Technical Specialist (SECAP)

Organizational context

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and  advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.

Post's organizational accountability

The Strategy and Knowledge Department (SKD) provides expert guidance on IFAD's strategic direction, thematic priorities and technical quality of IFAD’s operations. It plays a critical role in providing technical expertise within operational teams to enhance development effectiveness, by generating and disseminating IFAD’s development knowledge and evidence on strategic themes, and encouraging innovative application of cutting-edge global knowledge and evidence in IFAD investments to support countries tackles their most complex development challenges in fostering inclusive and sustainable rural transformation. SKD is composed of the (i) Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division (ECG); the (ii) Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division (PMI); and the (iii) Research and Impact Assessment Division (RIA). 

ECG takes the lead in mainstreaming cross-cutting themes of environment and climate, nutrition, gender, youth, and indigenous peoples and all related aspects of social inclusion into IFAD's portfolio, to strengthen the quality of IFAD’s operations and achieve improved impacts in these areas in an integrated manner. One of the pillars of this work is the preparation and implementation of the Social, Environment, and Climate Change Assessment Procedures (SECAP) for enhanced results.
IFAD has successfully mainstreamed social inclusion, environment and climate change concerns into its procedures and programming since the IFAD10 replenishment cycle, and a key tool for doing so is through the application of the SECAP and respective Strategies and Action Plans for each theme through to 2025. The ambitious mainstreaming targets continues to be a corporate commitment for IFAD in its twelfth replenishment (IFAD11: 2022-2025) where it has further expanded on these commitments, including through an enhanced and expanded SECAP 2020 guidelines including, inter alia, a broader treatment of social risks, a distinct climate standard, greater focus on stakeholder consultations and grievance mechanisms. The SECAP seek to both minimize risks and maximize development gains.  
IFAD is also strengthening its capacity to consolidate supplementary financing alongside its Programmes of Loans and Grants (PoLG) to achieve impact at scale. These include IFAD Trust Funds (the ongoing Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme, Rural Resilience Programme), in addition to global climate change and environment Funds from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and the Adaptation Fund. To maintain its accreditation to these Funds, IFAD must also ensure and report on compliance with the standards established by their respective governance bodies. The accountabilities/key results expected include:

• Technical Advice 
• Knowledge Management
• Partnership Building and Resource Mobilization
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
• Managerial Functions

The Technical Specialist reports to the Lead Regional Technical Specialist (Climate change and environment) for the Asia and the Pacific region with overall strategic, policy and management guidance, and supervision of the division Director. S/He works collaboratively with respective ECG technical specialists (both Environment/Climate and Social Inclusion), PMI thematic Technical Specialists, Country Directors and other staff to ensure consistency, cohesion and synergy in the application of technical advice and provision of programme development support facilitating knowledge flows and building of communities of practices.
 

Key results expected / Major functional activities

1. Technical Advice

The Technical Specialist will work to enhance the quality of the preparation and implementation of the Social, Environmental and Climate Change Assessment Procedures (SECAP) including opportunities to enhance project development objectives through social integration, climate change adaptation and mitigation and sustainable environmental management. This will include support to projects financed through a variety of sources including the Programme of Loans and Grants (PoLG) and a variety of supplementary Funds.  

Under the supervision of the Lead Regional Technical Specialist – Environment and Climate, ECG, the incumbent will:

• Support the preparation and oversight of the implementation of SECAP requirements such as, inter alia, environment and social impact assessments, climate risk and adaptation assessments and environment and social management plans or frameworks in APR, NEN and LAC.
• Provide focussed support to the Division and projects teams to enhance the assessment of social risks, targeting of youth, women and indigenous peoples’ support in the context of the SECAP;
• Support the Division’s safeguards team’s efforts in providing advice, building capacity, and advancing the development of safeguards policies within member countries, in particular related to gender action plans, gender based violence, persons with disabilities, youth engagement, resettlement plans, enhanced stakeholder consultations and free and prior informed consent (FPIC).
• Review projects, programmes and strategies in order to strengthen their contribution to countries’ development objectives, including those identified under multilateral and regional climate change and environment conventions in APR, NEN and LAC.
• Ensure high quality SECAPs though robust and comprehensive assessments, development of management plans and project activities in LAC, NEN and APR.  The expert will both lead and provide support to others in achieving quality SECAPs.
• Identify consultants for inclusion in the SECAP roster of consultants with expertise in the social themes to meet the needs of the five regional portfolios;
• Draft and revise Terms of References for consultants for the preparation, capacity building and implementation of SECAPs;
• Provide technical backstopping and troubleshooting in high risk projects and countries with particular risks related to social standards of the SECAP;
• Participate in project delivery teams, in particular where there are substantial and high levels of risks related to the SECAP, with particular risks related to social standards of the SECAP.
• Work with regional teams to strengthen the social assessment and integration into project and strategy level project structures including activities, theories or change and management and implementation plans;
• Provide technical inputs to the design, start-up and implementation of climate and environment projects supported through Supplementary funds (eg. concept notes, project design documents, preparation of TORs, data collection and analysis, review of consultant’s work), in particular for stakeholder engagement and gender action plans.

2. Knowledge Management

The Technical Specialist enhances the development of viable and sustainable policy and project development at the country-level and supports regional thematic input through seasoned technical knowledge sharing for his/her area of specialization. S/He will ensure country-level access to the latest sources of knowledge and innovation, strengthen national technical capacity and establish new knowledge and advisory partnerships. Accountabilities may include:

• Support ECG’s efforts to develop and implement the SECAP through adequate training and knowledge building on a continuous basis, with a special focus on social issues.
• Identify and implement trainings for IFAD staff, consultants, project delivery teams and partner institutions as required.
• Produce knowledge products to further develop IFAD’s technical tools and to communicate lessons learned and results from the portfolio of projects.
• Participate in GEF working groups on gender;
• Keep abreast and produce guidance materials to colleagues on changes to policies and strategies of the supplementary climate and environment funds related to stakeholder engagement, gender, youth, and indigenous peoples.

3. Partnership Building and Resource Mobilization

The Technical Specialist establishes and maintains a network of peer contacts inside and outside IFAD to keep up-to-date on activities at the country and regional levels, to support joint advocacy and for knowledge sharing to enhance the Fund's profile as a highly competent and viable partner in development. Accountabilities may include:

• Represent IFAD in relevant regional, sub-regional and international events to showcase IFAD’s innovations and results.
• Expand innovative partnerships with development partners to facilitate coherence with IFAD social inclusion agenda.
• Play an active role in resource mobilization efforts related to ECG themes.
• Contribute to responding to member requests for information.

4. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

The Technical Specialist contributes to capturing results from projects in APR, NEN and LAC in order to enhance country level programme and funding decisions based on accurate technical data. Accountabilities may include:

• Monitor the quality of SECAP implementation projects, programmes and strategies.
• Monitor and identify means to address poor implementation of SECAPs by project teams.
• Provide support to reporting to IFAD’s Board on the quality of SECAP implementation ratings.
• Provide input to IFAD policies and strategies to ensure accreditation requirements are maintained;
• Participate in supervision missions to provide support to the implementation of environment and social management plans;
• Assess the quality of project implementation and progress reports to ensure their quality and comprehensiveness;
• Troubleshoot issues related to project progress and provide recommendations to management on measures to overcome barriers to efficient and quality implementation;
• Perform any other related duties, as required by the supervisors or division Director.

5. Managerial Functions

The Technical Specialist is accountable for integrity, transparency, and equity in the personal use of assigned IFAD resources, including equipment, supplies and, as applicable, staff supervised.

Impact of Key results / Key performance indicators

Assignments require the provision of seasoned technical expertise and input for the full programme/project cycle as well as in knowledge sharing with peers and counterparts. The work goes beyond technical analysis and synthesis to include substantive inputs to project methodology and design of projects, knowledge sharing among peers and counterparts to enhance cooperation, complementarity and synergy and monitoring and evaluation to measure and report on lessons learned and best practices. The work is considered moderately complex requiring in-depth technical analysis and reporting. Typically operating as a technical specialist at the country or regional levels, the Technical Specialist's work may be reviewed for technical accuracy, but more typically is reviewed for achieving the established work plan.

Representation / Work relationships

The work relationships of Technical Specialists at this level are primarily for providing technical support to the development and implementation of the portfolio, particularly related to climate change adaptation. Information-gathering and exchange in support of studies and thematic assignments may also include identifying reliable sources and establishing guidelines for obtaining information on national and sub-regional; conditions and to convey methodological approaches and operational experience for implementation of activities undertaken on behalf of the Fund.

Competencies

Organizational

• Strategic thinking and organizational development: Personal influence (Level 1)
• Demonstrating Leadership: Personal leadership and attitude to change (Level 1)
• Learning, sharing knowledge and innovating: Continuously seeks to learn, shares knowledge and innovates (Level 1)
• Focusing on clients: Focuses on clients (Level 1)
• Problem solving and decision making: Demonstrates sound problem information and decision making ability (Level 1)  
• Managing time, resources and information: Manages own time, information and resources effectively (:Level 1)
• Team Work: Contributes effectively to the team (Level 1)  
• Communicating and negotiating: Communicates effectively: creates understanding between self and others (Level 1)
• Building relationships and partnerships: Builds and maintains effective working relationships (Level 1)

Technical/Functional

• Technical expertise at the country level in area of specialization.
• Skills in the design and coordination of technical research and identification of solutions to evolving issues.
• Ability to share technical guidance/knowledge at the peer level.

Minimum recruitment qualifications

Education: Advanced university degree from an accredited institution in the field of specialization, e.g. Agriculture, Rural Development, Natural Resource Management, Environment, Economics, Social Sciences, etc.

Experience: At least 5 years progressively increasing responsibilities in, and demonstrated understanding of development initiatives in the field of specialization. Experience in environment and social impact assessments and management plans. Experience in fieldwork and international policy frameworks related to project and program development for climate change and environment financing is an asset.

Language requirements: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and French. Working knowledge of another official language (Arabic or Spanish) is desirable.

Other information

Applicants should note that IFAD staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the President of IFAD. In accordance with IFAD's Human Resources Policy, staff members are subject to the authority of the President who can decide to assign them to any of the activities of the Fund. All International Professional staff members are required to be geographically mobile and positions in the professional category are subject to changes in location at any time in line with strategic priorities and reform initiatives in IFAD.    

In the interest of making most cost effective use of funds and resources, we are only able to respond to applicants who are short-listed for interview. Candidates who do not receive any feedback within three months should consider their application unsuccessful

Candidates may be required to take a written test and to deliver a presentation as well as participate in interviews.