitment and Motivation • Commitment to Continuous Learning • Communication • Creativity • Ethics and Values • Integrity • Planning and Organizing • Professionalism • Respect for Diversity • Self-Management • Working in Teams
•Field-level experience in implementing environmental projects at the block level in collaboration with communities, along with proven expertise in operations and administration; experience of working in the Nandurbar district preferred. • Possesses a good understanding and knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks. • Experience of working with international organizations, NGOs/ INGOs, including the UN, in the implementation of projects with central ministries • Excellent working knowledge of MS Office-Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Intra-Internet, e-mail applications etc. • Ability to build and maintain constructive relationships with colleagues (and reports where inappropriate). • Self-motivated, with the ability to work with minimum supervision and handle tight deadlines. • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment. • Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel.
The assignment will be based in Nandurbar and will involve frequent travel to the project villages. Nandurbar is an administrative district in the northwest corner (Khandesh Region) of Maharashtra. The district is headquartered in Nandurbar city. The Narmada River defines the northern boundary of the district. The climate of the district is generally hot and dry.
UN Volunteer entitlements and allowances:
The purpose of the allowances and entitlements paid to the UN Volunteer is to enable UN Volunteers to sustain a secure standard of living at the duty stations in line with United Nations standards without incurring personal costs. For more information on entitlements, please read the Conditions of Service (https://explore.unv.org/cos).
For information specific to your assignment, please see below: • Monthly Voluntary Living Allowance (VLA): INR 70158.41 • Entry lump sum (one-time payment): USD 200 (equivalent in INR) • Insurance: Comprehensive coverage for health, life, and malicious acts for UN Volunteer only • Annual leave: 2.5 days per month • Learning: Access to UNV's learning and career development resources
Potential interview questions
| Describe your experience with environmental projects at the block level, especially related to community collaboration. | This question aims to evaluate your direct experience in relevant projects and your ability to work with local communities. | Provide specific examples that demonstrate your role and contributions in past environmental initiatives. |
| Can you provide an example of how you managed relationships with various stakeholders in a project? | Understanding your stakeholder management skills is crucial for the project's success. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you ensure effective communication within a multi-stakeholder environment? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Discuss a challenging work environment you have faced and how you adapted to it. | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What strategies do you use to manage tight deadlines while maintaining project quality? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you approach data collection for project reporting? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Tell me about your experience working with NGOs and international organizations. | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What is your experience with using MS Office applications in project management? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |