International Consultant - Climate-Resilient Asset Management

Enhanced capacity of local and national authorities in the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to design, implement and sustain climate-resilient infrastructure asset management policies, strategies and action plans, leading to improved planning, investment decision-making and long-term resilience of public infrastructure.

Home-Based

This position is located in the International Tax and Development Cooperation Branch (ITDCB) of the Financing for Sustainable Development Office of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). The FSDO works to advance policy and action on financing for sustainable development to support Member States and other stakeholders in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and follow-up and implementation to the Financing for Development process: by providing thought leadership and agenda shaping, promoting multistakeholder dialogue, identifying policy options and best practices, and offering strategic advice and support for capacity development in key areas. The incumbent reports to the Senior Economic Affairs Officer in ITDCB. More information can be found at: https://financing.desa.un.org/ . Background and Objectives This Terms of Reference supports the implementation of the project “Boosting the resilience of infrastructure assets and planned large-scale infrastructure investments in SIDS through risk-informed infrastructure asset management policies and practices” in the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This initiative, implemented by UN DESA, aims at strengthening the capacity of local government officials and future public asset managers to design and implement a risk-informed and whole-of-government approach to sustainable Infrastructure Asset Management (IAM). The project provides comprehensive training for public officials in the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, equipping them with the skills to design, implement, monitor, and refine forward-looking, data-driven IAM strategies, policies, and action plans. In this context, FSDO will engage the services of an international expert consultant in Climate Resilient Asset Management to serve as supporting expert throughout the duration of the project across all project activities, to implement and facilitate the process to incorporate climate-resilient practices in support of sustainable infrastructure asset management. The consultant will support and closely coordinate with the international expert consultant on Municipal Asset Management, relevant local government officials and other stakeholders, national consultants, and UN DESA staff in the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Work Assignments: Under the supervision of the Senior Economic Affairs Officer, International Tax and Development Cooperation Branch (ITDCB), Financing for Sustainable Development Office (FSDO), the international expert consultant will be responsible for the following work assignments: 1. Support short diagnostic missions to local governments and sectors in the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, accompanying the international consultant on Municipal Asset Management, assessing the climate resilience of their infrastructure asset management, offering expert guidance on incorporating climate risk considerations. This should be done in coordination with the national consultant. 2. Provide support in reviewing Asset Management Profiles developed by national consultants, with a climate resilience and climate adaptation lens, developing findings and recommendations on how to further incorporate climate risk considerations and adaptation measures, for each entity, in close consultation with the international consultant in Municipal Asset Management, for review and feedback by the UN IAM team. 3. Design a module for on-site training on climate resilient infrastructure asset management, and provide guidance on weaving climate resilience and adaptation measures into the training curricula, based on outcomes of the short diagnostic missions, the Asset Management Profiles, the UN Handbook on infrastructure asset management and feedback from national consultants in the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines and project supervisor, in close consultation with the international expert consultant on Municipal Asset Management to ensure that training material is grounded in the respective countries’ context. The focus could be on: - The benefits and challenges of climate-resilient asset management. - Understanding climate change. - Climate change hazards and impacts of climate change on infrastructure. - How to prioritize the most critical services and assets from a perspective of climate resilient asset management. - Climate risk assessments; including hazard identification, climate impact statements, vulnerability assessment, risk assessments, and strategic evaluation. - How can public officials prevent and mitigate climate risks - How to enhance asset management action plans through climate-resilient asset management - Explain how climate-resilient asset management enables disaster risk reduction. - Discuss how effective and climate-resilient asset management systems enhance domestic resource mobilization and sustainable financing. 4. Provide substantive support to the implementation of AMAPs in close coordination with the international expert consultant on Municipal Asset Management and national consultants in respective countries, including reviewing and refining the AMAPs developed during the workshop, assessing the extent of consideration of climate resilience of their infrastructure asset management and climate risk considerations, and together with the national consultant summarize findings, revise action items, immediate next steps, and identify support needs. 5. Provide substantive input to the workshops on the national enabling environment (one per country) on climate resilient asset management, adapting training materials to the national context; closely coordinating with the international expert consultant on Municipal Asset Management and the national consultants, reviewing national and subnational policy, legal, and institutional frameworks; identifying government strategies, plans, or legislative texts relevant to climate resilient IAM and climate adaptation measures. 6. Support workshops on the national enabling environment with focus on climate resilient infrastructure asset management and climate adaptation measures, in person or virtually, including presenting the state of IAM policies concerning climate resilience and climate adaptation and common implementation gaps; closely coordinating with the international expert consultant on Municipal Asset Management in guiding participants in mapping institutional environments and identifying missing enabling factors; translating international practices into locally relevant language and approaches; and supporting post-workshop follow-up through participant feedback, recommendations for reforms, and contributions to the final workshop report. 7. Review and complement the International Expert Consultant on Municipal Asset Management’s draft practical guide for local authorities of small island developing states, outlining how municipalities or local governments can develop an asset management policy in a small island developing state, with specific focus on Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Focus of the review should be on ensuring that climate resilience considerations and climate adaptation measures are thoroughly integrated throughout the guide document, including climate risk assessments, how to prioritize the most critical services and assets from a perspective of climate resilient asset management and benefits of climate resilient asset management.

- Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in economics, finance, environmental studies, civil engineering with a focus on infrastructures, or a related field is required. - At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience at the international level, involving both analytical and policy development work in the field of asset management and urban development is required, including expertise in areas such as climate resilient asset management at the local government level, is required. - Knowledge of the public sector of the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines and their infrastructure systems is required. -Experience in managing research projects on infrastructure and other engineering systems is a desirable. -Familiarity with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UN IAM tools is desirable. -Familiarity with global asset management standards and geographic information systems (GIS), is desirable.

Fluency in both oral and written English is required; knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.

Not available.