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Regional Task Manager, GEF/GCF/Drylands
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BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND;
The IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) operates in twenty four countries in the Horn of Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. IUCN supports its members in the implementation of natural resources management project and for this purpose became an implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in 2014 and an accredited entity of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in 2016.
Given the preponderance of drylands biome systems in the region, expanding dryland programme opportunities and the growing GEF/GCF portfolio, this position will coordinate IUCN’s Ecosystem Management initiatives aimed at building environmental sustainability and climate resilience (and mitigation) at a large landscape scale in Eastern and Southern Africa, primarily focused on drylands, and including its GEF and GCF financed portfolio.
The Regional Task Coordinator is also a member of the IUCN ESARO Regional Leadership Team (RLT) and works with the other members of the Group in strategic planning; monitoring and evaluation; and learning, innovation and knowledge generation at the overall Intersessional Programme level. This will also include (when requested) contributing to the development of and adhering to IUCN policies and procedures related to both organizational and Programme management.
The IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) operates in twenty four countries in the Horn of Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. IUCN supports its members in the implementation of natural resources management project and for this purpose became an implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in 2014 and an accredited entity of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in 2016.
Given the preponderance of drylands biome systems in the region, expanding dryland programme opportunities and the growing GEF/GCF portfolio, this position will coordinate IUCN’s Ecosystem Management initiatives aimed at building environmental sustainability and climate resilience (and mitigation) at a large landscape scale in Eastern and Southern Africa, primarily focused on drylands, and including its GEF and GCF financed portfolio.
The Regional Task Coordinator is also a member of the IUCN ESARO Regional Leadership Team (RLT) and works with the other members of the Group in strategic planning; monitoring and evaluation; and learning, innovation and knowledge generation at the overall Intersessional Programme level. This will also include (when requested) contributing to the development of and adhering to IUCN policies and procedures related to both organizational and Programme management.
JOB DESCRIPTION
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
Strategic leadership – develop and oversee the strategic direction of the IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa ecosystem management programme, particularly its dryland resilience project and its GEF and GCF work. More specifically, this position will:-
Provide leadership on how best to use GEF and GCF funding to bring transformational change in the region
Lead the strategic development of the drylands resilience programme plan;
Lead fundraising and resource mobilization;
Act as a focal point for facilitating and supporting the involvement of relevant IUCN Commissions, Members and other members of the Secretariat;
Develop, coordinate and supervise DR programme team (including programme and project officers) to ensure that individuals work together as an integrated teams;
Portfolio development and Management;-
Identifies project opportunities aligned with countries’ and IUCN’s priorities, in coordination with IUCN global thematic programmes, with an emphasis on projects in drylands
Coordinates the preparation of concepts and project proposals with relevant national, regional and global experts and stakeholders
Ensures the technical quality of proposals, including ensuring that all projects have a solid theory of change, logical framework, stakeholder involvement plan, budget, and procurement and disbursement plans
Supports the project team in liaising with the recipient government and the project executing agency to ensure a quality preparation phase
Provide technical advice, guidance and support to projects, country offices as well as other Technical Thematic Coordinators, delegating appropriately;
Ensure that project/programme strategies and work plans are developed and implemented according to plan and commitments to partners and donors;
Work closely with the Finance and Administration as well as Human Resource Departments to ensure that projects/programmes are financially viable and have the necessary human and other resources necessary for effective implementation;
Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting:-
Ensures project monitoring, oversight and reporting requirements, including for the GEF and GCF financed projects, are met
Ensures all projects are launched in a timely manner with steering committee meetings held regularly to review progress and plan next steps
Monitors expenditures and procurements at project and portfolio levels are in line with approved budgets
Ensures project supervision missions and mid-term reviews are planned in a timely manner, mobilizing and leading the team in the field to assess the quality of project implementation and take adaptive measures where needed
Ensures that the Environment and Social Management Plans and/or other required ESMS tools are implemented and monitored.
Ensures end of project evaluations are planned and the recommendations are acted upon
Ensures projects are closed as planned with quality reporting finalized
Contribute to the development of the IUCN ESARO Programme Monitoring and Evaluation Framework;
Ensure that all projects develop and effectively implement M&E frameworks and systems, in line with the overall Component M&E framework;
Contributing to the preparation of IUCN ESARO annual performance reports.
Communication and Outreach;-
Coordinates the preparation of communication material at the regional level, in close coordination with IUCN global strategy and for the GEF and GCF.
Represents IUCN in regional workshops and meetings organized by or related to GEF and GCF.
Coordinates with other agencies on matters related to portfolio development and management, and build partnerships as appropriate.
Strategic leadership – develop and oversee the strategic direction of the IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa ecosystem management programme, particularly its dryland resilience project and its GEF and GCF work. More specifically, this position will:-
Provide leadership on how best to use GEF and GCF funding to bring transformational change in the region
Lead the strategic development of the drylands resilience programme plan;
Lead fundraising and resource mobilization;
Act as a focal point for facilitating and supporting the involvement of relevant IUCN Commissions, Members and other members of the Secretariat;
Develop, coordinate and supervise DR programme team (including programme and project officers) to ensure that individuals work together as an integrated teams;
Portfolio development and Management;-
Identifies project opportunities aligned with countries’ and IUCN’s priorities, in coordination with IUCN global thematic programmes, with an emphasis on projects in drylands
Coordinates the preparation of concepts and project proposals with relevant national, regional and global experts and stakeholders
Ensures the technical quality of proposals, including ensuring that all projects have a solid theory of change, logical framework, stakeholder involvement plan, budget, and procurement and disbursement plans
Supports the project team in liaising with the recipient government and the project executing agency to ensure a quality preparation phase
Provide technical advice, guidance and support to projects, country offices as well as other Technical Thematic Coordinators, delegating appropriately;
Ensure that project/programme strategies and work plans are developed and implemented according to plan and commitments to partners and donors;
Work closely with the Finance and Administration as well as Human Resource Departments to ensure that projects/programmes are financially viable and have the necessary human and other resources necessary for effective implementation;
Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting:-
Ensures project monitoring, oversight and reporting requirements, including for the GEF and GCF financed projects, are met
Ensures all projects are launched in a timely manner with steering committee meetings held regularly to review progress and plan next steps
Monitors expenditures and procurements at project and portfolio levels are in line with approved budgets
Ensures project supervision missions and mid-term reviews are planned in a timely manner, mobilizing and leading the team in the field to assess the quality of project implementation and take adaptive measures where needed
Ensures that the Environment and Social Management Plans and/or other required ESMS tools are implemented and monitored.
Ensures end of project evaluations are planned and the recommendations are acted upon
Ensures projects are closed as planned with quality reporting finalized
Contribute to the development of the IUCN ESARO Programme Monitoring and Evaluation Framework;
Ensure that all projects develop and effectively implement M&E frameworks and systems, in line with the overall Component M&E framework;
Contributing to the preparation of IUCN ESARO annual performance reports.
Communication and Outreach;-
Coordinates the preparation of communication material at the regional level, in close coordination with IUCN global strategy and for the GEF and GCF.
Represents IUCN in regional workshops and meetings organized by or related to GEF and GCF.
Coordinates with other agencies on matters related to portfolio development and management, and build partnerships as appropriate.
REQUIREMENTS
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• Education; At least a Master’s degree or higher in a field relevant to environment and development, including natural resources management, environment science, environmental economics, or equivalent • Language Proficiency; Excellent proficiency in written and spoken English • Work Experience; At least 10 years of experience in the design and implementation of large, complex natural resource management projects funded by multilateral funds such as the GEF or the GCF. Experience in developing large-scale project proposals, especially those focusing on sustainable land management and targeting drylands, is an asset. Demonstrated experience in results based management, including fiduciary matters and environmental and social safeguards Knowledge of the region including contacts with government, donors and main technical partners. • Functional competencies; Highly motivated and results-oriented individual Demonstrated ability to work with limited supervision to prioritize tasking and manage workflow in a high pressure environment; Excellent oral and written communication skills including ability to summarize complex program. Strong skills in strategic planning, management, supervision, and budgeting. Demonstrated ability to think critically and synthetically across fields and topics; Demonstrated ability to work in team environments and cultivate productive partnerships across a diversity of stakeholders; Ability to go beyond established procedures and models, propose new approaches which expand the range of projects High proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) Clear commitment to fostering a culture of high performance and accountability, demonstrated in the ability to manage by results, Committed to continuous learning and proactive and mature attitude towards self-development; Willingness to travel. • Core Competencies; Transparency: Able to build trust and contribute to informed and responsible decision making by carrying out the work of IUCN in a transparent manner; provides clear guidance to ensure that objectives and desired measurable results are understood by members of the team. Inclusiveness: Understands and accepts cultural diversity, and provide a tolerant, positive and supportive working environment that fosters respect for diversity, demonstrates ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Professionalism: Promote the organization’s interests, objectives and values in a diligent and professional manner. Accountability: Takes responsibility of individual and collective actions, promotes the IUCN One Programme approach. |
APPLICATIONS
Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System, by opening the vacancy announcement and pressing the "Apply" button.
Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The vacancy closes at midnight, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST). Please note that only selected applicants will be personally contacted for interviews.
Other job opportunities are published in the IUCN website: https://www.iucn.org/involved/jobs/
About IUCN
IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.
Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.
IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.
Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.
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