Job openings : National Mentors for Uganda, Kenya and Zambia (Financing Local Climate Action)

The Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD)

The Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD) is part of Swedish development co-operation.  Its purpose is to promote local democracy in low and middle-income   countries.   For ICLD, strengthening local democracy principally concerns strengthening local institutions and the work of these promoting equality, participation, transparency and accountability. ICLD operates with existing local institutions and authorities and combines collaboration with local ownership of programmes that reflect the challenges faced by partners. The focus of Swedish development co-operation partnerships is on combating poverty using a rights-based approach.  This approach to alleviating poverty is multi-dimensional and includes people’s ability to influence their own lives and development, particularly at the local level.  The operations of ICLD therefore   form a central plank in combating poverty and promoting sustainable local democracy and development. The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, Lund University and the Region of Gotland are the parent bodies for and constitute the board of ICLD.

The Climate Action Network and its training module

The ICLD Network for Climate Action brings together and supports partnerships among local governments committed to strengthening their systematic work on climate action and human rights at local level. The guiding framework for the Network is the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In the Network, Swedish municipalities or regions have been matched with a counterpart from Kenya, Uganda or Zambia. Together, the partners develop and carry out projects on climate change adaptation, resilience, and mitigation connected to issues such as youth inclusion and more depending on the needs of their communities. The projects shall strengthen the democratic capacities of the local governments. The training component will target the challenges of climate adaptation particularly in Africa through sustainable, good climate governance at the local level. Over the next two years, teams of individuals from the African project groups within ICLD’s Network for Climate Action are offered the opportunity to take part in the tailor-made training component. Teams will consist of three to four local government officials in strategic, decision-making positions. When possible, Swedish participants will join training sessions to ensure north-south peer-to-peer learning. The teams will use their ongoing municipal partnership projects as learning cases throughout the training.

The Climate Action Network and its training module

The ICLD Network for Climate Action brings together and supports partnerships among local governments committed to strengthening their systematic work on climate action and human rights at local level. The guiding framework for the Network is the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In the Network, Swedish municipalities or regions have been matched with a counterpart from Kenya, Uganda or Zambia. Together, the partners develop and carry out projects on climate change adaptation, resilience, and mitigation connected to issues such as youth inclusion and more depending on the needs of their communities. The projects shall strengthen the democratic capacities of the local governments. The training component will target the challenges of climate adaptation particularly in Africa through sustainable, good climate governance at the local level. Over the next two years, teams of individuals from the African project groups within ICLD’s Network for Climate Action are offered the opportunity to take part in the tailor-made training component. Teams will consist of three to four local government officials in strategic, decision-making positions. When possible, Swedish participants will join training sessions to ensure north-south peer-to-peer learning. The teams will use their ongoing municipal partnership projects as learning cases throughout the training.

UNCDF and ICLD seek to recruit four National Mentors (one mentor for Uganda, one mentor for Zambia, and two mentors for Kenya) for the training component in the Climate Action Network”. The applicant must be a national and a resident of that country.

The ICLD-UNCDF “Training component for the Climate Action network” is a joint venture between the UNCDF and ICLD. Its main objective is to foster institutional change through capacity building and individual learning in several areas relevant to local development and climate action in the participating countries namely Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. It will draw from the experiences of ICLD, UNCDF’s programmes and of the participating countries within the framework of a facilitated collaborative learning process using the ICLD pedagogical profile and toolbox.

The training component will cover various topics related to climate change, sustainability, and financing. Participants will gain a better understanding of the Paris Agreement and the foundations of climate financing. They will learn how to conduct climate risk and vulnerability assessments and develop l Adaptation Action Plans. The ICLD learning toolbox will be introduced, and participants will learn how to mainstream climate change adaptation, resilience, and mitigation into planning and decision-making processes.

Upon completion of the training, participants will:

• Execute an inclusive climate governance project at the organizational level.
• Formulate ambitious climate goals at the organizational level.
• Argue the importance of sustainable local budget management for inclusive local adaptation to climate change.
• Apply problem-oriented project planning tools to ensure sustainable climate governance.
• Identify opportunities for own local government to finance inclusive local climate action.
• Understand the Paris Agreement and the foundations of climate financing
• Conduct climate risk and vulnerability assessments and develop Adaptation Action Plans
• Have an understanding of human rights budgeting and anti-corruption measures

Scope of Work 

The specific roles and responsibilities to be performed by the mentor are as follows:

• Support a team of public officials from the Climate action networks with their Municipal Partnership projects
• Using the approved Municipal Partnership project as a foundation, identify and suggest feasible entries of a climate action change project
• Provide support to participants in thinking through and shaping the content of their change projects consistent with the stated scope and purpose of the ICLD-UNCDF Training component;
• Develop a template and/or plan to guide the participants in undertaking their change projects through planned interactive sessions to be determined between the designated mentor and their participants;
• Produce and submit q progress reports to the Programme Management of the Climate Action Network, focusing, inter alia, on progress made by participants on their change projects, identified content related weaknesses and administrative and operational challenges and recommending specific corrective actions to be taken;
• Participate in the preparation and inform the content and structure of critical reflection and final reporting sessions or workshops in order to track, support and improve the capacity of participants in managing their change projects generally and adding value to programme content, design and management;
• To act as a pool, repository and sounding board for technical knowledge, assistance and advise in developing platforms to upscale and mainstream the ICLD-UNCDF training component into national and regional frameworks for sustainable human skills development in the local government sector;
• Participate in the different meetings during the training organised by the programme management of UNCDF and ICLD.
• Conduct at least 3 visits in the municipalities and provide a report
• Co-host sessions held in the mentor’s own country, deliver a lecture and facilitate workshops on mentor’s areas of expertise throughout the training.

D.        Expected Outputs and Deliverables 

Payment will be based only upon UNCDF’s written acceptance of all deliverables as indicated in this TOR.  Final payment shall require a signed performance evaluation of the consultant.

Institutional Arrangement 

• Reporting 

The Consultant will work under the overall guidance of the UNCDF Programme Manager who will be responsible for the acceptance of deliverables and authorization of payments.

Each consultant shall be simultaneously given a contract duration comprising 28 working days spread over a period of 24 months. (approximately 14 for workshops, 14 for preparation visits and meetings, support, reporting etc.)

• Duration of Work 

The work is expected to start on 1 July 2023. The UNCDF and ICLD will review the outputs, give comments, and certify approval outputs in a period of two weeks on receipt of the deliverables.

The consultant will be responsible for any delays if any, and serious consequence/impact of any form of delay in the completion of the work (e.g., deferment of the succeeding phase to the following year, cancellation of the budget allocation for the project, other potential losses to any party involved, etc.)

• Duty Station 

Various countries: Uganda, Kenya, and Zambia. The consultant will work remotely with expected visits to the field and attend meetings whenever the need arises.

• Excellent drafting and writing skills as well as strong analytical aptitude, communication and presentation skills are required;
• Good interpersonal skills and excellent team working ability;
• Ability to work independently, manage time, scheduling and logistical issues;
• Be an effective advocate of and able to articulate an agenda for policy, organizational and process change; Accessibility
• Should demonstrate leadership, interdisciplinary team working and coordinating skills and the ability to work under pressure to meet changing deadlines;
• Sensitivity to diverse opinions and difficulties arising from the differing social and cultural perception

• At least Seven (7) years’ experience working in local government administration and management, and development studies related to policy development and management, regional and urban planning and sustainable local development, mandatory;
• Very good understanding of issues related to social and economic development, municipal financing, climate change, food security, decentralization, local government, gender-equitable local development, local government finance, governance and accountability and policy and institutional change management processes as key components of a capacity development agenda;
• Research & development skills, including baseline surveying, gender-sensitive, interdisciplinary and multi-scale analyses as well as policy research and evidence-based policy development.
• Having a strong track-record in publications of work, i.e. technical, policy-and development-oriented publications, is an advantage;
• Good understanding of national development and local government administration and management discourse in a developing country context generally and in southern and/or Eastern Africa is essential.
• Previous similar experiences in mentoring/supervising learners and preparing change projects and supporting the participants to institutionalize the change projects is considered an asset
• Proven ability in Managing a Cross-Cultural Teams

Education

• At least a master’s degree, preferably in development economics, finance, climate change, public policy and administration, or other relevant socioeconomic sciences and/ or development studies, is mandatory.

Language Requirements

Fluency in written and spoken English

Evaluation Criteria for Selecting the Best Offer: 

Applications will be rated on both technical and financial submissions. The following selection method will be used: Highest rated proposal using the combined scoring method, which assigns the weight distribution between the technical and financial proposals. The overall combined score will be 100, where weight distribution shall be 60% for the technical and 40% for the financial proposal.

Step 1: Screening

Applications will be screened and only candidates meeting the following minimum criteria will progress to the pool for shortlisting:

• Education: At least a master’s degree, preferably in development economics, finance, climate change, public policy and administration, or other relevant socioeconomic sciences and/ or development studies, mandatory.
• Seven (7) years’ experience working in local government administration and management, and development studies related to policy development and management, regional and urban planning and sustainable local development, mandatory.
• Language: Fluent in English (Written and Oral), mandatory
• Mandatory submission of CV.

Step II: Shortlisting by Desk Review

UNCDF and ICLD will conduct a desk review to produce a shortlist of candidates based on the following: Criteria for Technical Evaluation (100 points maximum)

• Previous similar experiences in mentoring learners and preparing change projects and supporting the participants to institutionalize the change projects – 30 points;
• Experience working in local government administration and management, policy development and management, regional and urban planning, municipal financing, climate change, food security, decentralization, local government, gender equitable local development, governance and accountability – 30 points;
• Very strong research & development record, including baseline surveying, gender-sensitive, interdisciplinary and multi-scale analyses as well as policy research and evidence-based policy development and publications – 30 points;
• Having a strong track-record in publications of work, i.e. technical, policy-and development-oriented publications, is an advantage– 10 points.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 60 points on technical will be considered for financial evaluation.

Step III: Financial Evaluation:

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal: Lowest priced proposal/price of the proposal being evaluated x 40%.

Step IV: Contract award

The contact shall be awarded to the applicant whose offer have been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable vis-à-vis the requirements of the TOR and the project operating environment; and

Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (60%) and financial (40%) criteria

Recommended Presentation of Offer

The interested parties should accomplish the online submission form and upload the CV in this jobsite; the Letter of confirmation and availability (financial proposal) must be submitted through uncdf.procurement@uncdf.org. 

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability (Please click here for document)
2. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
3. Financial Proposal (the same as item #1 above) that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided. If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNCDF.