Deputy Programme Coordinator (Science)

Natural disasters are a common occurrence in Southern Africa, particularly in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, where communities are exposed to cyclones, floods, droughts, and heatwaves. The region continues to face increasing climate variability and extreme weather events, placing pressure on vulnerable communities, ecosystems, and infrastructure.
To address hydrometeorological risks, UNESCO is implementing two regional projects: 'Building community resilience to climate-induced multi-hazards in the Buzi, Pungwe and Save (BuPuSa) Transboundary River Basins', which aims to reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience of communities and institutions to multi-hazard risks and a complementary regional initiative titled 'Building Resilience to Wildfires and Extreme Heat through Innovative Early Warning and Community-Based Solutions in Mozambique and Zambia' which strengthens resilience through innovative early warning systems integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI), IoT sensors, satellite data, and community-based communication platforms, alongside ecosystem-based adaptation approaches and community capacity building. Within this framework, the Deputy Project Coordinator will support the implementation and coordination of both projects in Mozambique, ensuring strong synergies, effective delivery, and alignment with UNESCO’s disaster risk reduction and climate resilience priorities.

The Deputy Project Coordinator will support the implementation of projects by coordinating daily activities and managing the entire project cycle, including planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting. The role involves close collaboration with government entities, technical partners, and communities to ensure effective delivery of early warning and resilience interventions. The incumbent will also support data-driven decision-making, stakeholder coordination, and compliance with project requirements to achieve measurable and sustainable results. The estimated allocation of time between the two projects, based on scale and budget, is 70% for BuPuSaand 30% for Wildfires.