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Health, Safety, Social and Environmental Senior Associate - Analysis and Reporting (IVA & ESMS) - Retainer

Posted in NGOs

UNOPS

Job Type

Full Time

Location

Zimbabwe

Description :

1. Background 

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is the operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations. With over 8,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, where they need it. By implementing around 1,000 projects for our partners at any given time, UNOPS makes significant contributions to results on the ground, often in the most challenging environments.

UNOPS Zimbabwe falls under the purview of the UNOPS KEMC (Kenya Multi Country Office) located in Nairobi, Kenya, the Kenya Multi Country Office manages a growing portfolio of engagements, including associated strategic and operational risks. This includes a large portfolio of Infrastructure, procurement and project management service projects in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and several Island states.


2. Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project (ZIRP)

Following devastation caused to life, livelihoods and property by tropical storm Idai in March 2019, the World Bank has allocated up to US$75 million to finance a 3 Year Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project (ZIRP). UNOPS is managing the WB funds for ZIRP and has established a Project Implementation Unit (PIU). The PIU has been established as a facility to support the World Bank fund only. As the Fund Manager/PIU UNOPS is responsible for multiple functions vis-a-vis the ZIRP including the design of an early recovery/emergency response facility, fiduciary management, legal and technical oversight results management, reporting, quality assurance and communications. 

Through collaborative multi-agency efforts between UNOPS and World Food Programme (WFP), Food Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and International Organization for Immigration (IOM); ZIRP addresses both early and mid-term recovery needs in multiple sectors (food security and livelihoods, health, WASH, education, and community infrastructure rehabilitation). ZIRP brings together three project components in a complementary effort in programming and engagement using a multi-sectoral approach, which utilizes an integrated and holistic strategy by combining interventions across sectors, requiring active coordination and planning across organizations and components. Activities undertaken through these partnerships are built on World Bank’s, UNOPS and TAs (WFP, FAO, WHO, UNICEF, UNOPS-CI, UNFPA and IOM) expertise and continued learning in the sectors of food security and livelihoods, health, education, community infrastructure and migration.


Project Components

Component 1: Providing Immediate Support for Cyclone Recovery: This component provides immediate and integrated livelihoods and healthcare solutions to cyclone-affected people, including sub components such as:

(a) Restoring livelihoods through conditional cash transfers to provide food assistance and through unconditional cash transfers for most vulnerable groups; 

(b) Restoring agricultural crop and livestock production, including distribution of agricultural inputs for small farmer households, and the re-stocking and treatment of livestock and poultry, and; (c) Accelerating the revitalization of basic health services, including the provision of a basic package of health services and referral pathways related to Gender-Based Violence (GBV)/Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA), and child protection measures. All activities under this component specifically target women and female-headed households.  


Component 2: Enabling Medium-term Cyclone Recovery and Resilience-building: This component supports the rehabilitation of critical community infrastructure, such as water and sanitation systems, irrigation networks, community schools, and community roads, as well as community level structural risk reduction and mitigation efforts, such as slope protection and environmental rehabilitation. 


Component 3: Providing Project Management and Technical Assistance: This component provides UNOPS Project Management support, for overall coordination and oversight functions and for centralized project services, across all components, such as monitoring and evaluation (M&E), managing and monitoring environmental and social performance, technical quality assurance, grievance redressal, GBV/SEA and referral and protection systems, and for engaging Independent Verification Agents (IVA) for beneficiary verification, technical quality assurances, project results validation; and Technical Assistance (TA) for a range of activities to be progressively determined on a needs basis, to facilitate strengthened implementation. These include, but are not necessarily restricted to: (a) social assessment; (b) supporting community risk assessments, monitoring and preparedness planning; (c) supporting community infrastructure damage assessments; (d) setting up the ZIRP Management information system (MIS); (e) developing health information and epidemic surveillance systems; (f) strengthening project strategic communications, media relations and citizen engagement; (g) building the capacity of the Project’s environmental and social staff. Over the three years of the project, by working in partnership with TAs, UNOPS Zimbabwe will provide recovery support to 270,000 people affected by the cyclone, based on vulnerability mapping of geographical areas and families and prioritization of investments through community participation. Drawing on the consultative group, ZIRP integrates activities across UN and external partners, assuring coordinated and complementary investments, including the use of a central targeting mechanism.   



3. Background Information - Job-specific

As part of the Project Agreement, UNOPS PIU is expected on a bi-annual basis to assess ZIRP project implementation and results through an Independent Verification Agent and report back to the World Bank. The overall objective of the Verification Assessment is to provide review of project implementation and ongoing independent verification of all project results. This includes assessing compliance on all implementation levels to the procedures set out in the Project Operations Manual (POM), Project Appraisal Document (PAD), Project Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) and the relevant project systems and plans as described in the Financing Agreement and the environmental and social requirements, including Environmental and Social Laws, Environmental and Social Authorizations, and the World Bank Environmental and Social Standards. The IVA also provides verification of the citizens engagement process under the project; and the validation of project results and the deeper impact evaluations of each project component. 

The IVA serves as a management tool to provide UNOPS with timely third-party information on weaknesses in implementation that require corrective actions to keep the Project on track. 


The IVA process includes the following:-

  1. Document evidence of performance against project Results Framework, PAD, Project E&S Requirements and the ESCP, progress in implementing the ESCP, and implementation of the Project ESMS/ESMF and site-specific management plans. This shall be done through a combination of meetings and interviews, document / record reviews.

  2. Conduct interviews/focus group discussions with the PIU, project field staff, Technical Agencies, contractors, project beneficiaries and other project stakeholders to gather information about specific project implementation and E&S management practices; and verification of project results.

  3. Review project monthly progress reports, semi-annual progress reports, annual progress reports and beneficiary list/database, and Environmental and Social Screenings checklists and ESMPs documents / records;

  4. Hold engagement sessions with targeted communities and beneficiaries to gather information on interactions with the Project, grievance resolution etc. Such sessions shall be coordinated by the PIU and Technical Agencies. 

  5. Provide a report that captures progress and lessons learnt (which include implementation of ESMS, ESMF, LMP, GBV action plan and subsequent management plans, e.g., site specific ESMPs, and compliance with Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) and Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM). 

Written findings shall be specific and concise to enable development of appropriate mitigation measures and corrective actions. Once all of the findings have been drafted, they shall be prioritized by the IVA Consultant with support of the Health, Safety, Social and Environmental (HSSE) Associate - Analysis and Reporting in terms of compliance with Project PAD, POM, ESMF and E&S Requirements and progress toward ESCP completion. 

The scope of work of the IVA includes, desk-based data and documentation review, and field verification of achievements documented under ZIRP to determine compliance with the World Bank standards and Environmental and Social Safeguards and Stakeholder Engagement. 

Due to the COVID-19 context, the first and second IVA assignments were conducted remotely and concluded in May-August 2020. To facilitate efficiency in the IVA process including physical verification of the project processes and results in the ground, UNOPS Zimbabwe is currently seeking a HSSE Associate with an Environmental and Social background; to support the IVA consultant in the implementation of the remaining 4 IVA assignments and any Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) requirements of the PIU as may be needed from time to time. The HSSE Associate will support the IVA Consultant in data collection and physical verification of project processes and results with main focus on the Environmental and Social Safeguards.


 Functional Responsibilities


Under the direct supervision of the Environmental Specialist and overall direction of the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, the HSSE Senior Associate will perform the following specific functions: -  

  • Visit a pre-defined sample of locations where UNOPS and Technical Agencies have implemented activities during the reporting period covered by the IVA and the ESMS, to observe and confirm the existence and quality of reported investments, and to observe the measures taken in the context of the project’s ESCP.
  • Conduct interviews and focus groups with a predefined sample of final beneficiaries in the relevant locations, to collect their experience and feedback on the activities implemented by ZIRP, and the application of the measures stipulated in ESMF, Labour Management Procedures (LMP), GBV action plan and subsequent management plans, e.g., site specific Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP), and compliance with SEP and GRM. 
  • Conduct interviews with a predefined sample of government agencies and other relevant stakeholders to collect their experience and feedback on the activities implemented by ZIRP, and the application of the measures stipulated in the implementation of ESMPs and documents prescribed in point b above.
  • Provide a field report that captures field observations and feedback from beneficiaries and stakeholders on implementation of ZIRP activities and measures stipulated in the implementation of the documents prescribed in point b above.
  • The scope of work under this assignment includes, on a bi-annual basis or any other specified basis, field reports to be submitted to the IVA Consultant and the PIU. The IVA Consultant and the PIU will provide the HSSE Senior Associate with support to obtain all the necessary and requested documentations and logistical assistance to conduct the field assessment. 
  • In addition to the above, the HSSE Senior Associate will also be retained to provide support to the Environmental and Social Risk Unit in conducting its duties of monitoring and supporting compliance of technical agencies to the ESMS. This may include reviewing screening documents; monitoring of Environmental and Social Management Checklists/ Plans; reviewing consultancy documents and any other work that may be assigned by the Environmental Specialist. 


5. Expected Deliverables

The HSSE Senior Associate will support in the data collection and report writing for the remaining 4 IVA assignments to be conducted in January 2021, June 2022, January 2023 and June 2023. The HSSE Senior Associate will also support the ESMS of the PIU during the period January 2021 to June 2023. An allocation of 25-person days for each of the 4 IVA assignments and 10-person days for each of the 4 ESMS assignments shall be provided to the HSSE Senior Associate to cover all tasks. This includes support desk review at home office, and field engagement and interviews with stakeholders and report writing. Deliverable will be in the form of submitted field reports. 

Field reports prepared at the end of each IVA assignment will cover the following:- 

  • Summary of methodology used and key findings of field assessment;
  • Itinerary of field assessment and list of persons interviewed;
  • Notes from interviews and focus groups in the agreed format;
  • Notes from field observations in the agreed format;
  • Photographic annex of project realizations. 

*When submitting the final report, the HSSE Senior Associate is required to also provide an 'audit trail', detailing how all received comments have been addressed.


 Education


  • Certificate of completion of secondary/high school in combination with 7 years’ relevant experience is required.

  • Bachelor's University Degree in Environmental Studies or related field in combination with an additional 3 years' relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the respective years of experience.

  • ISO Certification for Health and Safety, Social and Environmental Management Systems is an asset.


 Experience


  • At least 2 years experience working with World Bank Environmental and Social Safeguards is an asset.
  • At least 2 years experience in implementing Environmental and Social Management Systems ESMS (ISO Standards for Health and Safety, Social and Environment) is required.
  • At least 2 years experience working with International Development Partners for field projects is an added advantage.
  • At least 2 years experience in field data collection, analysis and report writing is required.
  • At least 2 years in community engagement and community development, gender mainstreaming projects or related fields is an added advantage.
  • At least 2 years experience in conducting participatory consultations and stakeholder interviews in the context of project evaluation is an an added advantage.

 Languages


  • Full knowledge of the English language is required.
  • Knowledge of another official UNOPS language is an asset.



To apply


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