Green Climate Fund Programme Advisory Consultant

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organisations. With over 6,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, where they need it. By implementing around 1,000 projects for our partners at any given time, UNOPS makes significant contributions to results on the ground, often in the most challenging environments.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) 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.

The primary role of the Green Climate Fund Programme Advisory Consultant is to provide monitoring and oversight support to the UNEP-GCF Timor-Leste project and to provide technical guidance, as necessary, for project implementation. The consultant will document good practices and lessons learned in the implementation of the UNEP-GCF Timor-Leste project.

Project Information:

The project “Enhancing Early Warning Systems to build greater resilience to hydro meteorological hazards in Timor Leste” was approved by the Green Climate Fund Board in October 2021, with a total budget of USD 21.7 million. The United Nations Environment Programme serves as the Accredited Entity for the project. Activities will be executed by the State of Timor-Leste through the Secretary State for the Environment (SSE) and UNEP. The project will be implemented across five years and aims to deliver transformative impact to the entire population of Timor-Leste, including 1.03 million as direct beneficiaries (80% of the population), directly contributing to the attainment of selected targets and indicators of Article 7 of the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 on Climate Action, SDG 3 on Good Health and Well-Being and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The project will address the urgent need for integrated and end-to-end climate information services and multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS)  through comprehensive institutional, technical and technological capacity building from national to local level to generate and disseminate robust climate data and information at all stages of the climate services value chain. This will be achieved through four inter-related components – the Project Results:

Result 1. Strengthened delivery model and legislation for climate information and multi-hazard early warning services;

Activity 1.1 Establish institutional and policy frameworks, legislation and delivery models for climate services

Result 2. Strengthened observations, monitoring, analysis and forecasting of climate and its impacts;

Activity  2.1  Enhance  infrastructure  and  technical  support  for  observations  and monitoring

Activity 2.2 Strengthen climate modelling and impact-based forecasting 

Activity 2.3 Establish climate services for health

Result 3. Improved dissemination and communication of risk information and early warning;

Activity 3.1 Establish targeted multi-hazard early warning information systems

Result 4. Enhanced climate risk management capacity.

Activity 4.1 Build capacity to prepare for and respond to climate risks and hazards 

Activity 4.2 Establish Forecast-based Financing (FbF)

Local Context: 

Timor-Leste is a Least Developed Country (LDC) and a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) whose infrastructure and governmental systems were devastated by a 25-year war of independence. Timor-Leste is highly vulnerable to both extreme climate and slow-onset events, with very limited capacity to prepare for and recover from climate impacts. As these events increase in frequency and intensity, Timor-Leste needs accurate, timely and actionable information and early warnings on local weather, water, climate and ocean conditions and related risks to human and environmental health.

Summary of functions:

1. Technical and Institutional Support

2. Implementation and Outreach

3. Monitoring and oversight

4. Knowledge management and innovation
   

• A Master’s Degree in natural science, environmental science, climate change, or a related field.

• A Bachelor’s university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

• A minimum of least two (2) years of relevant experience, related to environment, climate change and/or sustainable development is required;

• At least one (1) year of professional experience related to climate services and early warning systems;

• Experience in the design of projects to be financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is highly desirable;

• Experience in the in working with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Asia and the Pacific is desirable;

• Experience in technical research in support of the formulation of projects/programmes/proposals for climate services and early warning systems is an asset;

• Experience in engaging with a range of stakeholders and/or officials such as government agencies, funding agencies, technical partners scientists, and the ability to communicate findings to high-level and mid-senior level management.

• Fluency in English is required.