Climate and Disaster Risk Management Specialist

Announcement Position

Position: Climate and Disaster Risk Management Specialist (NPSA9)
Practice area-Job Family: Environment & Disaster Reduction
Working Hour: Full Time
Duty Station: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Vacancy End Date: 9st September 2021
Contract Duration: 1 year with possibility of extension

Background

The Mekong River and its tributaries are waterways critical to the economy and food supply chains of both Lao PDR and Cambodia. However, these waterways also present a great risk posed by flooding and dry periods – events that are becoming more erratic, longer, and more intense with the compounding effects of anthropogenic climate change. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in both Cambodia and Lao PDR may increase due to changing climatic conditions, with water resources affected in various ways. Across Southeast Asia, the mean annual temperature is expected to rise by the year 2100 from 0.8°C in the optimistic emissions scenario to 3.2°C in the pessimistic emissions scenario. A moderate increase in precipitation is also projected in this region, from 1% to 8% by the end of 21st century but this increase won’t spread out evenly throughout the year – increasing rainfall, river discharge and flooding are predicted during the wet season, while extended droughts are likely to occur during the dry season. Increasing extreme weather events and the viability of precipitation in the region will continue to result in economic losses and loss of life due to water-related disasters. As of 2018, the damages associated with flooding in the region are expected to rise by a factor of 5-10 annually given the rate of proposed and existing development in the basin, often in the floodplain areas. The effects of flooding related disasters in particular are quite severe in both countries, with Lao PDR especially seeing many areas hard hit in the severe 2018 and 2019 flooding events. Though both Lao PDR and Cambodia have made investments in recent years in increasing the capacity of their hydrometeorological data and early warning systems, there is a remaining need to downscale data, take a more integrated approach to water resources management, and mainstream climate risks into local decision making and planning at the city scale. And, as recent years’ flooding has shown, there is a need to invest in connectivity of early warning systems (EWS) between countries and scale risk reduction measures to protect lives and livelihoods in the Lower Mekong Basin. This project seeks to address the critical need for risk data to inform integrated water resources management and, in so doing, enable increased investment in risk reduction measures. Both Cambodia and Lao PDR face similar challenges and contextual conditions in addressing climate risks associated with water. And, as has been seen in recent flooding events , there is a strong connection between the upstream and downstream impacts associated with floods and water availability in the transboundary region. As such, the project seeks to address these similar problems faced by both countries in one project while acknowledging the transboundary nature of the challenge and making adjustments as necessary to tailor for the variances of each country. Taking a barrier-removal approach, the project seeks to address gaps in data collection, management and analysis, enhance institutional and technical capacity at the subnational level for integrated climate and flood risk management, enhance availability of resources for investment in water-related risk reduction, and aid the flow of risk knowledge and coordination across borders. Specifically, the project aims to strengthen the climate and disaster resilience of people and communities in vulnerable regions of Lao PDR and Cambodia through improved risk and vulnerability assessment and advancing an integrated approach to water resources management. It comprises of a set of measures that span three key outputs:

Water-related climate risks assessed in the priority river basins.
Enabling environment for climate risk-informed integrated water resources management developed.
Funding proposal for priority risk reduction measures developed.

The project will be implemented in close partnership with the governments of Cambodia and Lao PDR and the donor. Implemented under UNDP’s direct implementation modality, the project utilizes a joint regional implementation structure: the first two outputs will be implemented at the country level by UNDP Cambodia and UNDP Lao PDR, while the third will be led by the regional office. The implementation of each country component is led by a Project Manager with support from technical experts, and an Administrative and Finance Assistant. UNDP Cambodia is seeking to appoint a Climate and Disaster Risk Management Specialist on a full-time basis. In this highly strategic role, the Specialist is tasked to support the project in delivering high impact project outputs through technical advisory supports, coordination and partnership management with the relevant key players at national and sub-national level and with the teams from Bangkok Regional Hub, Lao PDR, and relevant Korean institutions that are providing technical supports to the project. The Specialist is also expected to contribute to strategic formulation, project development and resource mobilization of the Country Office.

Duties and Responsibilities

It is expected that the works of the Specialist will have the following impacts:

Successful implementation of the project through provision of technical inputs and coordination and in accordance with project objectives, UNDP policies and procedures as described in UNDP Programme, Operations, Policies and Procedures (POPPs);
High quality technical and policy advices to the project, UNDP, and relevant partners on climate change, risks reduction and water management related matters;
Increased resources allocation to support relevant initiatives;
Improved coordination among stakeholders.
The Specialist will perform the following key functions:
Provide high quality technical and strategic advices and guidance to the team and partners;
Develop and strengthen partnership and coordination with relevant partners;
Facilitate knowledge building and capacity development;
Provide technical support and inputs to the project management/coordination; and
Contribute to resource mobilization.
A. Provide high quality technical and strategic advices and guidance:
Provide technical and strategic advices and guidance to the projects and partners to ensure that the project achieve its results;
Provide strategic advices and inputs in the policies advocacy and policies design;
Develop concept note and term of references and provide technical oversight to assignments and activities undertaken by consultants, service providers or responsible parties;
Review and analyze relevant policies and documents and keep abreast of climate change, disaster risks reduction and other related development dynamics especially which will impact on delivery of the projects and potential follow-on programming; regularly update relevant teams as well as UNDP management on the relevant development dynamics;
Prepare necessary reports and documents in support of future resource mobilization efforts, if required in the area related to the project and in contributing to the resource mobilization effort;
Organize and contribute to high-level dialogues related to climate change and disaster risk reduction;
Lead and actively engage in the technical discussions in relevant platforms such as technical working group, national and international forums/conference, and other applicable mechanisms.
B. Develop and strengthen partnership and coordination with relevant partners:
Develop and strengthen partnership with relevant stakeholders to advance and support the project’s objectives and to ensure synergy and complementarities across relevant initiatives;
Undertake strategic approach to build network and working relations with national and sub-national stakeholders and establish strong linkages with national programmes, and relevant sectoral strategies, priorities and plans to advance buy-in and national ownership of relevant aspects of the project;
Provide strategic advice to UNDP management in partnership building with other key stakeholders.
C. Facilitate knowledge building and capacity development:
Provide advices on strategic communication relevant to the project;
Communicate UNDP’s research findings and other knowledge products to the relevant groups in the ecosystem to advocate for the adopt of recommendations or utilization of the models;
Organize technical workshops/forums on regular basis to generate the discussions around subject matters that contribute to improvement, acceleration as well as visibility of UNDP’s interventions.
D. Provide technical inputs to the project management and coordination:
Provide technical inputs in the development/adjustment of annual project work plans, budgeting, delivery targets, and impact, and guide the team to achieve the targets;
Contribute to risk managements of the project by closely monitor and provide technical advice to mitigate the risks and/or inform corrective actions;
Provide technical inputs to monitoring and evaluation exercises for the project to ensure meaningful results are set and tracked;
In the absence of the Project Manager, perform the role of Project Manager to ensure smooth operations of the project.
E. Contribute to resource mobilization:
Prepare high quality technical analysis, concept notes, funding proposals, donor briefing and presentations in support of resource mobilization to advance relevant UNDP’s goals;
Work closely with consultant and relevant team to develop project document;
Provide inputs to the design of new projects under different thematic areas to ensure synergy and linkage.
The Specialist will be supervised by the Project Manager and will work closely with project team members, consultants, partners, Programme Analyst, and other colleagues within the Country Office.

Competencies
Core Competencies:

Demonstrates strong management, leadership, analytical, and communication skills;
Demonstrates awareness of change dynamics and an ability to manage complexities;
Ability to develop consensus within an organizational environment of diverse operational activities and often-conflicting requirements, budgets, and timelines;
Ability to communicate effectively with high level government officials and funding development partners representatives;
Ability to mentor staff to foster a cohesive work environment, ensuring retention of top performers and motivating all staff;
Demonstrates integrity by modelling the values and ethical standards of conducts;
Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking;
Comprehensive awareness of government development policies with good technical analysis skills.

Functional Competencies:

Analysis and creation of messages and strategies

Promotes knowledge management in a learning environment in the programme office through leadership and personal example;
In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues;
Advanced Problem solving and analytical requirement skills;
Proven capability to translate complex assignments into a Standard Operating Procedures;
Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills;
Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of the programme office;
Performs analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses;
Uses the opportunity to bring forward and disseminate materials for advocacy work;
Results-based Programme Development and Management

Building Strategic Partnerships: Identifying and building partnerships

Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UNDP’s mandate and strategic agenda;
Sensitizes UN Partners, donors and other international organizations to the UNDP’s strategic agenda, identifying areas for joint efforts;
Develops positive ties with civil society to build/strengthen UNDP’s mandate;
Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients and potential partners;
Displays initiative, sets challenging outputs for him/herself and willingly accepts new work assignments;
Takes responsibility for achieving agreed outputs within set deadlines and strives until successful outputs are achieved;
Promotes UNDP’s agenda in inter-agency meetings.

Innovation and Marketing new Approaches: Developing new approaches

Seeks a broad range of perspectives in developing project proposals;
Generates for regional and innovative ideas and effective solutions to problems;
Looks at experience critically, drawing lessons, and building them into the design of new approaches;
Identifies new approaches and promotes their use in other situations;
Documents successes and uses them to project a positive image;
Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking;
Makes the case for innovative ideas from the team with own supervisor.

Resource Mobilization: Implementing resource mobilization strategies

Analyses information on potential bilateral donors and national counterparts to recommend a strategic approach;
Identifies and compiles lessons learned;
Promotes and encourages country office action with local missions of donor countries as well as appropriate government authorities for increased contribution to UNDP resources, including cost sharing modalities;
Identifies country needs and develops proposals to be presented to donors and governments;
Develops a resource mobilization strategy at the country level.

Requirement

Master’s degree from a recognized university in any of the following disciplines: environment, disaster risk management, public administration, development studies, or other related disciplines.
Or bachelor’s degree in any of the above-mentioned discripliens with additional years of experiences.
At least 3 years (for Master’s degree holder) or 5 years (for Bachelor’s degree holder) of professional experiences in providing technical advices in the field of disaster risk reduction, watershed management, and climate change to the Government, UN agencies, development partners.
Well conversant of the climate related disaster contexts (rural + urban), climate change, changing risk landscape, and risk management policies and approaches with extensive experience in analysis, research and policy advocacy in the above-mentioned fields;
Solid knowledge and practical experience in managing project (design, implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation);
Proven experiences in proposal development and resource mobilization;
Demonstrate ability to communicate and deal effectively with partners including government, academia, civil society, private sector, UN and other development donors to address relevant issue and to ensure the greater impact of the projects;
Ability to produce high-quality outputs within reasonable time frame while understanding and anticipating the evolving client needs;
Demonstrated ability to lead consultations with senior government officials and facilitate discussions among a wide group of stakeholders;
Demonstrated experience in supporting government agencies or development partners in the area of climate change or disaster risks reduction.
Excellent writing skills, as demonstrated by previous research/analytical reports/policy notes on relevant topics.
Fluency in spoken and written Khmer and English

Application Information

Interested candidates shall submit their applications to https://bit.ly/3Dk5pK9

“Qualified female candidates and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.”