Ministry Of Natural Resources And Climate Change
MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND CLIMATE CHANGE
ASSIGNMENTS UNDER TRANSFORMATIONAL ADAPTATION FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN THE LAKE CHILWA BASIN OF MALAWI PROJECT (TRANSFORM)
1.0 BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION
The Malawi Government has received financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement the
Transformational Adaptation for Climate Resiliencein the Lake Chilwa Basin of Malawi (TRANSFORM). In the Lake Chilwa basin in southern Malawi, local communities are increasingly affected by the impacts of climate change. Since the 1960s, Malawi has experienced an increase in annual temperatures, prolonged dry seasons, increasingly variable rainfall patterns and more frequent heavy rainfall events. These climatic changes have been particularly acute in the Lake Chilwa basin where they have contributed to a rise in the intensity and frequency of climate hazards such as droughts and floods associated with: i) a decline in the capacity of ecosystems in the basin to regulate the hydrological cycle; ii) a decrease in Lake Chilwa’s water levels; and iii) a reduction in the productivity of fisheries and rainfed agriculture.
TRANSFORM Project aims to reduce the vulnerability of communities surrounding the lake to the adverse effects of climate change by strengthening the resilience of livelihoods through
Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) and financing of sustainable, climate-resilient enterprises. Specific interventions implemented under TRANSFORM will include: i) enhancing the capacity of communities and institutions to plan, implement and monitor EbA interventions that build the adaptive capacity of the basin; ii) improving small-scale producers’ access to lucrative markets for climate-resilient products and value chains through diversification of product/service offerings and alternative livelihoods, as well as by enhancing access to microfinance, social protection and insurance; and iii) facilitating the adoption of alternative and climate-resilient livelihoods.
These interventions will see more robust and coordinated relationships between the private sector and small-scale producers, facilitated by concessional financing, improved
infrastructure and technologies, thereby enabling a long-term resilience building and vulnerability reduction in the Lake Chilwa basin and across the rest of Malawi.
The project will be implemented in Machinga, Zomba and Phalombe Districts. It is against this background that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change would like to
recruit personnel to spearhead the management and implementation of the TRANSFORM project.
The Ministry therefore, would like to invite applications from suitable candidates to fill the vacant positions that exist within the Project Management Unit (PMU) at the Environmental
Affairs Department.
1.1 OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
The objective of the project is to reduce the vulnerability of communities surrounding Lake Chilwa to the adverse effects of climate change by strengthening the resilience of livelihoods
through Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) and financing of climate-resilient enterprises in Lake Chilwa, and scaled up to other regions of Malawi: This will be addressed through 3
components:
(i) Component 1: Enhancing financing and investment in adaptation options and climate-resilient enterprises in the Lake Chilwa basin, with potential for upscaling to other regions
of Malawi. this will contribute to the outcome of enhanced public and private sector investment in and strengthened market linkages for upscaling sustainable, climate-resilient
enterprises to provide communities with alternative sources of income.
(ii) Component 2: Implementation of EbA and Sustainable climate-resilient livelihoods. This will contribute to the attainment of outcome 1 which is Reduced vulnerability of communities in target districts to climate change through the implementation of EbA interventions and the introduction of innovative sustainable climate-resilient livelihoods in preparation for scaling up through Outcomes 1 and 3.
(iii) Component 3: Strengthening the enabling environment for upscaling of initiatives aimed at climate-resilient development across Malawi. This will contribute to the outcome of
Strengthened enabling environment for district and community-level institutions to plan, implement and monitor Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), in readiness for receiving
funding under the SCFF.
2.0 PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change through the Environmental Affairs Department (EAD) is implementing a Transformation adaptation for Climate Resilience in the Lake Chilwa Basin in Malawi project (TRANSFORM). It is against this background that the Ministry would therefore like to seek the services of a (i)Project Manager, (ii) Monitoring and
Evaluation Officer, (iii) Safeguards Officer, (iv) Gender and Social Inclusion Officer, (v) Project Coordinators, (vi) Project Procurement Officer, (vii) Finance and Administrative Officer, (viii) Finance and Administrative Assistants to manage day to day operations of the project for a period of 60 months.
The Project Manager, the Project Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, the Project Safeguards Officer, the Project Gender and Social Inclusion Officer, the Finance and Administration Officer and the project Procurement Officer will operate from the Project Management Unit (PMU) based at the Environmental Affairs Department offices in Lilongwe and will be reporting to the Director of Environmental Affairs. The District Project Coordinators and Finance and Administration Assistants will operate from Machinga, Zomba and Phalombe Districts and will report to the Project Manager based at Environmental Affairs Department in Lilongwe.
2.6 Project Gender and Social Inclusion Officer
2.6.1 Overall Description of the duties
The Gender and Social inclusion Officer will be part of the PMU based at the Environmental Affairs Department in Lilongwe and will be reporting to the Project Manager. She/he will ensure that project implementation is in line with Gender-responsive strategies and approaches and incorporate which not only go beyond addressing the differentiated challenges that Men, Women, and youth face in accessing and benefiting from project interventions, but also address aspects of the root causes of gender-based discrimination, Sexual Exploitation and Harassment and Gender Based Violence. The Gender and Social
inclusion Officer will be employed on Contractual basis and will be required to work for 1 week in a month over a period of 5 Years. (Approximately 60 working days per year for a period of 5 Years)
Project Gender and Social Inclusion Officer
60 working days/ year / over a period of 5 years (1week/month)
The Gender and Social inclusion Officer will be based at the Environmental Affairs Department in Lilongwe and will be reporting to the Project manager. She/he will ensure that
project implementation is in line with Gender-responsive strategies and approaches and incorporate which not only go beyond only addressing the differentiated challenges that Men, Women, and youth face in accessing and benefiting from project interventions, but also address aspects of the root causes of gender-based discrimination, Sexual Exploitation and Harassment and Gender Based Violence. The Gender and Social inclusion Officer will be employed on Contractual basis and will be required to work for 1 week in a Month over a period of 5 Years. (Approximately 60 working days per year for a period of 5 Years)
Duties and Responsibilities
- Monitor progress in implementation of the project Gender Action Plan, ensuring that targets are fully met and the reporting requirements are fulfilled;
- Monitor progress in the development/implementation of the Project ESMP/ESMF, ensuring that UNDPs SES policy is fully met and the reporting requirements are fulfilled;
- Oversee/develop/coordinate the implementation of all gender- and safeguard-related work;
- Review the Gender Action Plan annually, and update and revise corresponding management plans as necessary; and
- Ensure social and environmental grievances are effectively and transparently managed;
- Review the SESP annually, and update and revise the corresponding risk log; mitigation/management plans as necessary;
- Ensure full disclosure with concerned stakeholders;
- Ensure environmental and social risks are identified, avoided, mitigated and managed throughout project implementation; and
- Work with the M&E officer to ensure reporting, monitoring and evaluation fully address the gender and safeguard concerns of the Project.
- Facilitate Training and capacity building support for UNDP staff and Government officials, public institutions on gender issues
- Facilitate knowledge building and mainstreaming of gender and HIV in related perspectives within the project and actively participation in knowledge creation
Qualification and Experience
- A minimum qualification of Bachelor’s Degree in Gender and Development, Social Sciences and Social work
- 5 years of relevant working experience at the national level in local and international development issues, both in the field and headquarters
- Demonstrated experience on Gender and development including assessment, mainstreaming and reporting
Technical Knowledge Management and other skills
- Knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office
- Experience working in the development and Environment and climate change sector/working on government-donor funded projects
- Assessment of the project’s gender performance and their impact on adaptation, poverty reduction, growth, equity,
- Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
- Adaptation and application of knowledge
- Problem solving and conflict management skills
- Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
- Treatment of all people fairly without favoritism
- Ability to integrate in a multidisciplinary environment
2.7 Project Safeguards officer
2.7.1 Overall Description of the duties
The Safeguards Officer will work directly with technical officers from the Environmental Affairs Department and the PMU and report to the Director of Environmental Affairs through the TRANSFORM Project Manager. This position demands highly qualified professionals having strong technical competency in providing strategic guidance to the Project Management Unit (PMU) and government line departments for building sustained national capacity for environment and natural resources management and climate change adaptation. The key outputs for this position is that project capacity for climate change adaptation planning and implementation will be built within project beneficiaries for climate change adaptation, significant change in environment restoration, natural resources management and climate change mitigation. The Safeguards Officer will be employed on contract basis and will be expected to provide his/her services to the Environmental Affairs Department for a period of 60 working days per year for a period of 5 years.
Method Of Application
Interested applicants that satisfy the requirements in the ToRs should submit their applications including signed application letter indicating the position they are applying for with an up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (CV); Names and Contacts of Three Traceable Referees; Copies of Certificates by 04:30 PM on 24th November, 2023 to: The Director Environmental Affairs, Lingadzi House, P/Bag 394, LILONGWE 3.