National Project Officer

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India, with State Governments of Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, UNDP and the Global Tiger Forum is implementing a Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project: Strengthening conservation and resilience of globally significant wild cat landscapes through a focus on small cat and leopard conservation.

This project will secure the conservation of globally significant wild cat landscapes in northern, north-eastern and western India through a landscape conservation approach for wild cats that brings together species conservation programs, connects stakeholders and empowers communities, and operates across PAs, tiger corridors and buffer zones.

The project has four complementary components (i) Build the required enabling framework and institutional capacities, (ii) strengthen government management of wild cats and habitat, (iii) build community stewardship at landscape level (iv) enhance private sector partnerships, regional collaboration and knowledge transfer and learning supported by gender mainstreaming and monitoring and evaluation.

The MoEF&CC seeks to engage the services of a National Project Officer (NPO) to perform the tasks listed in Section III – Duties and Responsibilities.

Under the overall supervision of the National Project Manager, the NPO will be responsible for the following technical, administrative and managerial tasks:

• Assist in coordinating the project deliverables to ensure that the results are in accordance with the project document and activities approved by the National Project Steering Committee from time to time
• Assume overall responsibility for day-to-day project management on both organizational and substantive matters – budgeting, planning, implementation and monitoring of the project and ensure adequate information flow, discussions and feedback among various stakeholders; ensure adherence to the project work plan, prepare revisions for the work plan, if required
• Assist in preparation and implementation of landscape strategies and plans, involving all the relevant stakeholders
• Provide technical support in implementation of all field activities on daily basis
• Work closely with the State Governments and all project partners in the preparation of Annual Work Plans, including quarterly and annual targets while ensuring its alignment with the Project Results Framework
• Provide support in timely organization, coordination and execution of project related activities (Project Steering Committee meetings, trainings, workshops, stakeholder consultations, arrangements of study tours, etc.). Prepare summary record of the meetings and execute follow-up actions
• Monitor, track and manage project activities and expenditure as per the Annual Work Plans
• Draft Terms of Reference (TOR), manage and track contracts with project partners/agencies, facilitate and monitor their progress, flag any potential risks and suggest measures for its mitigation
• Interact with line departments and provide support for convergence and sharing of knowledge and experience gained in the project for scaling up and replication
• Assist in facilitating private sector partnerships, regional collaboration and knowledge transfer through organizing events, workshops and representing project outcomes at various platforms
• Assist in developing and implementing gender mainstreaming strategies across all the project components. Ensure collection, documentation and reporting of gender desegregated data for onward submission to MoEF&CC and UNDP
• Ensure regular data collection and analysis, as well as reporting and public outreach via mass media, events, and other means, to disseminate results of the project and to promote conservation and sustainable management of landscape, community participation, reduce human wildlife conflicts and other related issues
• Take lead in the preparation and submission of annual Project Implementation Reviews, Annual Progress Reports, Quarterly Progress Reports and other required reports to the NPSC, MoEF&CC and UNDP in accordance with the timelines and quality requirements
• Ensure 100 percent financial delivery and timely submission of face form/UCs to MoEF&CC and UNDP
• Map and report co-finance figure projections and actual realization on annual basis at landscape and State level
• Document lessons learned and best practices derived from the project activities
• Support Mid-term and Terminal Evaluation of the project