Urban NbS Analyst

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Tuesday 5 Jul 2022 at 23:59 UTC

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Result of Service 2. Objective.

The consultant will be part of the Climate Change Unit of the UNEP Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. The main objective of the position is to provide technical advice and to ensure operational effectiveness during the planning and implementation adaptation portfolio on urban Nature based Solution of the Climate Change Unit of UNEP Office for Latin America and the Caribbean

The urban NbS analyst main duties and responsibilities will include:

1. Advice the adaptation team in the coordination and monitoring of approved urban NbS projects, including: – Guide Project Coordinators in project planning, execution and reporting – Develop the semestrial reporting of the projects to the donor, including consistency with project's delivery, budget monitoring and identification of challenges and lessons learnt – Consolidate the Project Management Units (PMUs) where relevant, including the preparation of terms of reference and participation in the recruitment processes. – Monitor progress of project activities and results and identify corrective measures to overcome challenges for project implementation. – Organize the intermediate and final evaluations of the projects. – Guide and handle the preparation of requests to the donor, such as requests for disbursements, budget reallocations, extensions of time, etc – Design the preparation of Project Steering Committee meetings and other relevant meetings, workshops, trainings, consultations, and communications efforts (as necessary) – Maintain effective communication with national counterparts for the implementation of the projects. – Organize and oversee the translation of project documentation, deliverables and reports between Spanish and English, as relevant. – When necessary, support the Project Financial and Administrative Officer in preparing purchase orders, travel plans and other administrative tasks. – Develop legal agreements aimed to facilitate the project implementation (Project Cooperation Agreements-PCAs, Small-Scale Funding Agreements-SSFA, etc.), maintain an effective communication with partners and monitor the implementation of existing legal agreements. 2. Advice the adaptation team in the technical implementation of approved urban NbS projects, including: – Provide technical inputs to the deliverables from project team members, consultancy firms, local partners, etc. – Provide technical guidance to Projects Coordinators in the timely preparation and submission of project work plans, budgets, procurement plans, progress reports, etc. – Supply technical meeting materials such as presentations, briefing notes, and summary reports for project meetings, workshops, etc. – Act as a liaison and promote dialogue between regional, national, and local stakeholders, ensuring key actors in the urban planning processes are involved in the projects’ development. – Promote participation in global networks and initiatives, such as the Global Covenant of Mayors, the Race to Resilience, Friends of EbA and related. – Uphold, coordinate and share the knowledge management activities such as Communities of Practice, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and learning exchanges. – Collaborate with the website designer to develop the online portal on urban EbA.

3. Advice the adaptation team in the preparation of climate change adaptation proposals, in accordance with the requirements set out in the different Funds’ regulations, providing lessons learnt from the implementation of ongoing urban NbS Projects, and technical inputs to the deliverables from team members and partners, ensuring that they follow UNEP vision, particularly regarding sustainable development, gender equity and climate-resilience. 4. Perform other related duties as requested.

Work Location Initially home based, then UNEP ROLAC, Panama City, Panama, once the new UNEP office is open

Expected duration 12 MONTHS

Duties and Responsibilities 1. General Background of Assignment.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system's designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.

The UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office (ROLAC), 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. The office works to serve the needs of the region and its activities are integrated into the work programs approved by the United Nations Environment Assembly of UNEP (UNEA).

UNEP seeks to support countries in Latin America to implement the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the new Paris Agreement and the priority actions defined in the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) of Latin American countries.

The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region is the second most urbanized region in the world, with ~80% of its population living in cities. Rapid urbanization, coupled with limited urban planning and the associated expansion of cities, is degrading urban and peri-urban ecosystems that provide vital ecosystem services for urban communities. Ecosystem degradation poses a threat to urban communities and increases their vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change.

To address the vulnerability of urban communities, governments in the LAC region need to develop and implement cost-effective, low-risk solutions, such as Nature-based Solutions (NbS) by protecting, maintaining and rehabilitating priority ecosystems in urban areas. As a result, the Adaptation to Climate Change Unit of UNEP - Office for Latin America and the Caribbean is currently supporting countries in the region in formulating and implementing projects of urban resilience. Among those projects, two are currently under implementation: the GEF-funded project CityAdapt - Building climate resilience of urban systems through Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in Latin America and the Caribbean in San Salvador, Kingston and Xalapa, and the GCF-funded Readiness project “Nature4Cities - Increasing resilience through Nature based Solutions in Latin-American cities” implemented in Cuba, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Panamá and Uruguay.

The urban NbS analyst will be supervised by the Adaptation Programme Officer. This consultant will work initially home based, then UNEP ROLAC, Panama City, Panama, once the new UNEP office is open. The consultant will work from Monday to Friday –40 hours per week between 8:00am to 5:00pm.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: - Bachelor’s degree in environment, natural resources management, architecture, urban development, economic development, or a closely related field. - Master’s degree in similar field is desirable.

Experience: - A minimum of 2 years relevant work experience in environmental or climate change adaptation project development, implementation, management, monitoring and/or reporting is required. - Demonstrated professional experience in preparing project implementation plans, budgets, procurement plans and progress reports; developing terms of reference, conducting procurement processes and coordinating/supervising teams and consulting firms is desired. - Requested previous work experience in Latin America and the Caribbean region is required. - Experience in project management tools, including M&E, theory of changes frameworks, socioeconomic indicators is desirable - Experience in working and collaborating within governments and international organizations is desirable - Experience in urban planning and development is an asset. - Experience with GEF, GCF, and/or the Adaptation Fund projects is an asset.

Language: - Fluency in English and Spanish is required.

Skills: - Demonstrated solid knowledge of ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change, ecological restoration and sustainable use of natural resources. - Ability to pick up new terminology and concepts easily and to turn information from various sources into a coherent project document. - Ability to design and develop technical documents. - Excellent organization and planning skills. - Excellent communication skills (written and oral presentations). - Proficiency in MS Office (MS Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook) software applications, in the use of collaborative platforms (Teams, Google Drive) and other relevant software applications (Zoom, Webex, Menti). - Ability to work independently and as a team. - Motivated and dynamic to jump-start activities

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.

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: careers.un.org