Consultant - Diagnostic Assessment and Implementation Planning of Hydrometeorological, Climate and Early Warning Services in the Dominican Republic

The consultant will conduct an integrated assessment of institutional, organizational, operational, technical and technological capacities related to hydrological, meteorological, climate and early warning services in the Dominican Republic. The assignment supports the development of an implementation strategy, action plan, and coordination among national stakeholders to strengthen these services under the CREWS Dominican Republic project.

Responsibilities

• Review available institutional and organizational documentation, operational capacities, information systems, coordination mechanisms and technical infrastructure related to climate, meteorological, hydrological and multi-hazard early warning services through consultations with national institutions to establish a baseline and diagnostic assessment.
• Assess institutional, operational and technical capacities, identify gaps, challenges and opportunities for collaboration, and analyse complementarities across ongoing initiatives.
• Develop an integrated implementation strategy and action plan to strengthen climate, meteorological, hydrological and multi-hazard early warning services under the CREWS Dominican Republic project.
• Prepare recommendations and high-level Terms of Reference and/or technical specifications to support service improvements and capacity-development plans.
• Deliver inception report including consultation plan and stakeholder mapping.
• Deliver diagnostic report with updated baseline, gaps, needs and priority actions.
• Deliver integrated implementation strategy and plans with priorities, responsibilities, milestones and monitoring mechanisms.
• Deliver final report incorporating validated diagnostic report, implementation plan, and developed Terms of Reference and/or technical specifications.
• Participate in 2 to 3 missions including travel to Santo Domingo and other locations for consultations, field validation and workshops.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in hydrology, meteorology, water resources management, climate science, disaster risk management, environmental sciences, engineering, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in hydrometeorology, climate services, disaster risk reduction and early warning systems institutional strengthening or related areas.
• Demonstrated experience in institutional and organizational assessments, capacity and gap analyses, and the development of implementation strategies, work plans and action plans.
• Experience working with national hydrometeorological services, hydrological services, water resources, disaster risk management or related institutions, preferably in developing countries and/or Small Island Developing States.
• Experience in stakeholder consultations, institutional coordination and facilitating multi-institutional processes.
• Proven ability to develop technical reports, implementation frameworks and Terms of Reference and/or technical specifications for technical assistance activities and projects.
• Experience supporting internationally funded development projects is an advantage.
• Strong understanding of hydrological and meteorological services, climate services, observation and monitoring networks, forecasting systems and multi-hazard early warning systems.
• Demonstrated analytical, coordination and facilitation skills, with the ability to translate technical and institutional findings into practical recommendations and prioritized actions.
• Ability to work effectively with government institutions, technical agencies and national and international stakeholders.
• Knowledge of the institutional and hydrometeorological context of the Dominican Republic or the wider Caribbean region is an advantage.
• Excellent report-writing, communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple inputs and deliver high-quality outputs within agreed deadlines.
• Fluency in Spanish is required, given the need for consultations and coordination with national institutions in the Dominican Republic.
• Knowledge of English is highly desirable.

Skills

• Applied Hydrometeorology
• Climate Services
• Disaster Risk Reduction
• Early Warning Systems
• Institutional Assessments
• Organizational Assessments
• Capacity analysis
• Gap Analysis
• Implementation Strategy Development
• Workplan Development
• Action Plan Development
• Multi-Stakeholder Consultation
• Institutional Coordination
• Multi-institutional Facilitation
• Technical Report Preparation
• Implementation Frameworks
• Terms of Reference
• Hydrological Services
• Meteorological Services
• Observation and Monitoring Networks
• Forecasting Systems
• Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems
• Project Management
• Consultative Meeting Facilitation

Languages

Spanish, English