Background
UNDP multi-country office in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam provide technical assistance, policy, and technical advisory services to the Governments of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam in their efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), in partnership with development partners, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society.
In Malaysia, UNDPโs programme priorities and partnerships are defined and operationalized through the Country Programme between the Government of Malaysia and UNDP to support and contribute to the development priorities and results envisioned in the 5-year Malaysia Plan. Malaysia is currently implementing several projects (with public sector partners) that support the 12th Malaysia Plan, which is anchored around three key themes, namely resetting the economy, strengthening security, wellbeing and inclusivity as well as advancing sustainability.
Nature, Climate and Energy (NCE) is the biggest programme portfolio for UNDP Malaysia Country Office (CO), where it has a wide range of initiatives and projects from biodiversity and ecosystems, climate change, energy, environmental management, ozone protection, green commodities, natural resource management and waste management. Currently, NCE programme implementation is mainly funded by government finance, Global Environment Facility and other resources. The portfolio remains one of the important programme areas in the Country Programme Document period of 2022 โ 2025 with a shift towards diversification of funding and efforts to operationalize new and innovative financial instruments and partnerships. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in close collaboration with the State Government of Sabah is implementing initiatives / projects on integrated landscape management, green commodities, and community led climate and nature actions. UNDPโs NCE portfolio in Sabah is expected to grow with diverse partners and funding streams building on existing initiatives / projects.
The โEnhancing the hill paddy industry in Sabahโ project is one of those projects. Funded by the Malaysian government, the project will be a pilot to support farmers and cooperatives in using technology and nature-based solutions together with existing traditional knowledge to increase hill paddy yield and income from the sale of hill rice products. Learnings from the project will inform policies and initiatives under the 13th Malaysia Plan on the feasibility of mainstreaming sustainable farming and climate smart agriculture technology nationwide in a more effective manner. ย The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Food Industry in Sabah with the support of other relevant ministries and agencies both at federal and state level. The Project Coordinator hired will be responsible in implementing the project in Sabah and other related initiatives in the country office that renders similar thematic areas or technical expertise eg. climate change, grassroots innovation, food and agriculture and rural livelihoods. Beyond this project, the Project Coordinator will also be expected to support other projects under NCE.
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
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Duties and Responsibilities
The Project Coordinator will work under the overall supervision and guidance of the Programme Manager for Sabah. The Project Coordinator will collaborate closely with the National Project Director, who will be appointed by the national implementing partner, and will be supported by a Project Associate assigned to the project.
In addition to the primary reporting line, the Project Coordinator will also report in a matrixed capacity to the Head of SDG Impact, Finance, and Innovation. This secondary reporting line is focused on ensuring technical oversight, strategic alignment, and integration of SDG impact principles into project activities, particularly in areas related to finance, innovation, and sustainable development.
This matrix reporting structure enables the Project Coordinator to receive guidance on thematic priorities, technical standards, and policy frameworks related to nature, climate, and energy while ensuring that programme implementation remains integrated with broader UNDP priorities. The dual reporting mechanism enhances coordination, facilitates knowledge exchange, and ensures the project aligns with both national and global commitments on climate action and sustainable development.
The project coordinator will also contribute actively to assignments relating to the growing portfolios in the Sabah region.
Coordinate effective project planning and implementation.
Develop project planning process and ensure the work plan and a fully costed budget are prepared based on sound capacity assessments and in accordance with UNDP Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP) / Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) Guidelines.ย Coordinate and manage the day-to-day activities of the assigned portfolio and the overall implementation process, including planning and monitoring in order to optimize the use of resources and to ensure the successful achievement of project objectives and results specified in project document. Provide subject matter technical advice and support and ensure outputs are delivered on time, within the set budget and specified constraints, and to high-quality standards. Facilitate interactive and inclusive platforms for project implementation and collaborate with other programme units and project teams to ensure integration of critical development issues in the project activities and expected project outputs.ย Ensure implementation activities are in alignment with UNDP policy and programme management procedures and all project interventions integrate gender equality perspectives to the extent local context allows. Ensure operational management of assigned portfolio including through timely procurement of goods, services and/or infrastructure (as relevant), effective management of human, technical and financial resources including playing a supervisory role, and other such responsibilities to ensure optimal operation of the programme.Establish partnerships and open channels of communication.
Develop and maintain strong relationships and strategic linkages with implementing and development partners, government officials, businesses, NGOs, local community and grassroots organisations, other national and sub-national stakeholders, and beneficiaries to support key objectives and ensure inclusive implementation and participation of key stakeholders in assigned portfolio. Develop and maintain stakeholder mapping and analysis to identify stakeholder needs and how best to leverage their participation and/or strengthen their engagement. Prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation and opportunities for joint initiatives. Make recommendations to the management team on activities with potential for scale-up, replicability and synergies. Provide technical support to the implementing partners and act as a liaison between UNDP and the partners.ย ย Support resource mobilization efforts and project pipeline development.Monitor and report on progress in implementing project activities and achieving the targets set.
Review the results framework and update the indicators, baselines, and targets of the assigned portfolio. Develop clear strategies and an effective system for data collection, means of verification, and information sharing and reporting.ย Monitor implementation and progress in achieving goals and targets in accordance with the established quality criteria and UNDP rules, regulations, and standards. Identify, analyze, and take adequate measures to manage emerging issues, problems, and risks to ensure the project keeps on track to achieve targets. Conduct regular field visits to project location sites. Ensure administrative requirements, budgets and use of financial resources are managed and executed in a timely and appropriate manner and within UNDP and donor rules and regulations. Prepare corporate, donor and government reports in line with the reporting schedule and UNDP and donor requirements. Ensure proper operational and financial closure of the project.Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing and advocacy relevant to the assigned thematic area(s).
Organize training, workshops, and capacity building activities in a consultative manner, involving technical experts and stakeholders that may include the government, private sector, NGOs, donors, and/or ย ย academia. Identify, synthesize and document best practices and lessons learned that are generated from the project and implementing partners. Participate in and ensure sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice on project related issues. Support facilitation of knowledge platforms for the project, facilitate innovative mechanisms for dissemination of knowledge from the project, and develop knowledge resources and products to share with project partners and to support UNDPโs engagement and contribution in this area and the broader programme of work.ย Promote advocacy on development trends and opportunities to collaborate in coordination with the project partners, stakeholders, and the UNDP communications team.ยThe incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
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Competencies
Core competencies:
Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learningAdapt with Agility: ย LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision makingย
People Management Competencies:
UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:
Business Direction & Strategyย ย ย ย
System Thinking. Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the systemBusiness Developmentย ย ย ย
Knowledge Facilitation. Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externallyBusiness Managementย ย ย ย
Project Management. Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals Partnerships Management. Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies Communication. Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels Monitoring. Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and resultsPartnership managementย ย ย ย
Relationship Management. Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understandingย
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Economics (Environmental, Natural Resources, or related), Engineering (Civil, Environment, or related), Management (Environment, General, Natural Resource, or related), Sciences (Agriculture and Food, Environment, Natural, Climate Change or related), Disaster Risk, International Relations, Public Policy, or related relevant field is required, OR A first-level university degree (bachelorโs degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.ยExperience:
Applicants with a masterโs degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience.ย Applicants with a bachelorโs degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing management advisory services, and/or hands-on experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.ย Excellent skills/experience in problem-solving, adaptative management, conflict resolution, advocacy, and coordination. Demonstrated ability in writing good quality project reports, policy briefs, and/or communication and advocacy article/blogs/stories. Demonstrated experience in collaborating and partnering with government agencies, the private sector, communities, and/or international organisations. Experience with GIS systems and tools such as ArcGIS, QGIS, etc. is an advantage. Experience in agriculture technology is also an advantage. Proven field experience in agriculture, climate change, environmental protection, natural resource management initiatives/projects, and/or nature-based solutions at national, sub-national/state, local, and/or community levels. Strong track record in project management in a development setting in Malaysia Proven familiarity with managing complexities around stakeholder management and facilitation and negotiation with various types of partners and stakeholders for project management. Working experience in a UN Agency and/or an international organization is an advantage.Required languages:
Fluency in written and spoken Bahasa Malaysia and English is required. Fluency (spoken) in local Sabah languages (i.e. Kadazandusun, Murut) is an advantageยย
Professional Certificates:
Project Management certification is a bonus.Travel:
This position will be based in Kota Kinabalu but regular official travel within Malaysia, especially to the Country Office in Putrajaya is expected to be associated with performing the functions of this position.ยEqual opportunity
As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.ย
UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.
Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority
UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.ย
Right to select multiple candidates
UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.ย We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
Scam alert
UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.
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