Social and Environmental Safeguards Specialist

Volunteering

Overview

Support UNDP's compliance with social and environmental standards and enhance programme quality.

You have:

• Relevant hands-on experience related to social and environmental standards and impact assessment in an international development context.
• Experience in undertaking safeguards risk screening, developing ESMPs, and conducting FPIC processes.
• Previous experience working with a multi-lateral/international funding agency and/or a GEF-financed, UNDP-supported project will be an added advantage.
• Previous experience working in the Pacific will be an asset.

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

The UNDP Multi Country Office (MCO) in Fiji, through the Management and Performance Oversight unit under the overall guidance of the Resident Representative provides effective oversight of programme and project management and ensuring the Office’s compliance with UNDP policies. The unit coordinates the implementation of the MCO Gender Strategy and Action Plan, gender mainstreaming efforts and coordination of the gender seal work across MCO. It also provides overall guidance on Programme resource management, portfolio management, pipeline development, project Quality Assurance (QA), focusing on results and target setting, monitoring, multi-year work planning, development effectiveness, and efficiency and donor reporting (annual and project). The unit further provides cost-efficiency analysis of the country programme delivery and capabilities required, consolidates MCO financial planning and financial and resource management performance and undertakes monitoring and addressing issues related to management performance trends identified by Integrated Financial Dashboard (IFD), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Audits, Quality Assurance reviews, Vital signs, Harmonized Cash Transfer (HACT), Transparency portal, and other corporate and regional tools and structures.

UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards (SES) underpin our support for sustainable development. The starting point to ensure these standards are applied through UNDP’s project-level Social and Environmental Screening Procedure (SESP), which is a requirement for projects. The Social and Environmental Safeguards Specialist will provide key risk management and SES compliance capacity for the Fiji Multi Country Office helping ensure UNDP delivers on its commitment to protect people and the environment across all programming and avoid inadvertent harm.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Management Specialist, the Social and Environment Safeguards Specialist will undertake the following tasks:

1. SES Policy Compliance • Support MCO in ensuring Programmes and Projects are meeting the quality standards while they conduct Social and Environmental Screening in accordance with SES Policy Guidelines • Provide recommendations to Senior Management in identifying avenues for improvement towards SES Standards • Liaise with MCO Gender Specialist, Project Civil Engineers/ Gender Specialists and Regional Bureau Team to enhance the measures leading to improvement to SES Policy compliance in Project implementation

2. SES Oversight and Quality Assurance • Support the Programme/ Project team to conduct a thorough quality review of early drafts of Social and Environmental Screening Procedure (SESP) to ensure proper identification a categorisation of risk in design and implementation stages of Programme/ Projects. • Provide technical support to Programme/Project teams to carry out needed social and environmental targeted assessments and management plans in a timely manner. • Proactively track progress of moderate/substantial/high risk and other priority projects’ implementation of required Social and Environmental Standards and provide technical support to Programmes/ Projects in course correction if the assessments and management plans are not mitigating the high substantial risks.
   • Provide technical support to MPO in overseeing and quality assurance to MCO annual SESP action plan.
   • Work closely with Project Engineers especially with the Projects working on Construction components. • Keep an oversight and provide inputs to the Management on the status of project level grievance redress mechanisms and give recommendations for improvement.

3. SES Capacity Building • Work with the Team Lead to conduct a MCO capacity assessment to identify baseline quality of Social and Environmental Standards documentation, capacity needs, priority risks, and opportunities. • Support the Team Lead in developing and coordinating the implementation of an action plan to strengthen implementation across the MCO priority outcomes, clarifying the oversight and quality assurance process, roles and responsibilities, and a learning plan. • Support regular capacity development, awareness raising, trainings and other learning opportunities for the CO team and implementing partners. • Support in conducting an assessment of national capacities/safeguards to identify key gaps, with guidance on how these gaps should be approached across the MCO priority outcomes. • Formulate training models and conduct training sessions for partners and programmes/projects of moderate/substantial/high risk. • Guide projects to develop a robust Grievance Redress Mechanism as well as Project Engineers for developing/ designing civil engineering related Monitoring and Reporting template.

4. SES Knowledge Management • Document lessons learned and best practices to facilitate learning • Track and share precedents that have implications for the entire portfolio to ensure an aligned and consistent approach (e.g. identification of indigenous peoples). • Maintain a database of project safeguards documents and examples that can be used as reference points. • Work with the team to prepare an annual report on Social and Environmental Standards implementation in the office as well as progress made on the annual action plan, capturing key lessons learned recommendations for how to strengthen implementation moving forward.

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management

Relevant, hands-on experience related to social and environmental standards and impact assessment in an international development context, preferably experience in undertaking safeguards risk screening, developing ESMPs, and conducting FPIC processes; previous experience working with a multi-lateral/international funding agency and/or a GEF-financed, UNDP-supported project will be an added advantage; previous experience working in Pacific will be an asset.

Fiji, one of the larger countries in the South Pacific region, has a relatively high level of human development and is one of the most developed economies in the region. Fiji became independent in 1970. Its multi-ethnic population, which numbers approximately 900,000, is growing slowly due to a moderately low level of fertility and a high level of emigration. The economy rests primarily on sugar production and tourism but is becoming more diverse, with manufacturing now an important sector of employment. The unit of currency is the Fiji dollar.

Fiji comprises approximately 330 islands, approximately a third of which are inhabited. Fiji covers about 1.3 million square kilometers of the South Pacific Ocean. The two major islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. The capital city is Suva, which is located on the south-eastern side of the main island of Viti Levu. The population is made up of a mixture of native Melanesian and Polynesian islanders and a blend of Indian, European, Chinese, Rotuman, and Rabi islanders, making it a rich and vibrant mix of cultures, sights, sounds, and exotic island delicacies. English is spoken widely on the island, and it is the common language of communication, although the native indigenous Fijian language is spoken by many, as is the Hindi language.

Fiji enjoys a mild and stable climate most of the year, due to the large expanses of open water that surround its islands. The wet season extends from November to April, but rainfall occurs throughout the year. Tropical cyclones can blow up between November and April, although they are rarely dangerous. Fiji enjoys year-round tropical temperatures of between 25 and 29 degrees with generally high humidity, making it a perfect location for sun-lovers.

Suva, the capital of Fiji, has a population of approximately 141,000 and is a multiracial and multicultural city. Suva is the largest city in the whole of the region, but it remains easy-going and friendly. It has reasonably modern facilities, including two large hospitals, sporting facilities, restaurants, and supermarkets. Modest accommodation is readily available in Suva, but the availability of small apartments is limited. An open mind and flexibility come in handy when looking for housing in Suva. The public transport is quite good: local buses run every day of the week, and taxis are affordable. Public transport is also available for exploring and visiting other parts of the country, which provides plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities and tropical nature.

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Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org