Environment & Climate Officer

Organizational Setting

A co-terminus fixed-term appointment is an IFAD employment contract externally funded (supplementary funded, funded by trust funds in administration or other), strictly limited in duration to the funding of the position, where appointment and extension is conditional on the availability of resources and limited to the externally funded assignment. A co-terminus appointment shall not exceed the duration of the specific assignment and/or project outlined in the letter of appointment and does not carry any expectation, legal or otherwise, or conversion, irrespective of the length of service.

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.

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 to 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 tackle 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 is composed of two clusters: (i) Environment and Climate Change Cluster; (ii) and the Social Inclusion Cluster. ECG takes the lead in integrating cross-cutting themes of environment and climate, nutrition, gender, youth, and indigenous peoples into IFAD’s portfolio, with the aim of strengthening the quality and impact of IFAD’s operations. ECG also contributes to the generation of evidence and knowledge on these themes, and facilitates their use in IFAD-funded projects and activities. In addition, ECG provides guidance and support to ensure the inclusion of marginalized groups, particularly women, indigenous peoples and rural youth, into IFAD operations.

Addressing environmental, biodiversity and climate change issues are inseparable from IFAD’s mission to overcome poverty. IFAD is increasing its ambition to deliver climate finance for small-scale farmers and close to 50% of IFAD financing will be linked to climate change adaption and mitigation activities. By bolstering climate-resilient practices and sustainable land management, IFAD can empower farmers to adapt to a changing climate, contribute to global climate targets and advance sustainable agriculture. IFAD is scaling up its work on climate and biodiversity through approaches that include: increasing investments in climate-resilient agriculture to boost productivity, improve food security and nutrition, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions; investing in improving and adapting existing infrastructure, such as water management systems and last-mile infrastructure and services to reach the remotest places and those most vulnerable; investing in projects that promote ecosystem restoration, ecosystembased adaptation, sustainable land management and sustainable use of biodiversity, notably through agroecological approaches, including agroforestry, and biodiversity conservation to enhance the resilience of communities.

Another 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 continue to be a corporate commitment for IFAD in its twelfth replenishment (IFAD12: 2022-2024) 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 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 incumbent works under the direct supervision of the Lead Regional Technical Specialist (Environment and Climate) of the Regional Division to which the position is mapped.

Job Role

The Environment & Climate Officer is a seasoned professional in environment and climate domains. The position is strategically located across all five IFAD regional divisions to provide an oversight function to the neighbouring countries and provides a technical advisory role. The incumbent independently analyzes technical and policy problems of concern to IFAD, intergovernmental bodies, and national authorities and provide substantive technical input to the development of policies, technical strategies and proposals. The incumbent works in close cooperation with Technical Specialist for Youth, Indigenous peoples, Nutrition as well as with other Technical Specialists and Country Directors 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 practice.

The Environment and Climate Officer will be responsible for working with one of IFAD’s Regional divisions to support delivery on a number of fronts:

• Strategic engagement of key partners at various levels for advancing IFAD’s work in the region;
• integration of environment and climate dimensions into IFAD’s projects and policy dialogue at various levels;
• support IFAD investment project designs and facilitate the integration, where possible, of environment and climate grant financing from Trust Funds such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF), Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and Adaptation Fund (AF), Green Climate Fund (GCF) or similar Trust Funds;
• successful implementation of Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP), and environment and climate Trust Fund resources;
• implementation and oversight of IFAD’s Safeguards Policy; and
• support knowledge management and communications on environment and climate issues.

Key Functions and Results

• Technical advice: On the basis of proven technical knowledge on climate and environment, emerging development challenges and the state of rural poverty at the assigned program countries, the Environment & Climate Officer provides technical expertise and advice in delivering on IFAD’s mandate of building resilience of smallholder farmers and reducing rural poverty through IFAD’s investments. Accountabilities include:
  Providing high quality technical expertise in undertaking social, environment and climate risk and impact assessments consistent with Social, Environment and Climate Assessment Procedures (SECAP) to Country Strategic Opportunity papers (COSOPs) and investmetns funded through IFAD’s Programme of Loans and Grants (PoLG) and supplementary funds.
  Providing high quality technical expertise and advice on environment, natural resources management and climate aspects in operations during design to enusre quality at entry and during implementation by actively particiapting in missions and in monitoring and evaluation for quality assurance; and
• Knowledge management: The Environment & Climate Officer enhances the development of viable and sustainable policy and project development at the country-level and supports regional thematic input through high quality technical knowledge sharing for their area of specialization. The incumbent 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 include:
  Generating analytical knowledge built on government demand to advance policy;
  Conducting relevant knowledge development and dissemination with the concerned institutions, disseminating knowledge and lessons learned with peers, counterparts and stakeholders through drafting of Occasional Papers, journal articles, seminars and workshops, through electronic media (e.g. web resource platforms and social media) and the development of evidence based new knowledge products and operational tools; and
  Participating in IFAD thematic discussions and developing appropriate technical and operational approaches of relevance to the country/divisional strategies and programmes.
• Partnership building and resource mobilization: The Environment & Climate Officer establishes and maintains a network of peer contacts inside and outside of IFAD to faciliate strategic partnerships, keep up-to-date on activities to support joint advocacy and for knowledge sharing to enhance IFAD’s profile as a highly competent and viable partner in development. Accountabilities include:
  Building partnerships with the concerned political associations and coordination platforms, technical organizations, NGOs, and specialized departments of other development agencies as potential operational and strategic partners;
  Strengthening IFAD’s representation on environment and climate issues (including representing IFAD at international, regional, inter-agency meetings, seminars and conferences); and
  Mobilising new green financing to co-finance or blend with Programme of Loans and Grants through partnership with partners such as the Global Environment Facility, Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund.
• Monitoring evaluation and reporting: The Technical Specialist contributes to monitoring, evaluation and reporting of technical activities and components of programs/projects in order to enhance country level programme and funding decisions based on accurate technical data. Accountabilities include:
  Developing monitoring and evaluation criteria for technical components of programmes and projects;
  Implementing performance monitoring systems and new approaches to performance monitoring, preparing analytical work for divisional and country-level decision making on project viability and sustainability.
• Managerial functions: The Environment & Climate Officer is accountable for integrity, transparency, and equity in the management of IFAD resources. This includes:
  Selecting and managing performance of consultants and staff under their purview to ensure high quality delivery.
  Resource Management by providing technical expertise during programme development, and Knowledge Management by ensuring that (1) knowledge content within specialty/thematic area is continuously updated and available through the intranet, that (2) best practices are continuously identified, documented and made available to clients and peers through the inter-/intra-net and that (3) appropriate and up-to-date information and learning tools are available.

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 generatation and dissemination 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 an Analyst/Specialist in an IFAD regional centre, the Environment & Climate Officer work may be reviewed for technical accuracy, but more typically is reviewed for achieving the established work plan.

Working Relationships

The work relationships of Environment & Climate Officers are primarily for the exchange of information regarding development projects. 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 regional levels; conditions and to convey methodological approaches and operational experience for implementation of activities undertaken on behalf of the Fund.

Job Profile Requirements

Organizational Competencies:

Level 1:

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

Education

Level – Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited institution listed on https://www.whed.net/home.php in a job related field in a technically relevant area. The advanced university degree may be substituted by a first university degree and at least four (4) additional years of relevant professional experience over and above the minimum number of years of experience as stipulated below*.

(*) Note: For internal candidates, this requirement will be assessed in line with the provisions set forth in the IFAD’s Human Resources Implementing Procedures.

Areas – environmental studies, agronomy, environmental economics, geography, climatology or rural development.

Languages:

• Required English and French (4 – Excellent)
• Desirable: Spanish and/or Arabic

Work experience

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in, and demonstrated understanding of, development initiatives in rural development and climate and/or environment issues.
• Two (2) years preferably in the United Nations or an international financial institution, or another multi-cultural organization or institution or a national organization providing support on a global scope.
• Position-specific experience: In-depth technical expertise, demonstrated by substantive work experience, and solid understanding of climate change issues and climate related impacts on rural development, ideally acquired by working on climate change-related, rural development, or disaster risk reduction projects. Proven experience in negotiation, decision-making and leading some complex project design and implementation/supervision issues; Access to a network of technical and professional resources and expertise which can be brought to bear to improve ASAP and GEF programming

Skills

Job role specific

• Cross-cutting themes – Environment and climate change, Expertise specific to the environment and climate change cross-cutting theme (e.g. climate and environmental policy, biodiversity, agroecology)
  Social & Environmental Safeguards, Know-how in Social & Environmental compliance as specified in the IFAD’s Social, Environmental and Climate Assessment Procedures (SECAP);
• Knowledge strategy & management, Extensive expertise in knowledge management & dissemination strategies; technical expertise related to roles in Knowledge Management (e.g. development and dissemination of knowledge products and learning);
• Programme/Project development, management, Know-how in Programme/Project development, implementation, management;
• Advocacy, Ability to leverage IFAD knowledge and/or communication materials to maintain and promote constructive dialogue around IFAD’s vision and strategic priorities to external actors;
• Policy dialogue, Know-how in the representation of IFAD as a trusted and strategic partner; effective consultations with IFAD counterparts — line ministries and governmental bodies at all administrative levels, donors, civil society;
• Political acumen, Ability to conduct sound political analysis and understand complex environments, providing options and advice;
• Collaboration, Successfully work toward a common goal with others by communicating clearly, actively listening to others, taking responsibility for mistakes, and respecting different perspectives of stakeholders;
  IFAD governance & mandate, In depth knowledge of IFAD’s governance structure, mandate, strategic priorities and technical work;
• Analytical skills, Outstanding ability to analyse and synthesize qualitative and/or quantitative information from a variety of sources and filter out key insights and recommendations;
• Basic ICT & digital fluency, Expertise relevant to the specific role (e.g. in-depth, computer information systems, including micro-computer operating systems software, hardware and applications software and other office technology equipment), end-user computing configuration management

Closing date: 28 April 2024.