Long-term expert: SWITCH-Asia Network Facility Team Leader
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I.Background
The SWITCH ASIA Network Facility is an EU-Programme designed to promote sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns and behaviour in the Asia region. The programme aims to improve understanding and strengthen cooperation between Europe and Asia with a particular emphasis on mobilizing the private sector. SWITCH ASIA project applicants and partners are intermediary (business) organisations and networks, government institutions and not-for-profit organisations pursuing SCP and sustainable development.
The SWITCH -Asia Network Facility operates within the EU SWITCH -Asia Programme to maximise impact through effective networking, dissemination and sharing of knowledge. The facility is intended to raise the profile of sustainable consumption and production on a practical level. The SWITCH -Asia Network Facility operates on the belief that an absence of effective networking and communication will generate only scattered results.
The SWITCH-Asia Network Facility operates predominantly within SCP projects financed by the European Union (EU) and its partners in the EU and Asia. The Network Facility seeks synergies within SWITCH-Asia projects, creates linkages with regional SCP activities and other networks, and helps bring results to the attention of policy makers in Asia.
The Network Facility works within a framework of six major pillars:
A. Targeted project support and maximising the project impact
B. Best-practice surveys, case studies and SCP booklets
C. Outcome and impact reporting and assessment systems
D. Network events and cross-learning seminars
E. Information sharing and outreach, especially in the form of multi-media applications and the SWITCH-Asia website
F. Policy platforms
The Network Facility is established under a direct award service contract between the European Commission and a consortium of the Wuppertal Institute and the UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production. More information about the SWITCH-Asia programme and the Network Facility can be found at: www.switch-asia.eu
II. Scope of Work of the Team Leader
The Team Leader will be responsible for managing the operation of the Network Facility and ensure the timely delivery of quality outputs as per the European Commission Contract.
General responsibilities include:
A. Strategic planning and decision making on operation of the Network Facility
Within the scope of the Terms of Reference of the SWITCH-Asia Network Facility, the team leader will be responsible for developing strategies for the work of the facility and identifying strategic focus areas in each of the work components within specific implementation periods. He/she will be responsible for prioritising activities of the Network Facility so as to maximize networking, cross-learning and policy uptake based on results of SWITCH-Asia projects and programmes. The Team Leader will be responsible for developing detailed annual activity plans and managing plan implementation in consultation with the European Commission.
B. Managing day-to-day operations of the Network Facility
The main functions of the Team Leader include:
- Providing direct supervision to the Network Facility’s core staff which comprises experts in SCP and Communications and a Project Assistant, who together with the Team Leader form the core Network Facility team.
- Managing the engagement of short-term experts and service providers for the delivery of Network Facility activities and ensuring the most cost-effective project delivery.
- Regular communication with the project manager of the Contracting Authority (EuropeAid Cooperation Office) regarding the approval of work plans, sub-contractors, and major actions such as policy outreach and networking events.
- Overseeing the use of Network Facility financial resources in accordance with EC regulations and procedures.
- Preparing the narrative component of progress reports at six month intervals and responding to inquiries and comments from the contracting authority regarding the progress of projects and project reports.
- Providing input to the preparation of the financial component of progress reports.
C. Direct involvement in the implementation of specific Network Facility activities that are of strategic importance and related to outreach of the policy platform.
Such activities include, but are not limited to:
- Outreach to major SCP policy platforms including Marrakech Process expert meetings, the UNCSD and its regional implementation meetings and regional SCP roundtables, among others.
- Outreach to NGO and other SCP networks and programmes in Asia and Europe for dissemination of SWITCH-Asia project outputs and identified good practice.
- Preparation of policy briefings as per requests from the European Commission.
- Cooperation with Network Facility partners.
III. Qualifications
- University degree in a field related to SCP or equivalent;
- Demonstrated experience in complex multicultural projects in Asia;
- At least 15 years practical working experience on environmental issues, dealing with SMEs and SCP-related topics in different Asian countries;
- More than 15 years experience in the management of complex programmes;
- Experience as Team Leader in at least five EC-funded projects in a multicultural environment;
- Excellent knowledge of EC financial and contractual rules and experience with multi-year planning tools and EC log frames;
- Explicit knowledge of and experience in the SCP field and an understanding of related concepts and tools and their practical application;
- Experience with relevant European and Asian SCP stakeholders and networks, and most relevant Centres of Excellence Knowledge within previous EC-funded initiatives in the field of environment (Asia Wide Programmes);
- Demonstrated effectiveness in communicating and influencing political decision makers;
- Familiarity with relevant SCP-related policy dialogue platforms;
- Feeling for sensitive multicultural Asian policy settings;
- Ideally but not necessarily an understanding of UN processes;
- Excellent and persuasive written and spoken English language communication skills.
IV. Contract duration and work arrangement
The contract will be on full-time basis for the period beginning at the earliest possible start date in first half of 2010 until end of August 2013. The expert will be based at the CSCP office in Wuppertal. The remuneration and other benefits based on the German TV-L salary system. Benefits include a health insurance, long-term care insurance, pension insurance, unemployment insurance and insurance in case of a workplace accidents.
Interested candidates should send an application letter together with a detailed CV by March 22, 2010 at the latest to:
Gabriele Eigen
UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production
Hagenauer Strasse 30
42107 Wuppertal
Germany
E-mail: gabriele.eigen@scp-centre.org; Fax: +49 202 4595831
The application should indicate the applicant’s earliest possible starting date.
