Organizational Setting

FAO had secured funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness programme, for implementing the project GCP/SRL/079/GCR “Capacity enhancement of the National Designated Authority (NDA) and other relevant stakeholders in Sri Lanka to re-evaluate technical needs for climate change adaptation and mitigation and assess climate finance priorities for agriculture by developing innovative climate smart investment mechanisms through increased partnerships between public and private sectors”. The Project Goal is to enhance the capacity of the Climate Change Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment and other relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, to jointly identify and implement technical needs for addressing Sri Lanka’s climate challenges in its priority sectors, and leverage public and private investment for climate-smart agriculture through scientific knowledge-based planning.

The main outputs of the project are:
•    Sectoral and national Technology Needs Assessments (TNAs) and Technology Action Plans (TAPs) updated for mitigation and adaptation with clear strategies to implement the Nationally Determined Contributions and the National Adaptation Plan.
•    Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) investment plan developed based on updated Agro-ecological maps and other relevant information.
•    Capacity of the NDA and relevant stakeholders strengthened to facilitate a dialogue and forge partnerships between the public and private sectors for increased private sector engagement and investment in CSA.
•    Concrete strategies and actions developed for improving private sector engagement and investment in CSA in the plantation and non-plantation sub-sectors identified through a public-private forum.
•    Capacities of relevant stakeholders enhanced to prepare quality concept notes for developing bankable projects for implementing the CSA investment plan.
•    GCF concept notes developed for in the plantation and non-plantation sub-sectors to advance the CSA investment plan through potential AEs, including FAO.
•    NDA’s data and information portal/web platform established to FAO’s Climate and Agriculture risk Visualization and Assessment (CAVA) platform to improve Sri Lanka’s capacity to analyse, manage and disseminate information concerning climate vulnerabilities and risks.
•    Awareness and capacity of NDA enhanced with clear ways forward to improve knowledge management related to climate finance.

For this purpose, FAO Sri Lanka is recruiting an Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist to develop training material conduct a training on private financing and GCF private sector facility, establish working group with relevant private and state agencies on low emission and climate resilient agriculture investments. The specialist is also expected to provide inputs to support the development of the CSA Investment Plan.

Reporting Lines

Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programmes). He/she will work in close coordination with the International Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist, the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the GCF Readiness Project and the Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Policy Specialist. He/she will work under the overall technical supervision of the Environment and Climate Change Specialist, FAOLK and the Lead Technical Officer of the project.

Technical Focus 

•    Enhance Private sector engagement.
•    Public private partnership
•    Financial and non-financial mechanisms in low emission and climate resilient agriculture

Tasks and responsibilities

Private Sector Engagement

•    Assist FAO to conduct a private sector mapping to identify possible parties for private sector engagement and investment for low emission and climate resilient agriculture.
•    Review the current condition of the country in terms of awareness of the private sector on climate financing and level of private sector engagement in climate actions.
•    Prepare TORs for the Private Sector Working Group and its members with clear roles and responsibilities of different parties.
•    Assist FAO to establish a Private Sector Working Group consisting of representatives from private sector and relevant state agencies to discuss and coordinate private sector engagement and investment for low emission and climate resilient agriculture.
•    Review the existing mechanisms for engaging the private sector in climate finance programmes in consultations with relevant parties and with other readiness projects and provide recommendations for sustainable mechanisms to continue private sector working group beyond the project completion.
•    Support the International Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist to develop training material on private sector engagement in climate actions, blended finance and the GCF private sector facility.
•    Support International Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist and the Project Management Unit to organize a training programme for NDA and other stakeholders on private sector engagement in climate actions, blended finance, and the GCF Private Sector Facility as an institutional modality and operational mechanism.
•    Develop and establish a sustainable mechanism to continue the private sector working group beyond the project completion.

CSA Investment Plan

•    With the International Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist, review the process and inputs required to develop the CSA Investment Plan.
•    Review the CSA investment plan priority measures and investment packages.
•    Prepare inputs for the plan highlighting the barriers to engaging the private sector to finance the investment packages identified and provide recommendations to better engage the private sector in the successful implementation of the CSA investment plan and individual investment packages.

Other duties

•    Support the delivery of output 2.4.1 and work closely with international and national consultants to implement activities under 2.4.2.
•    Provide possible inputs to the other national and international consultants of the project for producing their deliverables.
•    Undertake any other tasks as requested by the FAOR / AFAOR (Programme).

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Advanced university degree in Agriculture, Economics, Climate Change, or any other relevant subject.
•    A minimum of 5 years of experience in the private sector engagement in climate action, public-private partnership (PPP) and climate financing and investment in public / private sectors with experience working on international donor-funded projects, preferably in the Asian region and experience in working with government, regional and international development agencies.
•    Working knowledge of English and working knowledge of Sinhala and/or Tamil.
•    National of Sri Lanka or resident of the country with valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills  

•    Familiarity with effective use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Windows, Word, Outlook, Excel, Power Point).
•    Good interpersonal skills, ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholder groups.
•    Strong analytical skills and experience in developing technical reports – undertaking research, primary and secondary data collection, analysis and report writing.
•    Ability to work/deliver independently with minimal supervision.

Selection Criteria 

•    Extent and relevance of experience in climate impact assessment and Climate change.
•    Extent of experience in technical report writing.
•    Experience in coordinating and liaising with industry, academia, national authorities, UN agencies, donors, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations.
•    Familiarity with the UN System and /or development sector will be considered an asset.