UNDP Albania is currently implementing a significant number of environmental projects related to ecosystem management, pollution, nature protection, climate change, etc. The projects are part of the UNDP Country Programme They support the national government to implement the international Conventions ratified by Albania and to achieve the sustainable development of the country.

UNDP brings the development agenda into the biodiversity discourse, clearly articulating the roles of biodiversity and nature as part of the global efforts to achieve sustainable development. This enables UNDP to foster increased public, business, and governmental support for biodiversity conservation, thereby broadening the support base and fomenting behavioral change on the part of stakeholders who are key to the systemic change that is necessary for achieving global biodiversity goals.

EU4Nature project overall objective is to contribute to the protection and conservation of at least 25 per cent of the Albanian territory (at land and at sea) by 2030 through the establishment and the effective management of a system of Protected Areas (PA), including NATURA 2000 sites and other effective area-based conservation measures.

The project will strengthen the institutional set up and advance the transposition of the EU Nature Protection Acquis, while continuously building the capacities of relevant institutions and authorities in PAs design and management. Technical assistance will be provided to review the Law on Protected Areas and to clarify the monitoring process, following the changes at the Environmental Inspectorate level, but also to precise the role of the Special Fund for Protected Areas. EU4Nature will support the development and implementation of secondary legislation to ensure law is fully and properly complied with through necessary controls and penalties (Enforcement).

The management effectiveness of existing PAs and new ones will be enhanced by revising, updating, and developing new management plans, by ensuring the effective monitoring of PAs performances through the establishment of Performance Monitoring Systems, and by supporting the implementation of priority conservation and restoration activities at selected PAs.  In this regard, management plans will be also developed for the sustainable management of priority habitats and species, as well as that of timber and non-timber forest products.

The crucial role of Albanian civil society organizations (CSO) as key agent for environmental protection and sustainable development will be further enhanced through a Small Grant Program in support to the implementation of innovative pilot actions to enhance PAs management, as well as to implement Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and measures against environmental crime.

The project is fully aligned with strategic objectives for protected areas and nature protection in the country, with the project’s main objective e biodiversity discourse, clearly articulating the roles of biodiversity and nature as part of the global efforts to achieve sustainable development.

The PAs Associate will assist the project implementation for the outputs 1, 2, 3 and in view of these, most of the intended sites (PAs) fall into the Vjosa Watershed territories and therefore, to make the assignment as much as possible efficient, it is demanding that the PAs expert resides in either of the administrative units, part of the Vjosa Catchment.

The PA Associate works closely with the National Agency of Protected Areas (NAPA) and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MoTE) specialists for implementation of the activities under outputs 1, 2 and 3:

• Timely implementation of project activities under outputs 1, 2 and 3, as agreed in the annual work plans of the EU4Nature project.
• Assist on the assessment of the level of transposition and implementation of the EU Nature Protection Acquis, on preparation of the amendments in the Law on Protected Areas, Law on Biodiversity Protection and the related bylaws, on capacity needs, as well as on the development of respective career development certification program for strengthening the effectiveness of PAs in Albania.
• Contribute to the development/ revision of Management Plans and business plans for selected protected areas. Work closely with staff from the Protected Areas and local stakeholders to prepare the management plan and business plan, following standard consultative methodologies.
• Contribute to develop and implement Specific Action Plans for the most vulnerable/important species.
• Provides inputs and support into METT development, adoption into NAPA platforms as well as contribute into training and delivering of METT workshops into targeted PAs administrations.
• Assist the project manager in identifying local experts, consultants, and NGOs for involvement in project activities. Support the project manager and technical expert in reviewing project deliverables and assuring satisfactory responsiveness /liability of contracted third parties in carrying out project’s assignments, including performance evaluation and impact monitoring.
• Assist the awareness activities by conceptualizing and preparing information for the social media and other appropriate visibility and branding means, relevant education, community tailored messages, information and communication tools on subjects that are related to the project’s field of activities.
• Cooperates with and ensures regular contacts, dialogues with relevant organizations, non-governmental bodies, and persons within the program’s/project’s environment as well as with other alike projects to enhance and maintain good working relationships, ensuring knowledge transfer.

Additional tasks related to the project as requested by the Project Manager

Institutional Arrangements 

The Protected Areas Associate will work under the direct guidance and the overall supervision of the Project Manager.

Competencies

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross Functional and Technical competencies:

• Business Direction & Strategy-Strategic Thinking
  • Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP.
• Business Direction & Strategy- System Thinking
  • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.
• Business Management- Monitoring
  • Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.
• Business Management-Communication 
  • Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.
• Partnership management-Relationship management
  • Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.
• Legal- Legal analysis skills
  • Ability to digest a large amount of information and facts in order to frame and understand an issue, apply the legal framework to the particular set of facts and present a coherent and comprehensive analysis of the situation presented in order to deliver practical and meaningful advice. This skill includes the ability to provide an objective assessment of the case, the organization’s best arguments for proceeding and a recommended course of action. It also includes the capacity to think creatively and flexibly, within the applicable legal framework.