UN Consultancy: Technical Officer, Community Co-Management – Paramaribo
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Location:
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Salary:negotiable / YEAR
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Job type:CONTRACTOR
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Posted:2 months ago
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Category:
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Deadline:10/03/2025
JOB DESCRIPTION
Background
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Job Purpose and Organizational Context
Mangroves are critical for coastal protection as they prevent coastal erosion and help to stabilize coastal land. Mangroves are critical nature-based solution to mitigate the impact of rising sea levels and storms and adapt to climate change. Coastal mangroves can adapt to sea level rise and storms surges by moving inland over time. Suriname is home to 2 percent of the world’s total mangroves. In Suriname, mangrove forests cover 90 percent of the total coastline of 386 kms. The low-lying coastal region is also where majority of the population lives (i.e nearly 90 percent of the country’s population). In short, mangroves play a critical role in physical/geographical and socio-economic aspects of the country.
UNDP has been a key development partner of the Surinamese Government and its people since 1994. UNDP continues to support Suriname through its three broad programmatic areas: Democratic Governance, Social Development, Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management. The three programmatic areas are interlinked, integrating nature-based solutions, justice and social services with the engagement of stakeholders that are relevant to all three programmatic areas.
UNDP in partnership with the European Union has been supporting Suriname in preservation and conservation of mangrove forests, especially through the two phases of the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA+) programmes – phase one: from March 2016 to August 2019 and phase 2: 2020- 2023. In 2024, UNDP and EU launched a new initiative Protection, Restoration, and Sustainable Use of Mangrove Forest (PRSUMF) project (2024 to 2027).
The PRSUMF project builds on the results achieved in strengthening mangrove protection and conservation by the GCCA+ programme. The PRSUMF project aims to support Suriname in building the resilience of target coastal communities through inclusive, gender-responsive coastal zone management, mangroves conservation, and sustainable use. The project aims to achieve this objective:
- By strengthening coordination, legal and strategic frameworks, for integrated coastal zone management, water management, coastal defense, and governance.
- By enhancing the meaningful participation of local communities in the co-management of mangroves and Multiple Use Management Areas (MUMAs) and
- Lastly, by increasing sustainable income generation with a focus on women and youth, from mangrove-based value chains such as honey, fisheries, and nature-tourism.
Through the above approach, the project aims to mitigate some of the impact of rising sea levels, and frequent flooding, and support the country’s population to adapt to climate change by playing a central role in sustainable mangrove protection and use and adopting sustainable economic activities.
The project will be implemented by a project management unit headed by a project manager and technically supported by two technical officers – one on Community Co-Management, and one on Value-Chain Development.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Technical Officer on Community Co-Management, under the overall guidance of the Project Manager, is directly responsible for providing support and assistance to strengthening local communities’ co-management of Mangroves and Multiple Use Management Areas (MUMAs).
Key functions and responsibilities
Key functions and responsibilities of the Technical Officer on Community Co-Management will include:
Promote community participation in community management of mangrove forests
- Provide technical support to strengthen the governance of mangrove ecosystem and coastal management.
- Develop and implement capacity development plans to promote community engagement and participation in management of mangroves and multi-use management areas or MUMAs (including through consultation commissions).
- Develop and deliver training to relevant MUMA stakeholders, government experts and communities on land use planning, coastal mapping, management effectiveness tracking tool (METT) and nature-based solutions
- Coordinate project activities, particularly community-level activities with technical officer research and value chain development to maximize efficiency, synergies, and complementary of project activities.
- Mainstream gender and support equitable engagement of men and women in community co-management of mangrove forests and MUMAs.
Strengthen decision making processes on sustainable use of mangroves
- Support local bodies and facilitate local dialogues as well as district and community decision-making processes on sustainable use of mangroves (in close collaboration with the technical officer on research and value chain development).
- Explore and provide support to revitalization of MUMA management organizations
- Support assessment of, and community-based design and implementation of nature-based solutions to protect and restore mangrove forests
Contribute to knowledge management on community engagement in sustainable use of mangroves:
- Support baseline studies and undertake relevant research activities and in collaboration with the project team, update project baselines and targets.
- Prepare reports, factsheets, best practices and lessons learnt from project implementation
- In collaboration with the project team, support regular monitoring of activities related to community co-management.
- In collaboration with the project manager, and communication officer, support awareness and communication activities including visibility of the projects
Strengthen partnerships for sustainable use of mangroves:
- Develops and maintains relationships with main counterparts within the country (e.g. with government departments, NGOs, organizations, community leaders) to ensure buy-in and successful implementation.
- Develop and maintain relationships at the local level with local communities and local government and MUMA management organizations.
- Supports project manager in management of institutional or stakeholder relations, including analysis, networking and engagement within the national institutions and policy making environment.
Support project management and monitoring of project results:
- Support project manager in the implementation of the project – including develop annual work plans, project progress reports, annual and final reports, preparation of the documentation for the Project Steering Board meetings, review meetings and evaluation missions etc.,
- Identify and support the hiring process of relevant experts and consultants to achieve project outputs, in close collaboration with the project team
- Provide substantive support to consultative and other meetings and conferences to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations, etc.
- In close consultation with the Project Manager, and UNDP country office ensure implementation and that project outputs as identified in the project document are achieved as advised and instructed by the Project Steering Board.
- Support the project manager in timely preparation and submission of financial and technical progress reports.
- Any other activities as required by the project team.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Institutional Arrangement:
The Technical Officer for Community Co-Management will work under the direct supervision of the Project Manager and the general supervision of the Deputy Resident Representative/Head of Office and collaborates closely with the Team Leaders and Project Managers and all other CO units.
Competencies
| Achieve results | LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline |
| Think innovatively | LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements |
| Learn continuously | LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback |
| Adapt with agility | LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible |
| Act with determination | LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident |
| Engage and partner | LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships |
| Enable diversity and inclusion | LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination |
Cross-functional & Technical competencies
| Thematic area | Competencies | definition |
| Business Direction and Strategy | Futures and foresight | Ability to look at information from the past and present, identify patterns and trends and use them to inform decision making with a long-term view. Being sensitive and able to scan horizons and pick up weak signals of change, explore their potential implications and assess their impact and urgency. Using creativity and imagination to communicate insights in compelling and engaging ways to challenge current mental models; ability to develop scenarios, speculative designs to present future visions or by making it experiential. Being able to facilitate debate and discussion about possible futures; help people to feel comfortable with the discomfort of uncertainty. |
| Business Direction and Strategy | Systems 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 |
| Business Management | Partnership management | Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies |
| Business Management | Project management | Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals |
| Business Development | Knowledge facilitation | Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange. |
| Partnership Management | Emerging partnerships | Ability to engage with emerging partners, develop and manage a strategy and develop approaches to developing and managing these new strategic partnerships |
| Partnership management | CSO engagement | Knowledge and understanding of CSOs and the ability to engage with CSOs |
Minimum qualification of successful NPSA:
| Minimum Education requirements |
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| Minimum years of relevant work experience |
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| Required Language(s) |
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Disclaimer
Important applicant information
All posts in the NPSA categories are subject to local recruitment.
Applicant information about UNDP rosters
Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
Workforce diversity
UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.
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Level of Education: Bachelor Degree
Work Hours: 8
Experience in Months: No requirements
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