District Coordination Associate

Project Description 

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) project – on “Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities” supports the Government of India and the state governments in the project states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra, to enhance the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities to climate change through ecosystembased adaptation (EbA). The project combines GCF grant finance with significant leveraged co-finance from central and state governments to shift the paradigm towards a new approach, integrating ecosystem-centred and community-based approaches to adaptation into coastal management and planning by the public sector, the private sector and civil society. The project supports the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India and the nodal departments of the target State governments, to enhance the resilience of the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations, particularly women, in the coastal areas of India to climate change and extreme events, using an ecosystem-centered and community-based approach in three target states. This project as well contributes towards the achievement of climate priorities outlined in India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008), the State Action Plans, as well as commitments outlined in India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (2015). The Climate Change, Resilience and Energy portfolio at UNDP is currently working in various thematic areas of climate change adaptation and mitigation; disaster management and resilience; and access to clean and efficient energy. The project works at national, state and community levels to enhance capacities for ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and enable climate policy and finance shifts to catalyze climate action in all of India’s coastal states and union territories. 

The project will enhance the resilience of coastal communities throughout India, through the implementation of interventions under the following inter-linked outputs: 

• Output 1: Enhanced resilience of coastal and marine ecosystems and their services.
• Output 2: Climate adaptive livelihoods for enhanced resilience of vulnerable coastal communities; and
• Output 3: Strengthened coastal and marine governance and institutional frameworks for climate resilient management of coastal areas.

The above will be achieved through interventions outlined below in target landscapes in the three states – Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha: 

• Protect and restore ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrass
• Help communities adopt climate-adaptive livelihoods and value chains
• Mainstream EbA principles into coastal planning and governance, enabling intersectoral coordination for addressing climate risk across all of India’s coastal states.

Job Purpose and Scope of Work 

• The District Coordination Officers will work under the direct supervision of the State Project Manager (SPM). S/he will act as the focal point in the district for coordination and overseeing implementation of all activities under all three outputs of the project mentioned above at district and landscape level. This includes holistic stakeholder management, liaising with government counterparts, ensuring communication between district and state level officials, data collection for monitoring purposes and facilitating capacity building programmes for local communities.

Main Purpose: 

• S/he will act as the focal point at the district level for the implementation of all activities under all three outputs of the project mentioned above at district and landscape level.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

Managing project at district level

• Assist State Project Manager (SPM) to develop district level management plans to be incorporated in the state level work plans for effective coordination at all levels
• Support State Project Manager (SPM) to ensure the timely and effective implementation of the district level management plans.
• Develop rapport with relevant government officials at District, Block and Gram Panchayat level.
• Support the district administration in day-to-day coordination required for smooth implementation of various activities in the districts;
• Support State Project Manager (SPM) for preparation of Agenda and Background paper for the State Project Steering Committee meetings.
• Assist SPM in organizing respective project workshops and events ensuring participation from communities and government counterparts where necessary
• Provide support to the SPM for preparation of state relevant reports

Stakeholder management

• Data collection and capacity building
• Collect primary/secondary data /information relevant to the project activities.
• Organize informal education and awareness campaigns across the district on climate change and its impacts, and the need to conserve and restore ecosystems, to support livelihoods and protect from extreme events
• Support village-level capacity building efforts in target landscapes with respective NGOs
• Periodically monitor progress and landscape level and report back on developments to the State office.
• Stakeholder management, coordinate and work closely with all officials relevant to project activities at district, block and panchayat level.
• Establishing linkages with government agencies at GP, Block and District level to identify the additional needs for enhancing resilience of the vulnerable community including women.
• Work with NGOs and community to ensure good quality of work being done and use of participatory approach.
• Coordinate with the NGOs engaged in the District under project and ensure that activities are not duplicated.
• Ensuring participation of women, youth and marginalized groups fully in livelihoods activities and decision-making processes at Panchayat, Block and District level.
• Any other related task assigned from time to time by the State Project Manager.

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements

• Secondary education is required or
• A university degree (Bachelor´s degree) in Social Sciences/ social work/Agriculture/ Rural Management/Development Economics/ Sustainable Livelihoods/ Natural Resource Management or a closely related field will be given due consideration but is not a requirement.
• Min. years of relevant work experience
• Minimum 6 years of work experience with secondary education or 3 years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree in livelihood, natural resource management and rural development project at national and sub-national levels; experience in Odisha/Maharashtra is desired.

Required skills

• Good understanding of all aspects of project management.
• Strong knowledge and understanding sub-national institutional contexts in the select state
• Work experience in conducting assessment and analysis of natural resource management livelihood related options/activities is an asset.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, good knowledge and experience in handling of web-based management systems
• Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
• Experience in working with local government or NGOs on /livelihood and other socio-economic activities related activities in India, experience of work at community level
• Experience of working with Central and/or State Government/international agencies/ on similar assignments related
• Working knowledge with government officials at District, Block and Gram Panchayat level
• Required Language(s) Fluency in English, Marathi (For Maharashtra) and Odia (For Odisha).

Source: https://estm.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/requisitions/job/19419