SENIOR PROJECT ADVISOR - (PART-TIME)

Background

The national system of protected areas of Mozambique covers a total area of 13,941,800 ha (>17% of the national territory), of which 360,900 ha are marine and 13,580,900 ha terrestrial. Currently the funding baselines for protected areas and the capacities to administer and improve protected area revenue streams, are well below the levels required to ensure that the protected area system properly serves its function as an important tool to protect biodiversity. The project will thus seek to achieve a catalytic investment in securing the long-term financial sustainability of Mozambique’s protected areas. The project will support the Government of Mozambique in developing a financial plan to direct the long-term sustainable financing of the protected area system. It will then strengthen the institutional and individual capacities of the protected area institutions to implement this financial plan by: (i) supporting the strategic and business planning processes in protected area institutions; and (ii) improving the financial management processes and systems in PA institutions. The project aims to support the integration of the national and institutional financial sustainability plans into the business and management planning of individual protected areas. While the project will only support the development of business plans in two to three protected areas, it is envisaged that the development of a generic business plan template and preparation guidelines will enable the future replication of the business planning approach across the entire system of protected areas. The project will also test and develop mechanisms for increasing income from conventional financial sources for protected areas (trust fund, user fees) and developing innovative alternatives means of revenue generation (carbon payments and biodiversity offsets). The lessons learnt from the implementation of pilot carbon and biodiversity offset initiatives will guide the future adoption and operationalization of these revenue-generating mechanisms across the national system of protected areas. Finally the project will identify opportunities for potential cost savings in protected area management by evaluating the cost-effectiveness of different types of community-based partnership approaches in and around Gorongosa Mountain in the Gorongosa National Park. It is envisaged that the knowledge developed from the implementation of different community-based partnerships in this project will contribute to the global, regional and national evidence base of the cost-effectiveness of different types of community-based partnerships.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Senior Project Adviser (SPA) will provide high-level technical support to the project team, in view of establishing the mechanisms, operational standards, and reference documents, necessary for national implementation of the components 1 and 3 of the above mentioned project. By provision of top quality and sound policy advice services to the Government, project coordination and facilitation of knowledge building and management in protected areas financial planning and management to ensure effective technical support to management and implementation of the component 1 and output 3.2 from component 3 of the Sustainable Financing of the Protected Areas System in Mozambique project. The consultant is expected to provide the overall technical backstopping to the project, providing technical support and advice on strategic direction of the project to the National Project Director, Project Manager, Project Technical Officer, Protected Areas agency staff and other counterparts through the following activities: Ensure provision of top quality technical advisory services and facilitation of knowledge building and management focusing on financial planning and management of protected areas. Provide implementation support, translating the PRODOC orientation, priorities and expected results into local interventions, in close coordination with project management team or guidelines; ensuring meeting the project objectives and results. Provide technical support to the National Project Director, Project Manager, Project Technical Officer, Financial Assistant and other implementing partners in the areas of project management and planning, management of site activities and impact assessment. Support the Project Manager and project partners in preparing Terms of Reference for consultants and sub-contractors, and assist in the selection and recruitment process. Support the Project Manager in coordinating the work of all consultants and sub-contractors, ensuring the timely delivery of expected outputs, and ensuring an effective synergy among the various sub-contracted activities;  Assist the National Project Director and Project Manager in the preparation of the Combined Project Implementation Review/Annual Project Report (PIR/APR), technical reports, quarterly financial reports for timely submission to UNDP, the GEF, other donors and Government Departments as required;  Assist the National Project Director and Project Manager to undertake the mid-term project evaluation and revisions in the implementation program and strategy based on the evaluation results;   Assist the National Project Director, Project Manager and Project Technical Officer in liaison work with project partners, donor organizations, NGOs and other groups to ensure effective coordination of project activities;  Support the Project Manager in documenting lessons learned from project implementation and make recommendations to the Steering Committee for more effective implementation and coordination of project activities;  Perform other tasks as may be requested by the National Project Director and Project Manager;  Specific activities are detailed in point F of the present ToR.

Competencies

Ability to effectively coordinate a large, multidisciplinary team of experts and consultants; A good working knowledge of international best practices in protected area planning and management is desirable; Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management, and reporting; Ability to effectively coordinate a large, multidisciplinary team of experts and consultants; Analytical skills, communications abilities, and teamwork abilities; Familiarity with UNDP and UN system is an advantage; Ability to perform under a heavy workload and tight deadlines. Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Master’s or PhD in Financial Planning and Management of Protected Areas, Environment, Biodiversity, Natural Resources Management or related field. Experience:  At least 7 years professional experience in protected areas financial planning and management, protected areas policy development and conservation sector advisory position;  Minimum of 5 years relevant work experience in protected areas management systems, protected areas policy development and conservation sector advisory position;  Demonstrable experience in implementing equivalent GEF or other multilateral donor-funded projects; Previous experience with GEF projects and PA financing strategies is an added plus; Language: Fluency in English and a working knowledge of Portuguese is required. Terms of Reference can be viewed at the following site: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/.

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