Project Technical Coordinator (Biodiversity Enabling Activities)

Project background:

• The GEF created a global program to support countries to design a national biodiversity finance plan. A biodiversity finance plan includes a systems analysis of a country's economy including to map existing financing mechanisms, subsidies with potential harmful impacts on nature, drivers of biodiversity loss & gain, public & private expenditures committed towards biodiversity objectives & a country's national financial needs for biodiversity. The biodiversity finance plan itself consists of a series of actions with the aim to significantly scale up available funding, green or phase out harmful finance flows & improve the effectiveness of available expenditures. The program allows for active sharing of experiences across countries & includes a knowledge sharing platform & the provision of continuous technical support to country teams.

• The umbrella program to support National Biodiversity Strategies & Action Plans (NBSAP's) update & the 7th national reports will support countries in revising & updating their NBSAP's in order to align with the recently agreed Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM GBF) & enable effective implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) & the KM GBF at the national level. In addition, this grant supports countries in preparing & submitting their 7th national report on the implementation of the CBD & the KM GBF. This global program will be responsive to CBD guidance on developing NBSAP's & completing the 7th national report, including recent COP 15 outcomes & decisions. It will also build upon existing work through the Global Biodiversity Framework Early Action Support (GBF EAS) that is ongoing, as well as support to countries to develop biodiversity finance plans, through the recently approved.

• The implementation of the two projects in Yemen falls under the GEF 8 umbrella program for the development of the first national biodiversity finance plan & 7th NBSAP report. The overall implementation of the two projects will be led by the Project Analyst with the support of a technical team & in coordination with the government project’s focal point & the national steering committee for the two projects.

• Within this overall background, our client in Yemen is seeking a Project Technical Coordinator to lead in country activities & consultations for the two projects.

Objectives:

• The Project Technical Coordinator will provide a comprehensive technical support to the country office & the Project Manager in the implementation of the projects of NBSAP update & the 7th national report & the biodiversity finance plan. The Project Technical Coordinator will be responsible for the dedicated technical guidance to, & oversight over, the revision / update of the country’s NBSAP & preparation of the 7th national report to the CBD in addition to the development of the national biodiversity finance plan. S / He is expected to have senior experience & to provide substantial technical expertise in assuring horizontal integration & consistency of deliverables submitted by the national consultants hired under both projects, as well as technical advisory services throughout the duration of the national project components, in close coordination with the national steering committee for these projects.

The Project Technical Coordinator (Biodiversity Enabling Activities) will be responsible for the following tasks under the two projects:

• Support the Project Manager in drafting terms of reference & identifying, selecting & supervising national & international consultants & experts as needed.

• Support the Project Manager in overseeing consultants’ work to ensure timely & high quality deliverables, providing guidance & monitoring their activities.

• Organize monthly meetings with consultants to track projects’ progress.

• Review & compile technical reports as directed by the Project Manager.

• Organize project national steering committee meetings, including preparing agendas, materials, presentations & minutes.

• Plan & facilitate projects’ workshops, engaging diverse biodiversity stakeholders such as government, private sector, NGOs, donors & academia.

• Develop comprehensive reports for inception & technical workshops.

• Contribute to the preparation of the Project Implementation Reports (PIRs) as requested by the Project Manager.

• Evaluate technical aspects, policies & strategies to guide project design, organization & implementation.

• Conduct formal or informal briefings with government officials to address implementation changes, adaptive management needs & emerging risks.

• Build & maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including government, private sector & NGOs.

• Recommend strategies to engage marginalized groups, including illiterate individuals, women, youth & people with disabilities.

• Contribute to content production for media development & provide inputs for communication materials, such as articles, success stories, press releases, social media posts & other relevant communication outputs.

• Share lessons learned & knowledge with regional stakeholders & other implementing countries under the two umbrella projects.

• Participate in international knowledge exchange sessions & regional webinars to share best practices & lessons learned.

• Participate in resource mobilization & proposals’ development as part of the resource mobilization efforts for the projects.

The Project Technical Coordinator will work under the direct supervision of the Project Manager.

Education:

• Master’s degree in environment / natural resource management, biodiversity, economics / finance or a closely related field or any other field combined with relevant work experience or bachelor’s degree in the same areas mentioned in combination with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the masters university degree.

Experience, knowledge & skills:

• At least 10 years of experience, preferably in the implementation of environment / biodiversity / finance projects & prior experience with our clients projects would be an asset.

• Experience in managing working teams & supervising technical assessments & reviewing reports & technical documents.

• Experience in dealing with international & national experts & institutions.

• Knowledge of environmental or biodiversity related policies in Yemen.

• Experience in analysis, research in the field of ecology, environment protection & sustainable resource management.

• Experience in conveying complex technical information to diverse stakeholders.

• Excellent & proven working experience in the country, dealing with international, regional & local contractors & partners.

Language requirements:

• Proficiency in English & Arabic both oral & writing.

Team management experience is required for this role.

Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.