Provincial Project Officer

The GGGI PNG main office is embedded within the Climate Change Development Authority (CCDA), government of PNG, with presence in the Center of Excellence for Financial Inclusion at the Central Bank of Papua New Guinea, and at the sub-national level within Enga, New Ireland, and Milne Bay Provincial Government Administrations. GGGI PNG Program is scaling up its activities with the support from Australia, New Zealand, USA, and France for inclusive green economic growth for PNG over the next five years with a target to mobilize USD 500 million in climate investments and scale up climate resilience and green growth planning at national and subnational levels.

GGGI PNG currently has seven national and five regional active projects, with the four-year AUD 20 million Australian DFAT-funded Climate FIRST project as its flagship initiative. Launched in March 2024 and concluding in February 2028, Climate FIRST is poised to expand PNG’s access to climate finance. It focuses on engaging seven provinces sub-nationally and bolstering the institutional capacity and coordination necessary for mobilizing climate finance. The project aspires to scale up PNG’s access to climate finance through global climate funds, innovative financing mechanisms, increased private sector climate financing and investments, and the development of MSMEs in green businesses.

Summary Of Position:

The Provincial Project Officer (PPO) will be based in Manus Province. This position has a dual role, s/he is responsible for provincial coordination of the GGGI work and the management of the related government and stakeholder relationships while at the same time applying conceptual knowledge in support of project/component design and delivery. S/he will work closely with the Project Manager and PNG Country Representative to provide a wide range of operational and technical support. S/he will play a critical role in the delivery of project’s outputs by acting as the focal point for all matters concerning Manus Province.

Purpose:

The PPO will be the liaison agent of the provincial government. S/he will be responsible for but not limited to: 

• Be the focal point of GGGI to the relevant provincial government counterparts and be responsible to develop and maintain good and effective relationships and collaboration.
• Support GGGI’s work performed at the national level and carry forward GGGI’s work within the province.
• Implement a specific part of a project, monitor budget, and seek strategic direction from the GGGI Country Representative.
• Understand project cycles and implement project outputs accordingly to ensure deliverables are achieved on time. This may include gathering and analyzing data, while monitoring project outputs, and providing necessary technical assistance to relevant stakeholders when required.
• Assess quality of delivery and identify and address any potential challenges in close collaboration with national counterparts to build mutual understanding and coordination on project activities.
• Facilitate the creation of material that will enable the provincial government administration to develop institutional memory on relevant project thematic areas.
• Compile thorough case studies and other illustrative materials which give practical guidance to project development at the provincial level.
• Be responsible for provision of sound and timely support to the local government and create visibility of the organization in the relevant province as a trusted advisor to the Government of Papua New Guinea.

Engagement:

The PPO will, with the advisory support of the GGGI Country Team:

• Ensure the design and delivery of a high-quality and timely collaborative program, consistent and integrated with the national and local level PNG program activities. S/he will work closely with GGGI teams and experts (in PNG and globally), civil society partners and where useful external consultants and firms.
• Serve as the organization’s liaison to provincial government counterparts, fostering and managing effective relationships. The PPO will create visibility of the organization in the province as a ‘Trusted Advisor to the Government of Papua New Guinea’, while supporting the facilitation of discussions between the Government and various stakeholders.
• Engage in meetings with the provincial administration, the provincial climate change committee or similar, and other key provincial stakeholders, representing the relevant and applicable GGGI country program activities for the province.
• Responsible for extracting and assembling briefing information for the relevant PNG program activities to support the effective participation of GGGI in the province.

Requirements Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in the field of Environment, Sciences, Economics or Social Sciences and/or another relevant area. Advanced degrees in the relevant fields are an advantage.
• Minimum of five years of experience in sustainable development, green growth, or climate change and climate vulnerability. Experience in Papua New Guinea and or small island countries is highly desirable.
• Experience with Government ministries / agencies, bilateral and multilateral donor organizations, and other stakeholders including private sector, NGOs, and communities, is essential.
• Knowledge on national and provincial development, climate change and environmental policies and projects, social and environmental safeguards, inclusive development and/or other relevant technical areas is a plus.
• Experience in developing and implementing development policies and strategies on the ground, including working with provincial administrations to plan for and implement economic development policies and projects.
• Experience working and/or living in the province highly preferred.
• Experience in project management.
• Experience in managing procurements is highly desirable
• Flexibility, responsiveness, and ability to manage multiple activities to tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to work in multidisciplinary teams; has stakeholder engagement, client relationship, and consensus building skills.
• Experience working with communities, particularly indigenous peoples and integrated village development is highly desirable.
• Experience of requirements and procedures of international financing institutions including multilateral and bilateral donor organizations is an advantage. 
• Must be fluent in spoken and written English. Report writing skills is essential and familiarity with Tok Pisin and Manus is an advantage.

Source: https://careers.gggi.org/vacancy/provincial-project-officer-ppo-manus-province-papua-new-guinea-559410.html