Project Coordinator at UNDP

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a multilateral financial entity of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was established to contribute to the collective efforts of the international community to combat climate change. The GCF aims to fund transformational approaches toward climate resilience and green economies, prioritizing a balanced approach between climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The GCF Board has approved the UNDP initiative, “Scaling Up the Use of Modernized Climate Information and Early Warning Systems in Malawi”, referred to as M-CLIMES, which is in the final year of its implementation.  The project has been supporting the Government of Malawi (GoM) to take steps to save lives and enhance livelihoods at risk from climate-related disasters and addressing technical, financial, capacity, and access barriers related to weather and climate information (CI) by investing in enhancing hydro-meteorological capacity for early warnings and forecasting, including the development and dissemination of tailored products for smallholder farmers and fishers, and strengthening capacities of communities to respond to climate-related disasters based on access to early warnings and climate information. The  project aims to reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts on lives and livelihoods, particularly of women, from extreme weather events and climate change. The expected key GCF Fund level impact is increased resilience and enhanced livelihoods of the most vulnerable people communities and regions in Malawi.

The project comprises three inter-linked areas of support that will (i) address gaps in Malawi’s existing meteorological and hydrological observation network to ensure spatial coverage and accuracy covering vulnerable and service delivery areas; (ii) develop and disseminate tailored, demand-based climate information/products/services to support urgent responsive action and adaptation planning for vulnerable populations, including farming and fishing communities; and (iii) empower communities to prepare and respond to climate-related disasters through participatory and decentralized early warning systems and capacities to implement disaster risk reduction measures.

The project is  implemented following UNDP’s National Implementation Modality (NIM), according to the Standard Basic Assistance Agreement between UNDP and the Government of Malawi, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) Action Plan for Malawi (see http://www.mw.one.un.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/UNDAF-Action-Plan-2012-2016.pdf), and policies and procedures outlined in the UNDP POPP (see https://info.undp.org/global/popp/ppm/Pages/Defining-a-Project.aspx).  Substantial progress has been made, and the project is on track to achieve its intended goal.

The Implementing Partner for this project is the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) in the Office of the Vice-President of the Government of Malawi. DoDMA is accountable to UNDP for managing the project, including the monitoring and evaluation of project interventions, achieving project outcomes, and the effective use of UNDP resources.  The following parties will enter into agreements with DoDMA to assist in successful delivery of project outcomes and are directly accountable to DoDMA as responsible parties (RPs) for the project: Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS), Department of Water Resources (DWR), Department of Agricultural Extension Services (DAES), Department of Fisheries (DoF), and the National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (NASFAM).

As part of the implementation of the project, the services of a Project Coordinator are sought to supervise and oversee the project activities and deliver the objective, outcomes and outputs of the project according to UNDP policies and procedures, and as aligned with GCF requirements.

Implementation and Management Support:

• Provide ongoing project implementation and management support to the IP and RPs, including district stakeholders, and deliver advisory services to promote effective and efficient delivery and achievement of project objectives and results;
• Provide secretariat services to the Project Board/Steering Committee, Technical Committee, and related bodies;
• Preparation of annual and quarterly implementation work plans for the project, including financial allocations, priority activities, performance indicators, milestones and means of verification;
• Conduct consolidated planning sessions for all departments, and advise and guide revision, finalization and the securing of approval for department action plans (over multiple planning sessions);
• Facilitate coordination with other relevant national and regional initiatives to promote synergy, complementarity, and value for money, including the Global Framework for Climate Services (GCFS);
• Ensure gender-responsive approaches to improve access to tailored climate information and early warnings;
• Preparation of monthly progress briefs and financial summaries to UNDP and IP;
• Assist DoDMA in defining principal communications needs, opportunities and functions relating to the project;
• Support to tendering and contracting of civil works in liaison with the respective government departments and procurement system in UNDP;
• Participating in joint project visits to monitor and assess implementation; resolve problems in execution and implementation, streamlining relations between national project directors, consultants and executing agencies;
• Coordinating inputs into all project reports as required (including Annual Project Reports, , Quarterly Reports and the Terminal Report);
• Quarterly status and financial reports for comments and approval by the IP and UNDP;
• Coordination the establishment of sub-national project task teams, as requested;
• Facilitate compliance with UNDP policies and procedures;
• Assist each RP in incorporating priority action plans into department action plans and budgets;
• Develop operational procedures and process innovations, as required, to promote the timely implementation of work plans.

Operation of the Project Coordination Unit (PCU):

• Ensure effective overall management of the PCU, supervision of its staff, and oversight of financial resources and safeguarding of assets;
• Provide technical inputs to specifications for procurement of goods and services, including logistical support for deployment of consultancy services;
• Technical and operational support to service providers contracted under the project;
• Undertake performance management of PCU staff, including the establishment of annual results, ongoing feedback and mid-term/final assessments.

Knowledge Management and Communications:

• Distill lessons learned and good practices and share them with the CO, the UNCT, the UNDP Regional Office, and the wider climate information and early warning system (CI/EWS) community of practice in Malawi and in the region;
• Facilitate participation of stakeholders in regional and global good practice meetings on climate information and early warning systems;
• Preparation and implementation of an outreach strategy to facilitate access to climate information and early warnings by women, men, and girls and boys, with a focus on the most vulnerable;
•  Formulation of communications strategy to raise awareness of climate information services and early warning systems, and to showcase project results and awareness;
• Coordinate communication among project partners, government, UN Agencies, other international organizations, private sector, NGOs, academia, etc. and represent the project across various fora, as required;
• Support knowledge exchange, through south-south cooperation and other means, as part of the knowledge management strategy for the project;
• Map and analyze current and emerging support in climate information and early warning systems to assess opportunities for collaboration;
• Stay abreast of emerging issues and innovation in climate information services and early warning systems, and contribute to the development and maintenance of the project knowledge networks and practices, and development of knowledge products;
• Identify problems and potential barriers to delivery of results and design effective solutions in collaboration with other programme staff and stakeholders.

Advocacy and Partnerships:

• As appropriate, provide policy-level advice to government in development of institutional, legislative and policy frameworks for climate information, early warning systems, and disaster risk reduction in line with the Sendai Framework principles and objectives;
• Advocate, promote awareness and understanding of the links and mutually supportive goals and objectives of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris agreement, and the Sustainable Development Goals;
• As needed, provide inputs for the formulation of protocols, standard operating procedures, guidelines, and practice notes on issues relating to the design, dissemination, and access to climate information and early warnings.

Capacity Building:

• Needs assessment and development of long-term capacity strengthening strategy for the IP, RPs and other project stakeholders to improve the delivery of and access to climate information and early warning services across Malawi;
• Mentor IP and RP staff members and/or project personnel in climate information and early warning systems;
• Input into design and establishment of the hydromet database and the development of procedures for information sharing between and among government and private stakeholders, including public access to reliable information;
• Support training of staff in the hydromet agencies in the installation, operation and maintenance of field and office-based equipment and database management, including facilitating the development of procedures for basin-wide flood warnings, including advising on public awareness activities;
• Organize annual task team meetings for experience sharing and lesson learning;
• Perform other duties as assigned by management.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Direction & Strategy: Strategic Thinking

• Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions
• Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP

Business Direction & Strategy: Effective Decision Making

• Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority area of expertise and resources

Business Management: Results-based Management

• Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus on improved performance and demonstrable results

Business Management: Project Management

• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals

Business Management: Risk Management

• Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks

Business Management: Partnerships Management

• Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies

2030 Agenda: Planet  Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery

Early Warning and Preparedness