Senior Climate Change Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

FAO is a specialized agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO’s goal is to achieve food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 Members (194 countries and the European Union), FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.

FAO Country Offices, working under overall corporate guidance and in line with the Strategic Framework, offer policy advice and support to countries in the mandated areas of FAO, facilitated through partnerships, resources and an active country programme to provide technical assistance, develop capacities and deliver core services while fully observing international standards of accountability to establish leadership and strengthen impact at the country level. 

The offices deliver on the programmatic priorities of each country as agreed in their respective Country Programming Frameworks (CPFs) aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and ensure effective and efficient operations with adequate human and financial resources. 

Specifically, FAO Country Offices: 

• advocate, inform and support policies and investments in the areas of FAO’s mandate;
• provide technical assistance and deliver core services;
• assist and catalyse partnership and resource mobilization activities to support agrifood systems transformation;
• position FAO as the specialized/authoritative technical agency in food and agriculture and agrifood systems transformation; and
• ensure risk-smart and accountable operations and management.

Bangladesh is increasingly facing climate stress as evident in the state of its ecological systems, and the socio-economic status of poor communities. While the country has reduced poverty from 44.2% in 1991 to 13.8% in 2016/17, about 22 million people still live below the poverty line. According to World Bank (2016), nearly half of all Bangladesh’s workforce and two-thirds in rural areas are directly employed in agriculture, a sector that is heavily reliant on natural resources and ecosystem services. Increased water logging, salinity intrusion, decreased water availability, drought, and climate variabilities are likely to contribute to further deterioration in socio-economic conditions of rural and marginal communities who have limited adaptive capacities to cope with present and future climate risks and hazards. Inadequate financing, lack of access to markets and early warning/climate information systems, limited technological advancement, and lack of stakeholder engagement, cross-sectoral coordination and human capacity at the national level also hinder the development of robust adaptation and resilient livelihoods. Within this context the Building Climate Resilient Livelihoods in Vulnerable Landscapes in Bangladesh (BCRL) project has been initiated to reduce vulnerability of three climate-impacted landscapes of Bangladesh i.e., the High Barind Tract (HBT), Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), saline and waterlogging-prone areas. The overarching goal of this project is to improve local livelihoods and socio-economic condition in aforesaid climate vulnerable landscapes—through increasing resilience—by scaling-up climate resilient adaptation options, technology transfer, capacity building at local and national level, establishing market linkage and value chains, developing innovative financial instruments, and crop specific early warning system. This GEF-funded project is implemented jointly by the Department of Environment, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Department of Agriculture Extension, Ministry of Agricuture (MoA), under the supervision and coordination of the FAO as the leading agency of the project.

The position is located in the FAO Country Office in Bangladesh

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, the direct supervision of the Environment and Climate Change Specialist (Team Leader), and in close collaboration with national and international consultants in the project team, the Senior Climate Change Specialist (SC 9) will have following duties and responsibilities:

Technical Focus

The role involves supporting the preparation and implementation of climate-related projects, such as the CBIT and Climate Change Readiness project. Key responsibilities include providing technical and policy advice on climate-resilient livelihoods and agriculture adaptation, developing project proposals in collaboration with government and partners, and fostering collaboration with various stakeholders to identify needs and opportunities in food security and economic development. The position also requires communication and presentation preparation for national stakeholders, as well as assisting with other tasks as directed by the Environment & Climate Change Specialist and FAOR.

Tasks and responsibilities

Implementation of BCRL Project:

• Coordinate the overall implementation of BCRL project in close coordination with the Project Director and Deputy Project Director of PMU BCRL from the Department of Environment (DoE) and Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE);
• Coordinate and lead the development of overall workplan and budget plan of BCRL project as well as assist and monitor the development of workplan and budget plan of project components implemented by DoE and DAE for the whole project duration and annually.
• Coordinate and providing guidance to international and national consultants that will be commissioned to conduct specific activities/assignments under the BCRL project, including assessments/analysis, workshop, training, and mid-term and final project review.
• Coordinate the development and implementation of institutional arrangement for project execution and stakeholder’s engagement plan -prepared according to the agreed work plan- in collaboration with DoE and DAE
• Coordinate and support the development of the Monitoring and Evaluation framework, logic framework, theory of change, risk analysis, identification of indicators and assumptions, targets and M&E plans of the projects and tracking the project results;
• Coordinate and support the organization of consultations/meetings, inception and validation workshops and follow-up consultations to validate project results and deliverables in coordination with DoE and DAE;
• Coordinate the timely provision of quality deliverables of the project consisting of deliverables from each of the 3 involved project partners (FAO, DoE, DAE) and specific join deliverables;
• In close collaboration with DoE and DAE prepare periodical (semester, annual) and other project reports as stipulated in the FAO-GEF project document/agreement;
• In close collaboration with the FAO operations unit and international GEF expert, ensure regular budget monitoring, delivery of the assigned project’s preparation activities, sharing of relevant periodical reports, brief and presentation and assist in maintaining compliance and overall financial regulation in implementing the project;
• Communicate with and prepare presentations for national stakeholders on issues related to BCRL project; and
• Representing FAO at BCRL PIC meeting and PSC meeting as requested by the EFCC Team Leader.

Technical support to Environment, Forest, and Climate Change cluster of FAO Bangladesh:

• Support the preparation and implementation of incoming climate-related projects, such as -potentially- CBIT and Climate Change Readiness project;
• Provide technical and policy advice to FAO on activities related to climate resilient livelihoods and agriculture adaptation interventions at sub-national and national levels;
• Assist in developing project proposals in collaboration with government and other partners related to climate resilient livelihoods and agriculture adaptation;
• Contribute to networking and collaboration with different international and national programmes, stakeholders and partners to identify needs and opportunities related to climate resilient livelihoods and agricultural adaptation in the context of food security and overall economic development;
• Communicate with and prepare presentations for national stakeholders on issues related to climate resilient livelihoods and agriculture adaptation; and
• Assist in any other tasks under the project at the request of the Environment & Climate Change Specialist (Team Leader) and FAOR.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree in agriculture, Forestry, Environmental Science, Environmental Economics, or a closely related field.
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in agriculture, environment and natural resource management in developing countries including a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in managing project and coordinating multi-stakeholder activities.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and Bangla.
• National of Bangladesh.

Source: https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=2403185