VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT Communication & Coordination Officer

Agency: Contract Modality: Location: United Nations Development Programme National UN Volunteer Multi duty station, mainly Country Office, Colombo

Position Description: Support UNDP environment cluster in coordinating and implementing the Every Drop Matters [EDM] project. Further assist in operations with production of a wide range of communication tools to create wide awareness and play an important role in developing partners in the community level. Strong analytical and coordination skills and excellent communication skills in English required. For information about the job description please visit http://www.iyv10srilanka.com/vacancies/ Application Deadline: Monday 13th August 2012 This post is open only to Sri Lankan nationals. UNV volunteer assignments are not salaried, but carry an all-inclusive Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) which is currently Rs 44,831/- per month, resettlement grant and health & life insurance cover. Interested candidates should submit their CV, with a cover letter (in English) and telephone/email contact information (clearly indicating the post title on the top left hand corner of envelope to the address below, to reach Monday 13th August 2012. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted and invited for an interview.

United Nations Volunteer Programme 202-204, Bauddhaloka Mawatha Colombo 7

UN VOLUNTEER DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT Preamble: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers. In most cultures volunteerism is deeply embedded in long-established, ancient traditions of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UN Volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in development and peace together with co-workers, host agencies and local communities. In all assignments, UN Volunteers promote volunteerism through their action and conduct. Engaging in volunteer activity can effectively and positively enrich their understanding of local and social realities, as well as create a bridge between themselves and the people in their host community. This will make the time they spend as UN Volunteers even more rewarding and productive. 1. UNV Assignment Title: 2. Type of Assignment: 3. Project Title: 4. Duration: 5. Location, Country: 6. Expected Starting Date: 7. Brief Project Description: The proposed pilot project Empowering Communities through Water (ECH2O) empowers and increases awareness of communitys towards climate change, soil dynamics, water processes and human interventions that affect quality and quantity standards of water. The engagement of local authorities, policy makers, private sector etc., will help to highlight the issues and make changes to the land use and other management practices to safeguard water resources. The information generated (water quality readings, issues and reasons) will enrich the public debate and communication strategies like publishing newspaper articles highlighting water quality related issues will not only help the pilot project area but also other areas with similar issues. Involvement of school children attached to more than 50 schools on water quality monitoring is an investment in the future and school children can act as excellent change agents at household and community levels. Engaging and training of potential schools participating in the Stockholm Junior Water Price (SJWP) in 2013 will help students to pick better ideas for school projects with more relevance. More than 15 Govt. stakeholder agencies involved in the Pilot Project will help to improve their projects and programmes within and outside the Kelani River Basin so that the messages, outputs and advocacy efforts will be mainstreamed into development. The ECOH2O will also use latest social media such as short-movies, discussion forums and an interactive web site. Web pages will be linked to most popular search engines brining global attention to the project outputs. For the first time in such educational efforts, this project will also use a multi-media mobile educational unit (Caravan) of UNDP. Communication and Coordination Officer National UN Volunteer Every Drop Matters 12 months Colombo, Sri Lanka September 2012

The private sector sponsorships through promotional material, bill boards etc. will ensure sustainability of the project beyond the pilot project phase. Also the Corporate Social Responsibility opportunities of private sector will help the project to expand to other watersheds 8. Host Agency/Host Institute: UNDP 9. Organizational Context: The UNDP Energy, Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction Programme, by nature involves multiplestakeholders in its programmes. Due to the cross cutting nature of the three key subject areas the possibility exists to expand or strengthen partnership approaches in areas such as climate change, environment governance, ecosystem based disaster risk reduction, community led natural resource management and disaster preparedness etc. Past successful partnership approaches included the Integrated Strategic Environment Assessment (ISEA) conducted with the sponsorship of the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and Central Environment Authority (CEA) that received active participation of over 30 Government Agencies; Ongoing development of Hazard Profiles for coastal erosion, droughts, floods, sea level rise, landslides and cyclones involving more than 15 Govt., University and Consulting groups; UNDP supported National Disaster Management Coordinating Committee with a membership of more than 50 agencies, to identify a few. Future programmes on community forestry, biomass to energy, early warning systems for landslides etc. will have a number of value addition and sustainability options through partnerships. In addition Rio+20 deliberations will open up many avenues that need intensive follow up for successful conclusion. Rio+20 discussions have clearly shown the inter linkages between environment, energy and disaster management subject areas and UNDP and other development organizations has a definite role to play in continuing and building on the partnerships already developed between public-public and public-private entities. These multi-stakeholder approaches can be further enriched by adding innovative volunteering and recognition elements. Potential target groups include Private Sector, Expatriates, University Staff and Students, Community Based Organizations, UN agencies, Bilateral and Multilateral Development Agencies and Policy Makers. Against this background, the UNDP Environment Cluster recently submitted a project proposal titled Empowering Communities through Water and has succeeded in getting the approval and necessary fund from the Every Drop Matters [EDM], a global partnership between Coca Cola and UNDP. The Environment Cluster therefore seeks to recruit a National UN Volunteer to assist the team in coordination of the project and to develop communication tools for the entire duration of the project.

10. Type of Assignment Place: assignment with family 11. Description of tasks: Under the supervision of the Team Leader, the UN volunteer will undertake the following tasks: Develop an overall work plan of activities for the entire duration based on the project proposal. Implement and Monitor the project and develop a system of regular reporting. Liaise and Develop new partnerships with community members, government institutions, private sector firms and with other UN agencies. Prepare communication tools to build a strong awareness raising campaign. Liaise and work closely with the regional partner CLEAN. Participate in all relevant meetings with, or on behalf of the team. Work closely with the team to create ideas and develop proposals. Build capacity of the staff and partners on communication and reporting. Assist the team with any other activity as and when required.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark IVD); Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

12. Results/Expected Output: Significant contribution to the successful implementation of the project Existing partnerships strengthened, developed new partnerships and mobilized resources for the continuation of the project and the implementation of the projects and activities Efficient and interactive communication tools developed Support to UNDP Environment Cluster for identifying new opportunities and developing new proposals is improved Volunteerism has been promoted as a key for sustainable development

13. Qualifications/Requirements: University degree or extensive experience in lieu of a degree At least 2 years of experience as a communication/coordination officer and or experience in managing projects Complete fluency in written and oral English, fluency in at least one of the two native languages Excellent writing skills, strong analytical skills Excellent knowledge of presentation software Strong coordination skills Ability to work in a multicultural context Ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines

14. Living Conditions: This assignment is based in Colombo. Colombo, the countrys largest city is colourful, vibrant and is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. An interesting mix of modern life and colonial ruins, Colombo is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the administrative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Colombo's climate is fairly temperate all throughout the year but humidity is usually high. From March to April the temperature averages around 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit). The only major change in the Colombo weather occurs during the monsoon seasons from May to August and October to January when heavy rainfalls occur. 15. Conditions of Service A 12 month contract; monthly volunteer living allowance (VLA) intended to cover housing, basic needs and utilities, equivalent to equivalent to Rs 44,831; settling-in-grant (if applicable); life, health, and permanent disability insurance; resettlement allowance for satisfactory service. All products designed, developed and produce under UNV contract are property of the UN.

Description of Assignment prepared by UNDP: Ananda Mallawatantri Team Leader, Energy, Environment and Disaster Risk Management UNDP Sri Lanka

Date: 31/07/2012 Description of Assignment approved by UNV Field Unit: Natal Donnaloia Programme Officer UNV Sri Lanka Date: (03/07/2012)