Environmental Specialist (Short-term Consultancy) for a new USAID Program in India At Miyamoto International

Environmental Specialist to Develop an Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan for a new USAID Program in India – Short-Term Consultancy — Indian Nationals Only

Background

Miyamoto International is a global structural engineering and disaster risk reduction firm providing resiliency expertise that sustains industries and safeguards communities around the world.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) recently awarded Miyamoto International (Miyamoto) with 5-year funding to support the (CDRI Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure) Secretariat and bolster India’s leadership role in disaster response and risk reduction and lead the south Asia and other member countries in addressing disaster risks by building the resilience of communities and infrastructure.

The program has three purposes:

1. Improve overall management of the CDRI Secretariat
2. Improve technical support, knowledge management and advocacy skills showcased by the CDRI Secretariat
3. Improve communications

Purpose of Consultancy

Miyamoto seeks the services of an Indian National and environmental expert for a six-week period to draft an Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP) for the CDRI Program. Section 117 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, requires that the impact of USAID’ activities on the environment be considered and that USAID include environmental sustainability as a central consideration in designing and carrying out its development programs. This mandate is codified in Federal regulation (22 CFR 2216) and in USAID’s parts 201.5.10g and 204. The EMMP will describe, in specific terms, how the project will implement the Initial Environmental Examination by the USAID Bureau Environmental Officer. This requires that the potential environment impacts of USAID financed activities are identified prior to a final decision to proceed and that appropriate environmental safeguards are adopted for all activities.

The EMMP Plan will consult USAID’s sector-specific environmental and social guidance to support development of mitigation: https://www.usaid.gov/environmental-procedures/sectoral-environmental-social-best-practices. The Agency’s standard EMMP template is available here: https://www.usaid.gov/documents/1865/environmental-mitigation-and-monitoring-plan-emmp.

EMMP Plan

Scope of work includes:

• Review the governing IEE to understand the action, impacts, and mitigation or conditions/ requirements.
• Review all planned activities under the CA to determine if they are within the scope of the approved Regulation 216 environmental documentation. The consultant shall prepare an Environmental Review Form or checklist using impact assessment tools to screen grant proposals to ensure the funded proposals will result in no adverse environmental impact, to develop mitigation measures, as necessary, and to specify monitoring and reporting.
• Translate IEE or EA mitigation requirements or conditions into site-specific, implementable mitigation measures and identify the extent of activity control.
• The EMMP shall include monitoring the implementation of the conditions and their effectiveness.
• Integrate a competed EMMP into the initial work plan.
• Specify monitoring indicators that ascertain whether mitigation was implemented, sufficient, and effective.
• Specify timelines and responsible parties.

QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND:

Education:

Minimum Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Environmental Sciences, Environmental Engineering or related field.

Experience:

Minimum five years of progressively responsible, professional-level experience in environmental compliance and management of USAID environmental projects. This can include a combination of academic, research, and fulltime positions.

Skills & Knowledge:

Required:

• Previous experience developing an EMMP strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience working independently
• Ability to plan, implement and monitor project activities
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with a wide range of counterparts representing different education levels and skill sets
• Experience preparing written reports using standard computer programs in the Microsoft Office Suite (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Fluency in English

Deliverables

Detailed EMMP describing in specific terms the scope of work described above and the implementation of all mitigation factors/conditions that apply to the CDRI program.

Timeframe

The consultancy will take place over a 6-week period beginning in late October 2021.