Programme Coordinator

UNICEF East Asia Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), in partnership with the Australian Committee for UNICEF, is developing a Regional Programme “Mainstreaming Climate-Smart Social Services in the East Asia Pacific Region” for 14 countries in the East Asia and the Pacific region. The fourteen selected countries (East Asia: Mongolia; Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Viet Nam; Pacific: Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu) are subject to climate change impacts, as documented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). The majority of the selected countries are GCF priorities being Least Developed Countries (LDC) and Small Islands Developing States (SDID). The AR6 confirms for the EAP region with high confidence; (i) Precipitation will increase in frequency and intensity; (ii) Observed mean surface temperature out of the range of internal variability; (iii) Increase of heat extremes and decrease in cold extremes will continue; (iv) Marine heatwaves have become more frequent and increase; (v) SIDS warming will continue in the 21st century for all global warming levels and future emissions scenarios, further increasing heat extremes and stress; and (vi) Relative sea level has increased faster than the global average with coastal area loss.

The IPCC concludes in the AR6 that effective and equitable climate policies support climate resilience, sustainable development, and poverty eradication, essentially linking the Sustainable Development Goals agenda with Climate Change. The AR6 also introduces Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), based on socioeconomic models of population, urban density, land use, education, health, and wealth. The SSPs promote a paradigm shift by governments and communities for more sustainable practices promoting social services, health and wellbeing, and education over economic growth.

The Programme aims to finance climate-smart social services (health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection and social protection) as a new asset class in climate finance in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Shared Socio-Economic Pathways. A Concept Note is being elaborated and programme preparation is expected to start in November 2023. UNICEF EAPRO is recruiting an international consulting firm to develop the Programme Proposal at the regional level.

At the same time, UNICEF Pacific is recruiting a consultant “GCF Programme Coordinator for Kiribati“ to ensure an effective liaison and coordination between the National Designated Authority (NDA, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development of Kiribati), the designated line ministries and government agencies, UNICEF Pacific, Kiribati Field Office (FO), and the international consulting firm.

The Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks around Project Management:

• Conduct a stakeholder mapping at the Kiribati country level.
• Act as the primary point of contact between the NDA/Operational Focal Point and the Climate Finance Division, the government agencies, key sector stakeholders, UNICEF Pacific, Kiribati FO and the international consulting firm. This requires attending virtual meetings and in-person missions.
• Coordinate and facilitate meetings, discussions, and workshops among all parties, ensuring that programme preparation objectives are met, and consensus is reached. This also includes developing meeting minutes, following up on outcomes and agreed actions.
• Maintain regular communication with all stakeholders – including youth and children at critical steps, representatives from communities, women’s groups and organizations of persons with disabilities – to ensure coherence and avoid discrepancies. Address queries, concerns, and feedback from stakeholders promptly and effectively.
• Facilitate the organization of in-country workshops (at least one) and virtual meetings.
• Monitor the progress of the Programme preparation against the planned milestones and deliverables (the Climate-Smart Social Services Regional Programme preparation will be led by UNICEF EAPRO and an international consulting firm).
• Prepare monthly reports on the Programme’s preparation progress, challenges, and proposed solutions to UNICEF Pacific, Kiribati FO and the NDA.
• Manage the collection, analysis, and sharing of relevant data, information, and documents among stakeholders.
• Ensure the confidentiality and security of all project-related information.
• Develop and maintain a database on a spreadsheet of project documents, reports, and correspondences.
• Facilitate knowledge transfer and skill development among the NDA, line ministries and other partner’s staff involved in the Programme.
• Ensure that all outputs and deliverables meet the quality standards and requirements set by UNICEF Pacific and GCF.
• Facilitate the resolution of any issues related to the quality and relevance of the Programme outputs.
• Review and verify the international consulting firm’s submissions for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with the terms of reference and the requirements of the NDA, UNICEF Pacific and Kiribati FO, as agreed.
• Ensure that the NDA is kept abreast of progress and develop joint and synchronised work to secure a high level of ownership by the NDA.
• Any other tasks as instructed by UNICEF Pacific and Kiribati FO.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Education:

• An advanced degree in Climate Studies, Environmental Science, Social Sciences, Project Management, or related fields is required.

Experience & Skills:

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in project coordination or management, preferably in climate-related projects with international financing institutions or development partners.
• Proven experience in liaising with government bodies, financiers, and consulting firms.
• Proven experience working in one or more social sectors (WASH, Education, Nutrition, Health, etc.).
• Experience working in the Pacific Islands region is an asset.
• Strong knowledge of project management tools.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and project management software.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.

Language:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/574255