National Project Coordinator

Background

Addressing systemic, multi-dimensional risk and underlying risk drivers requires a holistic, cross-cutting approach. It is a logical and important course of action for a development organization such as UNDP to help countries build the resilience of societies, systems and development assets in view of advancing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement, the Agenda for Humanity and the Sustainable Development Goals. The overarching frame of UNDP's work on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and recovery is risk-informed development. Through four interconnected workstreams, UNDP’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery for Building Resilience Team (DRT) works towards strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerabilities by increasing risk governance capacity, refining and expanding the understanding of DRR, fostering access to risk information and enhancing prevention, preparedness and recovery processes. 

Timor-Leste is highly prone to multiple natural hazards, including recurrent droughts, floods, and landslides. Its location near one of the world's most active tectonic plate boundaries exposes it to frequent earthquakes and tsunami risks. Climate change is intensifying these disaster events, leading to increased environmental degradation and water scarcity that disproportionately affects food security and livelihoods of vulnerable populations. While Timor-Leste has made notable progress in strengthening its disaster risk management framework through recent policy developments, including the 2022 Organic Law for the Civil Protection Authority, the 2021 National Adaptation Plan, and the Nationally Determined Contribution 2022-2030 - significant challenges remain. The 2023 National Report on the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework identified critical gaps in risk governance, including (i) the absence of a national DRR strategy, (ii) the lack of mechanisms for tracking DRR budget and projects across sectors, (iii) limited availability of hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and disaster loss/damage data. 

The overall objective of this project is to strengthen the capacity of national and local governments, as well as communities in Timor Leste to build their resilience to disaster and climate risks, reduce their risk exposure and vulnerability, and save lives and livelihoods from disaster impacts. This will be achieved via support to risk-informed development planning and adaptive risk governance, upskilling a cadre of men and women decision-makers and practitioners to pursue integrated DRR/CCA approaches, improved damage and loss accounting systems, scaled-up community resilience building interventions, and upgrading multi-hazard and preparedness systems. 
Against this background, UNDP is seeking the support of a National Project Coordinator to support the implementation of this project, ensuring achievement of the following three outputs:

• Output 1 - Integrated Risk Governance: Strengthened disaster and climate-risk-informed development capacities at national and subnational levels to set incentives for risk reduction and resilience building
• Output 2 - Strengthened gender equality, women’s empowerment and leadership through community-based resilience building
• Output 3 - Disaster and Climate Risk Information: Increased access to and application of climate and disaster risk information in decisions on development and recovery
   

Duties and Responsibilities

The National Project Coordinator will work under the direct supervision of the Head of the Unit for Climate Change and Environment in close collaboration with other relevant units and UNDP Country Office Senior Management (Deputy Resident Representative and Resident Representative). 

The Project Coordinator is expected to assume the following responsibilities:

Day-to-Day Project Management and Implementation

• Develop the project Annual Work Plan (AWP) and establish Annual Targets, including the procurement plan and project risk log. In consultation with the UNDP Country Office and Global DRT team, elaborate/revise the work plan and budget and submit them on time.
• Develop terms of references, identify, select, and supervise national/international consultants and experts in close collaboration with the UNDP Country Office, GPMTSU. 
• Supervise the work of consultants to ensure outputs are delivered on time, within the set budget, and to high-quality standards; facilitate, guide, and monitor their work. 
• Ensure that procurement of goods and services is on time and according to the agreed work plan and procurement plan, with support from the Procurement officer.
• Carry out the following elements of project management:
  • Contractual management
  • Quarterly and annual progress reporting
  • Quarterly operational reporting
• Track the project budget expenditure against approved allocation and track project delivery through Quantum and other tools, ensuring that the expenditures are in line with the approved AWP.
• Provide financial data for donor reporting and progress reporting to the UNDP Country Office and the Global DRT teams. Prepare and consolidate the overall budget, monitor expenditures following UNDP financial rules and cost-recovery policies, and implement adequate internal control.
• Oversee the work of the Project Support Associate and the Communication Officer to ensure administrative requirements and budgets are managed and executed in a timely and appropriate manner and within UNDP and donor rules and regulations.
• Organise all relevant project workshops in a consultative manner, involving a wide variety of DRR stakeholders, including the government, private sector, NGOs, donors, and academia. 
• Act as principal technical contact for the project implementation with the Global DRT team with regard to all questions and issues that arise during national implementation. 
• Assess the technical substance, policies, and strategies and advise on the design, organization, and implementation of project activities.
• Apply principles of gender and social inclusion as the cross-cutting issue in every aspect of the project implementation and management.
• Oversee the implementation of activities ensuring effective collaboration among different teams and stakeholders. This includes managing consultants involved in each activity.

Planning, Monitoring, Reporting, and Communication

• Organize formal or informal briefing sessions with key stakeholders, as needed, to inform them of any minor changes in the implementation plan, needs for adaptive management, and emerging risks.
• Signal any delays in national deliverables compared to the work plan to the UNDP Country Office and the Global DRT team.
• Lead project monitoring, reporting, and evaluation at the national level, quarterly and annual reports, and submit them to the UNDP CO and the Global DRT team. 
• Coordinate the development of workshop reports for the inception workshop and all technical workshops. 
• Review all technical reports as required. 
• Coordinate the overall organization of training and workshops and produce reports.
• Establish and maintain good working relationships with key stakeholders, government, private sector, and non-government organizations. Facilitate effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders
• Examine efforts and provide recommendations to include various marginalized sectors, especially illiterates, women, youth, and people with disabilities.
• Develop and implement a monitoring and evaluation plan to track progress toward project objectives. Collect and analyze data to assess project impact and make necessary adjustments.
• Produce reports to be used for media development, i.e., articles, blogs, etc.

Knowledge Building and Sharing

• Contribute to sharing lessons learned and knowledge with the stakeholders and other implementing countries. 
• Ensure the capturing and dissemination of lessons learned from the implementation of the biodiversity projects and coordinate with the Global DRT team for wider dissemination.
• Facilitate training on the different project activities for government stakeholders, CSOs, the private sector, and other key stakeholders. 
• Facilitate the Project’s representation and/or participation in international knowledge networks to draw on and share best practices and lessons learned.
• Build the project’s reputation in the knowledge networks to draw on and disseminate best practices and lessons learned.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
 

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
• Adapt with Agility:  LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making 

People Management:

• UNDP People Management Competencies can be found on the dedicated site. 

Cross-functional & Technical competencies:

Business Direction & Strategy    

• System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgment to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact other parts of the system.

Business Development    

• Knowledge Facilitation: Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange. 

Business Management  

• Results-based Management: Ability to manage the implementation of strategies, programmes, and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results. Knowledge and understanding of relevant theories, concepts, methodologies, instruments, and tools.
• Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, priorities and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals. 
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively; Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results. Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming. Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools. Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness     

• Effectiveness: Project Quality Assurance 

2030 Agenda: Planet   

• Chemicals & Waste Hub: Chemicals and Waste: Persistent Organic Pollutants
   

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Project Management, Climate Change and Environment, Environmental Studies, Disaster Risk Management, Environmental Science, or other related fields is required, or 
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional two (2) years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of Master’s degree. 

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years (with Master’s degree) or 7 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of progressive experience in project management, environmental management, climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster risk reduction/management, infrastructures management, and/or related fields.

Required skills and competencies:

• Prior experience and knowledge of Climate Change Adaptation and mitigation, renewable energy, and environmental issues and constraints in Timor-Leste. 
• Sound policy understanding of global development concerns, climate change, and the environment.
• Experience working with government counterparts, international organizations.

Desired additional skills and competencies:

• Experience in project implementation, Develop Annual Work Plan, monitoring of project implementation and execution.
• Experience in project oversight and quality assurance.
• Proven managing the implementation of policy level interventions, disaster risk management, and community-resilience building initiatives.
• Experience in project operations, project budgeting and planning oversight. 
• Strong teamwork skills with gender, religion, age, and/or cross-cultural sensitivity or tactful
• Demonstrated capacity in knowledge sharing and knowledge management and ability to generate innovative and new ideas and promote learning through leadership and personal example
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong demonstration of effective participation in team-based collaboration and cooperation 
• Strong ability to effectively work with tight schedules or under pressure 
• Strong ability to identify and feedback from and to the issues, ideas, concerns, or interests of other team members

Required Languages

• Fluency in English and Tetum is required. 
• Knowledge of Portuguese and Bahasa Indonesia is desirable.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.