International Climate Change Specialist

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FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality

People with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

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Organizational Setting

Bangladesh is a highly populated and agriculture dependent country, but climate change impacts, unsustainable agricultural practices, land degradation and over exploitation of natural resources threaten to undermine its agricultural development trajectory. To stem these trends, several projects are being implemented and formulated aimed at promoting a transition to more productive and sustainable agriculture at national and local levels. These initiatives are in alignment with the country’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), in particular in particular SDG indicator 2.4.1. on “proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture”. Identifying and scaling innovative Agroecology and Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) approaches are emphasized to deliver on multiple sustainability outcomes.

Bangladesh is an active participant in accessing international climate finance through the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). The focal point for GCF is the Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance, and the focal point for GEF is the Department of Environment, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It has developed or is in the process of updating several key climate change policies and programmes including the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (BDP2100), Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP), National Adaptation Plan (NAP), and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Bangladesh has also implemented several GCF Readiness projects to strengthen the capacity of NDA and direct access entities, and to develop a GCF Country Programme.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall administrative leadership and direct supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR) in Bangladesh, and the guidance provided by the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, in close collaboration with Environment, Forest and Climate Change (EFCC) team and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) unit in FAO Rome, and in close coordination with the Assistant Representative Programmes.

Technical Focus

The International Climate Change Specialist will be responsible for (a) conceptualization, design, and development of GCF projects in Bangladesh, in particular on sustainable and climate smart agriculture (CSA), and (b) the implementation of the GCF Readiness project (2020-22) on “Strengthening Bangladesh’s NDA Secretariat, Enhancing Pipeline Implementation and Private Sector Engagement in Effective Climate Action”.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Serve as the technical leader of a multidisciplinary team of international and national experts, and take the lead in developing the GCF concept note and full proposal document on sustainable and climate smart agriculture, and in implementing the GCF Readiness project.
• Coordinate and liaise with the NDA Secretariat (National Designated Authority) at the Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and its departments as well as other key stakeholders in enabling the prioritization and development of FAO’s GCF portfolio in Bangladesh in line with country priorities, FAO strategic objectives, and GCF objectives and policies.
• Participate in meetings and events related to climate change, GCF, and sustainable and climate smart agriculture in Bangladesh, and engage with the wider community of development partners and civil society to develop a nuanced understanding of the country context and relevant projects.
• Design and support capacity development activities for government officials and other project partners as required.
• Prepare an implementation plan for the development of concept note and full proposal document, in close consultation with relevant FAO staff and consultants.
• Design a strategy for the period review and participatory update of the GCF Country Programme, and produce a gap assessment report or foreword to the 2018 Country Programme.
• Conduct a multi-stakeholder, long-term needs assessment for medium- and long-term capacity strengthening of NDA, building on 2016 and 2018 capacity assessments.
• Review existing technical and project reports on sustainable and climate smart agriculture in Bangladesh and the region.
• Identify, prioritize, and develop project activities and interventions on sustainable / climate smart agriculture with the full range of project stakeholders (farmers, farmer organizations, extension agents, government departments, national agricultural research system, agri-business actors, banks and financial institutions, civil society).
• Provide technical and managerial oversight to GCF Readiness activities on mobilizing private sector climate investment in Bangladesh. This includes the organization of regional conference/forum and national stakeholder dialogues, and the commissioning of reports on barriers to private sector climate investments and a proposal for financial and non-financial incentive mechanisms and instruments.
• Draft TORs (Terms of Reference) for pre-feasibility / feasibility studies, and supervise the completion of associated activities and reports.
• Identify and develop strong relationships with potential project partners at national and regional levels (particularly, financial institutions and private sector actors), support the partner capacity assessments, and define their roles and contributions (financial and non-financial) to the project.
• Support the FAO Representative in identifying co-financing partners, and secure co-financing commitments for GCF concept note submission.
• Design a strategy to collect socio-economic, biophysical, and climatic data (as required) for CSA concept note and proposal development, and participate in analysis of data with associated specialists / experts.
• Design the agenda for and lead stakeholder consultations at national and sub-national levels to solicit feedback on project activities.
• Ensure that FAO and GCF environmental and social performance standards are met throughout project conceptualization and development.
• Develop a monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan for the GCF projects in coordination with the International M&E Expert.
• Contribute to identifying new programming and project opportunities in the area of climate change and sustainable agriculture in Bangladesh.
• Ensure regular monitoring of progress, and prepare and share relevant reports and briefings.
• Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced degree (Masters or PhD) in the field of climate change, environmental management, agricultural economics or other relevant disciplines.
• Minimum ten (10) years of full-time professional experience in developing and implementing climate change and/or sustainable agriculture projects in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of the other FAO languages (for COF.REG.). For PSA.SBS type of contract working knowledge of English is sufficient.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience with GEF (Global Environmental Facility) and GCF project development and implementation is an advantage.
• Proven experience in project development and implementation in Bangladesh or South Asia is an asset.
• Experience in engaging private sector actors in sustainable agriculture or climate smart agriculture projects in an advantage.
• Project experience in implementing innovative financial instruments for farmers (micro-credit, de-risking instruments such as insurance, etc.) or private sector actors (working capital credit, first loss guarantee, etc.), or innovative co-financing structures at the project level is an advantage.
• Familiarity or experience of working with government ministries and departments is an advantage.
• Excellent computer skills (Outlook 365, internet).
• Excellent project management skills, keen attention to detail, and ability to manage workloads under tight deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with a team and with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision, and ability to take initiative and be a fast learner.

Selection Criteria

• Minimum five (5) experience in directly managing / supervising a team of national and / or international experts in project development and implementation.
• At least one of the projects s/he worked on should be larger than US$ 10 million in size.

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Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

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