Chief Technical Advisor (Economy-Wide Integration of Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management to Climate Vulnerability of communities in Samoa (EWACC) Project)

Project Title:

Economy-Wide Integration of Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management to Climate Vulnerability of communities in Samoa (EWACC) Project.

The project “Economy-wide Adaptation to Climate Change (EWACC)” implemented by the Government of Samoa in collaboration with UNDP became operational in November 2014. The objective to address expected impacts of climate change on lives, livelihoods, and assets of vulnerable communities in Samoa.

The US$12.3 million project, funded by the Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF),contributes to overcoming barriers to climate change adaptation by strengthening institutional capacity within the government; enhancing inter-ministerial coordination of climate change adaptation; promoting the inclusion of climate change concerns into development strategies across all sectors; climate-proofing of communities’ physical assets; introducing more climate-resilient livelihoods options; and sharing lessons learned and best practice on climate change adaptation across the Pacific region.

The Implementing Entity is the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment in Samoa. Responsible parties include the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Women, Communities and Social Development, the Land Transport Authority and the UNDP.

The bulk of the LDCF resources in Component 2, aimed to enhance the resilience of communities as first responders of climate change-induced hazards. This component focuses on flood-protection infrastructure interventions, ecosystem-based adaptation approaches, resilient livelihoods support and revision and implementation of Disaster Risk Management plans for 100 villages. The results to date for this component include construction of segment 1 for Vaisigano flood protection wall, completed 17 villages covered with the Disaster Risk Management plans and an approximate of 470 beneficiaries in its improving livelihoods output activity works.  The project also allocates resources to knowledge management and to ensure lessons learned and approaches about Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management under EWACC are captured and shared at the regional and global level.

UNDP is recruiting a Chief Technical Advisor to provide technical and operational advisory support to the project management unit and the Government of Samoa focusing on providing strategic and technical guidance to the interventions mainly under Components 2 and 3 of the EWACC project for the remaining 16 months of the project due to be completed in November 2021. The CTA must have strong expertise in the areas of civil/water engineering, water resource management, climate change adaptation project management, disaster risk management, and community-based interventions.

Scope of Work:

The Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) will be responsible for providing strategic direction and overall technical backstopping to the project and MNRE (Climate Change & GEF Division, Disaster Management Office and Water Resources Division (WRD)) in the implementation of activities as defined in the project document.

The partnerships with other project partners such as Land and Transport Authority (LTA), Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, and all other Government responsible parties, and to guide the PMU in the final phases of the project with special focus on overall project progress towards the final terminal evaluation of EWACC.

He/She will work with the CC & GEF Division and report to UNDP to provide advice to the project management team and other consultants hired within the project in collaboration with the main executing partners namely WRD and LTA for the related project activity works.

He/She shall evaluate and provide comments to, and endorse the acceptance of, the results and deliverables of the pertinent project activities, particularly on the level of achievement/realization of the committed targets of the project

The scope of work for the consultant will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following key activities:

A. Provide technical advice and support for effective project implementation

• Provide technical expertise and strategic guidance to all project components with the remaining key activities for the EWACC project, providing quality control of interventions, and support the Project Manager in  the coordination for planned activities for the remaining timeframe of the project. These include:

• Provide technical supervisory function as follows:  Peer review and provide technical guidance for Hydraulic modelling for catchments namely, Gasegase River, Loimata o Apaula and Fuluasou River;
• Provide technical guidance and oversee on behalf of the project the work of consultants and sub-contractors, helping to ensure the timely delivery of expected outputs;
• Provide technical advice on protection works planned for the three other catchments targeted by the project;
• Support to communications/knowledge products, including reviewing activities under knowledge management and provide advice to ensure lessons learned on CCD/DRM are documented and shared;
• Provide written reports, technical guidance and recommendations to PMU and project partners to increase delivery  towards reaching the  targets of the project;
• Advise and provide guidance to final activities including engagement in the Terminal Evaluation of the project. .

• Provide guidance to ensure that technical outputs and deliverables by the project meet the highest standards.
• Develop a sustainability/exit strategy for the project.

B. Provide technical assistance for effective project management and monitoring:

• Assist the Project Manager in the review and update of Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and monitoring tools for the project and monitoring the technical quality of project M&E systems (including AWPs, indicators and targets);
• Assist the Project manager in the evaluation of results and impact of the Project Results Framework to date;
• Assist and provide advice in the review of the Procurement Plan for the remaining period of the EWACC project
• Assist the Project Manager in defining the necessary coordination mechanisms at the national and regional level for efficient completion of the project activities;
• Provide guidance to the Project Manager in relation to preparation of the Project Implementation Review (PIR), technical reports, quarterly progress and financial reports and the final project report for submission to UNDP, the GEF, other donors and Government Departments;
• Provide guidance to the PMU in updating the GEF Tracking tools prior to the Terminal Evaluation mission.

Expected Outcome and Deliverables:

The CTA will be responsible for guidance and technical support to optimize the  delivery of outcomes and outputs of the project towards its completion and Terminal evaluation until the closing of the project on 6th November 2021. Tasks are described in the scope of work above. This will include support to the PMU in reporting, monitoring and evaluation of the project.

Specific deliverables and their timeline are as follows: Inception assessment report on status of project activities and targets, including review of quarterly workplans with recommendations.

1. Support preparation and final submission of annual Project Implementation Reports (PIR) and Quarterly Progress Reports over the period.
2. Report on monitoring and evaluation Framework including recommendations on final means of verification for project targets
3. Exit and transition strategy for the EWACC project with the Climate Change and GEF Division of MNRE
4. Preparation and final submission of Project Implementation Report (PIR2020-2021) and Quarter Progress Reports over the period.
5. Preparation of Project Terminal Report in collaboration with EWACC PMU.