National Coordinator GCF Readiness NAP Project for Costa Rica

Result of Service 2. Objective and scope of the consultancy:

The main objective of the position of National Project Coordinator is to assist the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica and UN Environment in the coordination and implementation of the Green Climate Fund funded project as set in the Green Climate Fund funding proposal document.

To complete this objective, the National Project Coordinator will be undertaking the following tasks:

• Plan, manage, coordinate, and execute the daily activities of the project, ensuring that the vision and values of the United Nations are respected, particularly in matters of sustainable development, gender equality and climate resilience.
• Plan and guide the monitoring, tracking and evaluation of the implementation of the project at the national level. This includes the use of sex-disaggregated indicators and gender-based monitoring frameworks to evaluate project results, when applicable.
• Develop terms of reference and assist in the process of identification, selection and recruitment of consultants.
• Ensure the good operational functioning of the technical staff, including the administrative and financial officer and the national and international consultants to ensure the proper implementation and fulfillment of the project proposal outputs and outcomes.
• Ensure that the implementation of the project activities and results are in accordance with the required quality standards and specified time and cost constraints and within the framework of the norms and procedures of UN Environment and the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica.
• Become familiar with the existing inter-institutional agreements and liaise with government, public and/or private institutions, and other related stakeholders, to ensure their involvement in the delivery of the project results, while ensuring gender equality and fostering the participation of most vulnerable groups.
• Liaise with the departments and communities in which the project will be developed to facilitate collaborative and consultative process.
• Coordinate and facilitate the visibility of the project’s public awareness and other communication actions and dissemination of information related to the achievements made in the framework of the project.
• Engage and hold regular meetings with In-country potential partners to facilitate the execution of technical assistances and consulting packages included in the procurement plan of the approved proposal.
• Prepare and deliver the supporting documentation required to facilitate the execution of technical assistances and consulting packages and assist the UNEP task manager in ensuring the effective execution of the deliverables included.
• Carry out other tasks inherent to the objectives of the position, as indicated by UN Environment and the Climate Change Directorate of the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica, and according to the varied contexts and needs.

• Maintain effective communication with project partners and stakeholders to disseminate the results, as well as facilitate inputs from stakeholder representatives as project partners.

  Work Location San José, Costa Rica

  Expected duration 10 months

  Duties and Responsibilities 1. General Background of Assignment

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.

The UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office (LAC Office) located in Panama City, works closely with the 33 countries of the region - including 16 Small Island Developing States - with a population of about 588 million people, to implement the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement and the priority actions defined in countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The office works to serve the needs of the region and its activities are integrated into the Medium-Term Strategy and the Programme of Work approved by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).

In terms of supporting countries in the region attain the global commitments signed within the framework of the Paris Agreement, UNEP’s Latin America and the Caribbean 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 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, UNEP’s Sub-programme on Climate Change is also committed to ensure that cross-cutting issues such as gender equity and women’s empowerment are effectively integrated in the development of its tasks to guarantee equitable development in line with its adaptation objectives.

In this context, the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica (MINAE) and UNEP have agreed on the implementation of the project Development of Sub-national Capacities for the Implementation of the National Adaptation Plan in Costa Rica, framed within the Readiness Program of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The project is aimed at reducing the vulnerability of Costa Rica to the effects of climate variability and climate change through the creation of adaptive capacities. Specifically, the project has the objective to strengthen the country's capacity to integrate adaptation into regional and municipal planning, including the participation of government entities, the private sector, and civil society.

The project seeks to achieve its objective through:

- Strengthening existing planning frameworks at the regional and cantonal levels, by recognizing the crucial role of subnational authorities in adapting to climate change. - Involving key stakeholders in the planning and implementation of adaptation at these levels. - Producing cantonal risk assessments to identify adaptation needs, based on available and relevant knowledge, and a validated and efficient methodology. - Creating institutional and technical capacity and promoting agreements at different levels. - Developing adequate monitoring and reporting mechanisms for adaptation at the subnational level and linking them to the national metric system for climate change monitoring and evaluation.

To fulfill the objectives of the project, the UNEP Office for Latin America and the Caribbean is recruiting a National Project Coordinator, who will be in charge of guaranteeing the proper coordination, execution, monitoring and reporting of the project.

The National Project Coordinator will be based at the Fundecooperación para el Desarrollo Sostenible in San Jose, Costa Rica. 40 hours per week. He/she will operate under the overall supervision of the Adaptation Officer at the UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office. He/she will also work in close collaboration with the Project Management Unit, the Adaptation Team in the Climate Change Unit as well as with staff from the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica and other relevant government counterparts.

Qualifications/special skills Competency: - Professionalism: Is results-oriented and committed to excellence. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Demonstrates adaptability to change and willingness to engage in continuous learning. Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of views. - Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently. - Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors’ language, tone, style and format to match audience. - Teamwork: Is able to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team to achieve organizational goals; takes leadership when appropriate; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Skills: - Ability to pick up new terminology and concepts easily and to turn information from various sources into a coherent project document. - Previous work experience with governments in Latin America and the Caribbean is an asset.

Academic Qualifications: - Master's degree in natural resource management, conservation, environment, economy, development, or a closely related field is required

Experience: - Demonstrated knowledge of climate change adaptation and development.is required - Desirable additional studies and experience in communication for development (C4D), international cooperation and/or project management. - Minimum 5 years of experience in project management, adaptive management and/or monitoring and evaluation, preferably with a focus on climate change adaptation is required; - Previous experience in supporting the development of NAPs or other adaptation planning processes, policies and projects in Costa Rica is considered an advantage. - Previous experience of engaging with government entities and other stakeholders in Costa Rica at the national and subnational levels is considered an advantage. - Experience with international organizations will be valued, as will knowledge of United Nations policies, procedures and practices. - Previous experience desirable in institutional capacity building in sustainable development policies and governance, environment and natural resources, with increasing responsibilities, preferably in areas related to climate change adaptation. More than five (5) years of work experience is considered an asset. - Excellent skills and experience in stakeholder engagement and facilitation and writing of technical reports. - Relevant expertise in integrating gender considerations into policy processes or project formulation, planning and implementation. This includes the design of gender sensitive methodologies to collect and assess baseline data, evaluate outputs, and monitor project outcomes where applicable.

Language: - Fluency in English and Spanish is required.

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.