TITLE: FLEG Consultant for Georgia
LOCATION: IUCN Caucasus Cooperation Center, Tbilisi Georgia
REPORTS TO: Global Forest and Climate Change Programme (GFCCP) Officer
EXPECTED START DATE: 1 March, 2017
CONTRACT DURATION: 10 Months, ending December 2017
WORK PERCENTAGE: 50%

BACKGROUND

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was founded in 1948 and brings together more than 1,200 members (States, Government agencies, NGOs and affiliates) and some 11,000 scientists and experts in a unique worldwide partnership. Its mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. Within the framework of global conventions, IUCN has helped over 75 countries to prepare and implement national conservation and biodiversity strategies. IUCN has approximately 1,000 staff, most of whom are located in its regional and country offices while some 180 work at its Headquarters in Gland, Switzerland. IUCN is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from qualified women and men.

The IUCN Caucasus Cooperation Center (formerly operating under the Programme Office for the Southern Caucasus and currently operating under the Global Forest and Climate Change Programme - GFCCP) opened in October 2006. Its mission is to strengthen support for nature conservation in the region by providing a range of services to all interested and engaged actors in the field:

• Access to global nature conservation knowledge
• Promotion of synergies among on-going and planned activities
• Assistance in identifying gaps and trends in specific sectors
• Facilitation of multi-stakeholder processes
• Communication: global to local and local to global reach
• Implement the ENPI FLEG 2 Programme (both Austrian Development Agency and European Commission funded components);

Scope of services

Part 1 month Contractually Agreed Inception Phase (IP) - The Consultant will work with the Global Forest and Climate Change Programme Officer to implement the Austrian Development Agency activities of the final year of the FLEG II Program. The consultant will be required to create a Work Plan (WP), including a budget. Each WP activity selected to be implemented under the specific management of the Consultant will require the creation of a detailed logical framework and a detailed explanation of the activity. With the satisfactory completion of Part 1 of the Services the Consultant will then continue with Part 2 of the Contract.

Part 2 — 9 months Contractually Agreed Activity Implementation Phase (AIP) where the Consultant is responsible for implementing agreed-upon activities (part 1) and for supervising, reporting, and monitoring the activity implementation.

This position will include the following responsibilities:

The FLEG Consultant for Georgia will be responsible for ensuring that IUCN's national, regional, and inter-country project activities are implemented to contribute to the achievement of the Program's objectives.

EUROPEAN NEIGHBORHOOD AND PARTNERSHIP INSTRUMENT (ENPI) EAST COUNTRIES FLEG II: COMPLEMENTARY MEASURES FOR GEORGIA AND ARMENIA SINGLE DONOR TRUST FUND

• Work in close consultation with the GFCCP Officer in Gland Switzerland to oversee the
  • Austrian Development Agency to implement the activities related to
  • Development of methodology for multi-functional zoning of selected forest fund area
  • The Assessment of the role of forests in Climate Change mitigation and adaptation will be carried out in selected Climate Change vulnerable areas in Georgia.
  • Assessment of forest value in the context of Climate Change will be conducted where the Forest inventory is planned to be carried out
  • Overseeing the development of a Study Tour in Armenia
• With input from the GFCCP Officer, create ToRs, evaluate, hire, and supervise field consultants who have been selected to work under the FLEG Trust Fund (ADA funded components);
• Ensure that IUCN’s project activities are implemented in a timely and effective manner and contribute to the achievement of the project’s objectives and results;
• Develop and, upon approval from the GFCCP Officer, implement the country-specific Monitoring & Evaluation plan and communications strategy for the Program;
• Communicate with other consultants, as needed, to help ensure accurate and unified communications;
• Gather, refine, and report project information on a regular basis to the GFCCP Officer;
• Contribute to GFCCP communications products on FLEG, as needed.

Project planning, assessment and reporting

• Help the GFCCP Officer manage the project logframe where links between assumptions and indicators are verified and documented;
• Organize and participate in meetings held by national program coordination bodies;
• Provide accurate information and advice to the GFCCP Officer in a timely fashion so that all required project technical and financial reports can be submitted;
• In concert with the GFCCP Officer, document monitoring and evaluation of project progress, impacts and lessons;
• Work directly with government focal points (NPAC chairpersons) and PCTs from the other Implementing Organizations (IOs) in order to plan activities that will complement each other.

This position is a 10 month consultancy position.

Institutional arrangements

For the implementation of all tasks, the consultant will be working in close consultation with the IUCN Tbilisi Office and the IUCN Gland office and will help coordinate interaction between national government representatives and other stakeholders.

The Consultant selected for this assignment will report directly to the GFCCP Officer from IUCN who is part of the ENPI-FLEG Program Management Team (PMT).

The Consultant, in turn, will be the direct line manager for consultants engaged to work on the implementation of agreed activities.

The consultant will act as IUCN’s Focal Point (or contact person) for the Ministry of Environment of Georgia and she helps/provide assistance to further develop a regional (Forest/Forest Landscape Restoration) programme.

Reporting and approval procedures

The Consultant will be required to prepare and submit semi-annual reports. The component of the report created by the consultant is required to meet with approval of the IUCN GFCCP Officer, and must be submitted to the Program Coordinator within 15 days after the deadlines: June 30th and December 31st of each year of the Program. The consultant will be required to follow a reporting format that will be provided by the Program Management Team (PMT). During the inception phase, the reporting format will be provided. In addition, the consultant will be required to become proficient at documenting concrete successes and impacts from the Program. This will also be required for any consultant working under the supervision of the consultant. It is therefore also required that the Consultant have capable administrative skills to oversee timesheets, invoices and other administrative necessities for implementing the work with independent consultants or firms hired for specific tasks.

Qualification requirements

The position requires an individual with proven leadership and management capability and at least 5 years of relevant professional experience. The following are minimum qualifications:

• Higher Degree with academic and practical experience in forest resource management or in a discipline relevant to forest or natural resource management or governance issues;

• Prior experience in compliance with World Bank procurement and administration standards and policies and work experience (preferable, not mandatory) on the ENPI FLEG Program or closely associated program in any of the 7 countries: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia;

• Extensive knowledge of and understanding of the current forest management, governance and social, political and cultural issues in the specific country for the application as well as knowledge and acquaintance with government structures and NGO stakeholders - [in one of the following: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia];

• Excellent knowledge of English and one other language common to Eastern Europe;

• Proven ability to prepare and write high quality documents for natural resource management initiatives in English and in at least one other Eastern European language (knowledge of Russian is a big asset);

• Proven project management record at international or national levels, including the supervision of personnel and the preparation of quality technical and financial reports;

• Computer literacy including the use of EXCEL, Powerpoint, and word documents as well as proficiency in doing internet research to support documents that may be required for program implementation.

Application procedure: please email your CV and cover letter to Dr. Gretchen Walters Gretchen.walters@iucn.org .

Closing date: 15 February 2017