Background
UNDP helps Kazakhstan honor its Paris Agreement commitments by supporting the expansion of the \"green economy\"ย toย tapย intoย newย opportunitiesย forย jobsย andย businesses.ย Itย partnersย withย otherย Unitedย Nationsย agencies to provide technical expertise to translate strategies into action, establish a monitoring framework for climate changeย adaptationย andย mitigation,ย andย developย plansย forย transitionย toย greenย energy,ย landย management,ย climate- proofย agriculture,ย biodiversity,ย reforestation,ย disasterย riskย reduction,ย andย wasteย management.ย Byย catalyzingย SDG and Paris-aligned investments (public and private), UNDP delivers client-focused solutions that respond to immediate,ย midย andย long-termย recoveryย andย socio-economicย developmentย priorities,ย andย byย leveragingย on-the- ground presence and networks, we unlock bottom-up solutions towards lasting impacts at the country level, benefitting most disadvantaged and leaving no one behind.Projects Descriptions:
Enhancing Urban Resilience to Disaster Risk and Climate Change in Central Asia (01004067)
The project is funded by the Government of Japan and expected to be implemented by UNDP in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The overall objective of the project is to support all five Central Asian countries in building climate resilience, focusing on urban areas. The project will specifically focus on enhancing regional cooperation and partnership through the existing coordination platforms, while introducing innovative approaches in urban planning based on practical experiences from other countries, including Japan.ย
New approaches to integrated climate and disaster risk assessment will transform urban planning from resilience lenses, while considering future intensity and magnitude of natural hazards due to the changing climate. Knowledge base and capacity building efforts will be institutionalized in the region to ensure sustainability of interventions beyond the project cycle. The project will promote a people-centred, gender sensitive and climate risk-informed holistic approach to break silos in urban planning efforts.
Improving Flood Control Measures through Integrated Dam Management in Kazakhstan (01004180)
The main objective of the Project is to develop a National Monitoring System for the security of hydrotechnical structures and operationalize the System as part of the countryโs floodย early warning and preparedness approach. The aim of this project is to integrate water infrastructure, especially dams, into the national flood management and preparedness strategy byย
Developing the dam flood and safety management concept Pilot the assessment of dams with the new flood and safety management concept Making dam integrity, dam monitoring and surveillance, and reservoir operation an integral part of the national water information systemยThe flood problem is manyfold and spans across topics such as but not limited to early warning systems with an extension of lead time and an increase in accuracy; flood anticipation due to forecasted inflow information; adaptive flood operation of dams in combination with flexible and regulatable structures; dam integrity during flood events also in the light of increasing flood intensities due to climate change; and flood preparedness, flood protection, and damage reduction of settlements.
Dams play a major role in mitigating the impact of floods and to buffer hydrological extremes. When dams are prepared for floods, they will also contribute to the robustness of water management in Kazakhstan in a wider sense. Damage reduction due to better reservoir operation along with risk reduction of a dam failure are important elements in the context of future economic development and climate change.
Flood preparedness with regards to flood early warning and adaptive flood operation at dams has become a priority after the flood event in 2024 and is in line with the general goal of establishing a national water information system with the integration of flood early warning systems.
Duties and Responsibilities
Management of designated Projects in accordance with UNDP Program and Operations Policies and Procedures and UNDP Kazakhstan Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Supervise and coordinate the Projects and ensure results are in accordance with the Project Documents and the rules and procedures established in the UNDP POPP. Bear responsibility for the day-to-day management of the - both organizational and substantive issues - budgeting, planning and overall monitoring of the Projects; Develop Annual Work Plans in accordance with the Project Documents and ensure adherence to the multi-year Annual Work Plan, and conduct budget revisions as required; Support the work and decision-making of the Project Boards by providing timely, detailed, and accurate information to the Project Boardsโ members. Prepare Project Board meetings to share progress updates and by documenting decisions and follow-up actions; Coordinate an exit strategy at least 3-6 months ahead of the projectsโ closure dates; ensure closure of the projects are done per the established procedures; Provide policy advise and support capacity development of national counterparts through transfer of generated knowledge i.e., procedures, manuals, guidelines and systems for implementation.Monitor progress and manage risks, ensuring that changes are controlled, and problems addressed, report on progress and issues
Develop Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for tracking and evaluating progress against the agreed targets. Monitor expenditures of financial resources to ensure compliance with rules and procedures and accuracy and reliability of financial reports; ensures preparation of budget revisions as necessary; follows up with the National Project Directors and the Project Boards on issues; Monitor Projects progress to ensure that it is in accordance with the timetable set out in the Project Documents and preparation of regular updates to Project Boards on project progress, implementing issues, emerging risks/problems, and proposals for necessary remedial actions; Ensure that the indicators included in the project results framework are monitored annually in advance of the annual reports and GEF Project Implementation Report (PIR) submission deadline so that progress can be reported in the GEF PIR. Prepare the GEF PIR for NAMA project; Collect and manage project data as required by the M&E Plan; Coordinate and facilitate meetings that will arise as the result of partnerships with different project partners, and organize field visits to the project partners participating in implementation to monitor the project progress and discuss and clarify the related issues; Monitor financial resources and accounting to ensure accuracy and reliability of financial report; Monitor financial contributions of partners; Monitor and manage the project risks; inform the Project Boards on emerging issues and risks, update the issue and risk logs; Ensure reporting to National Project Directors/Project Boards is prepared timely and the reports are meeting the standards; Support the preparation of reviews and evaluations as defined in the Project Document - Terminal Evaluation process of the NAMA Project; Prepare progress and final Project reports and papers; Assess major and minor amendments to the projects within the parameters set by the rules of the donors; Monitor implementation plans including the gender action plan, stakeholder engagement plan, and any environmental and social management plans of the projects; Monitor and track progress against the GEF Core indicators for NAMA; Ensure appropriate filing and availability of required documentation for the audit purposes; Perform all tasks in Quantum Management Information System related to the Project Coordinatorโs position.Create synergies with other income generation or inclusive prosperity initiatives in the country or other UNDP initiatives to maximize the project impact
Collaborate intensively with all projectsโ stakeholders, including other projects to maximize the impact of UNDPโs interventions that will contribute towards achievement of the expected outcome under the UNDPโs Country Programme Document 2021-2025; Maintain good cooperation and coordination with national counterparts, project partners, and other stakeholders (donor community, international finance institutions, private sector); Maintain regular contacts with beneficiaries to ensure relevance and quality of projectsโ outputs; Actively identify and mobilize new partnerships and funding sources (resource mobilization) for new projects and initiatives, ensure blending of resources to achieve scalable impact; Establish records with contacts, pursue networking and information sharing and follow up on partnership-related issues; By providing projects level information, contribute to the development of pipeline initiatives primarily under the themes covered by the Projects.Communication, knowledge management and learning
Maintain close working relations and regular contacts with the Government partners as well as the Embassy of Japan, facilitating discussions and feedback; Engage in regular exchange of information/experience with other projects, promoting cross-learning and sharing results and the best practices; Contribute to the development and dissemination of high-quality knowledge and visibility products at different national and regional platforms. Document lessons learned, success stories, and case studies, and integrate them into strategic planning and decision-making processes, in coordination with the regional team. In coordination with the regional team, facilitate regular knowledge-sharing sessions, workshops, or webinars with key stakeholders to promote dialogue, continuous learning, and innovation.Ensure Gender mainstreaming within the projects focusing on achievement of the following results:
Ensure gender is effectively mainstreamed throughout the project activities, work plans, budgets, reports, research, analyses and, where specifically relevant, analyzed in detail; Ensure gender equality is mainstreamed throughout team, consultant and staff management activities; Ensure gender knowledge is incorporated in Project Knowledge management activities and products.Partnership building and strategic advocacy:
Maintain continuous communication and engagement with Embassy of Japan as well as Japanese funding partners, ensuring alignment of partnership approaches with their development cooperation frameworks; Identify new partnership opportunities that leverage local expertise and resources for sustainable DRR interventions; Produce targeted advocacy materials (e.g., policy briefs, position papers) tailored to government stakeholders, development partners, and the Japanese donor. Monitor and analyze policy developments and donor trends to proactively adjust advocacy messaging and partnership strategies, in coordination with the regional team and UNV employed at the UNDP Kazakhstan.ย Represent the urban resilience project at relevant forums, donor briefings, and policy dialogues to position DRR/urban/climate resilience as a priority within national development agendas.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 Projects Coordinator is responsible for the management and implementation of the assigned Projects of the Energy and Environment Unit, including technical coordination and mobilization of Projects resources, supervising Projects personnel, consultants and subcontractors. The Project Coordinator will be tasked with the day-to-day management of the Projects activities, as well as dealing with material, financial and administrative reporting. The Project Coordinator will apply an integrative manner and closely coordinate with the Projects experts, as well as other ongoing and future projects and initiative for building synergies, towards achieving outcome results as well as performance indicators specified in the Projects Document, in accordance with the required quality standards and within the specified time and cost constraints. This will require linking indicators to the work plans to ensure results-based management. On institutional aspects, the Projects will closely communicate, coordinate and work with the National Project Director and the ministries of water and emergency of the Republic of Kazakhstan and other relevant government bodies and stakeholders.ย
The Project Coordinator will report to the Programme Specialist/Head of EE Unit on all programmatic and administrative issues of the Projects. The Project Coordinator will be responsible for liaising with the Government, UNDP and other UN agencies, NGOs and other Project partners as appropriate.ย
Competencies
Core competencies:
Achieve Results -ย 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 Continuouslyย - LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others, and support their learning. Adapt with Agility -ย LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process. Act with Determination - LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously. Engage and Partner -ย LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships. Enable Diversity and Inclusion -ย LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making.People Management Competency: UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicatedย site.
Cross Functional and Technical competencies:
Business Direction & Strategy-Business Acumenย ย ย ย ย Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome. Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization and ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks. Business Direction & Strategy- Negotiation and Influenceย ย 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 Direction & Strategy- System Thinkingย ย ย ย ย ย ย 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- Results-based Managementย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Ability to manage programs and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results. Business Management- Project Managementย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals. Business Management - Private sector engagement 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. 2030 Agenda: Planet -ย Nature, Climate and Energyย ย ย Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Natural Resource Management.Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Advanced university degree (Masterโs degree or equivalent) in Hydrology/Water resource management, Economy, Governance, Natural Sciences, Business Administration, Urban Studies, Environmental Studies, Disaster Risk Reduction, Engineeringย or a relevant related field is required, or A first-level university degree (Bachelorโs degree) in the areas mentioned above with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.Experience:
Minimum 2 years (with Masterโs degree) or 4 years (with Bachelorโs degree) of working experience in managing/coordinating projects/programs in one of the following fields: sustainable water resource management, environment, economy, urban resilience, disaster risk reduction, climate change, urban/ environmental planning, land use and physical planning.Required skills:
Knowledge ofย sustainable water resource management, environment, economy, urban resilience, disaster risk reduction, climate changeย issues in Kazakhstan, including the political, institutional and socio-economic contexts is required.Desired skills:
Additional years of work experience as a manager/coordinator in project implementation and the ability to manage conflicting priorities and tight timelines is desired. Working experience with ministries and/or other national institutions, and ability to work effectively with fellow partners at all levels and with all groups would be an asset. Working experience within the UN system in implementingย development projects would be an asset.Language:
Fluency in English and Kazakh and/or Russian is required.Equal 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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