Environment & Climate Officer

Job Description

Organizational Setting

This is a one-year fixed-term co-terminus position. 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. There is no guarantee of renewal or conversion into another kind of contract.

Staff members holding an IFAD fixed-term or indefinite appointment are eligible to apply to this co-terminus position with their employment terms and conditions, including contractual status, remaining unchanged. Given that the funding of this position is strictly limited in duration and conditional on the availability of supplementary funds, should the funding finish, the position will be abolished and the staff member will be subject to the relevant provisions foreseen in the HR Implementing Procedures.

Applicants for vacancies in the National Professional Officer (NPO) category should be nationals of the country in which the position is located.

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 Office of Technical Delivery is responsible for providing expert technical guidance to IFAD teams engaged in the design and implementation of projects and programmes to deliver the high technical quality investments that facilitate rural transformation, and which comply with IFAD’s mandate and operational policies. The Office ensures IFAD applies and disseminates state-of-the-art knowledge in its investments and evidence on strategic themes and encourages the innovative application of global knowledge and evidence in IFAD investments. This helps countries tackle complex development challenges in fostering inclusive and sustainable rural transformation including mainstreaming areas. The Office of Technical Delivery (OTD) is led by a Managing Director and is comprised of two (2) divisions: the Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division (ECG) and the Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division (PMI).

The Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division (ECG) leads the mainstreaming of cross-cutting themes of environment and climate, gender, nutrition, youth, disability and indigenous peoples into IFAD’s portfolio, and the implementation of social, environment and climate safeguards (SECAP), to strengthen the quality of IFAD’s operations and programmes. ECG takes the technical lead to strengthen the quality of IFAD’s operations and programmes ensuring that IFAD’s operations are environmentally sustainable, climate change resilient, nutrition sensitive and inclusive of marginalized groups (particularly women, rural youth, Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities.) In addition to strengthening the technical quality of operations, ECG provides its technical expertise in corporate strategies, policy engagement, resource mobilization, knowledge generation, and partnerships.

ECG is led by a Divisional Director and is comprised of four clusters: Environment and Climate (ECC), Climate and Environment External funds (CEF), Social Inclusion (SI) and Safeguards (SECAP).

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.

Key Functions and Results

1. 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 and advice on environment, natural resources management and climate aspects in operations during design to ensure quality at entry and during implementation by actively participating in missions and in monitoring and evaluation for quality assurance; and
• 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 investments funded through IFAD’s Programme of Loans and Grants (PoLG) and supplementary funds.

2. 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.

3. PARTNERSHIP BUILDING AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION: The Environment & Climate Officer establishes and maintains a network of peer contacts inside and outside of IFAD to facilitate 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.

4. MONITORING, EVALUATION AND REPORTING: The Environment & Climate Officer 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 project
• 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.

5. 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 generation 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 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:

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

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master or equivalent) in fields related to development, environment, natural resources management, or chemical/bio/civil/industrial engineering
• Areas - development, environment, natural resources management, or chemical/bio/civil/industrial engineering. or other job-related fields
• Degree must be an accredited institution listed on https://www.whed.net/home.php

Experience:

• A minimum of five years of post-qualification work experience in the formulation, monitoring, management, supervision or evaluation of development /environment projects and initiatives required.
• Two years or more of professional field experience in the region an asset.
• Previous experience with designing, monitoring and reporting instruments of international environment/climate funds such as GEF, AF and GCF an asset.
• Experience in designing and implementing environmental safeguards and environmental impact assessments an asset.

Languages:

• Required: English (4 - Excellent) and
• Arabic (4 - Excellent)

Skills:

• 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
• IFAD governance & mandate: In depth knowledge of IFAD`s governance structure, mandate, strategic priorities and technical work
• Knowledge strategy & management: Extensive expertise in knowledge management & dissemination strategies
• Policy dialogue: Know-how in the representation of IFAD as a trusted and strategic partner; effective consultations with IFAD counterparts - like ministries and governmental bodies at all administrative levels, donors, civil society
• 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
• 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.
• Political acumen: Ability to conduct sound political analysis and understand complex environments, providing options and advice
• Programme/Project development, management: Know-how in Programme/Project development, implementation, management
• Social & Environmental Safeguards: Know-how in Social & Environmental compliance as specified in the IFAD’s Social, Environmental and Climate Assessment Procedures (SECAP)

Position specific:

• Good knowledge of environmental management, natural resource management, climate change and climate-related impact on rural development in the region required.
• Proven ability to write and edit clear and concise technical reports and to prepare summaries/information materials for different stakeholders and audiences (management, donors, policymakers, etc.) required.

Deadline: October 29, 2025