Technical Advisor, Marine Protected Areas Project Djibouti

The Republic of Djibouti is a small coastal country in the Horn of Africa, with a total area of 23,200 km2, a coastline of 372 km and an area of 7,200 km². Djibouti’s economy depends largely on its service sector (76.3% of GDP) linked to the country’s strategic position as a deep-water port at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In recent years, driven by the vision to make the country a platform for commercial and logistical services for the Horn of Africa, the government has begun to undertake extensive projects to develop port, rail and road infrastructure to increase access to markets in the region. While the Government of Djibouti has invested in the protection of some of its unique marine habitats that are rich biodiversity, these achievements may become precarious given the scale and speed of new port infrastructure developments in Djibouti, particularly in the Gulf of Tadjourah and Ghoubet. New shipping routes and increased traffic of tankers and other vessels carrying deleterious substances in this vulnerable environment pose major risks.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded project on mitigating key sector pressures on marine and coastal biodiversity and strengthening the national system of marine protected areas in Djibouti aims to strengthen  institutional capacity, financial sustainability and effectiveness of the management of the MPA system, and integrating marine biodiversity into key maritime sectors. The objective of the project will be achieved through implementation of four components addressing key barriers to the effective management of MPAs and marine ecosystem services, as per strategies identified in the Project Document (ProDoc):

• Component 1: Improve the effectiveness of the Djibouti MPA system by strengthening capacities of all stakeholders, including through dialogue to integrate biodiversity in marine sectors. This component will establish a unit dedicated to the management of MPAs within the Directorate for Environment and Sustainabel Development (DEDD). The unit will be empowered to convene multi-stakeholder processes, develop policies and laws and support their enforcement, and draw on best accessible scientific and technical knowledge for decision-making. An M&E system of the key elements of marine biodiversity will be established and used for planning and decision-making. Stakeholder capacities will be enhanced to address threats to Djibouti’s marine biodiversity and the effective management of marine resources, including through engagement of private sector investors and businesses.
• Component 2: Expanding the national network of MPAs and strengthening the management of MPAs at site level. Support will be provided for effective management of already established MPAs, while new sites will be added (e.g. Gulf of Ghoubet and the coastal stretch of Sagallou/Kalaf near Arta Plage MPA to form one large management unit, Sable Blanc/ Ras Ali MPA). Site-specific pilot projects will be established to mobilize conservation gains.
• Component 3: Sustainable financing mechanism for marine biodiversity and the national system of protected areas. Funding mechanisms will be established and coordinated with other relevant initiatives in order to provide financial resources for MPA management.
• Component 4: Gender Integration, Knowledge Management and Monitoring and Evaluation. Lessons learned and good practices from project implementation and M&E will be made available to facilitate improved, gender sensitive, MPA and marine ecosystem management.

To support the effective and informed delivery of project components, UNDP is recruiting a consultant to provide technical advice and capacity enhancement services to the Project Management Unit (PMU) and the Department of Environment and Sustainable Development (DESD). Note that the project has started it’s implementation in November 2018 and is designed to be implemented over a period of 5 years. TA services are expected to be delivered in 2019 (100 working days between May-Nov), 2020 (120 days), 2021 (60 days), and 2022 (40 days).

The TA will work with the PMU, DESD, UNDP and other partners to help ensure that implementation of project components is technically sound and impactful. The TA will prepare recommendations to address constraints with the technical implementation of the project, and in consultation with the PMU, DESD and UNDP (as appropriate), support implementation of those recommendations. In addition, the TA will facilitate collection, analysis, and dissemination of data and information, including for M&E purposes. TA services will be partly home-based, as well as through on-the-ground support in Djibouti, including field visits to project target sites.

Specifically, the TA will have the following responsibilities:

• Support the successful start-up of project components; assess annual planning and delivery processes; identify constraints and develop recommendations to the Project Board for effective project management and implementation.
• Identify key consultancies for impactful project delivery and support the Project Manager in development of detailed Terms of Reference (TORs).
• Support M&E and Knowledge Management processes; review the project logical framework and develop recommendations to ensure that monitoring processes feed into adaptive management and learning processes; facilitate adequate and timely completion of the mandatory UNDP-GEF annual Project Implementation Report (PIR) in close collaboration with the PMU, DEDD and the UNDP Regional Technical Advisor (RTA). NB: The PIR process will require annual (desk-based) support between June-September.   
• Explore and establish partnerships to support marine conservation in Djibouti (e.g. multi/bilateral donors, private sector, NGOs, etc); and support the PMU in effective coordination with relevant parallel initiatives.
• Provide inputs for communication outputs; support the development of a communication strategy and contribute to documentation and extraction of lessons learned/good practices and dissemination through appropriate platforms in collaboration with the PMU and RTA.
• Perform other tasks as may realistically be requested by the PMU in agreement with UNDP.

Competencies:

• Ability to work sensitively and effectively with people of diverse cultures, value systems, perspectives and levels of education.
•  Demonstrated ability to foresee risks and allow for contingencies, effectively plan, organize and implement activities and adhere to deadlines.
• Ability to work in complex, multi-stakeholder project environments.
• Excellent communication skills.

Education:

• PhD/MSc or equivalent in environmental sciences. Preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate education in area relevant to the objectives of the project (e.g. conservation biology, natural resource management, marine sciences, protected area management, etc). 

Skills & Experience:

• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience, including conservation and project management experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge relevant to designing and managing protected areas (preferably MPAs).
• Minimum 5 years experience working in developing country contexts; good understanding of the sustainable development challenges that impact successful protected area management in low/middle-income countries.  
• Experience successfully advising and working with diverse stakeholders (e.g. Government, private sector, donors, NGOs, etc).
• Strong analytical skills, ability to evaluate impact, and transform data into information.
• Previous experience with GEF projects, and knowledge of UNDP and GEF procedures and guidelines will be an advantage.

Languages:

• Demonstrated fluency in French (spoken) and English (written and spoken) is an absolute requirement. Candidates are encouraged to provide evidence of language skills (e.g. links to publications) and may be requested to participate in a written test or brief interview to verify fluency in French and English.

Procedures for submission of applications

Failing to comply with the application submission requirements may result in disqualifying the application. Applications received after the deadline may be rejected.

Application Procedures:

Interested qualified individuals must submit their applications by providing the following information to demonstrate their qualifications:

PLease download the required forms from this link

http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=54405

Technical Proposal:

• Brief cover letter
• Completed Offeror’s Application Form (see Annex II).
• CV detailing relevant past experience, as well as contact details (email address and telephone number).
• Contact details of the most recent three employers who may be contacted for reference checks.

Financial Proposal:

• Applicants are instructed to submit their financial proposals in US Dollars for this consultancy using the financial proposal template by the indicated application deadline.
• Financial proposals must indicate a daily fee. The financial proposal must realistically consider the various expenses the applicant expects to incur during contract, including:

• Daily professional fee.
• Communications, utilities and consumables (if any).
• Any other relevant expenses, if any, related to the performance of services under the contract (e.g. health insurance, vaccination, visa costs, etc).

Please group all your documents into one single PDF document. Incomplete applications may be rejected.

Any requests for clarifications may be sent to proc.dji@undp.org before 12 April 2019. UNDP Djibouti will respond via e-mail and publish the clarifications without identifying the source of inquiry at the same procurement notice

NB: Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful applicants about the outcome.

Evaluation, selection criteria and process

Criteria for Selection of ICs

All applicants will be initially screened against the minimum requirements as specified in section 4. Only those applicants who meet the minimum level of education (Master), relevant years of experience requirements (10 years minimum) and minimum languages requirements (English and French) will be longlisted and considered for the technical evaluation against the following criteria:

• Criteria 1.

 a) PhD/MSc or equivalent in environmental sciences. Preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate education in area relevant to the objectives of the project (e.g. conservation biology, natural resource management, marine sciences, protected area management, etc). 

– 20 points.

b) PhD in same field – 5 points.

• Criteria 2. Number of years of relevant experience (minimum of 10 years) – 20 points. Extra 5 points each add year with a maximum of 30 points total.
• Criteria 3. Previous work experience with UNDP and/or other UN agency or public funded agencies – in the required areas of expertise  – 10 points
• Criteria 4. Fluency in written and spoken in any of the UN language besides English and French ( Arabic) -5 points

The technical evaluation will include a desk review and may also include interviews and technical tests if necessary.

ONLY the applicants obtaining the minimum of 49 points (70% of total 70 points) for the technical

criteria shall be considered for the Financial Evaluation:

Financial proposals must indicate a daily fee, as per Annex II

The cost for air travel and living cost for any official travel during the IC period should NOT be included in the daily rate. Such travel cost will be borne by UNDP if such travel will be required.

Award will be made based on Combined scoring method

Technical Proposal will be weighted a maximum of 70% (max 70 points) and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a maximum of 30% (max 30 points).

Only consultants whose offer has been evaluated and determined as responsive / compliant / acceptable; and are in compliance with criteria above, will be considered for the contracting.

ANNEXES

Annex I – Individual IC General Terms and Conditions:

Annex II - Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the Individual IC, including Financial Proposal Template and Personal History Form