The biological diversity of the Solomon Islands is critical to the people of Solomon Islands in that it has shaped human well-being for centuries.  The predominantly subsistence lifestyle that characterizes the Solomon Islands economy is underpinned by the country’s heavy reliance on its biological diversity. The importance of biodiversity as the basis for the people’s livelihood and well-being is therefore well understood and it is recognized that without biodiversity the country also loses its aesthetic, spiritual and educational values and significance, which are integral to our well-being and traditional way of life. Thus, the maintenance of watersheds, marine environment and water quality, soil retention and erosion control, provision of critical habitat for fauna, climate regulation, nutrient cycling and the pollination of plants are just a few of the essential ecological services that are essential to the islanders. Nonetheless, there is growing realization that the country’s biodiversity is also under increasing pressure from multiple sources of threats, for example, from habitat loss, land degradation, overexploitation, invasive alien species and climate change. These pressures can be devastating for the health of the country’s biodiversity and, therefore, its livelihood and wellbeing.

The United Nations Development Programme, Solomon Islands, in  partnership with the Solomon Islands Government, has received CEO endorsement for it’s GEF 7 STAR Allocations focusing on mainstreaming biodiversity across sectors, as well as landscapes, seascapes; addressing direct drivers to protect habitats and species; and creating an enabling environment to support Land Degradation Neutrality( LDN )target implementation. Under this partnership, a project management unit will be set up, and a Chief Technical Advisor is required to provide strategic and technical advisory support to the project. This project will help the Solomon Islands in safeguarding its indigenous species and ecosystems from invasive species, halt land degradation and restore degraded areas, control unsustainable resource use and climate-induced risks through a holistic and integrated landscape-seascape management approach through effective government enabling and capacity, community participation and development of resilient blue/green livelihoods.

The project objective is to ensure that Solomon Islands’ indigenous species and ecosystems are at reduced risk from invasive alien species, land degradation and unsustainable resource use as a result of effective government enabling and capacity, community participation and resilient blue/green livelihoods. The project recognizes that these land and seascapes of the Solomon Islands underpin the lives and livelihoods of a large number of local communities and that implementation of a coherent and integrated strategy to promote improved measures for prevention and management of invasive alien species, land and marine degradation and unsustainable use of its natural resources is an integral part of the solution. This is to be achieved through four interrelated and mutually complementary Components that are focused on addressing barriers.  The four Components of the project are Component 1: An enabling framework for safeguarding biodiversity, combating land degradation and securing a nature-based economy; Component 2: Comprehensive risk management approach to address IAS threats to biodiversity and land degradation; Component 3: Community-based integrated ecosystem management and threat reduction at land/seascape scale; Component 4: Knowledge management, awareness, M&E and gender mainstreaming.

Under the under the direct supervision of the DRR, the technical guidance of the Programme Specialist and working closely with the Project Manager of the Programme Specialist for Planet, Climate and Resilience Programme based at the UNDP sub-office, Honiara, the Chief Technical Advisor is required to provide leadership, and strategic and technical support to the SAFE project. The majority of responsibilities will be in the areas of enabling a framework for safeguarding biodiversity, combatting land degradation and securing a nature-based economy; development and implementation of a comprehensive risk management approach to address IAS threats to biodiversity and land degradation; community-based integrated ecosystem management and threat reduction at land/seascape scale; and knowledge, management, awareness, M& E and gender mainstreaming to address key threats and to the achievement of the project’s goal of safeguarding Solomon Islands endemic species are safeguarded from key threats such as invasive alien species, and unsustainable land use practices.

The CTA will be part of the project management unit and will report directly to the Deputy Resident Representative through the Project Manager in the Solomon Islands and will have a matrix reporting line to Team Leader Resilience and Climate Change Unit. She/he is also responsible for reporting to the Deputy Secretary Technical, and National Projects Coordination & Management Unit Manager in the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meterology.

The CTA is expected to work full-time in Year 1 (2024-2025) and Year 2 (2025-2026) and be based in the Solomon Islands. The next two years will be at 40% of the time. The final year will be for a limited scope to support the final reporting of the project, verification of results against indicators, updating core indicators for the project and supporting the PMU through the terminal evaluation and closure.

The CTA will support the Project Management  United, providing technical guidance and direction to the planning and delivery of all outputs of the project, supervise national consultants and organisations hired to deliver on specific outputs, build the capacity of the PMU, national implementing partners and key stakeholders as necessary and be responsible for the reporting of outcome level achievements of the project, including the tracking of all indicators. The Project Management Unit is comprised of the Project Manager, Project Finance and Administrative Officer, five Provincial Coordinators for each of the five Provinces and they will be supported by part-time Community-based Liaison Associations for the 12 landscapes/seascapes. They will facilitate and coordinate on-the-ground project activities.

Summary of Key Functions:

• Strategic, policy and technical guidance and support to enabling frameworks, comprehensive risk assessment approach and community-based integrated ecosystem management
• Capacity building of government of stakeholders and support the PMU to deliver the project with technical coherence.
• Knowledge management, project monitoring and gender mainstreaming
• Partnerships development and advocacy

Specifically, the CTA will;

• Review and revise the project results framework as recommended by the inception workshop
• Provide a revised implementation plan (Total Budget and Work Plan) for the remainder of the project (2025-2030)
• Seek out new partnerships and explore delivery modalities to expedite nationally implemented activities and outputs
• Ensure that project activities under each outcome are planned and executed in a timely manner with high technical standards and implemented following the planned outcomes to achieve defined indicators.
• Provide strategic review and planning towards achieving metrics and indicators (e.g. METTs, capacity scorecards, etc.)
• Carry out visits to project sites and the activities in the field.
• Manage and monitor the project risks initially identified and submit new risks to the Project Manager for consideration and decision on possible actions if required; update the status of these risks in the project risks log.
• Guide the revisions to the annual and multi-year work plan, as needed.
• Ensure the timely realization of cofinancing for the project
• Work with a safeguards consultant to design and implement the ESMF for the project, design and operational a Grievance Redress Mechanism, and ensure the gender action plan (GAP) and stakeholder engagement plan (SEP) are integrated into the implementation plan.
• Lead on identifying best practices and case studies as appropriate for the project’s knowledge management component
• Design a monitoring and evaluation framework for the project and ensure the project team and contractors are trained to perform the requisite data collection
• Advise and support the Project Manager and the PMU in the review and update of the GEF tracking tools at Mid-term and Project end.
• Advise and support the PMU in preparing for; and responding to recommendations of the mid-term review (MTR) and terminal evaluation (TE)
• In addition, the CTA will provide guidance and support on both strategic project matters, quality control of technical expertise and aspects of day-to-day management as required and in close coordination with the Project Manager.

Specific deliverables under each component are;

Component 1: Enabling framework for safeguarding biodiversity, combating land degradation and securing a nature-based economy

• Provide policy and technical advice to enabling frameworks such as the National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan, land degradation policy and securing a nature-based economy. This will involve supporting the operationalization and strengthening of a cross-sector biodiversity mainstreaming council, that has the aim to strengthen the existing environmental advisory committee, and which will lead to the elevation of its status to support the mainstreaming of biodiversity across sectors including the promotion of resilient blue/green development pathways;
• Support the establishment of an enabling platform for promoting and achieving Land Degradation Neutrality through improved land use policy, regulations and multisector coordination (inter alia agriculture, livestock and forestry);
• Supporting and delivering a program to build the capacity of government and other stakeholders at the national level and provincial levels to enforce key mandates related to the conservation of globally significant and endemic species.

Component 2: Comprehensive IAS framework for early detection, control and management identifies and prioritizes highest risk invasion pathways to safeguard natural and production systems from IAS

• Provide oversight to the development of information management for biodiversity, IAS and LDN linked to existing integrated data portals to enhance decision support through improved monitoring, targeted gap-filled assessments, data sharing protocols and priority species conservation lists and plans.
• Advise and support the comprehensive risk management approach to address IAS threats to biodiversity and land degradation:
• Advise and support the development of the National Strategy for Invasive Alien Species (NISSAP) adopted and operationalised through the appropriate governance and established standard operating procedures and prioritised lists of high-risk IAS.

Component 3: Community-based integrated ecosystem management and threat reduction at land/seascape scale

• Work with the provincial coordinators to design community-led nature-based economic pathways in the targeted locations captured in the project document.
• Advise and support the provincial coordinators and community liaison officers to develop or enhance community governance systems to strengthen traditional knowledge of protecting landscapes/ seascapes in targeted locations from IAS.
• Supporting and delivering a program to build the capacity of government and other stakeholders at the national level and provincial levels to enforce key mandates related to the conservation of globally significant and endemic species;
• Support Community-based integrated ecosystem management and threat reduction at land/seascape scale in the targeted locations.
• Forge strategic relationships with key ministries, other government agencies, and non-government organisations to deliver the field-based outputs of the project
• Seek and identify partnerships with smallholder farmers to strengthen biodiversity, land degradation, and risk approaches to IAS;

Component 4: Knowledge management, awareness, M&E and gender mainstreaming

• Provide oversight to the development, testing and implementation of a national communications strategy and action plan, based on an analysis of lessons learned from other GEF projects in the Pacific to raise public awareness of the crucial importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services, the risks from IAS and land degradation and the broad benefits of ecosystem-based management.
• Conduct technical knowledge sharing to bring international best practices to project implementation
• Initiate cross-country knowledge sharing amongst other Pacific countries in sustainable land management, invasive control and management and community-based approaches to ecosystem conservation
• Participate in the preparation of project reviews when required and provide technical support when required and provide technical support.
  Oversee the preparation of donor briefings and presentations in support of resource mobilization efforts as appropriate

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization

Business Direction & Strategy

• Strategic Thinking. Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions. Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP
• System Thinking. Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
• Effective Decision Making. Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources
• Negotiation and Influence. Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates ‘win-win’ situations

Business Management

• Project Management. Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
• Risk Management. Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks

2030 Agenda: Planet

• Nature, Climate and Energy. Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Conservation and Sustainable us of biodiversity, land, forests and oceans

• Fluency in English is required.