Soil Conservation & Watershed Management Officer

Soil Conservation & Watershed Management Officer (SB 4 / Peg II) (For Nepalese Nationals Only)

Location: Khotang, NEPAL
Additional Category: Climate & Disaster Resilience
Type of Contract: Other
Post Level: Other
Languages Required: English
Starting Date: (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 01-Oct-2023
Duration of Initial Contract: One year with possibility of extension
Expected Duration of Assignment: Until the end of project

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The High Mountain catchments of Nepal are particularly prone to drought, landslides and floods, due to coincidence of seasonal snow melt with the summer monsoon season. In these highly vulnerable mountain regions warming trends are increasing and the impacts are magnified by the extreme changes in altitude. Around 85% of rainfall occurs during the four monsoon months of June to September and results in extensive flooding annually. Climate change is intensifying the monsoon rainfall and increasing snow and glacial melt rates, which is contributing to increased frequency and severity of flood and landslide disasters which result in extensive economic, life and livelihood losses annually. At the other extreme, water scarcity and droughts also pose a threat to the agriculture-reliant livelihoods of these regions. Climate change is increasing the temporal and spatial variability of rainfall and runoff, thus intensifying the problem of excess water during the monsoon and water scarcity during the dry season, increasing economic damages to agriculture, property, and the environment, disrupting lives and livelihoods and threatening food security.

A long-term solution to this climate change problem is to rehabilitate and maintain functional integrity of watersheds that have critical functions of water storage and release, infiltration, drainage control, and soil moisture retention. Using watersheds as organizing units for planning and implementation of natural resource management and resilient livelihood development is an approach to effectively tackle an immediate and long-term climate risk reduction issues, in relation to floods and droughts. Taking watershed management concerns into consideration the proposed LDCF project on “Developing climate resilient livelihoods in the vulnerable watershed in Nepal” will embed Integrated Watershed Management approaches in Nepal through policy and practice at the national and sub-national levels. It will do so through establishing the legislative and institutional framework for integrated watershed management to address climate change induced hazards and introducing and scaling up integrated adaptive watershed management practices covering 844 sq.km of watershed areas and benefiting 121,606 vulnerable people. While the project interventions in the legislative and institutional frameworks will be at national and sub-national level, project investment in adaptive management practices will be done within sub-watersheds of the Dudh Koshi river basin which is the most vulnerable to floods and droughts.

Against this background,DCRL project wishes to recruit a Soil Conservation & Watershed Management (SCWM) Officer to support the day-to-day results-based implementation of its livelihood activities to ensure the quality and standard service.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall direction of National Project Director (NPD) and National Project Manager (NPM) and day to day supervision of the Field Coordinator (FC), the SCWM Officer will be responsible for the designing, planning, and execution of the soil conservation, water management, greenery promotion, agroforestry, development, multi hazard management specific activities at the field level. The SCWM Officer will work along with the team members and will be responsible to coordinate and establish the linkages amongst all the project team members, groups, stakeholders, line agencies, and with local and provincial level concerned officials. The SCWM Officer will provide the timely, accurate, reports to the PMU through the Field Coordinator.

Overall roles and responsibilities:

1. Project Implementation and technical

• Provide technical support on detailed analysis on the situation and impacts of climate induced multi hazards, and synthesize with concrete plan of actions based on needs and preferences, and opportunities and constraints;
• Develop an integrated and coordinated plan of action based on proven evidence that identifies demonstrative opportunities of the project activities;
• Review the soil conservation and watershed management related policies, acts, guidelines available among 3 tiers and take supportive role to develop and harmonize them;
• Prepare the detail plan of action for watershed rehabilitation in accordance with the project’s Result Framework including all targets, indicators, and timelines with concrete implementation arrangements;
• Identify government agencies, NGOs, community based organizations, Natural Resource Management groups, DRR and Management committees, and other women’s associations or groups and harmonize them to make synergic efforts;
• Provide technical guidance and support to local implementing partners on watershed management interventions;
• Develop the concrete and innovative plan through linking water management for multiple use benefit maximization, and sustainability;
• Develop and link the soil and water conservation measures to strengthen the resilience livelihood capacity of the vulnerable communities;
• Play the active role to bring all the project activities with coherent and harmonized relationships among diverse actors through building effective partnerships;
• Take a lead role to prepare the sub watershed management plans in the project area in coordination, and cooperation with local government bodies, line agencies, and all stakeholders;
• Prepare terms of reference, cost estimates for training, study, other SCWM activities that are linked with responsive components of the project deliverables;
• Assess and identify potential impacts of the project, and also carry out the documentation, publish case study, best practices, learning, and knowledge management resources;
• Develop knowledge management products on the application for the identified interventions and create awareness among communities, relevant professionals, institutions;
• Organize and facilitate the SCWM specific training, exposure visits, and other project activities;
• Lead in prioritizing and implementing SCWM related interventions throughout the project area;
• Maintain the field level, Environment and Social safeguard management plan in close coordination with concerned officials;
• Provide periodic feedback to Project Management Unit, Project Implementation Unit based on Evidence-driven facts;
• Monitor progress and SCWM related Action Plan ensuring that targets are fully met and the reporting requirements are fulfilled;
• Review the Action Plan annually, and update and revise corresponding work plans as necessary;
• Plan the actions with close coordination and guidance of the PIU and PMU.

2. Providing quality assurance and support to implement project activities

• Maintain close coordination/linkages with targeted local level agencies, I/NGOs, and CBOs, user groups focussing on SCWM specific on-going work and opportunity for complementarity;
• Provide backstopping on field activities implemented by local project partners;
• Provide Management and technical inputs to the implementation of the SCWM Programme activities and outputs – including organizing and participating in meetings, trainings, workshops and other events and by providing analysis of results;
• Organize and coordinate SCWM specific programme activities aimed to enhance capacity of local partners in compliance against programme and fiduciary standards;
• Take active role to develop and support the overall Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, knowledge management, publications, documentation to capture all the data, information storage, lesson learned and success stories.

3. Monitoring and reporting of field based activities

• Ensure that all project data, information on physical and financial progress are duly maintained with transparently, expediently, and effectively in line with UNDP rules and regulations;
• Plan, coordinate and organize regularly joint monitoring of the SCWM specific activities in the field;
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of SCWM specific, and other required reports, as per the requirements of GON, UNDP and Global Environmental Facility (GEF);
• Support to the Project Implementation Unit, for the regular meetings of between line agencies, provincial and local level stakeholders;
• Facilitate spot checks of the implemented activities at the field level.

4. Develop and maintain strong relationship with government counterparts, user groups and community based organizations

• Establish and maintain good working relationships with key stakeholders, government officials, (provincial and local), non-government organizations, academia and private sectors;
• Maintain close coordination with provincial and local level government, other line agencies, stakeholders in SCWM specific planning, implementation, monitoring (joint) and sharing (reports).

5. Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) Sensitivity:

• Ensure alignment of programmatic policy, processes and procedures as per the GON, UNDP’s strategy;
• Prioritize selection of consultant process with as per the UNDP strategy;
• Provide active support to GESI focal to deliver the results of the project;
• Respect the local community’s culture, diversity, norms and values.

Impact of Results:

Effective delivery of field-based SCWM specific activities in accordance with the agreed work plan; supervise activities; effective coordination and maintaining good working relationship with governments counterparts and all relevant stakeholders; organize capacity needs of community and partner agencies to ensure compliance with UNDP norms; proper documentation and dissemination of success stories and lesson learned for replication of project activities.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the Government of Nepal (GoN) and UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Serves and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of GoN and UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Good inter-personal skills;
• Clear and upfront communication skills;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism;
• Display cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability;
• Collaborates effectively in a team environment;
• Organized and good with following-up on pending issues; meets deadlines;
• Promote learning and knowledge management/sharing;
• Focuses on delivering results by taking calculated-risks and problem-solving approach;
• Fair and transparent decision making; regularly shares information with team members;
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development.

Functional Competencies

• Skills, knowledge and understanding on forest policy, environment policy, climate change policy and other sect oral policies and harmonized them in line with integrated planning and implementation;
• Demonstrate knowledge and experience in working on policy advocacy, and strong ability to work with local governments, communities, groups, indigenous people;
• Promotes sharing of knowledge and experience, and actively works towards continued learning and development on personal level as well as for supervisees;
• Good practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues;
• Ability to go beyond established procedures and models, propose new approaches which expand the range of projects;
• Strong inter-personal skills, communication, networking, and team building skills; competent in leading teams and creating team spirit, management of inter-group dynamics and conflicting interests of various actors, stimulating team members to produce quality outputs in a timely and transparent manner;
• Strong knowledge / experience in results­based management and results­oriented approach to project delivery;
• Demonstrates strong problem solving, numerical and analytical skills;
• Excellent oral communication skills and excellent written communication skills;
• Maturity and confidence in dealing with senior and high ranking members of government and stakeholders;
• Results driven, ability to work under pressure and to meet strict deadlines; remains calm and in control under pressure;
• Experience in developing business plans, Experience in coordination, technical assistance;
• Experience in delivering training and other needed capacity/ institutional building support to a wide range of stakeholders;
• Demonstrates excellent organizational and administrative skills;
• Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating UNDP’s mandate;
• Analyse and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders;
• Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical speciality relating to the position;
• Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
• Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
• Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UNDP’s mandate and strategic agenda;
• Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work;
• Monitors specific stages of projects/programme implementation;
• Researches linkages across programme activities to identify critical points of integration.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in forestry, watershed management, environment, engineering, agriculture engineering, natural resource management, or related area.

Experience:

• Demonstrated understanding on soil and water conservation, watershed management with at least 5 years of practical working experience;
• Proven experience in integrated watershed management activities planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation;
• Previous experience with similar UN projects will be an asset;
• Demonstrated understanding of the links between sustainable development, community development, social and gender issues;
• Experience in soil and water conservation, multi hazard management, disaster risk reduction, hydro climatic data handling and applications;
• Experience with project development and results-based management methodologies is highly desired/required;
• Excellent analytical, writing, advocacy, presentation, and communications skills;
• Excellent language skills in English (writing, speaking and reading) and in local languages;
• Experience in programme design, monitoring and evaluation is an asset;
• Experience working for the government of Nepal and UN is an asset.

Language Requirements:

Good knowledge of English, fluency in the language of the duty station

Application Deadline: 13-Sep-23 (Midnight New York, USA)

Tagged as: Khotang, Management Officer, NGO INGO, UNDP Job Vacancy