The Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus (REC Caucasus) announces a vacancy for Monitoring Expert

REC Caucasus is executing the project “Generating Economic and Environmental Benefits from Sustainable Land Management for Vulnerable Rural Communities of Georgia”, which aims to develop Project Monitoring and Evaluation plan for assessment and revision of the indicators and targets against which the project performance and impact will be measured.

Overall objective of the project is to develop and strengthen sustainable land management (SLM) practices and build capacity at municipal scale for their application for the protection of natural capital in Georgia.

REC Caucasus announces vacancy for Web Developer.

Other important details: Interested applicants should submit a current CV to the following e-mail address: vacancy@rec-caucasus.org with copy to Project Assistant: keti.jibadze@rec-caucasus.org  or submit hard copy application package to the following address: 13, BadriShoshitaishvli Street, 0179 Tbilisi, Georgia.

Deadline for application is May 21, 2018. Only shortlisted candidates will be interviewed.

 

TERMS OF REFERENCE

 

 

Project Title:                     Generating Economic and Environmental Benefits from Sustainable Land Management for Vulnerable Rural Communities of Georgia

 

Executing Agency:           The Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus (REC Caucasus)

 

Implementing Agency:     United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

 

Organisational Unit:         Sustainable Management of Natural Resources

 

                                                Post Title:                         Project Monitoring Expert

 

Contract type:                   Service Agreement

 

Starting Date:                   18 June, 2018

 

Duration:                          5 months (18 June, 2018 – 19 November, 2019)

 

Duty Station:                    Tbilisi, Georgia

 

 

 

 

1. SUMMERY OF THE PROJECT

 

Background

 

Land resources are the foundation for food security, sustainable livelihoods and economic growth in Georgia. Georgia has shown clear drive to combat land degradation and improve land management systems by moving forward with a number of baseline activities, including its accession and implementation of relevant international agreements and adoption of related policies and laws, including the NEAP, INDC, NBSAP, NAP of UNCCD, TNC of UNFCCC, a new agricultural strategy and a new national forest policy. To achieve the global vision of zero net loss of healthy and productive land, measures and action on the ground are needed. Georgia is one of 100 countries that committed to define national LDN targets and an implementation strategy. In a first step, land degradation hot spots and main degradation causes had been identified. Land degradation in Georgia can be characterized by the following aspects:

• Loss of natural vegetation and soil quality caused by overgrazing;
• Loss of agricultural productivity and soil due to inappropriate farming techniques;
• Reduction of area and quality of forests due to illegal extraction and inappropriate forest management;
• Loss of productive land due to urbanization and conversion into non-agricultural areas.

The process of setting up national targets and an implementation strategy for LDN in the frame of a so called ´National Target Setting Program´ (TSP) started in Georgia in 2016. Cross-sectoral meetings yielded in a set of national LDN targets, which were submitted to the UNCCD Secretary by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia in September 2017.

 

The solution to the barriers identified above is the development of new sustainable land management systems at both the commune and farmer plot level that integrate climate smart agricultural production, food security and resilience and thereby contribute to Georgia’s objectives for Land Degradation Neutrality. The introduced management systems should lead to increasing levels of production and productivity while also maintaining the ecological integrity of the land; respect land and resource carrying capacities and also improve land and resource conditions; and be both integrated (encompassing agriculture, forestry, water and livestock management) and adaptive (structured to adapt to evolving challenges, including climate change). The above-mentioned factors underline the critical importance of promoting better coordination of sustainable land management across different sectors on the basis of solid data, of improving the country’s existing policy and financing framework related to the management of land resources, and of strengthening the capacity and skills of national and local government institutions and other stakeholders to undertake SLM approaches, in order to overcome existing barriers to mainstreaming Landscape and Sustainable Land Management (L-SLM)

activities.

 

The overall objective of the project is to develop and strengthen SLM practices and build capacity for their application for the protection of natural capital in Georgia.

 

 

Project Component:

1.  Creating an enabling environment at municipal scale for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Country Voluntary target;

2.  Pilot implementation of measures avoiding degradation, intensifying sustainable land management practices and land rehabilitation to improve ecosystem functions and services;

3.  Knowledge Management and Capacity Building;

 

 

Specific Objective of the Project Monitoring Expert

 

The Project Monitoring Expert  will be appointed by the RECC and under the supervision of the Project Coordinator and UN Environment Task Manager, the consultant will: develop an M&E plan for the project; update the logical framework of the project by assessing and revising the indicators and targets against which the project performance and impact will be measured; and undertake baseline and vulnerability risk assessments to establish baseline information for these indicators. The consultant will collaborate with the Project Coordinator, Project Technical Advisor and other experts of the project.

 

 

2. SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

 

 Main duties and responsibilities:

 

• Conduct a desktop review of national/sectoral strategies, plans, and policy documents related to planning, climate change, restoration, forestry, agriculture, forecasting, monitoring, water resources, poverty reduction and other topics relevant to the determination of project indicators and baselines;
• Review project logical framework and project annexes related to project results monitoring and evaluation process;
• Develop Project Monitoring Plan, including the assessment of the indicators and targets for each outcome and output in the project document according to the adaptation results the project is aiming to achieve, ensuring that all indicators are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-based, and Time-bound), gender-sensitive, and cost-effective to determine;
• Development of risk mitigation plan;
• Verify field sites in Kareli, Gori, Sagarejo and Kvareli Municipalities for implementation of activities in Component 2;
• Collect baseline data for the established project indicators, establish baseline values for each indicator using the data collected, and write-up of baseline assessment using the desk and field research collected;
• Develop a sampling protocol and data management procedures, providing a detailed description of the methodology so that the measured values of each indicator can be reproduced independently by an external evaluator;
•  Design and set-up of rigorous monitoring and evaluation systems to effectively capture project progress in a systematic and consistent way, and document key lessons learned;
• Build capacity of local municipalities (Kareli, Gori, Sagarejo and Kvareli) staff to monitor project interventions at the field site-level, including delivery of at least one monitoring and evaluation trainings.

 

 

3. Deliverables

 

 

The main deliverables will be as outlined below:

 

–          Updated version of the logical framework with validated and proposed indicators, baselines, targets, sources of verification and risks assessments;

–          Comprehensive Project Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, including methods and strategies for monitoring project indicators during the project implementation phase;

–          A risk mitigation plan;

–          Design of monitoring systems for timely and accurate data collection from field sites;

 

Time schedule

 

N	Deliverables	Date
1.	Updated version of the logical framework with validated and proposed indicators, baselines, targets, sources of verification and risks assessments	15.09.2018
2.	Comprehensive Project Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, including methods and strategies for monitoring project indicators during the project implementation phase -design of monitoring systems for timely and accurate data collection from field sites;	25.10.2018

 

 

 

 

 

Profile:

 

A relevant post-graduate degree at or above the Masters level in natural resource management, climate change adaptation, agriculture, forestry, environmental management, or a related discipline. A minimum of five years of senior-level experience in project monitoring and evaluation, including design and set-up of M&E systems, preferably in the environmental sector.

 

Skills:

 

• Solid understanding of monitoring and evaluation systems, and the importance of effective monitoring of environmental projects in fragile and post-conflict states;
• Experience working on natural resource management projects with particular reference to projects focused on the sustainable land management approach to addressing the impacts of land degradation an asset;
• Experience in appraisal of project log-frame indicators and participatory techniques;
• Experience in project development, implementation and management;
• Experience working with rural communities, and using participatory techniques to assess their needs and desires with regards to sustainable land management;
• Proven skills in data analysis and statistics;
• Understanding of donor-funded international  program and projects

Good communication and computer skills