Environmental and Social Safeguard Specialist
Post Level: Individual National Specialist
Report to: National Project Manager/National Team Leader
Contract Type: Individual Contractor (IC)
Expected Place of Travel: Kampot, and Koh Kong Provinces, Cambodia
Assignment Duration: Max 10 day per months (from June 2025- June 2028)
Duration of Work
Working closely with the National Team Leader and under the management of the National Project Manager at NCSD, and the technical advice of UN-Habitat team, the Environmental and Social Safeguard Specialist will be long term consultant (intermittent basis) with maximum 10 day per months over the project period from June 2025 to June 2028.
Duty Station
The Consultant will be working at the Ministry of Environment, subject to travel to provinces. The project will cover transportation costs and DSA for related assignments in the field based on the government regulation.
Scope of Work
To ensure the project complies with the Environmental and Social Policy (ESP) and Gender Policy of the Adaptation Fund, and to effectively manage, monitor and support the implementation of the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP), especially identified mitigation measures, throughout the project cycle, including design, implementation, and closure.
The Environmental and Social Safeguard Specialist will be consulted with the National Team Leader under the management of the National Project Manager at NCSD to implement the project activities on time and reach the target objectives effectively under the technical advice of the UN-Habitat in close coordination and communication with other stakeholders and consultants involved in the project.
- PART 1: Pre-Construction Phase
- Review and understand the Environmental and Social Management Plan and Gender Action Plan, especially possible risks and impacts, mitigation measures, and target in ProDoc;
- Prepare a TEMPLATE for three ESS field assessments, specifically assessments before, during, and after the construction works to ensure compliance with AF’s ESP principles and the project’s ESMP and Gender Action Plan.
- Assess the existence and functionality of grievance mechanisms in the project target sites, while proposing the appropriate grievance mechanisms and procedures for the project and disseminate information to the relevant stakeholders.
- Submit an ESS Pre-Inspection report that was prepared based on stakeholder consultations and field visits.
- Train the project team, subcontractors, consultants on the AF’s ESP and Gender Policy, and the project’s ESPM and Gender Action Plan.
- PART 2: Construction Monitoring Phase
- Conduct field assessments in the project sites to conduct ESS screening and risk assessment, monitor progress status of agreed interventions and safeguard measures related to each output.
- Assess the occurrence of unanticipated environmental and social risk and adverse impacts and propose suitable mitigation measures for the newly identified risks and impacts.
- Support the project team and subcontractor to ensure implementing the Remedial action for residual impacts.
- Collect and analyze grievances and advise the project team, national and sub-national government offices, subcontractors, and consultants how to improve/adjust the project approach and activities.
- Submit the ESS Monitoring Report by summarizing the above points.
- PART 3: Post-Construction Phase
- Conduct post-construction assessments for each output including stakeholder consultation and field assessment to assess the implementation result and impacts of safeguard measures.
- Submit the ESS Final Report by summarizing the brief summary of the pre-construction phase and construction monitoring phase, in addition to the result from the post-construction assessment for each output. It should include good practices, lessons learned, recommendations based on the ESS intervention and the responses to collected grievances.
- Education:
- High-level degree (Bachelor or Master or equivalent) in environmental sciences, engineer, climate change, social development studies, urban planning and human settlements, geography, or related fields.
- Experience and skills:
- At least 7 years of relevant experience in climate change projects, especially Adaptation Fund projects;
- Relevant experience in environmental and social safeguards (ESS) in development or infrastructure projects.
- Experience working in the Asia Pacific region would be an advantage;
- Proven experience with Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs), ESMPs, and stakeholder engagement.
- Familiarity with the Adaptation Fund's Environmental and Social Policy, or Social Safeguard Policies with UN-Habitat standards.
- Demonstrated understanding of climate resilience, gender mainstreaming, and community engagement in Cambodia.
- Knowledge of UN Agency or similar internationally funded projects is an asset;
- Ability to work independently with a high degree of responsibility, in a flexible manner, and often under pressure;
- Demonstrated ability to write technical information coherently and concisely;
- Have good interpersonal skills and good oral and written communication skills in English; and
- Should be available as soon as possible.
- Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English and Khmer
