Field Project Coordinator - EcoDRR

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) 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.

Under the Policy and Programme Division, the Crisis Management Branch (CMB) works to reduce environmental causes and consequences of disasters and conflicts and promotes environmental security and resilience to reduce disaster and conflict risks. This work includes promoting and upscaling Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation (Eco-DRR), an integrated approach to promoting both sustainable and resilient development. The Government of Norway has recently earmarked funds to support CMB work aimed at scaling up Eco-DRR at global, regional and national levels. This Project will meet the growing demand from countries and communities to enhance resilience to disasters and climate risks and address the limited or lack of technical expertise for scaling-up Eco-DRR implementation. It will raise public and private sector awareness and mainstream Eco-DRR as part of institutional practices and programs and ensure that gender considerations are included in all training materials. By doing so, the Project aims to catalyze increased public and private sector investments in Eco-DRR, and raise awareness for the special role of women as agents of change.  In addition, this programme aims at creating greater expertise at the regional scale, to ensure more sustainable project outcomes. The final objective is to scale-up Eco-DRR interventions at national, regional and global levels and advance implementation of the 2030 International Sustainable Development Agency and Eco-DRR related global policy agreements.

The incumbent is required to support implementation of the Eco-DRR upscaling project in five countries with community-level implementation of project activities: Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Indonesia and Uganda. S/he will provide project implementation support for the field component of this project, mainly consisting of traveling to each country on a regular basis, liaising with project partners, Government and European Commission representatives and field staff, monitoring implementation of project activities to ensure they meet targets, providing technical and capacity-building support and reporting on project progress in both English and French.

Ultimate result of services:

Strengthened capacities of countries to develop Action plans for new Eco-DRR initiatives based on Country profile baseline studies and Opportunity maps, which identify areas for ecosystem restoration and protection.

Expected outputs:

• Draft quarterly and bi-annual reports on progress toward established project objectives based on project partners’ reports and field visits;
• Undertake regular field site visits to monitor project implementation and provide guidance and technical support to project country teams as reported in quarterly field project reports and monthly newsletter;
• Draft other communications materials on project implementation as needed, including a monthly newsletter and contributions to the project website;
• Facilitate and organize periodic workshops on ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and related technical topics in both English and French, as required.

Under the overall supervision of Head UNEP/PPD/CMB, the consultant shall report directly to and take direction from UNEP’s DRR Programme Manager and from the Eco-DRR Project Manager and perform the following tasks. Final deliverables shall also be approved by Head UNEP/DEPI/PCDMB.

1. Draft quarterly and bi-annual reports on progress toward established project objectives based on project partners’ reports and field visits.

• Contribute to UNEP bi-annual reporting system with concisely drafted inputs on project implementation and supporting documentation;
• Analyze and synthesize the project partner’s annual narrative and financial report against project targets;
• Liaise with project partners and project field staff to monitor implementation and progress toward project objectives;
• Assess project partner reports, baseline studies, and project indicators as compared to stated objectives.

2. Undertake regular field site visits to monitor project implementation and provide guidance and technical support to project country teams as detailed in mission reports, bi-annual reports and monthly newsletters.

• Travel to project field sites on a regular basis to undertake field level monitoring assessments to ensure that activities meet project objectives;
• Report on project implementation progress in mission reports, bi-annual reports and the monthly highlights newsletter for internal project communications;
• Undertake coordination meetings with European Commission and Government focal points in the field project countries, as needed.

3. Draft other communications materials on project implementation as needed, including a monthly newsletter and contributions to the project website;

• Draft monthly highlights, an internal newsletter with brief updates from each project country team, with a monthly story on project implementation;
• Ensure that each country project fact sheet is updated (for Haiti in English and French);
• Contribute to the project website to ensure that each project webpage is updated;
• Contribute to drafting of press releases and other external communications sources, e.g. PEDRR website blog.

4. Facilitate and organize periodic workshops on ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and related technical topics in English and French, as required.

• Undertake capacity needs assessments with project country teams to assess main technical capacity needs of project staff and key stakeholders, such as government representatives and civil society organisations;
• Adapt existing training materials on ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction to deliver trainings to specific target audiences as required;
• Facilitate and organize workshops in collaboration with project partners in countries as required;
• Draft workshop reports and document uptake of workshop knowledge and skills.

Education:

• Master’s degree in natural resources management, ecosystem restoration, ecological engineering, civil engineering, environment, disaster risk management or relevant discipline is required.
• Bachelor’s degree in the above-mentioned field in combination with additional two (2) years of experience relevant to above duties and responsibilities may be accepted in lieu of the Master’s degree.

Experience:

• Minimum five (5) years of experience in natural resources management, ecological restoration and protection or closely related field in combination with Master’s degree is required.
• Experience in disaster risk reduction / disaster management, project monitoring and evaluation, organizing and facilitating workshops and undertaking activities related to information/knowledge management, research, capacity building and/or project documentation and reporting is preferred.
• Experience in working with Government representatives and organizing and facilitating workshops with Government representatives is considered as asset.
• Experience in field implementation of natural resources management, ecological restoration, disaster reduction and/or environment-related projects is an asset.
• Experience in project monitoring and reporting is an asset.
• Experience in organizing and facilitating workshops is preferred.
• Experience working in conflict and disaster-affected field locations is an asset.
• Excellent drafting skills in preparing evaluation reports in English is preferred.
• Excellent computer skills (use of MS Office 365, web-based information management systems) is preferred.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and French (Speaking, reading and writing) is required.

Contract type: ICA

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

This position is based in Switzerland and the contract fee is not exempt from Swiss laws, including but not limited to laws regarding taxation, social security, accident and health insurance.