Overview

Background

Illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife parts is an escalating driver of biodiversity loss. Unprecedented biological or commercial extinction of many life forms is now a critical reality throughout the world, jeopardizing the very foundations of biodiversity, including the future well-being of humans and requiring unprecedented political will, social sacrifice and law enforcement action to stem further losses. Progressively, through the advent of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1976, together with a host of national legislative and regulatory instruments and mechanisms, the global community has moved to address the threat to thousands of species of wildlife poised by unfettered trade. Although the value of illegal trade remains uncertain, it has variously been estimated at between USD 5 – 20 billion per annum. These estimates suggest that wildlife crime is the fourth most lucrative type of transnational crime after illegal narcotics, humans and armaments.

In partnership with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP) of Thailand, IUCN, TRAFFIC, and TRACE, UNDP in Thailand has developed a Project Document on “Combatting Illegal Wildlife Trade, focusing on Ivory, Rhino Horn, tiger, and Pangolins in Thailand” with the support of USD 4.5 M from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Cycle 6 under the Biodiversity Focal Area (Program 3).  This is a UNDP supported national child project under the ‘Global Partnership on Wildlife Conservation and Crime Prevention for Sustainable Development” led by the World Bank.

The Project Objective is to reduce the trafficking of wildlife (focusing on elephant ivory, rhinoceros horn, tiger and pangolins) in Thailand through enhanced enforcement capacity and collaboration and targeted behavioral change campaigns.  To achieve this objective, the project will utilize four strategies as follows

Component 1: Improved Cooperation, Coordination and Information Exchange.  This will strengthen the collaboration mechanism and provide a platform for exchange of information among the responsible agencies for illegal wildlife trade (IWT) law enforcement.

Component 2: Enhanced Enforcement and Prosecution Capacity.  This will increase the coherence and capacity of law enforcement agencies to address and deter illegal trafficking of wildlife (focusing on elephant ivory, rhinoceros horn, tigers and pangolins) through strengthening the cross-sectoral enforcement and prosecution framework.

Component 3: Reduced demand for illegal wildlife products and targeted awareness actions to support law enforcement.  The project will work with partners to learn from existing efforts and achieve cumulative impact through a Steering Group and the Community of Practice on Demand Reduction.  The activities will focus a well-defined systematic process for developing, implementing and evaluating SBCC initiatives.  This component aims to increase awareness of prevailing laws and upcoming WARPA reforms and publicize convictions to strengthen deterrence of wildlife trafficking.

Component 4: Knowledge Management, Monitoring and Evaluation and Gender Mainstreaming.  This component closely links with and underpins the other three, by supporting the sharing of knowledge, experiences and lessons learned through project implementation with project stakeholders the wider public in Thailand, and globally through the GEF-financed, World Bank-led Global Wildlife Program, of which this project is a part.

To support the implementation of the project and ensure effective implementation and timely delivery, UNDP Thailand Country Office is recruiting a Project Manager (PM) to work with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) and UNDP to support Thailand in combatting illegal wildlife trade in Thailand.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Project Director (PD), appointed by the Implementing Partner, and the Program Specialist – IGSD of UNDP Thailand, the Project Manager (PM) will be in-charge of coordinating the day-to-day management and operations of the project, ensuring high quality, efficient and effective project delivery.  The PM will be responsible for the overall management of the Project, including the mobilisation of all project inputs, supervision over project staff, consultants and sub-contractors. The PM will report to the PD in close consultation with the UNDP Programme Specialist for all of the Project’s substantive and administrative issues. From the strategic point of view of the Project, the PM will report on a periodic basis to the Project Board, based on the PD’s instruction. Generally, the PM will support the PD who will be responsible for meeting government obligations under the Project. The PM will perform a liaison role with the government, UNDP, and project partners, and maintain close collaboration with other donor agencies providing co-financing. Duties and responsibilities of the PM include:

Summary of Key Functions:

Ensuring the implementation of project strategies focusing on achieving results;
Ensuring effective implementation and monitoring of the project, tracking use of financial resources;
Effective management of the project focusing on project implementation;
Ensuring creation of strategic partnerships and support;
Ensuring facilitation of knowledge building and management.
1. Ensuring the implementation of project strategies focusing on achieving results:

Design and formulate annual work and budget plans, strategic plans and risk management plans and ensure adherence to the Project Document;
Oversee the day-to-day project implementation and ensure achievement of targets as outlined in the project work plan;
Effectively apply Result Based Management (RBM) tools and establish management targets (BSC) for the achievement of project results;
Ensure effective implementation of advocacy plans through forums, workshops, seminars or policy dialogues relating to conservation and protection of endangered species and critical habitats.
2. Ensuring effective implementation and monitoring of the project and tracking use of financial resources:

Organize joint planning meetings involving UNDP, implementing agencies and other relevant parties to develop annual and quarterly work plans and corresponding budget plans with clearly stated milestones contributing to the achievement of target outputs defined in the Project Document and obtaining approval from the Project board;
Ensure efficient use of resources and report it in a timely, transparent and accountable manner;
Monitor the project progress against annual and quarterly work plans and budget plans;
In coordination with UNDP, conduct financial and substantive monitoring of the activities under the project;
Provide inputs by analyzing project resource requirements if there is a need for budget adjustments and possible revisions in coordination with UNDP;
Liaise with UNDP on the conduct of the project audit and ensure access by auditors to project documentation, personnel and agencies involved in the project;
Ensure that the implementing partners and the Project Management Unit are complied with project regulations and audit recommendations.
3.  Effective management of the project:

Prepare Terms of Reference (ToRs) for required inputs (individual and institutional consultancy services, the procurement of goods, organization of training, seminars, etc), with technical support as required;
Lead regular coordination meetings and dialogues with relevant stakeholders;
Ensure the coordination of activities carried out by project counterparts to achieve the project objectives;
Manage critical issues and provide solutions to the overall processes of project implementation;
Prepare project progress reports (quarterly and annual/financial and substantive) against set targets and indicators, with an analysis of evidence of progress towards planned outputs according to schedules, budgets and inputs provided by the project;
Submit project progress reports to UNDP in a timely manner;
Create a standard operating procedure, including monitoring and evaluation mechanism and quality standards of performance, as appropriate, to evaluate the achievement of project activities;
Together with implementing partners and other stakeholders, constantly identify challenges and provide recommendations to mitigate project risks and ensure smooth project implementation.
4. Ensuring creation of strategic partnerships and support:

Create and coordinate partnerships with government institutions, private sector, communities, development partners, etc. in consultation with UNDP;
Maintain good working relationship and close collaboration with the relevant public and development partners, communities, and other principal counterparts for the project.
5.  Ensuring facilitation of knowledge building and management in the project:

Ensure regular documentation of innovations, good practices, lessons learned and an effective knowledge building;
Facilitate regular knowledge sharing/transferring and dissemination of knowledge products;
Compile success stories that have resulted in lasting, large-scale transformational change, if applicable.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Functional Competencies:

Management and Leadership

Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
Results-based Programme Development and Management: Contributes into results through primary research and analysis

Assess project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work;
Research linkages across programme activities to identify critical points of integration;
Monitor specific stages of projects/programme implementation;
Analyse country situation to identify opportunities for mainstreaming and synergy of the project outputs.
Building Strategic Partnerships: Maintaining a network of contacts

Maintain an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up-to-date on partnership related issues;
Analyze and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders;
Establish and nurtures positive communication with partners.
Innovation and Marketing New Approaches: Enhancing processes or products

Generate new ideas and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things;
Document and analyses innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches;
Document bottlenecks, problems and issues, and proposes effective solutions;
Embrace new approaches.
Resource Mobilization:  Providing inputs to resource mobilization strategies

Analyze information/databases on potential and actual donors;
Develop a database of project profiles.  Identifies opportunities for project proposals for presentation to donors.
Promoting Organizational learning and Knowledge Sharing: Basic research and analysis

Generate new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things;
Document and analyze innovative strategies and new approaches;
Identify and communicate opportunities to promote learning and knowledge sharing;
Develop awareness of the various internal/external learning and knowledge-sharing resources.
Job Knowledge and Technical Expertise: Fundamental knowledge of own discipline

Understand and apply fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position;
Possess basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
Identify new and better approach to work processes and incorporates the same in his/her work;
Analyze the requirements and synthesize proposals;
Strive to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning;
Demonstrate good knowledge of information technology and apply it in work assignments;
Demonstrate in-depth understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilize these regularly in work assignments.
Client Orientation: Establishing effective client relationships

Research potential solutions to internal and external client needs and report back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion;
Organize and prioritize work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
Establish, build and sustain effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients;
Actively support the interest of the client by making choices and setting priorities to meet their needs;
Anticipate client needs and address them promptly.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Thai national with Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in wildlife conservation and management, natural resource management, environmental management, development study, or related field.
Experience:

At least 2 years for Bachelor’s or up to 2 years for Master’s holders, of relevant experience in project/programme management at the national or international level;
Experience in natural resource management (preferably in the context of wildlife conservation and law enforcement)
Experience working with senior level officers of ministries, national or provincial institutions that are concerned with natural resource and/or environmental management;
Sound knowledge and understanding on illegal wildlife trade issues, biodiversity conversation and protected area land/seascape management would be preferable;
Networks with government institutions, non-governmental organizations and local practitioners related to illegal wildlife trade would be an advantage;
Excellent communication (both oral and written) and partnership building skills with multi-dimension partners, people skills for conflict resolution and negotiation;
Computer proficiency, especially related to professional office software packages.
Language Requirements:

Fluency in written and spoken English and Thai.

Disclaimer

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