Environmental Compliance Advisory - Short Term Consultancy

Job Description

The USAID/Jordan Business Growth Activity will enable Jordanian SMEs to improve their productivity and competitiveness, create new jobs and innovations across a range of growth sectors, and advance Jordan towards a more prosperous, resilient, and inclusive future.Through a series of evidence-based interventions, BGA will: (i) support SMEs via direct firm-level assistance; (ii) improve SME financial practices, develop customized financial products, and provide transaction facilitation that mobilizes millions in capital; and (iii) address firm-level constraints through advocacy and public-private dialogue that improves business practices and complements USAID?s other policy reform initiatives.To these ends, BGA will work closely with the private sector, relevant Government of Jordan entities, and other donor programs to ensure proper collaboration and coordination with existing technical assistance and support programs provided by donors and service providers on sector/product/project-based improvement initiatives.BGA will also work with other players in this field to design and develop a framework for collaboration, alignment, and integration of the service providers? and donors? efforts for enterprise development support services, policy advocacy efforts, and private-public dialogue to avoid duplication and complementarities while ensuring better use of resources.BGA will work in all areas of the economy, including the services and manufacturing sectors, as well as in all Jordanian governorates. Sectors will include but not limited to food processing, handicrafts, hospitality, chemical processing, carpentry and wood furniture making, Construction/Building Material Manufacturing, IT services, and Metal finishing.The Environmental Compliance Specialist Consultant will provide environmental risk screening and monitoring systems of prospective applications in support of the USAID Business Growth Activity?s initiatives and activities emerging from Financial Transaction Unit in the form of financial advisory, or SMEs Competitiveness Unit in the form of Grants under Contracts (GUC), or direct technical assistance. S/he will develop applicable mitigating measures for any cases identified that are not in the low-risk category, while providing documentation for categorical exclusions.Working with the Deputy Chief of Party ? Operations, the Environmental Compliance Specialist Consultant will be responsible for undertaking the following tasks and responsibilities as required:

• Assess the projects requirements in preparation for the development of Environmental Documentation Forms.
• Visit site activities to collect information required for the preparation of Environmental Mitigation Management Plans or other specialized environmental documents.
• Prepare Environmental Documentation Forms for all new activities during the pre-award phase; Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP), Environmental Review Forms (ERF), Environmental Risk Assessment Tools, Environmental Conditions, Environmental Status Report (ESR), Initial Environmental Examination (IEE), Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Report (EMMR), Closing reports, etc.
• Determine any Categorical exclusions and Categorical exclusions with conditions as applicable.
• Provide input and feedback on RFQs and RFPs as it relates to environmental and climate change aspects- when requested.
• Prepare Environmental Documentation Forms for construction-related activities.
• Consider climate risk management as it pertains to travel for training, capacity building, or other activities that are interrupted due to extreme weather events, Infrastructure used for training, IT, research, etc. damaged by extreme weather events, Poor stakeholder awareness of climate change stressors and possible impacts may compromise long-term planning and sustainability of programs, and other areas identified by the consultant, as it complies with ADS 201mal: Climate Risk Management for USAID Projects and Activities.
• Provide training to the project staff in environmental compliance and procedures- if requested.
• Provide training material for implementers on environmental best practices and procedures.
• Ensure that required environmental compliance documentation is prepared for all relevant project activities in the pre-award and post-award phase.
• Support the development of mitigation strategies for activities that are already underway.
• Conduct site visits to verify the implementation of the EMMPs- as requested. Visits will be conducted within the working hours of the project.
• Screen proposed initiatives and activities to determine the risk level category associated with the proposed activities, and any potential adverse environmental impacts through desktop research, interviews, or field visits where necessary in accordance with USAID environmental regulations and standards, and all enacted Jordanian environmental regulations and standards.
• Ensure adherence to all required environmental documentation as per Business Growth Activity approved plan for each initiative application.
• Meet/ Communicate with USAID Jordan Mission, Environmental Officer, in the presence of Business Growth Activity?s management to discuss any mitigation measures, when required.

DELIVERABLES The table below provides the expected deliverables. Timeframe and associated Level of Effort (LOE) is determined per single request. This is an ongoing consultancy in nature that is responsive to each approved for assistance activity.Deliverables

• For each prospective activities/initiatives application determined to be of ?negligible environmental impacts?:

1. Completed Environmental Review Forms per USAID regulations.
2. ?Stipulating conditions? and/or ?mitigation measures? to be included.The stipulating conditions will include both (1) general environmental conditions, applicable to all (2) customized conditions, as needed. On exceptional basis, the conditions/measures must be drafted in English and in Arabic- if requested.

• For each prospective activity/initiative application determined to have ?unknown or moderate risk?, or in selected cases of a proposed ?high-risk activity?:

1. A completed Environmental Review Forms per USAID regulations.

Field visit reportsPre-award site visit reportsMitigation and Monitoring Plan?s compliance reportsTraining sessions for Business Growth Activity?s staffAny additional documentation as required in the Business Growth Activity approved plan.

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