Landscape Project Coordinator

As the United Nations lead agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Our work is concentrated in three focus areas; sustainable development, democratic governance and peace building, and climate and disaster resilience. UNDP’s mandate is to end poverty, build democratic governance, rule of law, and inclusive institutions. We advocate for change, and connect countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

The Action for Climate and Environment (ACE) Unit at UNDP is organized around the thematic areas of climate change adaptation and mitigation, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem & land restoration, disaster management and resilience, and access to clean and efficient energy.

The Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity pillar of ACE is supporting the Government of India in meeting national development objectives along with commitments under important multilateral environment agreements especially the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The programme/projects under the pillar have been supporting the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), National and State level planning for land restoration and biodiversity conservation, habitat restoration, carbon sequestration through enhanced restoration, promotion of nature-based livelihoods and One Health approach.

UNDP is supporting the Ministry in the implementation of a GEF -7 project “Sustainable management and restoration of degraded landscapes for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in India”. The project aims to achieve land degradation neutrality by creating additional carbon sinks through an ecosystem-based approach for restoring degraded agricultural, forest, pastoral lands, and surface water bodies. It involves enabling institutional frameworks and policies for integrated sustainable land management practices and up-scaling landscape-wide practices in 3 states Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh contributing to the national target of restoring 26 Mha of degraded lands by 2030.

The project being implemented over a period of five years will lead to the following outcomes: (1) Enhanced national, state and district-level enabling frameworks incentivizing SLM practices and supporting participatory multi-sector platforms to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate mitigation; (2) Integrated participatory landscape design and financing models established in support of avoidance, reduction and reversal of land degradation, desertification, biodiversity loss and negative impacts of climate change to generates multiple sustained environmental and economic benefits; (3) Improved capacity for LDN monitoring, assessment and reporting to UNCCD in support of LDN target setting and evaluation of capacities of partners; allowing government institutions and other agencies to better document, analyse and disseminate effective intervention strategies for restoring productive landscapes and replication of best practices at national and state level, and at international level through improved South-South cooperation, knowledge and adaptive management.

UNDP seeks to engage the services of a Landscape Project Coordinator to support the District Collector (DC), and Landscape Project Management Unit in implementation of the project. S/he will work under the supervision of District Collector (DC).

Under the direct supervision of District Collector (DC). The Landscape Project Coordinator will perform the following tasks:

1. Assist the Landscape Project Officer in coordination, and implementation of the project activities in accordance with the project document and results framework, under the guidance of DC and DFO.
2. Coordination with the multi-stakeholder Landscape Level Coordinating Committee, as an ongoing forum for support to the process of mainstreaming biodiversity into local governance and development planning and budgeting.
3. Assist in developing landscape specific annual work plans.
4. Provide administration and operational support at the national, state and landscape project management unit and in budgeting, ensure adequate information flow, discussion and feedback among relevant stakeholders of the project.
5. Prepare the project expenditure reports at the landscape level.
6. Assist in preparation of documents, guidelines, presentation and follow up on the operations and finance related matters with state partners.
7. Facilitate data and information collection with the sectoral line departments for undertaking the project activities.
8. Maintain financial records, petty cash and monitor systems to record and reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data for day-to day transactions and reports.
9. Assist Landscape Project Management Unit in managing vendor contracts, drafting & processing of letters and facilitate payments.
10. Assist in preparation of legal documents for contracting and procurement of goods and services, including maintenance and physical verification of assets.
11. Coordinate and organize meetings/workshops, trainings and capacity building workshops and provide administrative and logistical support for organizing workshops and meetings.
12. Assist in collation and compilation of data and information from the concerned implementing partners.
13. Interact with other state departments and provide support, for convergence and sharing knowledge and best practices learnt in the project landscapes for scale up and replication.
14. Assist in providing inputs for timely submission of Monthly, Quarterly Progress Reports, Annual Progress Reports, Project Implementation Report, FACE Form, Utilization Certificates and mid-term progress reports to MoEFCC and UNDP, as per General Financial Rules 2017, bank reconciliation certificate and other financial reports as and when required.
15. Assist in providing inputs for progress against the approved workplan, and project result framework.
16. Support in developing new proposals for resource mobilization to augment support to the programme/project.
17. Any other tasks and responsibilities related to the project assigned by the LPO, DC, DFO and UNDP.