International Consultant – Technical Advisor EU/UNDP Black Sea Project: “Improving Environmental Monitoring in the Black Sea - EMBLAS, Phase 1 and Phase 2”

The Black Sea is one of the most vulnerable regional seas in the world given its limited exchange of water with the open oceans and the large area of continental Europe from which it receives the drainage. The four strongly interlinked priority trans-boundary problems of the Black Sea are eutrophication - nutrient enrichment, changes in marine living resources, chemical pollution (including oil), and biodiversity/habitat changes, including alien species introduction - as well as the underlying root causes like industrial activities, agriculture, domestic wastewater, sea transport (oil spills, ballast water), and coastal zone degradation (urbanisation, tourism). The Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution (Bucharest Convention) addresses these problems through enhanced cooperation among its signatories. The development/improvement of a monitoring network and data collection to provide for ecosystem-based and knowledge-based decision-making is considered to be a management target of high priority. Further coordination in policies and legislation between the Black Sea countries is of common interest in the region and specifically to the EU's partners countries – being also members of the Black Sea Commission (BSC) - in so far it influences their own ability to comply with EU legislation and policies, notably the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). 

The overall objective of the project is to help improve the protection of the Black Sea environment. This objective will be pursued through the implementation of those initiatives that were elaborated and planned during the preparatory phase of this project (EMBLAS-I) and they are further developed in the second phase of the project (EMBLAS II).

The specific objectives are as follows: i) to improve availability and quality of Black Sea environmental data in line with the MSFD and Black Sea Strategic Action Plan 2009 (BS SAP 2009) needs; ii) to improve partner countries' ability to perform marine environmental monitoring along MSFD principles, taking into account the Black Sea Diagnostic Report II recommendations on capacity building.

The main results to attain the mentioned objectives are: 

• Implementation of the provisions of the Bucharest Convention on scientific and technical cooperation and monitoring advanced;
• Establishment and implementation by the Black Sea Commission of a coordinated regional marine environment monitoring programme (further development of Black Sea Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (BSIMAP) in line with MSFD and the BS SAP 2009 supported;
• Capacities of the relevant national authorities to carry out marine environmental monitoring in the Black Sea along MSFD principles increased;
• Revised monitoring programmes tested (including in open sea and with the development of a network of regional reference stations and transects to trace transboundary environmental problems);
• Quality assurance and quality control procedures in field and laboratories systematically applied;
• Environmental data management capacities improved and data quality control enhanced; 
• Black Sea Information System (BSIS) further developed and data products in support of informed decision-making in Black Sea environmental protection provided;
• On-line Black Sea Monitoring Catalogue and Manual with monitoring specifications agreed and used;
• Sharing of marine environmental information between Black Sea riparian countries facilitated and enhanced;
• Harmonisation of marine environmental practices further advanced;
• Regional cooperation at basin level strengthened;
• Public awareness about the need of high quality marine environmental data increased;
• Projects results widely incorporated in decision-making and cooperation of ongoing projects facilitated through a web-based platform and with the BSC participation.

The following activities are carried out in the Phase 2 of the project – EMBLAS II:

• Project Activity (PA) 1: Continue support to the implementation of countries’ obligations under the Bucharest and other related Conventions and Agreements;
• Project Activity 2: Implementation of cost-effective and harmonised marine environmental monitoring programmes in accordance with reporting obligations under multilateral environmental agreements, the WFD and the MSFD;
• Project Activity 3: Large scale implementation of training programmes on monitoring methods and quality assurance adhering to the ISO 17025 standard;
• Project Activity 4: Implementation of Joint Surveys and environmental assessment of the Black Sea along the lines of the WFD and the MSFD;
• Project Activity 5: Operate the web-based Black Sea Water Quality Database;
• Project Activity 6: Dissemination of Knowledge and Best Practices, Public Awareness and Visibility.

The project will strengthen capacities of the respective national authorities for biological and chemical monitoring of the Black Sea, taking into consideration the requirements of EU water related legislation (EU WFD and MSFD). Significant effort will be put into training and other capacity building activities. In order to promote ownership, engagement of local experts and organizations is foreseen. 

Location:

Home based, with travels in the Black Sea region for the project meetings and particularly to Odessa project office - if needed (approximately one mission per month with duration of 3 days). The project will be implemented in Georgia, Russian Federation and Ukraine.

The Technical Advisor (TE) will support the project implementation in the activities related to the coordination of project activities and wide communication of results. He/she will work under the guidance of a technical expert in charge of project management and the direct supervision of the UNDP Regional Technical Advisor for International Waters, who will have the overall supervision role on the project from the UNDP side.  
The TE will closely cooperate and directly communicate with the other international, national experts and partner organizations working on the project, as well as other relevant UNDP staff –water programme analyst from UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub and project assistant.
In detail, the Technical Advisor will have the following tasks in the project:

• In the Project Activity 1, the TE will contribute to finalization of the following key project documents: Diagnostic Report, Compliance indicators, Good Environmental Status Methodology, Reference conditions and environmental targets;
• In the Project Activity 2, the TE will contribute to finalization of the following key project documents: Concept of BS monitoring catalogue/factsheets, Monitoring guidelines and Sustainable Operational Monitoring – Concept. The consultant will be also involved in cooperation with other projects, to facilitate exchange of results (e.g. EMEP-east, BS GOOS, MyOcean II, EuroArgo, BulArgo);
• In the project activity 4, the TE will advise in preparation of the Joint Black Sea Surveys (JBSS) and pilot cruises as needed;
• In the project activity 5, the TE will be involved in the preparation of the manual for the online phytoplankton  database;
• In the project activity 6, the TE will advise on draft Inception Report, Project Dissemination Plan as well as on progress reports. The consultant will advise on the ToRs for additional project experts/partner organziations. The consultant will also support organization of project meetings through contribution to the draft agendas and list of participants;

The consultant will advise the UNDP in any emerging issues related to the project and communication and coordination with other projects and initiatives. 
The consultant will prepare several deliverables in cooperation with the project experts, within the following time frame and payment schedule:

March 2015 (40% of payment)

• Finalized draft version of the Black Sea Diagnostic Report (to be handed over to EMBLAS II) and recommendation for further work;
• Review of other relevant key documents prepared by EMBLAS I (to be handed over to EMBLAS II) and recommendations for further work, in particular Compliance Indicators, GES Methodology.

June 2015 (40% of payment)

• Contribute to the List of deliverables, as an input for the ToRs for partner organizations and experts, based on the Project Document/Description of Activities and contributions from the project partners;
• Contribution to the Project Dissemination plan; 
• Contribution to the first draft of Inception report / progress report (April 2014-April 2015);
• Monitoring programmes ;
• Contribution to GES Methodology, Concept and materials for Pilots, contribution to the Black Sea SAP Implementation report- if requested; 
• Contribution to the technical manual for joint cruises;
• Contribute to the Concept of BS monitoring catalogue/factsheets, Monitoring guidelines and the concept on Sustainable Operational Monitoring;
• Summary of all contributions.

February  2016 (20% of payment)

• Finalized version of the List of Compliance Indicators;
• Summary on input for the Draft Manual for the Phytoplankton online database.

The consultant is expected to contribute also to deliverables prepared by other project experts where necessary and participate in other activities arising during the project implementation as needed. 
The assignment will require travel in the region, upon request by UNDP (to be covered separately). The consultant is expected to work closely with UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub, with the staff, responsible for the project implementation. 

Functional competencies:

• Excellent communication and management skills and demonstrable capacity to lead a multi-national team and to work with government institutions;
• Demonstrated ability to develop strategies and work plans to accomplish objectives, empower others to translate visions and efforts into results, identify strategic issues, opportunities and risks and devise timely and effective responses;
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
• Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations;
• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards; 
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP; 
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; 
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Academic Qualifications/Education: 

• Minimum Master Degree in one of the fields: chemistry, chemical oceanography, hydrobiology, biology, environmental/natural sciences or environmental engineering.

Experience: 

• At least 5 years of demonstrable experience and a proven track record in fields required for the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFWD) and/or the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and other EU Directives;
•  Experience in transposition, implementation or enforcement of the EU environmental legislation, particularly the EU WFD and/or MSFD, and of capacity building challenges faced by environment/water authorities in the beneficiary countries or EU Member States;
• At least 5 years of experience in projects with multidisciplinary teams related to water environment, preferably having a leading position, as a team-leader, task leader or equivalent, in a development project of similar size and complexity, including stakeholder involvement in the integrated water resources management process;
• Working experience in international projects related to research and development, at least in one of the following fields: integrated resources water management, water quality, monitoring programmes, data collection and management, development of guidelines, trainings, monitoring surveys;
• Relevant experience in the beneficiary countries of the Black Sea is a strong asset.

Language skills:

• Excellent writing editing and oral communication skills in English; 
• Working knowledge of Russian is an asset. 

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.
The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (P11 desk reviews and interviews) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. 

Only those candidates who obtained at least 70% of points in each step of the process technical (P11 desk reviews and interviews) will be considered for financial proposal evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 70 points:

• Criteria A – academic qualification / education  – max points: 10;
• Criteria B – general professional experience in EU environmental Acquis (WFD and/or MSFD), knowledge of water related conventions is an asset – max points: 10;
• Criteria C – specific professional experience in management/leading position (team or task leader) in  development projects of similar size and complexity including stakeholder involvement in integrated water resources management (IWRM) process – max points: 10;
• Criteria D – specific professional experience at least in one of the areas of project (IWRM, water quality monitoring – chemical & biological, guidelines development, trainings, monitoring surveys) – max points: 10; 
• Criteria E – particular experience in the projects in the Black Sea region – max points: 10;
• Criteria F – language,  publications - max points: 10;
• Criteria G - interview (technical and communication skills):- max points 10

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points.

Application procedure:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

• Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application; 
• Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc); please upload the P11 instead of your CV; 
• Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount in USD for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days and any other possible costs); travel costs for missions will be paid separately according to the UN rules and regulations;
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). Travel costs for missions will be covered separately according to UNDP rules and regulations.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner. 

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org.

General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under:  http://on.undp.org/t7fJs.

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.
Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.