UNDP Moldova: Project Manager (NPSA9) - Moldova Sustainable Green Cities – Catalyzing investment in sustainable green cities in the Republic of Moldova using a holistic integrated urban planning approach (Green Cities Project)

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.

The Green Cities Project, funded by the Global Environment Facility, has an implementation timeframe of 5 years with a budget of 2,639,726 US$ allocated by the GEF and 39,850,000 US$ allocated as co-financing by project partners.

The project objective is to catalyze investments in low carbon green urban development based on integrated urban planning approach by encouraging innovation, participatory planning and partnerships between a variety of public and private sector entities.

As a vehicle for this, the project will support, as part of Component 1, the design, launching, and establishment of the Green City Lab to become the leading knowledge management and networking platform, clearing house, an inter-mediator of finance and a source of innovations and expertise to catalyze sustainable low carbon green city development in Moldova with a mission to transform Chisinau and other urban centers in Moldova into modern green and smart European cities with improved quality of life for their citizens, while also demonstrating opportunities for sustainable economic growth.

The Green City Lab should be set up as a self-sustaining entity meaning that it will need to operate on a commercial basis, that does not rely on technical assistance funding alone, so that by the end of the project it can continue to operate and to grow. In order to do this, the Green City Lab will need to forge new partnerships and alliances and generate revenues from other sources beyond only this project.

Component 2 of the project envisages demonstration of projects facilitated by the GCL with related monitoring, reporting and verification of the results in the areas of: i) integrated and participatory urban land use and mobility planning; ii) residential building energy efficiency and renewable energy use; iii) low carbon mobility; and iv) resource efficient waste management.

Under component 3 of the project the monitored and evaluated overall results of the project and lessons learnt with be compiled on a Knowledge Management Platform and recommendations formulated for removal of the identified complementary barriers in the areas of green urban development, including institutional and regulatory improvements, and related public outreach. The third component of the project will also support replication and mainstreaming of the project results.

The main outcomes to be achieved by the end of the project are a fully operational and sustainable Green City Lab as a self- standing public or semi-public institution with revenues of at least USD 200,000 per annum and which leveraged investments of at least USD 10 mln. Further the project is expected to finalize at least one zonal plan based on an integrated and participatory planning methodology suggested by the Green City Lab, to complete construction of at least one pilot/demo project from the each targeted sub-sector mentioned in Component 2 with MRV data on the achieved GHG savings of at least one year operating period, to establish a Green City Knowledge Management Platform sustained after the project, and to secure interest of at least one new municipality and 5 new project proponents to replicate one or more of the supported interventions.

The direct global environment benefits of the project are expected to reach at least 200,000 tons of CO2eq, resulting from the concrete pilot/demonstration projects in the building energy efficiency, transport and waste sectors. These are complemented by project’s indirect GHG emission reduction impact at the estimated amount of 2.4 million tons of CO2eq by scaling up, replicating and mainstreaming the project results and activities, including those of the Green City Lab.
Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the UNDP Climate Change, Environment and Energy Cluster Lead, and overall guidance of Policy Specialist the incumbent provides effective and efficient management 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. He/she is responsible and accountable to the Project Board for the project results.

The Project Manager works in close collaboration with the Programme, Operations, Communications and other project teams in the Country Office (CO) for effective achievement of results, anticipating and contributing to resolving complex programme/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.

The Project Manager, in close cooperation with the UNDP Country Office and all relevant stakeholders, incl. Ministry of Environment, Chisinau Municipality, State Chancellery, Ministry of Economy,Infrastructure, Energy Efficiency Agency, private sector and other relevant stakeholders, will ensure the provision of development services and products (commensurate with the scope of the project) of the highest quality and standards to national counterparts and clients through applying human rights-based (HRBA) and gender equality (GE) approaches.

He/she has the authority to run the project on a day-to-day basis on behalf of the Project Board within the constraints laid down by the Board and is responsible for transforming the Green City Lab (GCL), envisaged by the project, from a UNDP supported organization with staff on UNDP Service Contracts into a not-for-profit entity which has staff supported instead from the revenues of the GCL and which successfully implements green urban development projects, is sustainable, and which will be able to expand and grow in size and scope. The Project Manager’s prime responsibility is to ensure that the project produces the results specified in the project document, to the required standard of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost.

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:

Oversee day-to-day operations and implementation of project activities, exercise close monitoring of project activities, including efficient management of the Project financial resources, budgeting and budget revisions, as well as expenditure tracking and reporting;
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; including record and maintain Project issues and risks and suggest mitigation measures.
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;
Maintain a close collaboration with other related UNDP programmes to ensure synergies and complementarities;
Ensure high quality information and visibility of the Project activities to the mass media and stakeholders, following the UNDP and Global Environment Facility visibility guidelines;
Take responsibility for preparing the Annual Project Implementation Review for the GEF;
Assume full responsibility for ssuccessfully completing pilot/demonstration projects facilitated by the GCL with related monitoring, reporting and verification of the results in the areas of: i) integrated and participatory urban land use and mobility planning; ii) residential building energy efficiency and renewable energy use; iii) low carbon mobility; and iv) resource efficient waste management;
Assume responsibility for establishment of the MRV system on the GHG savings in the framework of the projects interventions;
Facilitate a smooth collaboration between all key project stakeholders by ensuring a continuous flow of information and addressing implementation issues in a pro-active and solution-oriented manner.

Key Results:

The key results have a direct impact on the overall successful achievement of the UNDP Moldova Climate Change, Environment and Energy Programme. Accurate analysis and presentation of information enhances UNDP’s position as a strong development partner. The information provided facilitates decision-making of the Project Steering Committee, the Beneficiary and UNDP management.

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 2 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 programme/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.
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:

Business Management - Results-based Management:
Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results
Business Management - Project Management:
Ability to plan, organi]e, prioriti]e 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 - Monitoring:
Ability to provide managers and stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results
Business Management - Communication:
Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience
Digital & Innovation - 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.
Digital & Innovation - 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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in urban studies, environmental studies, business administration, economics, engineering, architecture or related areas.
Bachelor’s degree with additional 2 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 programmes and/or working in a relevant position to this post.
Experience in managing complex projects, including demonstrated capacity to manage people and actively explore new, innovative implementation and financing mechanisms to achieve the project targets.
Previous working experience in the field of green and/or climate smart urban development is considered as advantage.
Familiarity with and experience on working with the public sector and the local public authorities in Moldova.
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.

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.

Additional desired skills and experience:

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.
Familiarity and prior experience with the GEF requirements and procedures is considered as an asset.

Professional Certificates:

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

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

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

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam warning

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

Data de încheiere a postului vacant: 7 March 2023

Pentru a aplica, vă rugăm să adresați link-ul: http://bit.ly/3YTma9w