Openings at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Duties and Responsibilities

• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.  
• UNEP's Ecosystems Division works with international and national partners, providing technical guidance and capacity development for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacities of developing countries and countries with transitional economies.  
• The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Biodiversity and Land Degradation Unit plays a key role in the implementation of GEF projects.
• Through this unit, the organization provides support to countries and partners in the development and implementation of GEF projects in focal areas of biodiversity and land degradation.
• The unit has staff based in various regions with its work coordinated from headquarters in Nairobi, in close collaboration with various regional and sub-regional offices.  
• The unit would like to recruit a consultant to lead the planning and execution of the Project Preparation Grant (PPG) process for the GEF project “Transforming Malaysia's Port Infrastructure Development through a Nature-Centric Approach for Biodiversity Conservation and Land Degradation Control” (GEF ID 11469).  
• UNEP, acting as an implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is providing assistance to the executing agency for the project, Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA), in the preparation of the GEF Full-Sized Project " Transforming Malaysia's Port Infrastructure Development through a Nature-Centric Approach for Biodiversity Conservation and Land Degradation Control.” As part of the GEF PPG, UNEP is hiring a consultant to develop, in full compliance with the enforced GEF rules and standards, a CEO endorsement package for submission to the GEF Secretariat.
• In accordance with the GEF procedures, the full set of project documentation must be submitted to the GEF Secretariat no later than February 15, 2025.
• Through the present announcement, UNEP is seeking to engage an experienced consultant who has a strong background in GEF requirements for project design, implementation, and monitoring, as well as experience in sustainable land management, land use planning, and creation of new protected areas.
• The objective of the assignment is to develop the GEF CEO Endorsement Request, including all applicable annexes, for the project " Transforming Malaysia's Port Infrastructure Development through a Nature-Centric Approach for Biodiversity Conservation and Land Degradation Control.”
• The consultancy will be home-based, with travel to Malaysia.  
• The specific tasks to be performed by the consultant are as follows:  
• Organize, coordinate, and lead the project design; present a plan for the entire PPG from the beginning of the process, with a logical timeline, detailed agenda, and methodology.
• Participate in field missions when possible.
• Participate in periodic discussions, in the presence or virtually when needed, with the project design team and partners (i.e., governmental agencies and civil society) on the project progress and, when needed, on specific issues (i.e., organizational and governance structure of the project).
• Monitor the PPG process at the request of UNEP´s Task Manager, MIMA, and other relevant parties (Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change, port authorities, and states), and/or with key stakeholders, including the project’s lead agency, WWF US, for purposes of informing them about the project and the ongoing PPG processes.
• Periodically, inform UNEP's Task Manager and MIMA on the status of the work and highlight, in a timely manner, risks related to the quality of the information received and the fulfillment of the project's development schedule. Work in close coordination with and assign tasks to national consultants and ensure that all coordination and assignment tasks are communicated to and through MIMA.
• Review risks and their respective rankings and propose mitigation measures with inputs from the project design team and other relevant stakeholders.
• Prepare and compile the CEO Endorsement, including all annexes and appendices.  
• Prepare costed M&E work plan for all activities, with defined indicators, to be funded by the GEF including clear identification of responsibilities and accountabilities, as well as an appropriate M&E budget. The plan will be based on the standard template provided in the package template that reflects the mandatory requirements of the GEF M&E Policy.
• Finalize the project results framework as regards all activities. Further define the results framework with appropriate objective-level and outcome-level quantitative and qualitative SMART indicators, mid and end-of-project targets. Establish baseline and targets for indicators reporting on the UNEP Integrated Results and Resources Framework. Ensure that all related activities are in conformity with GEF-8 focal area guidelines and indicators. Special attention should be paid to include socio-economic and gender sensitive indicators.
• Prepare draft responses to comments from the UNEP´s Project Review Committee (PRC) and the GEF Secretariat (GEFSEC) and submit them to UNEP´s Task Manager and MIMA.  
• The lead consultant is responsible for ensuring:  
• The project proposal follows relevant national/ respective ports’ policies and programs and in alignment with strategic and planning documents, such as the National Transport Policy (NTP), demonstrating Malaysia's commitment towards sustainable infrastructure, with the National Port Master Plan (NPMP), National Policy on Biological Diversity (NPBD) 2016-2025, Guideline for Erosion and Sediment Control in Malaysia (GESCM), and Malaysian Shipping Master Plan (MSMP).  
• The existing baseline analysis provided in the Child Project Concept and Project Framework Document is updated.
• The package includes a Gender Analysis, a Gender Action Plan, and a Stakeholder Engagement Plan, personnel ToRs, project workplan, procurement plan etc.;
• The package includes an assessment of environmental and social safeguards, encompassing, when needed, applicable mitigation measures.  
• The consultant must also verify and, if this is the case, include the identification of potential institutional linkages with ongoing and proposed GEF Projects and other project-relevant initiatives (e.g., International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) GreenVoyage 2050 Accelerators Program, the Heart of Borneo Initiative, the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), Mangrove Rehabilitation and Conservation projects to restore degraded mangroves and raise awareness by the Global Environment Centre (GEC), Hong Leong Bank and Malaysian Nature Society, and Restoration and Conservation projects based on the ministry of natural resources, environment and climate change (NRECC) National Action Plan for Peatlands).
• The Lead Consultant will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the National Consultants and must ensure that all supervisory activities are communicated to and through MIMA.  Reporting Lines:
• The Lead Consultant will report to Kavita Sharma, Task Manager, GEF-Biodiversity, and Land Degradation Unit, under the supervision of Johan Robinson, Head, GEF-Biodiversity, and Land Degradation Unit, and MIMA, Malaysia.  
• The consultancy will be home-based with possible project site visits.

Qualifications/Special Skills

• An advanced university degree in biodiversity sciences, environmental sciences, natural resource management, natural resource policy, environmental policy, environmental economics, or a closely related field is required.
• A minimum of 7 years of professional experience in environmental planning, sustainable land management, management, and protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services is required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of GEF policies and programming, as well as senior experience in GEF project formulation and writing of the GEF Project Document and CEO Endorsement is highly desirable.
• Work experience in ecological restoration, and nature-based solutions, particularly in coastal areas, working with a broad range of stakeholders and international donor agencies, preferably with experience working with various GEF Implementing Agencies on GEF project design and/or implementation, midterm and terminal evaluation reviews is desirable
• Work experience in coastal wetlands and near-shore tropical and sub-tropical marine ecosystems management (e.g., coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests and/or peatlands) is desirable.
• Experience in leading and/or participating in multi-disciplinary teams addressing a range of environmental planning and management issues) and Experience working in the South and Southeast Asia Region is highly desirable.

Languages

• Fluency in oral and written English is required.

No Fee

• THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS

Deadline : Jun 26, 2024

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Responsibilities

PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT

• Collaborates with programme/project managers on performance reporting; liaises with relevant parties on the interpretation of the activities/services scheduled various planning instruments such as the medium-term plan and internal work plans; provides assistance on reporting requirements, guidelines, rules and procedures and ensures completeness and accuracy of data submitted.
• Serves as focal point for coordination, monitoring and expedition of programme/project implementation activities, involving extensive liaison with diverse organisational units to initiate requests, prepare standard terms of reference against programme/project objectives, obtain necessary clearances, process and follow-up on administrative actions and resolve issues related to project implementation, e.g. recruitment and appointment of personnel, travel arrangements, organisation of and participation in training/study tours, authorization of payments, disbursement of funds, procurement of equipment and services, etc.
• Reviews all documents needing the Head of Branch’s approval to ensure that proper procedures have been followed for clearances.  
• Prepares, maintains and updates files (electronic and paper) and internal databases; designs and generates a variety of periodic and ad hoc reports, statistical tables, graphic content, and other background materials/notes to facilitate inspection and other reviews.  
• Drafts correspondence and communications related to all aspects of Branch-level administration, including work plan and budgets, revisions and other related issues, as well as prepares unit contributions for a variety of periodic reports  
• Assists in the monitoring and evaluation of programmes/projects; categorizes, updates, tracks and analyses data related to programmes/projects, e.g. accounting records, outputs, resources utilized, deviations/revisions, etc.; carries out periodic status reviews, identifies issues and initiates requisite follow-up actions; prepares revised budget estimates; reports on budget revisions, expenditures and obligations, verifies availability of funds; ensures necessary approval and entry in computerized budget system; initiates financial authorizations for expenditures.
• Drafts programme/project summaries, coordinates review and clearance process, and coordinates with editor, translation services, etc. on finalization and publication of report multiple languages.  
• Provides assistance in support of planning and implementation activities/processes at Branch level.  
• Researches, compiles, analyses, summarizes, and presents basic information/data on specific programmes/project and related topics led by the Branch.
• Assists in the coordination of programme/project planning and preparation; monitors status of programme/project proposals; takes necessary action to ensure project documents are completed and submitted to relevant parties for approval.

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

• Initiates, reviews, processes and follows-up on actions related to the administration of the unit’s human resource activities, e.g., recruitment of staff and consultants, placement, promotion, relocation, performance appraisal, job classification reviews, separation of staff members, training etc., ensuring consistency in the application of UN rules and procedures.  
• Oversees the maintenance of vacancy announcement files and keeps track of status of vacancy announcements.  
• Monitors staffing table and prepare relevant statistical data/charts.  
• Provides guidance and training to new/junior staff.  
• Monitors leave schedules and overtime requests for Head of Branch’s approval.  

BUDGET AND FINANCE

• Assists in the preparation and review of financial and human resource proposals/requirements.
• Consolidates budget/work programme with respect to Headquarters’ budget, trust funds, grants and procurement.  
• Monitors expenditures and compares with approved budget; prepares adjustments as necessary.  
• Assists managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions.  
• Assists in preparation of budget performance submissions and finalization of budget performance reports, analysing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures • Prepares or customizes financial reports from Umoja system generated reports.
• Co-ordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports.
• Assists in the preparation and analysis of programme/project budget proposals; provides assistance in the interpretation of budget guidelines; reviews and coordinates submissions of programme proposals and budget estimates, ensuring that requisite information is included and justified in terms of proposed activities; propose adjustments as necessary; prepares reports and ensures that outputs/services are properly categorized.    

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

• Drafts routine correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant administrative, financial audit, personnel matters.    
• Maintains and strives to improve administrative procedures in the Head of Branch’s office, including support for meetings, scheduling, documentation for the Branch Head.
• Ensures Branch and Management meetings are arranged on time, takes minutes during the meetings and distributes to all participants.  
• Performs other related administrative duties, as required (e.g., operational travel programme; monitoring accounts and payment to vendors and individual contractors for services; physical space planning; identification of office technology needs and     maintenance of equipment, software and systems; organizing and coordinating seminars, conferences and translations).
• May be responsible for guiding, training, and supervising the work of more junior General Service staff.  
• Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making.
• Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures.  

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

• Assists with day-to-day administration of contracts between the UN and external contractors for outsourced services.
• Audits the contractors' invoices against the goods and services provided by the contractor and approved by the UN.
• Processes the payment of contractors' invoices and monitor payments.
• Prepares and processes all UN forms and permissions for contractual and work Unit, Section or Service UN staff, including: UN grounds passes, property passes, UN parking permits, swipe-card access and door keys.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM:

• Ability to perform a broad range of administrative functions, e.g., budget/work programme, human resources, database management, etc. Ability to apply knowledge of various United Nations administrative, financial and human resources rules and regulations in work situations.  
• Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.
• The ability to perform analysis, modeling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making.  

TEAMWORK:  

• Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.  

PLANNING AND ORGANIZING:  

• Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Work Experience

• A minimum of seven (7) years of experience in administrative services, finance, programme assistance, or related area is required.
• The minimum no. of years of relevant experience is reduced by two (2) years for candidates who possess a first-level university degree.    
• A minimum of two (2) years of experience with coordination in a front office setting is required.    
• Experience in computer applications, mainly spreadsheets is required.    
• Working experience within a large international organization similar to the United Nations is desirable.    
• Experience supporting large and diverse teams to deliver international work is desirable.    
• Experience with an Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) e.g., Umoja is desirable.    
• One (1) year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.
• For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.  
• NOTE: "Fluency equals a rating of "fluent" in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and "Knowledge of" equals a rating of "confident" in two of the four areas.

Deadline : Jul 17, 2024

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Result of Service

• Delivery and manage progress for Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the Community Action for Freshwater website development and completion of data dashboard, in coordination with Rotary International, UNEP-DHI, and EarthWatch.  
• Delivery of communication strategy, multimedia production plan, draft video scripts, and final Prospectus Video that supports the Global Fund for Coral Reefs replenishment strategy thereby artistically conveying what the Fund is, how it works (mechanism & approach), and what the replenishment needs and projected impacts are.
• Deliver other Marine and Freshwater communication assets (e.g. freshwater and Sport for Nature) as needed throughout the contract period, and provide event management and coordination support around identified key milestones and as necessary throughout the contract period.
• Develop a Sport for Nature Guidance Note on best practices to be undertaken by Marine and Freshwater sports, conduct a baseline assessment of existing Sport for Nature Commitments and draft a recommendations report, and facilitate fundraising and resource mobilization activities under the Sport for Nature Framework.

Work Location

• Nairobi

Expected Duration

• 6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

• Background  The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. UN Environment's mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.
• UN Environment Programme's Ecosystems Division supports countries in conserving, restoring and sustainably managing their terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, the biodiversity they contain and the products and services they provide for human well-being and prosperity.  
• UNEP’s new Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) requires the organization to prioritize and program its funding for maximum impact around three interrelated areas of work: combating nature and biodiversity loss, addressing climate change, and dealing with the causes and impacts of pollution, in achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the Paris Agreement, other internationally agreed goals and targets of the United Nations, including United Nations Environment Assembly, and national and regional MEAs, including Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (RSCAPs).  
• The Freshwater Ecosystems Unit (FEU) works to meet the MTS and GBF through key partnerships with Rotary International, the World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA) and joint initiatives such as the Freshwater Challenge. In addition, the FEU has mandated tasks to monitor SDG indicator 6.6.1. and to implement UNEA resolutions including Resolution 4 of UNEA 5.2 – Sustainable Lake Management.  
• Duties and Responsibilities  Under the supervision of the Marine and Freshwater Branch’s Strategic Communications and Global Engagement Expert, the Freshwater Team’s Programme Management Officer, and the Chief of Youth, Education, and Advocacy Unit, the consultant will perform the following duties:  
• Manage the UNEP-Rotary Partnership, by undertaking the following: o Liaise with Rotary and oversee Phase 2 and 3 in developing the Community Action for Fresh Water (CAFW) website, which includes coordinating the development of a data dashboard with UNEP-DHI. o Liaise with EarthWatch to ensure data integration is streamlined within the Community Action for Freshwater platform. o Coordinate various media and social media engagements between UNEP and Rotary International. o Build links for CAFW to programmes within UNEP including; Tide Turners, INC, WWQA, Lakes Resolution, Nutrients and Pollution, Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, Freshwater Challenge etc. o Develop an impact summary report estimating impact of partnership activities in Q3 and Q4 of 2024.  
• Coordinate the integration/linkage of UNEPs various marine and freshwater web-based assets to create a more unified communication package, by undertaking the following: o Draft, transform or repackage existing science to create evidence-based policy products such as briefing notes, policy briefs, position papers, bullets, aimed at decision-makers in policy processes. (Key milestones include, but not limited to, World Water Week, UNGA and the One Water Summit, Pre-UNOC, CBD COP16, Climate COP, UNOC). o Manage the integration and potential linkages of UNEP’s marine and freshwater web-based assets including, but not limited to the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Freshwater Page, Freshwater Ecosystem Explorer, Freshwater Challenge, WWQA Portal, GEMS Water SDG monitoring, UNEP-Rotary CAFW, Global Fund for Coral Reefs, and Sport for Nature into key milestone events and ancillary communication products. This entails liaising with UNEP Communications Division to create social media assets such as: social media cards, infographics, web stories, photo essays, etc. to promote these web assets and their linkages. o Support overall branch communication coherence, advocacy initiatives and outreach and engagement strategies, by undertaking the following: (1) Website refresh and maintenance, (2) Drafting of web stories related to water continuum narrative, (3) Scripting and production of multimedia products; factsheets, videos, social media posts, (4) Coordinating various unit outputs for Pollution Free Nutrients/ Nitrogen & Phosphorus and Marine Litter/Plastic Pollution.
• Support and coordinate the Global Fund for Coral Reefs strategic communication and engagement project action track, by undertaking the following: o Develop a communication strategy and multimedia production plan, including drafting scripts for the various multimedia products that aim to support the Global Fund for Coral Reefs replenishment strategy. The multimedia products should artistically convey what the Fund is, how it works (mechanism & approach), and what the replenishment needs and projected impacts are.
• The communication strategy and scripting of the multimedia communication assets should showcase a pipeline of GFCR projects spanning 23 countries that are ready for further investment to grow and further develop over 400 reef-positive enterprises and financial mechanisms to achieve the 2030 targets.
• The communication strategy and multimedia production plan should include talking points and narrative scripting for a 3-4-minute Prospectus video to support the Global Fund for Coral Reefs’ replenishment strategy: highlighting the early-stage programmatic successes of the Global Fund for Coral Reefs.
• The Prospectus video is designed to be a “pitch” that directly supports the GFCR replenishment strategy, showcasing an alignment to the GFCR narrative.
• The communication strategy and multimedia production plan should also provide narrative scripting and potential interview questions for shorter videos that highlight the overall threats to coral reef, the Global Biodiversity Plan, and GFCR project-specific content for the Mexico and Colombia projects.
• Provide event management and coordination support to GFCR in lead up to UNGA and the announcement of the replenishment strategy, in addition to other key milestones, including UNOC, World Environment Day, World Oceans Day, CBD COP, and Climate COP, among other events.
• Execute on the #ForCoral Champions Strategy and support the development of the Group of Friends o Oversee broader UNEP communication deliverables in support of the GFCR, which includes liaising with UNEP Communications Division to create social media assets such as: social media cards, infographics, web stories, photo essays, etc. to promote GFCR web assets and their linkages to the GBF.
• Assess Sport for Nature commitments and signatories and report on the recommended areas of improvements  
• Develop a Guidance Note for Marine and Freshwater sports based on current toolkits made available through the Sport for Nature Working Group.
• The Guidance Note will be developed by undertaking a baseline assessment of best practices for marine and freshwater sports to engage in Sport for Nature activities.
• The Guidance Note should evaluate what marine and freshwater sports are currently doing in the nature and biodiversity space, what needs to be improved upon, and how the Sport for Nature Framework can assist these sports in meeting their needs and commitments.  
• Following the baseline assessment, the consultant will develop a short / sharp set of recommendations for such sports would be developed with the aim of producing a draft (undesigned) toolkit of guidance that can be adapted and taken forward for other sports to learn from.
• Support resource mobilization and fundraising efforts for the Sport for Nature programme. o Develop a fundraising strategy that targets the North American sports market to secure financial commitments for the Sport for Nature programme in 2025.  

Reporting Lines:

• The consultant will perform duties under the direct supervision of the Programme Management Officer (Freshwater Ecosystems Unit), the Strategic Communications and Global Engagement Expert (Marine and Freshwater Branch), and the Chief of Youth, Education, and Advocacy Unit, all who work within the Ecosystems Division.

Qualifications/Special Skills

• An advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Environmental Studies, Urban regional planning or related field is required.
• At least 5 years of experience in environment related communication and outreach is required;  
• Experience in working with multi-disciplinary teams, including local and expatriate technical experts is required;
• Experience in partnership building and maintenance is required Experience in working with multi-disciplinary teams, including local and expatriate technical experts is required.
• Demonstrated experience in project development, implementation and management is desired

Languages

• English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.  For this post, fluency in English is required

No Fee

• THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

Deadline : Jun 27, 2024

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Duties and Responsibilities

ORGANIZATION SETTING.  

• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations systems designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.  This consultancy is located at Headquarters in the Evaluation Office which reports directly to the Executive Director.
• The consultant reports to the Evaluation Manager  and the Director of the Evaluation Office.  

THE EVALUATION  

• In line with the UNEP Evaluation Policy  and the UNEP Programme Manual , the Terminal Evaluation is undertaken at operational completion of the project to assess project performance (in terms of relevance, effectiveness and efficiency), and determine outcomes and impacts (actual and potential) stemming from the project, including their sustainability.
• The Evaluation has two primary purposes: (i) to provide evidence of results to meet accountability requirements, and (ii) to promote operational improvement, learning and knowledge sharing through results and lessons learned among UNEP and the main project partners.
• Therefore, the Evaluation will identify lessons of operational relevance for future project formulation and implementation, especially where a second phase of the project is being considered. Recommendations relevant to the whole house may also be identified during the evaluation process.  

THE PROJECT  

• The project objective of the European Union Partnership Instrument (EUPI) grant “The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Promoting a sustainable agriculture and food sector” (TEEB AgriFood) was to enhance biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service provisioning for agricultural landscapes for the seven countries in scope (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and Thailand).
• The grant aimed to protect biodiversity and contribute to a more sustainable agriculture and food sector with a view to moving towards a level playing field by avoiding unfair competition through low environmental standards.  

THE EVALUATION TEAM  

• For this Evaluation, the Evaluation Consultant will work under the overall responsibility of the Evaluation Office represented by an Evaluation Manager, in consultation with the UNEP Project Manager, Fund Management Officer and the Subprogramme Coordinator of the Nature for Action Subprogramme (formerly known as Healthy and Productive Ecosystems).  

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES  

• In close consultation with the Evaluation Manager, the Evaluation Consultant will be responsible for the overall management of the Evaluation and timely provision of its outputs, data collection and analysis and report-writing.
• More specifically:  Inception phase of the Evaluation, including:
• preliminary desk review and introductory interviews with project staff; 
• Draft the reconstructed Theory of Change of the project; 
• Prepare the evaluation framework;
• Develop the desk review and interview protocols;  
• Draft the survey protocols (if relevant); 
• Develop and present criteria for country and/or site selection for the evaluation mission;
• Plan the evaluation schedule;
• Prepare the Inception Report, incorporating comments until approved by the Evaluation Manager  Data collection and analysis phase of the Evaluation, including:  
• Conduct further desk review and in-depth interviews with project implementing and executing agencies, project partners and project stakeholders;  
• (where appropriate and agreed) conduct an evaluation mission(s) to selected countries, visit the project locations, interview project partners and stakeholders, including a good representation of local communities.
• Ensure independence of the Evaluation and confidentiality of evaluation interviews.
• Regularly report back to the Evaluation Manager on progress and inform of any possible problems or issues encountered and;
• Keep the Project Manager informed of the evaluation progress.  

Reporting phase, including:  

• Draft the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring that the evaluation report is complete, coherent and consistent with the Evaluation Manager guidelines both in substance and style;
• Liaise with the Evaluation Manager on comments received and finalize the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring that comments are taken into account until approved by the Evaluation Manager
• Prepare a Response to Comments annex for the main report, listing those comments not accepted by the Evaluation Consultant and indicating the reason for the rejection; and
• (where agreed with the Evaluation Manager) prepare an Evaluation Brief (2-page summary of the evaluand and the key evaluation findings and lessons)  Managing relations, including:
• Maintain a positive relationship with evaluation stakeholders, ensuring that the evaluation process is as participatory as possible but at the same time maintains its independence;
• Communicate in a timely manner with the Evaluation Manager on any issues requiring its attention and intervention.  
• The Evaluation Consultant shall have had no prior involvement in the formulation or implementation of the project and will be independent from the participating institutions.
• The consultant will sign the Evaluation Consultant Code of Conduct Agreement Form.    
• The Evaluation Consultant will be selected and recruited by the UNEP Evaluation Office through an individual consultancy contract.  
• Comprehensive terms of reference will be shared with the consultant separately.

Qualifications/Special Skills

• A first level university degree in environmental sciences, international development or other relevant political or social sciences area is required and an advanced degree in the same areas is desirable.  
• A minimum of 12 years of technical/evaluation experience is required, preferably including evaluating large, regional or global programmes and using a Theory of Change approach required;  
• A good/broad understanding of biodiversity and sustainable resource management is required;  
• A good/broad understanding of food systems and sustainable agriculture is desirable.  
• Working knowledge of the UN system and specifically the work of UNEP is an added advantage.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in oral and written English is a requirement.

Deadline : Jul 3, 2024