The project “Addressing Climate Vulnerability in the Water Sector (ACWA) in the Marshall Islands)” implemented by the Government of the Republic of Marshall Islands (GoRMI) in collaboration with UNDP became operational in January 2020 with the objective to address expected impacts of climate change on water security on Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI).RMI is a small island developing state in the Pacific. The nation is a large-ocean state, with a total land area of only 182 km2, spread across over 2 million km2 of ocean. There are 24 inhabited atolls and islands, which are mostly remote and lie merely 2 m above sea level on average. There are no rivers, streams or lakes in RMI and the number of small surface ponds is very limited.
GoRMI, with the assistance of UNDP, has developed a project on adaptation to climate change impacts to water supply in RMI. The project is co-financed by GoRMI and Green Climate Fund (GCF). The project will build resilience to the impacts of climate change on water supply, particularly in 24 atolls and islands that are highly vulnerable to drought. The project will invest in improving water security, water resilience and water governance through:
- Water Security - Improving household and community rainwater harvesting and storage structures to increase resilience of water supply in 77 rural communities in the outer islands and atolls accounting for approximately 28% of RMI’s population, including 7,630 (49%) women, currently at risk.
- Water Resilience - Securing groundwater resources from contamination due to inundation caused by wave overtopping of seawater.
- Water Governance - Strengthening the technical capacities of national and subnational institutions and key stakeholders to integrated climate change risks into water governance processes so that management of climate change risks are coordinated, effective, participatory, equitable, and sustained over the long-term when risks are e The project aligns with GoRMI’s key climate change policies and strategies and has been developed through extensive consultation with government, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and beneficiary communities. The proposed project is aligned with RMI’s NDC and country work Programme to the GCF. The NDA has issued a letter of no-objection and the proposed project is aligned with the work Programme of the AE (UNDP) selected by the NDA.
This GCF project will be executed by UNDP, in close partnership with the GoRMI, given UNDP’s extensive experience in implementing climate change adaptation projects globally. The project implementation will be led by a team based in Majuro, RMI and Suva, Fiji. Expected to worsen.
Under the direct supervision of the Team Lead for the Resilience and Sustainable Development Team, the Chief Technical Advisor is responsible for, jointly with the Project Manager, the implementation and project management of the ACWA project. In so doing, the Chief Technical Advisor is expected to bring in international best practices to the implementation of the project and train the technical personnel in the Project Management Unit (PMU).
Summary of Key Functions:
- Technical oversight of project activities
- Policy advice and capacity building
- Effective project management
- Knowledge management
- Partnership development and advocacy
Technical Oversight and Expertise:
- Collaborate with the Project Manager (PM) in executing project activities and its implementation;
- Serve as the chief technical advisor on adaptation options envisaged in the project document, identify needs for external technical support for effective implementation;
- Liaise with Government, UNDP and other development partners on progress and facilitate implementation of project activities;
- Provide technical supervision, backstopping and oversight of all aspects of project activities;
- Is responsible, jointly with the PM, for the implementation and monitoring of all risk mitigation measures during all project phases such as inception, implementation / construction and operation;
- Support the PM in liaising with the Government of RMI by providing high quality technical inputs;
- Support the PM in preparing/organizing the technical materials used in the Project Board Meeting;
- Carry out assessments of the technical, financial, political, operational and management situations on the ground that affect the project implementation and keep the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji and UNDP Regional Hub in Bangkok abreast of the situations;
- Provide leadership in identifying solutions to address existing gaps arising out of assessments;
- Undertake a comprehensive overview of good international practices in the area of rainwater harvesting and groundwater well rehabilitation projects and build similar practices within the project;
- Build and maintain partnerships with technical partners and donors by reporting project progress and identifying opportunities for collaboration;
- Ensure coordination between UNDP and all project stakeholders.
Policy advice and capacity building:
- Identify strategic opportunities for the project to achieve greater development impact through partnerships building and adaptive management;
- Strengthen capacities of the PMU and the Government of RMI to plan, budget and deliver water supply security related public services in remote communities;
- Build technical and managerial capacities within the PMU;
- Provision of advice and support through technical assistance to the national counterparts, as required;
- Provision of other advice as needed to UNDP concerning the evolution and role of the relevant Ministries/stakeholders;
- Participate and actively contribute to the PMU in coordination with the PM;
- Provide policy advice to Government of RMI on water supply security and resilience for remote communities and ensure coherence with the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji portfolio.
Effective Project Management in coordination with the Project Manager:
- Strongly support project implementation and management under the overall guidance of the PM
- Provide strategic input to technical, financial and managerial aspects of the project to ensure that activities are in accordance with the Project Document
- Provide input in joint collaboration with the PM and other members of the PMU on the following elements of project management to ensure achievement of targets and results
- Annual work planning
- Annual budgeting
- Procurement of goods and services
- Budget and expenditure analysis
- Contractual management
- Quarterly and annual progress reporting
- Quarterly operational reporting
- Provide advice for the annual financial audit
- Monitoring and Evaluation of project activities, and identify and implement solutions to bring the project back on track, as needed
- Planning and providing strategic inputs into all aspects of project activities
- Coordinate with the Joint Operations Centre in the Pacific Office in Fiji to ensure that financial and operational procedures of the project are in line with UNDP rules and regulations
- Perform other duties as necessary to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the project.
Knowledge management
- Identify, analyses and communicate lessons learned that may be useful in design and implementation of similar projects. The duty of identifying and analyzing lessons learned is an on-going one, and the duty to communicate those lessons is on an as-needed basis;
- Share knowledge on the Project and its achievements. Promote identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned from Project implementation, for organizational sharing and learning. Promote a knowledge sharing and learning culture
- Produce materials with lessons learnt and best practices and participate in knowledge-based tools
- Contribute to the analytical work of UNDP and ensure high quality knowledge products. Promote the substantive quality of all knowledge products, reports and services, and ensures effective integration thereof with other pillars.
- Innovation Ability to make new and useful ideas work
- Leadership Ability to persuade others to follow
- People Management Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
- Communication Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
- Delivery Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement
Technical Core:
- Job Knowledge /Technical Expertise
- Promoting Organizational Change and Development
- Design and Implementation of Management Systems
- Client Orientation
- Building Strategic Partnerships
- Promoting Accountability and Results-Based Management Systems
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Education: Masters or equivalent in any Natural Science, Environmental Management or Environmental Engineering or any other relevant field.
Experience: At least 7 years of relevant experience in managing, overseeing, or being part of large-scale (over US$10 million) projects. Team Leading experience. Experience providing expert advice and implementing climate change actions. Familiarity with climate change issues. Ability to lead, conduct, facilitate and document discussions with stakeholders. Experience working in institutional development, project development and management, budgeting. Project management experience in climate change related projects would be an advantage. Experience in the Pacific region would be an advantage. Experience working in atolls is desirable. Experience in utilizing infrastructure-based adaptation approaches is desirable
Language Requirements: Fluency in English (oral and written) is a requirement whilst proficiency in the Marshallese language is desirable.
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Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension