Position: Climate and Adaptation Planning Advisor
Position location: Abidjan
Reports to: Project Director – Nature Based Solutions Project
Contract term: 1 year with possibility of renewal
Salary range: 1 000 000 – 1 400 000 CFA base salary monthly + benefits
Deadline: on rolling – until filled
Languages: fluency in both English and French required
Background:
World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization focusing on three programmatic areas: Economic Opportunities, Education, and Empowerment. Our vision is a better world for all young people. It is a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world in which all young people, especially women and refugees, are empowered to secure a good quality of life for themselves, their families, and their communities.
WUSC currently works in over 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $45 million. Globally, we partner with a network of higher education institutions, civil society organizations, private sector partners, professionals, students, volunteers, faculty and community leaders that work with us to achieve our mission.
The overall focus of the Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in the Guinean Forests of West Africa (NBS West Africa) project will be on engaging with a wide range of stakeholders to develop local and regional capacity to use evidence and engage with women and marginalized groups to prioritize locally relevant NBS to climate change adaptation. It will take a systems approach to supporting climate adaptation through interventions that plan for, pilot and scale Nature based-Solutions (NbS) to climate adaptation that contribute to enhanced biodiversity and gender equality. An overall assumption is that restoration and reforestation of degraded forests, both on and off farm, will be critical to supporting women and their communities to adapt to climate change challenges and will be central to protecting and restoring biodiversity in this critical global hotspot.
The project will work in close collaboration with consortium member CECI, and with the IUCN, CIFOR-ICRAF and the University of Guelph. Key local stakeholders include local and national government bodies, regional institutions, private sector, women’s groups, and environmental organizations.
This initiative builds on WUSC’s and CECI’s decades of experience supporting vulnerable populations and leverages the experience of a variety of local and international partners who bring a strong climate NbS lens, are fully immersed in their respective ecosystems and whose work can be accelerated by this project. This project is a timely intervention to ensure Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinée continue to effectively address climate adaptation while incorporating Nature based Solutions and strong gender lenses.
Nature and Scope:
The role is carried out in close collaboration with the three project countries- Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast. The Climate and Adaptation Planning Advisor acts as a resource person in carrying out specialized advisory support mandates with project teams and partners, and contributes to innovation and the development of new approaches to climate change adaptation with an emphasis on taking into account women and vulnerable populations. The advisor is also responsible for providing content leadership on nature-based solutions (livelihoods and biodiversity)for the project and its partners.
Project Advisory and Technical Assistance
- Serve as a project regional technical focal point for the NBS project, keeping the project and its partners up-to-date with emerging information on nature based solutions, including climate change and biodiversity issues in the region, as well as planning strategies .
- Ensure collaboration with project partners in Ghana, Guinea and Cote D’Ivoire on aspects of their workplans relative to the strategic planning, development, implementation and reporting on biodiversity and climate change activities,
- Provide technical leadership for the project on all aspects of NbS, biodiversity and climate adaptation including, preparing training materials / manuals, conducting training activities and providing other forms of technical assistance to address important technical and programmatic competences among project partners and staff in the area of NbS, biodiversity,climate adaptation and strategic planning.
- Serve as the project key resource person in providing technical guidance to partners on procurements needed to implement project NbS, biodiversity,climate adaptation and strategic planning activities.
Knowledge Management and stakeholder collaborations
- In collaboration with project partners, develop relevant research concepts that support the project’s efforts around climate adaptation and biodiversity in the region and translate project research findings into knowledge products, and to guide implementation strategies
- In collaboration with the project Regional Monitoring Evaluation Research and Learning advisor, using project data, contribute to the process of preparing knowledge products including policy briefs, frameworks, methodologies in connection to the climate adaptation and biodiversity aspects of the project.
- Periodically organise and take part in online and in person events to share knowledge on project lessons learnt, leveraging their expertise to advance the project and WUSC-CECIs position as a knowledge leader in the area of climate adaptation and biodiversity.
- Actively collaborate with other project technical team members, particularly with the project’s Gender Equality Advisors, to ensure activities are planned and implemented through the lens of gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and the social inclusion of vulnerable groups in the project target areas.
- Participate (remote) in the Community of practice on NbS facilitated by Global Affairs Canada
Overall Project Support
- Liaise periodically with the program development team to provide subject matter inputs to internal proposal development processes
- Liaise with government, civil society organisations, private sector organisations and women’s associations to keep abreast of any evolving trends with relevance to climate adaptation,biodiversity and strategic planning.
- In collaboration with the NBS national project coordinators, provide expert support to partners in their implementation of project activities
- Ensure the coordination of the Project’s working groups on biodiversity and restoration.
- Perform other tasks inherent to the position, such as drafting sections of annual work plans, narrative reports and analysis.
- Undertake follow-up field visits at the national level and in the region to support efforts to implement climate adaptation and biodiversity activities for the project.
- Perform other duties inherent to the position, such as drafting parts of annual work plans, narrative reports, analysis and any other relevant duties
Key Qualifications
- Master’s degree (M.Sc.) in climatic sciences, environment, sciences related to the agroforestry or agri-food sector, or in a related field.
- Experience of at least seven (7) years (or equivalent) in program design, project development, advisory support in the field of climate change and sustainable development with an emphasis on participatory approaches.
- Experience in food systems resilience.
- Experience in climate adaptation projects or programs in Africa and of preference in West Africa
- Relevant experience in representing and developing programs with donors – foundations, multilateral and/or bilateral agencies – and strong networking skills
- Advanced level of knowledge in one or more of the following themes and strong familiarity with the others: ecosystem-based adaptation and biodiversity conservation, nature-based solutions, adaptation of agri-food systems, food security and climate change, agroforestry, gender equality in adaptation to climate change.
- Experience in designing, implementing and/or monitoring projects that include promoting gender equality in climate change adaptation.
- Familiarity with several financing mechanisms in the field of climate change (Global Environment Facility, Green Climate Fund, Climate Change Adaptation Fund, etc.).
- Strong writing and speaking skills in French and English.
APPLICATIONS:
WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer employees exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. We believe youth have the potential to provide for their families, build strong communities, and create positive social change for future generations. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, employment and empowerment.
WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.
Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone calls please.
