National Consultant for the Development of a Strategic and National Action Plan in support of the NFWCS implementation - UNDP
Consultancy, Research Jobs
- UNDP - United Nations Develop…
- Expires 19 Jul 2021
- Bulawayo
- Internship
Job Description
National Consultant for the Development of a Strategic and National Action Plan in support of the NFWCS implementation Under the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund
Location : Harare, ZIMBABWE
Application Deadline : 19-Jul-21
Additional Category : Climate & Disaster Resilience
Type of Contract : Individual Contract
Post Level : National Consultant
Languages Required :English
Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 02-Aug-2021
Duration of Initial Contract : 30 working days spread over a period of three months
Expected Duration of Assignment : 30 working days spread over a period of three months
Background
Zimbabwe, like most parts of sub-Saharan Africa, is affected by one or several hazards and these tend to affect agricultural production. El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle events (El Niño, La Niña and Neutral) have been influencing weather patterns leading to either drought, mid-season dry spells or flooding. Evidence shows that these events have been affecting agricultural production and water levels. In the face of these conditions, the Government of Zimbabwe together with development partners including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the European Union (EU), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) setup the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) in May 2015. The current duration of the Fund is 5 years (2015-2020) but it is subject to extension if more funds are availed. The fund uses the following resilience definition,
“The ability of at-risk individuals, households, communities and systems to anticipate, cushion, adapt, bounce back better and move on from the effects of shocks and hazards in a manner that protects livelihoods and recovery gains, and supports sustainable transformation.”
The overall objective of ZRBF is to contribute to increased absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacities of at-risk communities to protect development gains and achieve improved well-being outcomes. The plan is to achieve this through a set of interventions addressing the following components:
Creating and utilizing an evidence base and capacity building,
Increasing adaptive, absorptive and transformative capacities, and
Setting up a crisis modifier that responds to humanitarian shocks.
The first component focuses on capacity building in the creation and generation of evidence at the national level in all resilience-related fields. It also encompasses the development of knowledge products on resilience-building in Zimbabwe. ZRBF, therefore, seeks the services of a Climate Services Consultant, who will support the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry in developing the Strategic and Action Plan for National Framework for Weather and Climate Services. The Consultant will work with the Meteorological Services Department and its partners’ technical experts to develop the two documents.
The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) in 2016, embarked on a journey towards the development of the National Framework for Weather and Climate Services (NFWCS). Various challenges including limited human and financial resources were encountered in the process which delayed the completion of the process of establishing the framework and consequently its implementation. Assessing the baseline for weather and climate services was carried out as a desk review with funding from numerous partners (UNDP, WFP, UNESCO and WMO). The initial consultation workshop was successfully held from 9-12 November 2020.
Now, the next step requires a consultant to lead the development of a strategic plan as well as an implementation plan for the NFWCS. This will require setting up the developing goals and objectives. The consultant will also outline the strategies, outputs and activities for improved sector-specific weather and climate products and services for all the relevant sectors.
Duties and Responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities
The consultant will work with the MSD and representatives of the priority sectors/Technical Working Group from August to October 2021 to carry out the tasks that seek to fulfil the following objectives
Review of internal documents (Baseline report, consultation workshop report, Strategic Plan 2019-2023, NDS1) to guide the development of goals, objectives, strategies, outputs and activities for the NFWCS strategic and action plan as well as aligning the draft document to national and global policies (WMO).
Review available regional and international weather and climate services frameworks to draw best practices for the development of the national framework;
Develop the NFWCS Strategic and Action plan in consultation with MSD and the various priority sectors;
Engage universities and research institutions towards establishing strategies for new product development for the priority sectors;
Presentation of the draft document at validation workshops (physical/virtual) and incorporation of all proposed changes to the final draft;
Finalise the strategic and action plan document in consultation with the Meteorological Services Department and the Technical Working Group/representatives of the priority sectors.
Deliverables
Inception report and Strategic Plan for the National Framework for Weather and Climate Services, by September 2021;
Action Plan for the National Framework for Weather and Climate Services, by mid October 2021;
End of Consultancy Report (including recommendations), by end October 2021.
The contractor will report to ZRBF PMU’s Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist and the Director of the Meteorological Services Department and all deliverables must be signed off by the two. The consultant will also work closely with the selected experts from the relevant government departments for substantive aspects of the assignment. ZRBF PMU and the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) will facilitate the necessary engagements with different stakeholders.
Competencies
Corporate Competencies:
Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards (human rights, peace, understanding between peoples and nations, tolerance, integrity, respect, results orientation (UNDP core ethics) impartiality;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Functional Competencies:
Knowledge and experience with project development, implementation and management;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates openness to change, flexibility, and ability to manage complexities;
Ability to work under pressure and with multi-disciplinary and multicultural teams and possess excellent inter-personal skills;
Demonstrates strong written and oral communication skills;
Remains calm, in control and good-humoured even under pressure;
Proven networking, team-building, organisational and communication skills;
Ability to establish priorities for self and others, and to work independently.
Qualifications and Experience
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Master’s degree or higher in Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, Geography, or other related qualifications
Experience:
Minimum 5 years of working experience in the field of climate science, climate- resilient adaptation/ integrated natural resources planning at national and sub- national levels;
Previous experience in policy development processes associated with environment and sustainable development issues in the context of climate change risk and marine and freshwater resources management;
Previous experience in providing management advisory services on climate change mitigation at international organizations or development agencies;
Work experience in an international organisation is an advantage.
Language Requirements:
Excellent spoking, writing and report drafting skills;
Fluency in English is required.
How to Apply
Applicants are requested to upload copies of:
Latest CV highlighting the relevant experience. Prospective candidates could apply either as a team or as individuals. When applying as a team, the CVs of all experts in the team should be provided, along with the application;
Updated P11 Form template of which can be downloaded from this website - http://www.sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc;
A detailed technical proposal on undertaking the tasks and evidence of previous work;
Please group all your documents (CV, P11, Technical Proposal and certificates) into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document. Incomplete applications will not be given consideration.
Applicants must reply to the mandatory questions asked by the system when submitting the application
Please note that only applicants who are short-listed will be contacted.
Evaluation criteria:
The Consultant will be evaluated based on qualifications and the years of experience, as outlined in the qualifications/requirements section of the ToR. In addition, the Consultant will also be evaluated on the following methodology:
Technical Criteria weight: 70%;
Financial Criteria weight: 30%;
The award of the contract shall be made to the Consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the Terms of Reference.
