Tetra Tech ARD and its consortium partners – Palladium Group (formally dTS), Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), PCI Media Impact (PCI), Wetlands International Africa (WIA) and Pact World – were awarded the USAID contract for the implementation of West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WA BiCC) activities from May 2015 to May 2020. This Program is designed to strengthen the resiliency and sustainability of West African institutions, ecosystems, and communities. WA BiCC consists of three components: Component 1 to combat wildlife trafficking, Component 2 to improve coastal resilience in West Africa, and Component 3 to reduce deforestation, degradation and biodiversity loss in key forests areas.

The Abidjan Convention

Following the establishment of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in 1972 by UN Resolution XXVII, the Governing Council of UNEP in 1974 adopted “Oceans” as a priority focus in achieving the organization’s catalytic coordinating role. The Regional Seas Program was then initiated by the UNEP Governing Council focusing on regional marine and coastal governance for an effective management of marine pollution and coastal resources. The Regional Seas Program now represents one of UNEP’s flagship achievements in the past 40 years seeking to protect the marine environment and the management of coastal resources through the development of Regional Action Plans to address the accelerating degradation of the world’s ocean and coastal areas.

The Advisor to the Abidjan Convention:

Under the partnership between the USAID/West Africa-funded Biodiversity and Climate Change Program (WA BiCC) and the Abidjan Convention, a full-time Advisor will be recruited to join the Abidjan Convention Secretariat team based in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. The Advisor will provide defined technical and organizational assistance to the Abidjan Convention Secretariat.

Main Responsibilities and Tasks:

*Facilitate the partnership between the Abidjan Convention and WA BiCC by coordinating and supervising the definition and implementation of activities jointly defined in the work plan and ensuring strong communication between the two institutions for reporting on progress and achievements;

*With the Regional Coordinator of the Abidjan Convention, coordinate and manage technical consultant resources and services for the implementation of the activities and ensure that they are in line with the tasks defined;

*During the annual work planning cycle, assess the project portfolio of the Abidjan Convention to determine possible gaps and needs that WA BiCC could support during the project implementation period (2-5 years);

*Work with the WA BICC team and the staff of the Abidjan Convention in the design and deployment of a GIS/Marine and Coastal Observation as well as communication technology unit at the Abidjan Convention Secretariat level;

The Advisor will coordinate the implementation of organizational support provided to the Abidjan Convention in the context of the ISP. In collaboration with thematic experts and WA BiCC specialists, she/he will perform the following specific duties:

*Support the coordination of various capacity development interventions identified in the ISP, mobilize resources for trainings and report on progress made by the Secretariat’s staff members;

*Support the implementation of a Performance Management Plan (PMP) allowing integration of the different interventions at the Secretariat level;

*With the support of the WA BICC team, coordinate and/or conduct capacity building activities for the development and implementation of effective results-based management and M&E system and ensure proper use of approaches and tools by the staff members;

*Support the Communications Officer and Assistant in defining and implementing a clearing house mechanism and learning system to increase information generation and dissemination of environmental data, experiences, policies and best practices across the region;

*Support the organization of trainings on Public Private Partnerships (PPP) and support PPP initiatives regarding private investments on relevant climate change issues;

*Support the collaboration between the Abidjan Convention and the other Regional Partners (e.g: Mano River Union and ECOWAS) in the framework of the Project

Supervision

The Advisor will be a full-time member of the Abidjan Convention’s Technical Team and be hosted by the Convention at its offices in Abidjan. She/he will work under the day-to-day guidance of the Regional Coordinator of the Abidjan Convention in the implementation of this Terms of Reference and the activities jointly agreed in the Abidjan Convention ISP and the WA BiCC Annual Work Plan.

Contract duration

The Advisor will be recruited for an initial period of two years after which the partnership between the Convention and WA BiCC will be assessed to determine the most efficient and effective strategies to move forward.

Deliverables

Contribute to the mandatory reporting requirements of the Abidjan Convention and WA BiCC, including progress reporting and Monitoring and Evaluation. In addition, she/he will contribute to and/or prepare specific deliverables under each of the tasks developed and implemented under this Terms of Reference.

Qualifications, Skills, and Knowledge Requirements:

*Master’s degree in a discipline relevant to the position, preferably in Strategic Planning, Program Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, International Development, Statistics, Policy Analysis, Research or another related field;

*Minimum of ten years of progressive and increasing responsibility in designing, managing, implementing and monitoring complex projects involving multiple stakeholders and implementing partners;

*Working knowledge of the Abidjan Convention and its work on environmental policy implementation;

*Experience in organizing technical meetings or workshops with previous working experience in West African sub-regional institutions, governments and donors is required;

*Experience in developing work plans and budgets with a proven track-record in managing programs at regional level is an asset; 

*Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with institutional and private sector partners and stakeholders in a multinational setting;

*Experience in institutional support and building capacity of partners and staff members as well as strong team building skills and affinity for coaching and mentoring staff;

*An expert understanding of the mandates and working procedures of regional organizations is required – especially the need to follow rules and procedures of USAID and the Abidjan Convention;

*A comprehensive knowledge of the African regional integration agenda and best practices in policy development, harmonization and implementation is also required;

*Experience with the following types of programs: natural resources management, climate change resilience and mitigation or community resilience would be an asset;

*Experience with the following cross-cutting approaches: gender equity and female empowerment, youth empowerment, social accountability and governance; and

*Experience managing programmatic and financial reporting requirements.

*Fluency and advanced professional proficiency in English and French is required.

Interested candidates are solicited to send their application no later than Friday March 2^nd, 2018