VACANCY TITLE Program Officer, Empowering Youth through Jobs and Entrepreneurship

LOCATION Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire or Rotterdam, Netherlands

INTENSITY Full time 

ANTICIPATED START DATE As soon as possible

APPLICATION DEADLINE 31 01 2022; 5pm CET

ABOUT GCA

The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that works as a solutions broker to catalyze action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sector, to ensure shared learning and collaboration for a climate resilient future. Adapting to impacts of climate change provides a “win-win” for health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security and economic growth. The work of the GCA elevates the visibility and political importance of climate adaptation and facilitates solutions, such as smarter investments, new technologies and better planning to become more resilient to climate-related threats. GCA is a rapidly growing organization with offices in Abidjan, Beijing, Dhaka, Groningen, and Rotterdam.

The GCA has an ambitious 2020-2025 business plan with three pillars:

• Programs and Action: Food Security; Using Nature for more resilient infrastructure; Water for Urban Growth and Resilience; Climate Finance; Youth Leadership
• Knowledge Acceleration: Building adaptation knowledge globally through cutting edge products such as the State and Trends in Adaptation Report and the Knowledge Exchange Platform
• Agenda Setting and Advocacy: Formulating policy messages to move the global, regional, and local adaptation agendas forward.

GCA’s work program in Africa is of paramount importance. All the components of GCA’s Business Plan must succeed to support changing the momentum and pace of adaptation in Africa. Guiding GCA’s program in Africa is the Africa-owned and Africa-led Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), co-created with the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) to implement the vision of the Africa Adaptation Initiative to support African countries on key adaptation initiatives.

The AAAP is contributing to closing Africa’s adaptation gap and supporting African countries to make a transformational shift in their development pathways by putting climate adaptation and resilience at the centre of their critical growth-oriented and inclusive policies, programs, and institutions. It is scaling up successful initiatives fundamental to African nations’ economic development, and prosperity for women and men. The four pillars of the AAAP are: Climate Smart Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Security, the Africa Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator, Empowering Youth through Jobs and Entrepreneurship, and Innovative Financial Initiatives for Africa.

The Empowering youth for Entrepreneurship and Job Creation in Climate Adaptation and Resilience pillar, has as its goal, to promote sustainable job creation through entrepreneurship and innovation for action on climate adaptation and resilience in Africa. This Pillar aims at promoting innovation and inclusive growth for youth and will accelerate and scale youth-led innovative and bankable business solutions to climate-related challenges while creating jobs. This will be achieved through providing innovative youth-owned enterprises (50% women-led) $500m in credit; strengthening the productivity and growth of 10,000 youth-led enterprises to increase climate resilience and enhance job opportunities; developing skills and equipping 1 million African youth to prepare them for climate resilient jobs and green entrepreneurial opportunities; creating an enabling environment conducive for resilient enterprise development by supporting legal, policy and regulatory reforms and removing structural barriers to promoting youth participation in climate policies.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Profile

GCA seeks a dynamic individual to fill the role of Program Officer – Empowering Youth through Jobs and Entrepreneurship, working as a core team member to position the Global Center on Adaptation as a global leader and solutions broker in adaptation. Reporting to the Pillar Lead the individual will work on identifying opportunities to create resilience jobs in projects supported by the GCA across the African continent.

Areas of responsibility

Programmatic Support

• Participate in the preliminary evaluation of project proposals to assess their feasibility for financial support and/or technical assistance by GCA. This involves the initial screening of project, carrying out desk reviews, preparing preliminary evaluation notes for presentation to the Workstream Lead and the Regional Director.
• Provide Technical Assistance in the design and development of a framework for creating ‘resilience jobs’ across all pillars of the AAAP.
• Engage AAAP partners to design and implement projects and programs that mainstream ‘resilience jobs’.
• Work with project partners and grantees to ensure effective implementation of projects and programs.
• Participate in the development of relevant policies and guidance notes to inform the delivery of the goals of the Pillar.

Research and Analysis

• Deliver high-quality research to identify and disseminate good practices and supporting peer-learning on mainstreaming adaptation jobs and creating opportunities for young people in driving climate adaptation.
• Research on and develop a network of relevant experts, policymakers, and other partners in Africa to support the AAAP work on youth entrepreneurship and jobs.
• Contribute to the development and updating of the program work plan for youth jobs and entrepreneurship.

Strategic advice

• Provide strategic recommendations and advice to the Program Lead on mainstreaming adaptation jobs and youth engagement.
• Engage in cross-cutting projects to support the GCA’s overall mission of accelerating adaptation action.
• Support GCA’s outreach activities.
• Perform other tasks as assigned.