Job: Program Coordinator Consultant

Location: Washington
Closing Date: Friday, 15 November 2013

Program Coordinator Consultant-1300004517

Description

Regional

Inter-American Development Bank

Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Program Coordinator Consultant

Background

The Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative employs a multidisciplinary approach to addressing the challenges facing the urban areas of LAC, integrating environmental sustainability, comprehensive urban development, fiscal sustainability and good governance.

The Initiative will provide a set of tools for intermediate cities to be able to: (i) identify key bottlenecks that they may face in their path towards sustainability; (ii) weigh and prioritize the identified problems to guide investment decisions in the sectors that may generate more positive impacts; (iii) find specific adequate solutions according to their cost-benefit that would pave the road towards increasing sustainability. In addition, solutions should take into consideration different local sources to finance them as well as the institutional capacity for their implementation; and (iv) follow up progress and advances in closing gaps and reaching goals.

The environmental and climate change dimension is concerned with environmental management and local pollution control issues (including air and water pollution, solid waste management, and disaster prevention), climate change mitigation (through energy efficiency and other measures), and climate vulnerability reduction and adaptation measures.

The urban development dimension refers to the effects of the city's design and footprint (or its ability to control its growth through effective planning and land use control), social inequality and uneven distribution of urban services, efficiency of its urban transportation network, economic competitiveness, and the level of public safety.

The fiscal sustainability dimension is related to the ability of local governments to prioritize and finance needed investments, fund and maintain their urban and social services, adequately control their expenditures and debt, and make decisions in a transparent manner.

The Initiative will include all of the countries in the region and will be open to any municipality, state or provincial governments or groups of municipalities. However, the initial priority will be to focus on medium size cities, the 70 emerging local economies of the region, where the impact of the actions has the potential to be greater and more immediate. The Initiative is aimed at mobilizing and coordinating the technical capacity of all the areas of the Bank in supporting the cities in closing the gaps identified and prioritized in the process.

Consultancy Objectives

The main scope of the consultant's work will be to provide technical advice to the Coordinating Group of the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative in the following:

• Under the general supervision of the ESCI General Coordinator and Sector Coordinators support the technical operations and financial mechanisms of the Special Program and Multidonor
• Trust Fund for ESCI, which provides technical and financial assistance for innovative activities that leverage Latin America and Caribbean cities to an integrate sustainable development
• Prepare the ESCI's Trust Funds and OC Annual Reports
• Develop the design and implementation of nine regional and local technical cooperations to finance ESCI's operations in 11 LAC cities for over 11 million for 2014.
• Prepare and edit technical documents required for the initiative as needed. It includes financial reports, legal documents in coordination with LEG, charters, among others.
• Provide support on matters of compliance with the Bank's policies and procedures at all levels
• Design and prepare technical terms of reference for contracting consultants, consulting firms, etc.
• Analyze and negotiate legal terms, clauses and contracts with providers, contractors, outsourcings and others as needed
• Provide support on the legal and technical aspects of the special program's operations and management
• Research and analyze Latin America and the Caribbean local and national law, policies, regulations, decrees and others
• Manage financial tools and resources available to the program and prepare a plan that effectively meets the requirements of the initiative's program. Coordinate use of funds and expenditures of the various operations carried out by the initiative
• Planning, coordinating and directing a broad range of services so that the program can operate efficiently and can reach its goals
• Organize, coordinate, and manage internal compliance program with procurement targeted metrics; make necessary recommendation for addressing gaps
• Maintain and develop change control mechanisms; coordinate and disseminate changes in procurement policies, procedures, and electronic standard formats/templates for procurement actions (tool kits);

Financial and Budget

• Analysis and financial evaluation of funds used to promote and implement projects under the ESCI Program and any other fund or special donations
• Supervise the administration of the use of funds described on the previous paragraph for specific projects related to technical cooperation to support the Bank's Program on ESCI.
• Cost analysis and fund distribution by cities involved in the program. At this time ESCI has sixteen (16) cities under the regular program.
• Coordinate use of funds and expenditures of the various operations carried out by the initiative
• Budgeting their finances and preparing comprehensive plans
• Understand the financial tools and resources available to the initiative and chalk out a plan that effectively meets the requirements of the program.
• Budgeting the initiative finances and preparing comprehensive financial plans

4. Terms and Characteristics

Type of consultant: TFA/DTC

Period: 12 months. The contract may be renewed based on performance and needs.

Schedule of Payment: every 15 days

Place of work: IDB Headquarters in Washington, DC

Qualifications

Qualifications:

• Experience: Minimum of 12 years of professional experience. International experience desirable.
• Education: Master´s degree minimum
• Languages: English and Spanish.
• Other skills and knowledge: deep understanding of the Sustainable Emerging Cities Initiative methodology; excellent written and oral communication in English and Spanish; cultural sensitivity; ability to liaise with a variety of actors, including local and national government authorities, civil society organizations, and staff of multilateral organizations.
• Deep understanding of the bank policies, procedures and organization

More Info and Application