Prolonged - I.P."ONIPM" Vacancy Announcement - GHG inventory consultants

PUBLIC INSTITUTION “ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS NATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OFFICE”, PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT OF THE SECOND BIENNIAL TRANSPARENCY REPORT AND SIXTH NATIONAL COMMUNICATION UNDER THE UNFCCC

  VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

I. Position Information

Project Title:

Job Title (part-time positions):

Duration of employment (part-time):

“Moldova: Enabling Activities for the Preparation of Combined Second Biennial Transparency Report and Sixth National Communication (BTR2/NC6) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)”

Sector Leads and National Consultants in Greenhouse Gas Inventories for the following sectors and source and sink categories:

-        Energy Sector: 1A1 Energy Industries, 1A2 Manufacturing Industries and Construction, 1A3 Transport, 1A4 Other Sectors, 1B Fugitive Emissions from Fuels, CO₂ emissions from Biomass, International Bunkers;

-        Industrial Processes and Product Use Sector: 2A Mineral Industry, 2B Chemical Industry, 2C Metal Industry, 2D Non-Energy Products from Fuels and Solvent Use, 2F Product Uses as Substitutes for Ozone Depleting Substances, 2G Other Product Manufacture and Use, 2H Other;

-        Agriculture Sector: 3A Enteric Fermentation, 3B Manure Management, 3D Agricultural Soils, 3F Field burning of agricultural residues, 3H Urea Application, 3I Other carbon-containing fertilizers;

-        LULUCF Sector: 4A Forest Land, 4B Cropland, 4C Grassland, 4D Wetlands, 4E Settlements, 4F Other Land; 4G Harvested Wood Products, 4H Other;

-        Waste Sector: 5A Solid Waste Disposal, 5B Biological Treatment of Solid Waste, 5C Incineration and Open Burning of Waste, 5D Wastewater Treatment and Discharge, 5E Other, 5F Long-term storage of C in waste disposal sites.

1 September 2025 – 30 June 2026

II. Background

The project aims to support the Republic of Moldova (RoM) to prepare and submit its Combined Second Biennial Transparency Report and Sixth National Communication (BTR2/NC6) that complies with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Paris Agreement (PA) reporting requirements while responding to national development goals.

Under the UNEP/GEF Project “Moldova: Enabling Activities for the Preparation of Combined Second Biennial Transparency Report and Sixth National Communication (BTR2/NC6) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)”, Moldova will receive support to prepare its BTR2/NC6 report and submit it to the UNFCCC by December 2026, in compliance with UNFCCC and PA reporting requirements and in alignment to national development goals, with built-in flexibility provided in light of its capacities. Moreover, the country will be supported to undertake a self-assessment and stocktaking exercise for preparation of the project proposal for the subsequent BTR development.  

Thus, the two expected outputs under the BTR2/NC6 project are as following:

Output 1: BTR2/NC6 report prepared and submitted to UNFCCC by December 2026.

Output 2: Self-assessment and stocktaking exercise for preparation of the project proposal for subsequent BTR3 under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement completed.

The content of deliverables produced under the first output must follow the Modalities, Procedures and Guidelines (MPGs) for the transparency framework for action and support referred to in Article 13 of the Paris Agreement (FCCC/PA/CMA/2018/3/Add.2). Moreover, as adopted at COP 26 in Decision 5/CMA.3, the following will be observed: (i) outlines for the BTR & National Inventory Document (NID); (ii) the Common Reporting Tables (CRT) for reporting GHG Inventory and the Common Tabular Formats (CTF) for reporting the NDC progress, financial, technology development and transfer and capacity-building support provided and mobilized, as well as support needed and received (FCCC/PA/CMA/2021/10/Add.2). The BTR2/NC6 project will build on findings and recommendations from the technical expert review of the BTR1 and expert review of previous NCs and BURs.

The combined BTR2/NC6 Report is expected to include the following content:

·        National inventory report of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases; 

·        Information necessary to track progress made in implementing and achieving nationally determined contributions under Article 4 of the Paris Agreement;

·        Information related to climate change impacts and adaptation under Article 7 of the Paris Agreement;

·        Information on financial, technology development and transfer and capacity-building support needed and received under Articles 9–11 of the Paris Agreement;

·        Other relevant information, including: Research and Systematic Observation; Education, Training and Public Awareness; and Gender Mainstreaming into the Climate Policies;

·        Publication and submission of report, and other project execution support.

III. Organizational Context

The project is executed by the BTR2/NC6 Project Management Unit (PMU) established by the Public Institution “Environmental Projects National Implementation Office” (P.I. “EPNIO”) of the Ministry of Environment (MoEN), on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, and in consultation with the UNEP.

As national executing agency, the PMU established by the P.I. “EPNIO” is primarily responsible for the planning and management of the project activities, accounting, reporting, monitoring and evaluation of the project. 

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the National GHG Inventory Thematic Working Group Coordinator and Sector Leads and National GHG Inventory Consultants will provide technical knowhow for capacity assessment and for developing:

·        National Inventory Document: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in the Republic of Moldova for 1990-2024 years;

·        Common Reporting Tables (CRT) for the electronic reporting of the information on anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases for 1990-2024 periods;

·        Chapter 1: ‘National inventory report of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases’ of the combined BTR2/NC6 of the Republic of Moldova under the UNFCCC;

·        List of Acronyms, Abbreviations and Units, Executive Summary and Bibliography of the combined BTR2/NC6 of the RoM to the UNFCCC.  

Relevant project activities that will involve the services of the Sector Leads and National GHG Inventory Consultants are as following:

1.1.1. The section on national circumstances and institutional arrangements related to GHG inventory compiled:

• Describe national inventory arrangements, including institutional, legal, and procedural arrangements for the continued estimation, compilation, and timely reporting of NIRs;
• Compile information related to inventory planning, preparation and management - that includes information on national focal points responsible for inventory and inventory preparation process, data archiving of all information and processes for the official consideration and approval of the inventory.

1.1.2. The section on methodologies and metrics, including: methodologies, parameters and data sources used, KCA, QA/QC, time series consistency and recalculations, uncertainty assessment, inventory completeness, metrics for the 100-year time-horizon global warming potential and summary of any flexibility provisions applied compiled:

·        Compile information on the methodologies parameters and data sources used in the GHG inventory process;

·        Design surveys and forms to collect activity data, identify research needs and undertake the required actions for generating on regular basis activity data, developing national emission factors and country specific methodologies in a scientific sound and consistent manner, provided that they are more accurate than the IPCC defaults and are documented transparently;

·        Collect, review and compile data and conduct the national GHG inventory for the 1990 – 2024 periods;

·        Recalculate the existing national GHG inventory for the years 1990 – 2022, if needed;

·        Conduct key category analysis, uncertainties assessment, and assessment of inventory completeness;

·        Carry out QA/QC activities (e.g., at sectoral and key categories level) for the national GHG inventory for the years 1990-2024,

·        Update the GHG inventory archive for the inventory in a way that is consistent with the National System for Monitoring and Reporting (NSMR);

·        Technical capacity building, including participation of project staff, sector leads and national consultants in regional/international workshops and trainings on GHG inventory.

1.1.3. The National Inventory Document (NID) and the Common Reporting Tables (CRTs) compiled:

·        Compile the ‘Executive Summary’ of the NID;

·        Compile Chapter 1: ‘National circumstances, institutional arrangements and cross-cutting information’ of the NID;

·        Compile Chapter 2: ‘Trends in greenhouse gas emissions and removals’ of the NID;

·        Compile sectoral chapters of the NID: Chapter 3: ‘Energy’ (CRT sector 1); Chapter 4: ‘IPPU’ (CRT sector 2); Chapter 5: ‘Agriculture’ (CRT sector 3); Chapter 6: ‘LULUCF’ (CRT sector 4); Chapter 7: ‘Waste’ (CRT sector 5); Chapter 8: ‘Other’ (CRT sector 6) (if applicable);

·        Compile Chapter 9: ‘Indirect carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions’ of the NID;

·        Compile Chapter 10: ‘Recalculations and improvements’ of the NID, including information on the areas of improvement and/or capacity-building in response to the review process;

·        Compile the annexes to the NID, including: Annex I: ‘Key categories’; Annex II: ‘Uncertainty assessment’; Annex III: ‘Detailed description of the reference approach (including inputs to the reference approach such as the national energy balance) and the results of the comparison of national estimates of emissions with those obtained using the reference approach’; Annex IV: ‘QA/QC Plan’; Annex V: ‘Any additional information, as applicable, including detailed methodological descriptions of source or sink categories and the national emission balance’; Annex VI: ‘Common Reporting Tables’;

·        Finalize the National Inventory Document (NID) and the Common Reporting Tables (CRTs), pursuant to the modalities, procedures and guidelines for the transparency framework for action and support referred to in Article 13 of the Paris Agreement, for submission with the BTR2/NC6;

·        Translate the NID from Romanian to English;

·        Publish the NID in Romanian and English;

·        Draft in Romanian language Chapter 1 ‘National inventory report of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases’ of the combined BTR2/NC6 Report;

·        Translate Chapter 1 ‘National inventory report of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases’ of the combined BTR2/NC6 Report from Romanian to English;

·        Organize a national workshop to present the results on the national inventory of the greenhouse gas sources and sinks for 1990-2024 periods, to all interested partners and relevant stakeholders, policy makers, decision makers and with participation of the representatives of civil society and environmental NGOs.

IV. Key Tasks / Results Expected

Key Tasks:

·        To perform activities under supervising of National GHG Inventory Thematic Working Group Coordinator and Sector Leads and report in all aspects of program implementation;

·        To carry out the necessary studies and implement the activities as outlined in the project document and personal TOR;

·        To provide required materials and information to the National GHG Inventory Thematic Working Group Coordinator and Sector Leads according to TOR, including in electronic format;

·        To contribute to training activities organized during project development;

·        To assist the National GHG Inventory Thematic Working Group Coordinator and Sector Leads in preparation of the reports on the completion of assessments and analysis of issues.

Key Deliverables:

·        Chapter 1 ‘National inventory report of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases’ of the combined BTR2/NC6 of the RoM to the UNFCCC;

·        List of Acronyms, Abbreviations and Units, Executive Summary and Bibliography of the combined BTR2/NC6 of the RoM to the UNFCCC;

·        ‘National Inventory Document: 1990-2024, Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in the Republic of Moldova’, as a technical annex to the combined BTR2/NC6 Report;

·        Common Reporting Tables (CRT) for the electronic reporting of the information in the national inventory report of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases for 1990-2024 periods.

V. Recruitment Qualifications

Education:

Master’s Degree in Environmental Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Agriculture, Forestry, Energy, or another relevant field. Additional trainings and certifications in project related activities would be an advantage.

Experience:

·       At least 5 years of professional experience in technical activities related to development of national GHGs inventories, with specific expertise in at least one of the following IPCC sectors: energy, industrial processes and product use, agriculture, LULUCF and waste;

·       At least 3 years of demonstrated experience in projects with similar tasks (elaboration of national communications, biennial update reports and national inventory reports);

·        Experience in analysis and use of data sets using various tools and instruments (e.g., MS Excel, IPCC reporting guidance and software) demonstrated by previous assignments;

·        Excellent knowledge of GHG inventory, GHG baseline determination, MRV systems, demonstrated by previous assignments;

·       Knowledge of principles, legal and normative framework regulating the MRV systems under the UNFCCC, other relevant international conventions and protocols demonstrated by previous assignments will be a strong advantage;

·       Strong analytical and report writing skills demonstrated by previous assignments;

·       Strong communication and teamwork/coordination skills demonstrated by previous assignments.

Language Requirements:

Excellent oral and written communication skills in Romanian are required. Good communication skills in English would be an advantage.

Interested individuals must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

1.    Technical proposal, explaining why incumbent is the most suitable for the work, including past experience in similar assignments.

2.    Financial proposal (in USD), specifying a fee per day.

3.    CV, including past experience in similar projects.

Financial proposal

The Financial Proposal shall specify a daily lump-sum fee (indicating if it is negotiable). Payments will be made quarterly, based on the actual number of days worked, subject to the submission and approval by the National GHG Inventory Thematic Working Group Coordinator of the activity reports around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables specified in the TOR. 

While submitting the Financial Proposal it is to be noted that the project “Moldova: Enabling Activities for the Preparation of Combined Second Biennial Transparency Report and Sixth National Communication (BTR2/NC6) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)” is included into the List of ongoing technical assistance projects covered by international treaties for the application of income tax exemptions, excise duties, customs duties, duties for customs procedures, taxes for goods which, in the process of use, cause environmental pollution, and the application exemption from VAT with the right of deduction for the goods and services intended for them, in accordance with the stipulations of the Government Decision No. 246 of 08.04.2010 on the application of the zero VAT rate to deliveries of goods, services performed on the territory of the country and the granting of fiscal and customs facilities for ongoing technical and investment assistance projects, which fall under the scope of international treaties to which the Republic of Moldova is a party.

Documents should be submitted by email on cancelaria@onipm.gov.md, no later than Tuesday, 15 August 2025, by 5:00 PM.

Only those shortlisted will be contacted.