UNDP Moldova: Project Manager (NPSA-9) - Supporting the Moldovan authorities in the sustainable management of the Dniester River

Background

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.

Sustainable management of water resources in accordance with the principle of integrated water management is the priority for Moldova. For further development of water policy and improvement of regulatory framework, the Ministry of Environment (MoE), with the support of its subordinate institutions, is responsible for ensuring ongoing dialogue with neighboring countries on the integrated management of transboundary water resources, with the ultimate goal to ensure amount and quality and quantity of waters needed for both sustainable socio-economic development and healthy environment.

In the process of improvement of national regulatory framework, harmonization of environmental legislation with the provisions of European Union (EU) directives, national environmental protection system faces many constraints, particularly, related to outdated standards, normative acts, capacity of responsible institutions, shortage of qualified staff in the government sectoral institutes, etc.

The importance of integrated management of the Dniester River is indisputable for the Republic of Moldova. It is the largest river in the Republic of Moldova, covering 70% of the country's water consumption needs, thus being considered a strategic surface water resource for both environmental and socio-economic security of the country.

For the joint Moldovan-Ukrainian management of the Dniester River, a topic of major importance for Moldova is the impact of the operation of the Dniester Hydropower Complex (HPC) on the Moldova’s territory. In the frameworks of project "Study of social and environmental impact assessment of the Dniester Hydropower Complex" funded by Swedish Embassy and implemented by UNDP in 2018-2021, there was clearly shown its negative impact on the environment downstream.

According to Water Law no. 272/ 2011, river basin district management plans (RBDMP) are being developed for 6-years cycle. It shall be mentioned that the Ukrainian side is also concerned with the development of the Dniester River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) for the years 2025-2030. Important methodological aspects were harmonized between countries’ experts and institutions, and joint Strategic Action Program had been elaborated with assistance of the GEF funded project. The Strategic Action Program (SAP) is one of the key strategic documents of the Commission on Sustainable Use and Protection of the Dniester River Basin. It is based on the findings of the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) for the Dniester River Basin. Both documents have been developed according to the methodology agreed by the two countries and have been extensively consulted. The documents contribute to the Dniester River basin management planning at the national level, as well as support implementation of international commitments to develop joint plans for the transboundary basins. On March 31, 2021, there was signed a Joint Statement on the approval of the Strategic Action Program for the Dniester River Basin for 2021 between the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment of the Republic of Moldova and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.

Along with attempts to solve the cross-border aspect of the Dniester River management on the platform of the Dniester Commission, currently, environmental institutions are in an extensive process of functional analysis aimed at streamlining the structure, functions, and capacities in the field of integrated management of water resources.

The strategy of the project “Support to the Moldovan authorities for the sustainable management of the Dniester River” is to improve environmental and social conditions in the Dniester River Basin District through enhanced management of water resources on the basis of updated regulatory framework, comprehensive and reliable river basin management planning, improved water management institutional capacities and implementation of practical environmental activities that would improve the ecological status of the Dniester River, identified as part of the Dniester Impact Study (2021).

The Project consists of 4 (four) Components as follows:

Component 1. Enhancement of water related regulatory framework

Component 2. Elaboration of the 2nd Management Plan for the Dniester River Basin District

Component 3. Support provided to Moldovan water management authorities in sustainable management of Dniester River both at national and transboundary/ international levels

Component 4. Implementation of the on-the-ground activities to improve the current ecological conditions of the Dniester River.

The Overall Objective of the project is to increase the capacity of the Moldovan Government to sustainably manage the Dniester River basin at the national and transboundary levels, including:

To ensure that Moldova has sufficient regulatory framework for the sustainable river management based on the basin wide approach supported by the WFD provisions,
To provide the Moldova Government for comprehensive and realistic Management Plan for the Dniester River Basin developed in compliance with the WFD,
To provide continuous support for enhancement of capacities of national authorities responsible for water management, as well as the Moldovan representatives under joint Moldovan and Ukrainian bodies tasked with cross-border management of the Dniester River,
To improve social, economic, and environmental conditions of the Dniester River.

The Project duration is envisaged between 2022- 2026 with support from SIDA (The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency).
Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Climate Change, Environment and Energy Cluster Lead, the incumbent provides effective and efficient coordination of the project, through a range of actions contributing to the design, planning, management and monitoring of project activities. The Project Manager applies and promotes the principles of results-based management (RBM), as well as a client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations, as follows:

Ensuring effective content and operational management of the project;
Oversee day-to-day operations and implementation of project activities;
Exercise close monitoring of project activities and produce monitoring reports;
Ensure the timely and efficient delivery of Project outputs and products, as per the Project Document, leading to the achievement of expected results;
Develop Work Plan, periodic narrative progress and final reports and expenditures status reports and submit to the supervisor;
Ensure the implementation of the activities under the Project work plan according to indicators for achieving planned results, as well as the overall management of the Project in line with UNDP rules, regulations and procedures;
Support UNDP CO in effectively managing human resources pertaining to the Project, including staff, consultants and short-term experts; conduct periodic performance appraisals; build, lead and motivate a solid team of professionals;
Support the efficient management of the Project financial resources, including budgeting and budget revisions, as well as expenditure tracking and reporting;
Continuously record and maintain Project issues and risks and suggest mitigation measures.
Lead and coordinate the organization of meetings, workshops, conferences, trainings, study visits and related activities relevant to the implementation of the Project;
Maintain a continuous effective dialogue with the key stakeholders, central and local government authorities, other UN agencies and actors active in the sector, CSOs, partner organizations, international and national experts in the areas of the Project intervention in view of identifying synergies and avoiding overlapping of assistance;
Maintain a close collaboration with other related UNDP projects to ensure synergies and complementarities;
Ensure high quality information and visibility of the project activities to the mass media and stakeholders and support mechanisms for exchange of information, experience and lessons learned at the local, national, and as required at international levels;
Perform any other duties connected directly with the implementation and evaluation of the Project as required.

Key Results:

The key results have a direct impact on the overall successful achievement of the Supporting the Moldovan authorities in the sustainable management of the Dniester River Project. Accurate analysis and presentation of information enhances UNDP’s position as a strong development partner. The information provided facilitates decision-making of the Project Board, the Beneficiary and UNDP management.
Competencies

Core Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

People Management Competencies

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

Results-based Management: Ability to manage projects and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results
Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
Risk Management: Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks
Monitoring: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and project performance and results
Agile methodologies and practices: Ability to manage projects and processes through continuous iteration, learning and improvement. Ability to manage a self-organising cross-functional teams, foster a team culture of curiosity and learning. Being nimble and being able to improvise and quickly adjust to unforeseen events or changes in conditions or context.
Futures & foresight: Ability to look at information from the past and present, identify patterns and trends and use them to inform decision making with a long-term view. Being sensitive and able to scan horizons and pick up weak signals of change, explore their potential implications and assess their impact and urgency. Using creativity and imagination to communicate insights in compelling and engaging ways to challenge current mental models; ability to develop scenarios, speculative designs to present future visions or by making it experiential. Being able to facilitate debate and discussion about possible futures; help people to feel comfortable with the discomfort of uncertainty.
CSO Engagement: Knowledge and understanding of CSOs and the ability to engage with CSOs

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in environmental studies, engineering, business administration, public administration, economics or related areas.
Bachelor’s degree with additional two years of qualifying experience can be taken into consideration in lieu of Master`s degree.

Experience:

Minimum 2 years (with Master’s Degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s Degree) of progressive working experience in the design, management and implementation of projects, at the national or international level in areas related to energy efficiency and energy engineering and/or working in a relevant position to this post.

Required Skills:

Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web based management systems.

Desired Skills:

Previous experience in development assistance or related work for a donor organization, governmental institutions, NGO or private sector / consulting firm is a very strong advantage.
Prior experience with UNDP Project management and/or implementation

Languages:

Fluency in English, Romanian and Russian (oral and written).
Working knowledge of one or more additional languages relevant for Moldova, including Bulgarian, Gagauzian, Romani, Ukrainian or sign language is an asset.

Certificates:

Additional training and certification in project management and/or business administration would be an advantage.

Institutional Arrangement

The Project Manager will work under the supervision of the Climate Change, Environment and Energy Cluster Lead and will ensure the provision of development services and products commensurate with the scope of the Project and assigned area of responsibility of the highest quality and standards to national and local counterparts and clients through applying HRBA and GE approaches. The Project Manager will coordinate the project team, consisting of up to 6 full time employees and part time consultants, as envisaged in project organizational chart.

The Project Manager will work in close cooperation with the team in the Country Office (CO) for effective achievement of results, anticipating and contributing to resolving complex project/project-related issues and information delivery. The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.

Required Documents

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Disclaimer

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Vacancy End Date: 25 October 2022

To apply please address the link: https://bit.ly/3CoW6dD