GEF Project Sustainability at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Project Review and Analysis Report: The consultant will conduct a comprehensive review and analysis of selected projects, focusing on their appraisal, midterm review, and terminal evaluation. The report will assess how sustainability has been integrated into project design, monitoring or project implementation and adaptive project management. The report will explore definitions, measurements and metrics of exit strategies, and their applications in other UN entities’ GEF projects. The report will identify key gaps and findings related to sustainability planning and execution.
• Training Seminar for UNEP Project Development Teams: The consultant will design and deliver a comprehensive training session for UNEP project development teams, focusing on:
• Strategies to strengthen sustainability beyond project completion and with a particular emphasis on the concept of exit strategies.
• Other sustainability topics will be addressed such as designing and planning for the replication and scaling up of approaches demonstrated to be effective through the project etc. iii. How to apply adaptive management during project implementation to mitigate risks to sustainability (e.g., political change).
• Potential role of co-financing. The session will explain how exit strategies differ from project completion and closure processes and will address the unique challenges and considerations related to exit strategies in environmental projects. A relevant case study will be presented, illustrating an effective exit strategy, with an analysis of the challenges encountered during project closure and how the exit strategy helped mitigate risks.
• Guidance Paper: The consultant will develop a guidance paper that outlines best practices and provides practical recommendations for improving sustainability in project design. This paper will include real-life project examples and offer actionable insights to help project managers better integrate sustainability considerations both at the design stage and during project implementation to support the endurance of project outcomes beyond project completion.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced graduate degree (MSc or PhD) in International Development, Economics, Environmental Management, or a related discipline is required.
• A minimum of 7 years of professional experience in project management and project design is required.
• Experience working on environmental projects is desirable.
• Academic/research experience is desirable. Demonstrated experience in delivering technical training sessions is desirable.
• Strong documentation and report writing skills is desirable.
• Proven communication skills, including excellent presentation abilities in English is desirable.
• Familiarity with GEF programming is desirable. Proficiency in standard software packages, including PowerPoint, is desirable.