Project Coordinator Consultancy

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 expected to start in November 2023. UNICEF EAPRO is recruiting an international consulting firm to develop the Programme Proposal at regional level.

At the same time, UNICEF Pacific is recruiting a consultant “National Project Coordinator for Solomon Islands” to ensure an effective liaison and coordination between the National Designated Authority (NDA, the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology), the designated line ministries and government agencies, UNICEF Pacific, Solomon Islands Field Office (FO) and the international consulting firm.

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

• Act as the primary point of contact between the NDA, the government agencies, key sector stakeholders, UNICEF Pacific and Solomon Islands FO and the international consulting firm. This requires attending in-person and virtual meetings.
• Coordinate and facilitate meetings, discussions, and workshops among all parties, ensuring that programme preparation objectives are met, and consensus is reached.
• Maintain continuous 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 national and/or provincial levels (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 lead by UNICEF EAPRO and the consulting firm).
• Prepare monthly reports on the Programme’s preparation progress, challenges, and proposed solutions to UNICEF Pacific, Solomon Islands FO and the NDA.
• Prepare a back-to-office report (2 pages) after any field missions (if any).
• 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.
• Support the NDA in defining climate change risk and vulnerabilies in the social sector and the “Climate-Smart Social Services Programme” which will buid and strengthen adaptation capacities and resilience in these sectors.
• Facilitate knowledge transfer and skill development among the NDA’s staff involved in the Programme.
• Ensure that all outputs and deliverables meet the quality standards and requirements set by UNICEF.
• 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 and UNICEF Pacific, as agreed.
• Any other tasks as instructed by UNICEF Pacific and Solomon Islands FO.

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

• An advanced degree in Climate Studies, Environmental Science, Social Sciences, Project Management, or related fields is required.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in project coordination or management, preferably in climate-related projects with international financing institutions.
• 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.).
• Strong knowledge of project management tools.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and project management software.
• Proficiency in English.

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/567220/national-project-coordinator-consultancy-honiara-solomon-islands-6-months