Background
UNDP Multi-Country Office for Mauritius and Seychelles
The UNDP Multi-Country Office (MCO) for Mauritius and Seychelles serves as a critical platform to provide strategic and technical support to both countries in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The MCO focuses on fostering an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development trajectory while addressing key challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable natural resource management.
The office works in collaboration with national governments, local communities, international organizations, and other development partners to implement initiatives that prioritize climate action, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem management. The MCO's vision aligns with global and regional strategies to create a more sustainable future, driven by innovation, partnerships, and community-centric solutions.
Environment Unit
The Environment Unit within the UNDP MCO is committed to addressing critical environmental challenges, including climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem management. The unit's programmatic interventions aim to integrate environmental sustainability into national development planning while building institutional and community capacities to address pressing environmental issues.
One of the unit's areas of focus is combating the growing threats posed by invasive alien species (IAS) to biodiversity, agriculture, and livelihoods in Mauritius. The Environment Unit provides specialized support to key biodiversity conservation projects, ensuring effective implementation, stakeholder engagement, and the integration of lessons learned into policy frameworks.
Project Background
The \"Mainstreaming Invasive Alien Species (IAS) Prevention, Control, and Management\" project is a pivotal intervention undertaken by, the implementing partner, the Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries under the National Implementation Modality (NIM) to address one of the most significant threats to native biodiversity and ecosystem integrity in the Republic of Mauritius. Funded through global environmental financing (GEF) mechanisms, the project started implementation in February 2021 and will end in September 2027.
The Project
The objective of the project is to safeguard globally significant biodiversity in vulnerable ecosystems through the prevention, control, and management of invasive alien species (IAS) in the Republic of Mauritius. IAS control also has other multiple benefits, including that of curtailing crop wastage in the agricultural sector which impacts food security and sustainability. The Project identifies three impact pathways to achieve this objective:
Creating the policy and institutional frameworks needed for effective prevention, control and management of IAS to secure ecosystem goods and services under pressure from IAS. It builds the right enabling environments (policies, institutional coordination) for mainstreaming IAS prevention, control, and management.ย Establishing a multi-tier strategy for effective tackling of IAS - The strategy includes improved preventative measures at points of entry into the country and inter-Islands, early detection and rapid response programmes to eradicate new incursions. It also includes improved capacity to upscale proven methodologies for managing IAS on a landscape level.ยUp-to-date information for raising public awareness and enhancing understanding of the centrality of IAS programmes for protecting biodiversity, ecosystems, the economy, and livelihoods. It ensures that knowledge management supports monitoring, assessment and learning and forms the basis for adaptive project implementation, achievement of results, impacts, and upscaling of experiences in the Republic of Mauritius and in the region. This will ensure that the interventions of the project inform and influence the behaviours of a wider IAS constituency.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Project Officer will be locally recruited based on an open competitive process following UNDP procedure, with input to the selection process from the Project partners. Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Project Officer is responsible to assist and support in the implementation of project activities, while ensuring high quality, accuracy and consistency of work. He/She will be responsible for the technical implementation of project activities and achieving the results mentioned in the project document.ย
Whenever the Project Manager or Project Assistant is absent, the Project Officer is expected to enable the team to function smoothly and deliver expected results. The Project Officer position is intended to assist the project in terms of relevant technical inputs, stakeholder engagement, capacity-building initiatives and communication activities, while aligning activities with UNDPโs environmental sustainability objectives and donor requirements.
Summary of Key Functions
Provide support for the adoption of gender sensitive policies to manage IAS; Provide support for the effective prevention and management of IAS; Knowledge Management and Learning; Support to the project teamย Specific tasks and responsibilities
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization
Institutional Arrangements
The Project Officer will work under the general supervision of the Project Manager and will collaborate closely with the National Project Director for National Implementation Modality (NIM) Projects.
Competencies Core Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process Act with Determination:ย LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision makingย
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies (insert up to 7 competencies)ย Thematic Area Name Definition Business Direction & Strategy 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 Business Development Knowledge Facilitation Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally Businessย Management Projectย Management Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals Business Management Partnerships Management Ability to 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 Communication Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audienceย Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels Business Management Monitoring Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results Partnership management Relationship Management ย ย Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understandingRequired Skills and Experience
Education:
Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Natural Resource Management, Environmental Sciences, natural sciences, ecosystems management, or related Invasive Alien Species (IAS) management or related field is required, orย A first-level university degree (bachelorโs degree) in the above fields in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degreeExperience:
Applicants with Masterโs degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience. Applicants with a Bachelorโs degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience at the national or international level in natural resource management, preferably in the context of wildlife conservation, law enforcement and awareness raising is requiredEqual opportunity
As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.ย
UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.
Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority
UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.ย
Right to select multiple candidates
UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.ย 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.
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