ReLISA Technical Specialist

Job Description

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) South Africa country office is seeking a qualified and experienced national specialist in Land Restoration and Sustainable Land Management to manage the project “Restoring Landscapes in South Africa” (ReLISA). The overall aim of the ReLISA project is to make the economic case for landscape-level restoration and create the conditions for a just transition of South Africa’s land-use sector, to adapt to climate change and address biodiversity loss while improving livelihoods of rural communities and farmers. This will be achieved through biophysical/economic assessments as inputs to planning restoration activities, the leveraging private sector investment through pre-feasibility studies and project development, on-the-ground implementation at landscape level for thicket, grassland and savanna biomes, and dissemination and communication. ReLISA has four interconnected principal outputs, which will be delivered through a consortium of 6 partners including UNEP, UNDP, UNESCO, Endangered Wildlife Trust, CSIR, Unique and C4ES.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in areas of restoration ecology, sustainable land management, environmental sciences, sustainable development, environmental sustainability or related field is required, or a first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above-mentioned fields in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience.
• Minimum 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible relevant experience at the national or international level in Sustainable Land Management, land restoration, agricultural development, land use and soil management, land degradation, environmental assessments.
• Experience working on designing land restoration projects with multi-stakeholder engagement in various biomes in South Africa.
• Proficiency in GIS, remote sensing, data visualization tools and site selection for sustainable land management.
• Experience engaging with government and donors.
• Familiarity with UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards and risk mitigation frameworks.
• Proven experience in project management, stakeholder engagement, and multi-stakeholder coordination.
• Experience managing monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience reporting to international donors.
• Experience working with multiple partners.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Registration as a Natural Scientist in Restoration Ecology, Sustainable Land-management, GIS and remote sensing is desired.
• Ability to set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, and have lasting impact (Achieve Results).
• Ability to proactively mitigate potential risks and develop new ideas to solve complex problems (Think Innovatively).
• Ability to create and act on opportunities to expand horizons and diversify experiences (Learn Continuously).
• Ability to proactively initiate and champion change, and manage multiple competing demands (Adapt with Agility).
• Ability to think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results (Act with Determination).
• Political savvy, ability to navigate complex landscape, and champion inter-agency collaboration (Engage and Partner).
• Ability to appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity (Enable Diversity and Inclusion).
• Knowledge of Sustainable Land Management and Restoration (inside and outside Conservation/Protected Areas and Systems) (Nature - Land Restoration-Ecosystems and Biodiversity Programme).
• Ability to engage with a wide range of stakeholders and forge productive working relationships (Partnerships-Relationship Management).
• Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus on improved performance and demonstrable results (Monitoring & Evaluation-Results-based Management).
• Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge (Knowledge Management-Knowledge Facilitation).
• 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 Direction & Strategy- System Thinking).
• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals (Project Management).
• Knowledge of inclusive approaches to address gender, poverty, and vulnerability in climate/environment actions (Gender & Social Inclusion-Inclusive Programming).

Responsibilities

• Provide technical and specialist support for the development of project deliverables, including implementation strategies.
• Prepare and manage all ReLISA project-related workshops, meetings and seminars, exchange visits, farmers' days, conferences, training events etc.
• Support and advise on the preparation for all technical meetings (either online or in-person as required), site visits, and implementation monitoring of the different project landscapes (Savanna, Grasslands and Sub-Tropical Thicket Biomes) for the duration of the project to ensure effective and efficient project implementation.
• Actively Support all UNDP HACT audits, mid-term and terminal project evaluations and reviews.
• Consolidate inputs and guidance towards project narrative reporting requirements for UNDP project-related activities.
• Participate in close collaboration with Responsible Parties, project stakeholders and beneficiaries for the design and implementation of a Participatory Monitoring Evaluation Reflection and Learning (PMERL) Programme for all project landscapes and UNDP-related project activities.
• Ensure regular feedback on monitoring results, adaptive management and continuous improvement on deliverables and impact of project interventions.
• Advise and support project awareness, knowledge management, capacity and skills development programmes and activities.
• Provide technical inputs towards ReLISA Project website and social media platforms.
• Provide inputs towards project risk assessments and mitigation, Social and Environmental Standards and other ReLISA-related project governance and management requirements for UNDP-related activities.
• Perform other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.