Background

The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT), as Belize’s National Implementing Entity of the Adaptation Fund, is implementing the project “Enhancing the Resilience of Belize’s Coastal Communities to Climate Change Impacts” (hereinafter “Adaptation Fund Coastal Project”). This five-year project seeks to address the high vulnerability of Belize’s coastal zone—its communities, ecosystems, and productive sectors—to the increasing risks of climate change. The project is financed at US$4 million and is being executed in collaboration with national partners including the National Climate Change Office, the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute, the National Meteorological Service, the National Hydrological Service, and the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing.

Belize’s coastline supports critical ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs, which provide protection and livelihoods for nearly 58% of the national population that lives within 25 kilometres of the coast. However, sea-level rise, stronger and more frequent storms, coastal erosion, saline intrusion, and ecosystem degradation are increasing the risks faced by coastal settlements and economic activities such as tourism and fisheries. Vulnerable groups—including indigenous peoples, women, and small-scale fishers—are disproportionately affected.

The project aims to reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen resilience through four interrelated components:

• • • Improved coastal land use for resilient habitation and sectoral activities.
    • Coastal vulnerability monitoring and early warning.
    • Coastal protection and adaptation responses for high-risk areas; and
    • Awareness raising, knowledge dissemination, and national capacity strengthening.

Through these actions, the project will enhance Belize’s national capacity to plan for and respond to climate change impacts, while promoting sustainable coastal development and safeguarding the livelihoods of coastal communities.

To support the successful implementation of this Adaptation Fund Coastal Project and general MEL objectives, PACT is recruiting a Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning (MEL) and Safeguards Assistant. The Consultant will work alongside the PACT’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer to ensure that PACT’s monitoring, evaluation, learning, and safeguards systems are effectively implemented. The Consultant will be responsible for tracking and validating project data, preparing draft reports, maintaining safeguard compliance logs, and supporting site visits and partner capacity-building. This role is critical for ensuring that project progress and results are accurately captured, safeguard requirements are met, and lessons are documented and disseminated to inform adaptive management and reporting to the Adaptation Fund and other related partners.

General Objective of The Consultancy

The Consultant will support PACT in implementing monitoring, evaluation, learning, and safeguard functions under the Adaptation Fund Coastal Project, as well as, general PACT activities. The assignment ensures that project data, Means of Verification (MOVs), and safeguard information are properly tracked, validated, reported, and archived in line with donor and organizational requirements.

Specifically, the Consultant will support PACT in the following areas:

• • • Support the development and implementation of PACT’s MEL system and Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework.
    • Support PACT’s Conservation and Climate Finance Project Implementation.
    • Support PACT’s Strategic and Operational Monitoring and Evaluation Support.

Scope of this Consultancy

A. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)

The Consultant will:

• • • Provide general support in the implementation of PACT’s MEL system.
    • Track and record the submission of grantee monitoring reports in PACT’s grant management system and flag late or missing submissions for follow up.
    • Check that submitted reports are complete and that the required Means of Verification are attached, accurate, and properly filed.
    • Assist in data validation by cross-checking reported results against submitted evidence and highlighting inconsistencies or gaps.
    • Compile information from grantee reports into draft tables, charts, and narrative summaries and prepare draft monitoring briefs and progress reports for review, including inputs required for quarterly, annual, and end-of-project reports.
    • Maintain organized and up-to-date archives of monitoring and evaluation reports, Means of Verification, and related documentation to support audits and Adaptation Fund reporting.
    • Participate in site visits to monitor and evaluate project performance and progress.

B. Safeguards (Environmental and Social Management Framework – ESMF)

The Consultant will:

• • • Provide general support for the implementation of PACT’s ESMF.
    • Compile and file environmental and social screening forms submitted with project proposals.
    • Maintain safeguard compliance logs and ensure that safeguard evidence is digitized, stored, and properly archived.
    • Participate in site visits to monitor environmental and social risks against Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs).
    • Record field observations, organize site visit checklists, and compile Means of Verification for review.
    • Prepare draft safeguard compliance summaries and risk tables to support safeguard monitoring and reporting.
    • Contribute to the integration of safeguard findings into monitoring, evaluation, and compliance reports.

C. Reporting, Training and Partner Support

The Consultant will:

• • • Provide general support in administering PACT’s monitoring and evaluation software utilized to digitize and streamline monitoring and evaluation function.
    • Prepare draft monitoring, evaluation, learning, and safeguard reports, briefs, and presentations, including contributions to Adaptation Fund reporting, and other PACT-related reporting.
    • Assist in the production of visuals, tables, charts, and case examples from monitoring and safeguard data to strengthen reporting and communication products.
    • Maintain digital and physical archives of reports, datasets, and supporting evidence to ensure that information is easily retrievable for audits, evaluations, and other requirements.
    • Provide logistical and administrative support for monitoring, evaluation, learning, and safeguard training workshops, including preparation of materials, capturing attendance, compiling evaluations, and documenting lessons learned.
    • Support grantees in the use of reporting templates and the grant management system by responding to routine queries, providing demonstrations, and escalating technical issues.
    • Assist in disseminating monitoring, evaluation, learning, and safeguard outputs to staff, partners, and other stakeholders in accessible and user-friendly formats.

Outputs of the Consultancy

The Consultant will be expected to produce the following deliverables:

• • • Monitoring and safeguard reports and summaries prepared for review and validation.
    • Archives of monitoring, evaluation, and safeguard documentation, including Means of Verification.
    • Safeguard compliance logs, site visit notes, and risk summaries.
    • Documentation of training and capacity-building activities, including attendance and lessons learned reports.
    • Support materials for dissemination of MEL and safeguard outputs to partners and stakeholders.
    • Support materials for general MEL and ESMF planning and implementation by PACT.

Qualification of Consultant

Education

• • • Required: Bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, social sciences, statistics, project management, or related field. Other pertinent natural science or social science degrees will be considered.
    • Asset: Certification or training in monitoring and evaluation, data management, or environmental and social safeguards.

Experience

• • • Required: Minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience in monitoring and evaluation, data management, reporting, or project administration.
    • Asset: Experience in supporting project monitoring, preparing draft reports, or working with donor-funded projects in the conservation, climate, or development sectors

Skills, Abilities, Expertise, and Knowledge

• • • Strong knowledge of environmental conservation, protected areas management, and climate change issues.
    • Good knowledge of monitoring and evaluation methodologies, including performance measurement, indicator tracking, and basic research methods.
    • Demonstrated ability to apply basic analytical and statistical techniques to support data validation and reporting.
    • Solid technical writing skills with the ability to prepare draft reports, summaries, and visual presentation of information.
    • Strong organizational skills and the ability to maintain accurate records, archives, and compliance logs.
    • Good time management skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
    • Proficiency in Microsoft Office productivity software suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), with demonstrated ability to use Excel for data entry, validation, and the preparation of tables and charts.
    • Familiarity with data collection and analysis tools (E.g. SPSS), and with grant management systems for partner reporting and compliance tracking.
    • Ability to work collaboratively with staff and partners, exercising initiative and reliability in carrying out assigned tasks.
    • High level of professional integrity in handling data, reports, and stakeholder relationships.

Engagement Details

• • • The Consultant will be engaged on a full-time basis under a consultancy agreement with PACT. The consultancy will be based in Belmopan, Cayo District, with a standard work week of 39.5 hours.
    • The Consultant will report directly to the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and will work in close coordination with the Programming Department staff. The assignment will require regular interaction with grantees, partners, and other stakeholders through both virtual and in-person meetings.
    • The Consultant will be required to travel to project sites across Belize to support monitoring visits, safeguard assessments, and data validation exercises. These visits may involve field conditions and require overnight stays. Evening or weekend work may be necessary to meet critical reporting and training deadlines.
    • The Consultant will be expected to use PACT’s grant management system and related data platforms in the execution of tasks and to comply with all relevant internal policies, including data protection, confidentiality, and conflict of interest requirements.
    • All work produced under this consultancy shall remain the property of PACT.

Renumeration

The Consultant will be paid a fixed monthly fee for the duration of the consultancy.

Payments will be made upon submission of an invoice and certification by the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer that the agreed tasks have been satisfactorily completed.

PACT will cover approved travel and per diem expenses related to field missions in accordance with its policies.