Job Vacancies United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), August 2011

Job Vacancies United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Position: Consultant for SPA CBA Practitioners Guide
Location: Home-Based with regular travel
Closing Date: Sunday, 07 August 2011

UNOPS helps its partners in the United Nations system meet the world’s needs for building peace, recovering from disaster, and creating sustainable development. UNOPS is known for its ability to implement complex projects in all types of environments around the globe. In an effort to promote organizational excellence, UNOPS seeks highly qualified individuals for the following position:
Vacancy Details Vacancy Code Position Title Position Level Org Unit Duty Station Duration Closing Date VA/2011/CBA/CSPA/01 Consultant for SPA CBA Practitioners Guide IICA
- 1 EMO IWC Home-Based (with regular meetings in New York, USA) August 15, 2011 – January 15, 2012 (40 working days) August 7, 2010 Background The UNDP/GEF Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) Project is a five year (2008-2013) initiative funded by the Global Environmental Facilities (GEF) through its Strategic Priority for Adaptation (SPA) funds. Cofinancing support is provided by the governments of Japan, Switzerland and Australia, and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV). The CBA Programme is working to strengthen the adaptive capacity of local communities in ten pilot countries in Africa, Asia, Pacific, and Latin America. The programme collaborates with national partners, UNVs, United Nations Agencies. GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) provides the infrastructure and delivery mechanisms of the project. This inclusive approach streamlines community access to micro-grants, engages a diverse group of national stakeholders in community projects and promotes grassroots-based solutions to climate change risks. UNDP EEG is currently working on several initiatives to support programming, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of climate change adaptation projects. While “community based adaptation projects” are increasing in numbers in many countries by different organizations, there has not been a clear standard process and technical steps to follow to design and implement CBA projects. The current pilot project was primarily set up to provide a systematic analysis of the methodological approaches and to test local level adaptation measures in various geographical areas and ecosystems globally. It is also testing a Vulnerability Reduction Assessments (VRA) methodology– the community consultation and risk analysis process used in the project, for planning, monitoring and evaluating progress. Attempts are also made to link the local level actions with sub national and national level adaptation needs with a hope that policies related to climate change adaptation can be influenced nationally and globally by local level actors by considering up scaling and replication already built in the designing and result-based management processes. Clear strides have been obviously made to achieve these overall objectives. However, non pilot countries and communities interested in designing and implementing CBA projects using the vulnerability reduction assessments (VRA) process a key to successful community engagement pioneered by the SPA CBA project which systematically enlists local volunteers, often cannot easily replicate the CBA implementation process for various reasons. This has prompted the project to layout out a simple guide that can be used by common field based practitioners, including CBOs and CSOs, following the successful cases under the pilot project. Duties and Responsibilities A consultant is required to help draft a practitioner’s guide (100 pages maximum including annexes), on how to successfully design and implement CBA projects. The guide will be based on the practical experiences and lessons learnt of the ongoing CBA pilot project in 10 participating countries. This guide book will be useful to practitioners, communities, UN agencies, volunteers, CSO and governments to implement community based adaptation projects. Information shall be generated from projects reports and documents, field visits appraisals and validated with the SGP/CBA National Coordinators and UNV’s based in pilot countries as the grassroots level implementers of the pilot project. However, inputs will also be sourced from relevant practitioners in the field including, experiences of MAP CBA in Asia, UNDP headquarters based staff, Country Offices and Regional Advisors on Climate change Adaptation. The consultant will manage the consultancy on a day to day, ensuring that information needed to go into the guide is gotten from credible projects electronic and print files, websites and one to one discussion with critical stakeholders. The consultant shall not communicate with any person, government or other entity external to UNDP any UNDP/GEF documents/information related to ongoing project development guidelines for adaptation projects made known to the consultant by reason of his or her association with UNDP/GEF except as required by this contract or upon written authorization by UNDP/GEF.

Tasks include:
Section A
– The consultant will be expected to analyze existing information’s, methodologies and database of the project, to detail the issues highlighted below:
• What CBA methodology (s), practices and processes are ongoing within the pilot project? Given that some pilot countries such as Guatemala is using “Almanario” while Bangladesh has opted to use national levels processes through UNDP to plan their projects, the consultant should endeavor to describe any peculiar (type, kind or nature) but working methodology (s) and or process being tested and implemented in the 10 pilot countries
• In a logical manner, details step by step, how the projects has been implemented from the concept preparation stage, detail process of approval of planning and proposals preparations, grant releases and subsequent disbursements of funds at local levels. A clear account of participatory monitoring of deliverables and final end of projects evaluations should also be elaborated as part of the CBA projects cycle process. To allow repetition and replications of the process of conducting a CBA project, the consultant is expected to elaborate clearly and simple terms, the “how to” while emphasizing on the necessary prerequisites, stakeholders analysis, volunteerism aspects, people to be involved at all levels and making a case why these steps are necessary while elaborating also how these can be enforced in a typical community project?
• While detailing the guide, the consultant will highlight through a detailed analysis process and where possible make recommendations, in each of the key process/steps identified, what has been the results, lessons, practices, innovations achieved in the pilot and also simulate possible different scenarios based on different archetypes and landscapes the CBA projects are being piloted in, so that the guide can be universally used?
• The consultant should bring to bear other experiences of CBA, by other organizations and projects such as CARE, Oxfam, ACTS, SGP and etc, so that the lessons and experiences evolving out of those initiatives can be consolidated within the guide for wider applicability?
• In each of the process/steps identified, the consultant will discuss in practical terms how the pitfalls and challenges encountered by the project, can be address by people applying the guide or developing and implementing a CBA project?

Section B
– In the whole of the guide, the consultant shall prepare a harmonized full description of methods used in the projects, steps, and resources (human, financial, and time) for conducting an effective and successfully participatory monitoring and evaluation by both communities and other stakeholders. The source of information will be based on existing practices from the documented M+E procedures, frameworks and requirements already used by project and those identified from other like partners?

Section C
– The consultant will elaborate on the Do’ and Don’ts for one to successfully prepare, conduct and evaluate a CBA project? In the whole of the document and at each appropriate stage, the consultant should use figurative information to better layout flow of processes that may include and not limited to flow diagrams, pictures, cartoons as much as necessary to make it easy to understand and also to be applied by small NGO’s/CBOs. Required Selection Criteria Competencies Strong knowledge of participatory methodologies. Additional professional experience with NGOs/CBOs/CSO or having worked in collaboration with organizations within a community setting is preferred. Excellent working skills in English, knowledge of additional UN languages is an asset The candidates must have demonstrated an ability to work to deadlines and to undertake independent analytical and problem solving. The ideal candidate will show initiative and enthusiasm for the consultancy, be willing to learn new skills and is knowledgeable of contemporary climate change Adaptation science and discourses Education/Experience/Language The minimum educational requirement is a finished Bachelor Degree in a relevant field and he/ she should be pursuing or have a Masters degree in a field related to environment, anthropology, climate change adaptation and or resource management. Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in the area of community work within a sustainable development, climate change and/or management of natural resources. Submission of Applications Qualified candidates may submit their application, including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form (P.11) (available on our website), via e-mail to iwvacancies@unops.org. Kindly indicate the vacancy number and the post title in the subject line when applying by email. Additional Considerations 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 reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post.
For more information on UNOPS, please visit the UNOPS website at www.unops.org.




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