Timor-Leste: Social Safeguarding, Gender and Inclusion Officer

Feb 10, 2023 | United Nations Development Programme
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Background 

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. 

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Timor-Leste is a small half-island country, one of the top ten counties most vulnerable to climate change. Approximately 70% of Timor-Leste’s rural population (840,000 people) is highly vulnerable to climate changes, particularly increasing variability of rainfall and extreme weather events. Lives and livelihoods in the remote interior of the country and coastal regions are both highly exposed. Impacts of intensified extreme events include damage and degradation of decentralized small-scale critical infrastructure, particularly water supply and drainage structures, embankments, and feeder roads and bridges. Damages leave rural populations isolated, lacking basic services. In response to this challenge, in 2019, the government of Timor-Leste with the support of UNDP received funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to undertake the project. 

The project objective is to safeguard vulnerable communities and their physical assets from climate change-induced disasters. It aims to address existing institutional, financial and legislative barriers, increasing the climate resilience of vulnerable small-scale rural infrastructure. Six municipalities mainly Baucau, Ermera, Aileu, Viqueque Lautem and Liquica which were selected for the project interventions. The project has the below two inter-related outputs that not only aim to achieve the impact potential, but also to create enabling environment/condition for scaling up/replicating the project impact beyond the immediate target areas. 

• Output 1: Climate risk information is developed, monitored and integrated into policies, regulations and institutions to inform climate resilient small-scale rural infrastructure planning and management
• Output 2: Climate risk reduction and climate-proofing measures for small-scale rural infrastructure are implemented to build the resilience of vulnerable communities in six priority municipalities.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Social Safeguarding, Gender and Inclusion Officer will report to the Programme Associated under the overall supervision of the Project Manager  for GCF Safeguard Project in UNDP Timor-Leste. The Officer is expected to work closely with the  Environmental Safeguarding Officer, DRM Specialist and Agro Forestry Specialist,  GIS and M&E officers, Engineering Team and with close coordination with the Field Coordinators and Climate Change Officers in the respective Municipalities/clusters. Extensive field visit, consultation and travel will be required to the target municipalities.

The assignment requires collaboration with the project team in UNDP Timor-Leste Country Office (CO), counterparts in the respective line ministries such as the Ministry of State Administration (MSA), Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), Secretary of State for the Environment (SEA), Ministry of Public Works (MoPW), Secretary of State of Civil Protection (SSCP), local authorities, community leaders and civil society.

Frequent communication and collaboration with project team and relevant national counterpart staff is required.

Social Safeguarding, Gender and Inclusion Officer will perform duties according to this TOR, facilitate consultation and discussion with key counterparts, partners and community including relevant organizations in Timor-Leste. The Programme Associate and Project Manager may assign other duties relevant responsibilities according to the need of the Project which is not covered in ToRs.

The Social Safeguarding, Gender and Inclusion Officer will be responsible to integrate social safeguarding and gender in all major component of the project (DRM, Catchment protection and infrastructure) with a special focus on building/rehabilitation of disaster resilient small scale rural infrastructure. The officer will provide technical inputs to develop and adapt project strategies and guidelines to integrate participants belonging to different genders and vulnerabilities, and to ensure a safe and dignified environment in accessing project support. The Officer will also be responsible for identifying capacity building requirements of all stakeholders including the project team, government partners and contractors. S/ he will also be responsible to integrate UNDP’s Safeguarding policies across the project.

Summary of Key Functions:

• Technical support for social safeguarding, gender mainstreaming and inclusion to all project activities.
• Monitoring, evaluation and reporting
• Knowledge management and capacity building

Technical support to all project activities:

• Review and consolidated the existing work on social safeguarding, gender and inclusion and address the gaps including review and updating of Gender Assessment Action Plan and Indigenous People Plan (IPP)
• Develop Social Safeguarding, Gender and inclusion standards, guidelines, specifications and tools for all project components with focus on rural infrastructure construction/rehabilitation encompassing both technical and functional standards based on UNDP’s and international best practices
• Lead on the preparation and implementation of the Social safeguarding, Gender and Inclusion components of ESIAs and ESMPs for all types of rural infrastructure.
• Refine the existing developed guidelines  to be followed by project staff, municipality, contractors and other stakeholders to be followed during all phases of project cycle especially implementation.
• Act as focal person for Project Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM) at national level and in coordination with nominated focal person at Municipality levels ensure that the GRM is fully functional and timely recording and addressing the grievances  with focus on safeguarding, gender and inclusion related matters and provide support to all stakeholders.

Monitoring, evaluation and reporting:

• In close coordination with Project M&E Officer ensure that appropriate tools, indicators and resources are allocated for monitoring and reporting of social safeguarding, gender and inclusion such as gender disaggregated data.
• Regularly visit the target municipalities to support the implementation and monitoring of the developed plan.
• Provide support for the write up of the reports and other publications on areas related to social safeguarding, gender mainstreaming and inclusion.
• Conduct research on areas related on social safeguarding, gender and inclusion through appropriate methodology and data collection tools.

Knowledge Management and capacity building:

• Identify capacity building needs of all the stakeholders (staff, government officials at all levels, contractors and partners) and develop and implement capacity building plan.
• Compile success stories and case studies to showcase the social safeguarding, gender mainstreaming and inclusion and propose the appropriate platforms for visibility and sharing.
• Coordinate with relevant organizations for sharing the work done by the project and learning from their experience which can be helpful to GCF project

Competencies  

Core competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
• Act with Determination:  LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies: 

Business Direction & Strategy    

• Negotiation and Influence: Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates “win-win” situations 
• Effective Decision Making: Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources

Business Development 

• Knowledge Generation: Ability to research and turn information into useful kno