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UNLEASHING THE BLUE ECONOMY OF THE CARIBBEAN (UBEC)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

PROJECT MANAGER

 

1. Background

The Blue Economy is defined as an approach to promote sustainable and integrated use of marine resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and job generation while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems.  It covers a range of interdependent sectors, including fisheries, coastal tourism, and waste management.  Fisheries, for example, provide the hospitality industry with quality and affordable seafood, while the tourism sector supports fisher livelihoods and generates employment. Waste management, meanwhile, is crucial to the health of fisheries and other marine resources and ecosystems which are, in turn, critical for the beaches and other natural assets that attract holiday makers. Going forward, anticipating and adapting to the impacts of climate change will be an essential component of the blue economy, ensuring that low-carbon and climate-resilient measures are incorporated across sectors to ensure sustainability of marine resources and continued generation of their benefits.

The Government of Saint Lucia recognizes that the sustainable management and protection of its extensive ocean space and associated marine and coastal resources, particularly in the face of increasing climate change, are crucial to economic growth, job creation, and diversification. On its pathway towards blue growth, Saint Lucia has embarked on several projects and strategic plans that helped advance protection of its blue space and grow the island’s blue economy.

 

1. Project Description

The Unleashing the Blue Economy of the Caribbean (UBEC) will be implemented as a Series of Projects (SOP) in three distinct five-year phases over a fifteen-year period (each project will have a life cycle of five years) involving multi-sectoral blue economy investments to support Caribbean countries to strengthen their climate resilience and accelerate economic recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. Phase 1 of UBEC, to be implemented between fiscal years 2022 and 2028, involves Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the OECS Commission and focuses on three interrelated blue economy sectors: tourism, fisheries, and waste management.

The project development objective of the SOP and Phase I is to strengthen the enabling environment for the blue economy, economic recovery, and resilience of selected coastal assets in participating countries and provide immediate and effective response to an eligible emergency. Phase I of the SOP is designed to foster economic recovery and support marine and coastal resilience in Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines by strengthening the sustainability and competitiveness of two critical, interconnected sectors – tourism and fisheries – and one underlying enabling infrastructure service, waste management. The SOP will achieve its objectives by: 1) strengthening regional and national policies and institutional frameworks to bring back business and attract new investments, (2) scaling up innovative financing mechanisms aimed at enhancing employment and productivity in the tourism, fisheries, and waste management value chains through establishment of a regional MSME matching grant program  and a regional climate-risk fisheries insurance scheme, (3) supporting investment in coastal infrastructure to reduce risk and leverage private investment in blue economy activities and strengthen climate resilience, and (4) adopting a contingency emergency response mechanism to respond to future extreme weather events.  

The SOP consists of four components: (i) Strengthening Governance, Policies, and Capacity Building; (ii) Scale Up Access to Finance and Infrastructure Investment; (iii) Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC); and (iv) Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation, and Communication.

The Project Implementation Unit

The Government of Saint Lucia (GoSLU) is establishing a Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in the Department of Finance at the Ministry of Finance (MoF) responsible for implementing the UBEC project national-level activities and coordinating with relevant ministries, including but not limited to Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Enterprise Development, and Saint Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority. The PIU will have the following positions: Project Manager, Financial Management Specialist, Procurement Officer, Environment Safeguards Specialist, Social Safeguards Specialist, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, and Communications Specialist.

The PIU will be a fully integrated part of the MoF structure, relying on UBEC resources to deliver UBEC Project activities, including project planning, financial management, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, environmental and social safeguards, and reporting in accordance with both Government and World Bank requirements.

 

1. Objectives of the assignment

The Government of Saint Lucia is seeking a full-time Project Manager to lead the PIU and to lead, supervise, coordinate, and ensure the carrying out all UBEC national-level activities. The Project Manager will operate at Ministry Head of Division level, participating in Heads of Division meetings, and liaising closely with other Heads of Division on a daily basis.

This position will work in close collaboration with Ministry staff, and under the general control and direction of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank.

 

1. Duties and responsibilities
2. Leading, coordination, supervision

• Lead the establishment of the Project during its initial stages including the recruitment of project staff, the establishment of policies, procedures, manuals, and systems, and the development of relationships with key internal, government, and external stakeholders.
• Establish, lead, and supervise the PIU.
• Lead, coordinate, supervise and ensure the delivery of all Project activities.
• Attend Ministry Senior Executive Team meetings and lead discussions on Project activities.
• Ensure Project implementation complies with World Bank policies and procedures.
• Represent the Ministry at inter-governmental and regional meetings relevant to Project activities.
• Coordinate with other Ministries working in areas relevant to Project implementation.
• Lead the development and annual review of the project risk management plan and ensure all risks are appropriately managed and mitigated.
• Oversee training and capacity development program.
• Act as Secretariat to the Project Steering Committee.
• Manage internal and external communications with respect to Project activities.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement

1. Planning and Management

• Lead the development of the Project Annual Work Plan and Procurement Plan.
• Lead the development of the Project Operations Manual (POM).
• Ensure Project activities are aligned with existing national policies.

1. Budget and Finance

• Lead the development of the Annual Budget.
• Ensure the effective management of the project budget.
• Report on the progress of project budget utilization and forecast expenditure to the Permanent Secretary and Heads of Division (monthly or as required).
• Oversee the preparation of quarterly financial reports to the World Bank, and the delivery of the annual independent project audit.
• Manage and remain accountable for expenditures against budget based on accurate financial reporting.

1. Project Reporting

• Ensure the delivery of a quarterly monitoring and evaluation report to the Permanent Secretary of the MoF and World Bank.
• Oversee reporting against the Project Results Framework.
• Coordinate the preparation of the six-monthly Project Progress Report, for submission to the World Bank and the Project Steering Committee.
• Provide details on Project progress for the Ministry Annual Report.

1. Advice

• Provide high-level strategic and operational level advice to the Permanent Secretary of the MoF, and the Government as required.

1. Performance Appraisal and Staff Supervision

• Manage the performance of the PIU staff in line with the Government staff performance management system.
• Develop Terms of Reference for PIU staff and ensure they are kept up to date.
• Recommend to the World Bank on decisions relating to staff recruitment and terminations.

1. Technical Key Results Areas

• Maintain necessary level of technical and operational skills to supervise PIU activities.
• Oversee the preparation, execution and delivery of outputs for all contracts relating to project activities.
• Overall responsibility for project quality, duration and cost.
• Lead recovery decisions to reroute project activities/ resources to ensure re-alignment to established deadlines and benchmarks

1. Administrative Policies and Procedures

• Ensure PIU compliance with the Public Service Commission and Government of Saint Lucia administrative policies and procedures, and contribute to reviews of these as required.

1. Other Duties

• Perform any other duties as requested by the MoF and/or the World Bank.

 

1. Expected key deliverables

The Project Manager will be responsible for supporting the implementation of the Project Preparatory Activity Plan including the following specific deliverables, with the support of the PIU and Ministry staff:

 

Key Deliverables	Timing
Project Operations Manual	Upon commencement
Terms of Reference for PIU staff	Upon commencement
Work Plan, Procurement Plan and Budget	Upon commencement and annually
Documentation required for Audit	Annually or as requested
Project Progress Report	Every six months or as requested
Performance Management Reports for PIU staff	Every six months or as requested
Interim Financial Reports (to World Bank)	Quarterly or as requested
Monitoring and Evaluation Report	Quarterly or as requested
Participation in Senior Executive Team meetings, including presentation of progress report	Monthly or as requested

 

1. Duration, location, coordination, and reporting arrangements

 

• Duration. The Project Manager is a full-time position required for five (5) years, renewable annually based on performance and availability of funds.
• The contract is subject to a probationary period of six (6) months and may be subject to satisfactory achievement of key deliverables.
• Performance will initially be reviewed after six (6) months, and thereafter subject to annual reviews.
• This is a full-time position based in Castries, Saint Lucia and may involve travel to other communities. The Project Manager will work from the UBEC PIU where he/she will be assigned a workstation and will participate in face-to-face or virtual meetings. He/she will also be required to visit project work sites to monitor overall implementation of all activities.
• Coordination. The Project Manager will frequently and adequately coordinate with all PIU staff and staff from the project implementing ministries.
• Reporting arrangements. The Project Manager will report to the Permanent Secretary of the MoF and the World Bank. He/she shall establish solid working relationships with project executives (board, senior officials of Government of Saint Lucia and World Bank staff).

 

1. Eligibility

The position is open to citizens of Saint Lucia and those eligible for a work permit in Saint Lucia.

 

1. Selection Criteria

• Qualifications

A Master’s Degree in Project Management, Law, Economics, Business Administration, Engineering or other related disciplines with at least 5 years of relevant professional experience in managing projects of similar scope in the Caribbean.

OR

A Bachelor’s Degree in Project Management, Law, Economics, Business Administration, Engineering or other related disciplines combined with at least 10 years of relevant professional experience in managing projects of similar scope in the Caribbean.

Training and/or certification in PRINCE 2 or PMP is preferred.

• Experience and skills
• Experience managing projects and project staff and resources, and in roles with similar responsibilities;
• Experience managing project budgets, with financial systems, and with financial reporting;
• Experience preparing project documentation, including policies and procedures;
• Experience delegating responsibility to respective staff members based on discipline;
• Experience with project reporting, including: presenting project progress in visual formats, and writing/ preparing clear and concise project reports;
• Experience in interpreting relevant legislation, policies, procedures, and processes of government;
• Experience using Microsoft Projects or other project management software to present project information such as cost, schedule, budgets as well as to monitor outputs against established benchmarks.  
• Experience managing donor-funded projects, especially involving international development banks and institutions is strongly preferred.
• Experience with blue economy projects and programs is strongly preferred.
• Excellent communication skills in English (speaking, reading, and writing),
• Able to communicate in a clear and structured manner to a broad range of audiences;
• communicating in creole to mass stakeholder groups;
• Strong ethics, high level personal organizational skills, and ability to manage own workload;

 

 

1. Applying for this post

Applications for the post should be made to:

Permanent Secretary

Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and the Youth Economy

4^th Floor Finance Administrative Center

Pointe Seraphine

Castries

Saint Lucia

Tel: 1 (758) 468- 5503

Email: Olivia.alfred@govt.lc

Applications must include the following:

1. A brief covering letter introducing yourself, and explaining why you are interested in this position (maximum 1 page).
2. A resume (CV) showing personal details, work experience, and education, along with the names of three work related references (maximum 3 pages).
3. A claim for the position (with each essential and desirable criteria as a sub-heading) that addresses how your experience is applicable to each criterion, and providing examples relevant to the post’s key tasks and responsibilities (maximum 4 pages).

Note: unsuitable candidates will not be acknowledged. Applicants whose minimum qualifications and experience conform to the Terms of Reference will be short-listed and invited attend and interview for further consideration.