CLIMATE CHANGE ADVISOR – NAIROBI, KENYA

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Program / Department

Mercy Corps began working in Kenya in 2008 and has built a robust and diverse portfolio working to enable Kenyans affected by poverty, climate change, resource scarcity and conflict to be healthy, productive and to drive peace and development of their communities. To do this, we deliver integrated programming to strengthen market and governance systems, innovate urban youth employment opportunities, respond to climate-related shocks, address the root causes of conflict, and build the resilience of vulnerable populations – in particular youth, women, adolescents and marginalized communities.

Mercy Corps is seeking a Climate Change Advisor to support climate-focused interventions throughout Kenya. Mercy Corps, through a diversity of program interventions, seeks to address the challenges faced by pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities due to climate change.  This includes programs that test incentives for collective rangeland management, improving natural resource management practices, promoting good governance, strengthening livelihoods and supporting climate adaptation, among others. In addition to supporting specific programs to mainstream / incorporate appropriate climate-focused activities, the Climate cnage Advisor will also provide technical support to country-level strategies and interventions.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND VISION

• Develop, and drive forward, a strategic vision for Mercy Corps Kenya programming as relates to climate change interventions, with a particular focus on leading the application of Mercy Corps’ Kenya Climate Action Plan
• Collaborate with relevant departments within Mercy Corps Kenya regarding the measurement, monitoring and analysis of key performance indicators and promote learning and program adaptation within the country team
• Lead the planning, management and/or operationalization of Mercy Corps’ strategic climate programming, including such initiatives as carbon monetization, climate financing and others, as identified
• Support the capacity development of team members through trainings, presentation and other mechanisms to promote improved knowledge of climate change approaches
• Utilize climate modeling tools to highlight future climate scenarios and their impact on the target counties; support programs to adjust accordingly
• Support new business developments that seek to attract increased climate adaptation resources, both locally and globally
• Lead the development of relevant communication and thought-leadership materials, such as technical reports, briefing notes, vision documents and others, as relevant, to promote Mercy Corps leadership in climate programming
• Remain abreast of relevant county-, national- and international trends, events, approaches and opportunities and ensure this knowledge is incorporated into the country program.

Technical Leadership

• Serve as technical advisor and play critical role in bridging the gap between technical knowledge and on-the-ground actions for sustainable, climate-resilient outcomes across all programs
• Participate in climate vulnerability assessments to identify specific climate risks and impacts in the target counties
• Collaborate with local communities, government stakeholders and other actors to understand perspectives, needs and priorities related to climate adaptation
• Lead the integration of resilience design and other climate adaptation approaches into all Mercy Corps programming; support the scaling up of successful models, incentives and approaches
• Advise on the potential viability, impact and expected outcomes of proposed interventions and support adaptation based on experiences and evidence
• Provide capacity building support, based on identified needs, to program stakeholders, both internal and external
• Support program teams to remain compliant with donor-, national- and Mercy Corps environmental regulations and expectations.

Safeguarding Responsibilities:

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Representation

• Represent Mercy Corps in all relevant forums and engagements, both internal and external, in regard to climate change initiatives and approaches
• Manage relationships with government and non-government stakeholders
• Support advocacy efforts engaging government agencies regarding the adoption of policies and legislation in support of climate adaptation approaches, especially in support of county- and/or community-identified priorities
• Identify and nurture strategic partnerships with other organizations and institutions
• Facilitate coordination with national- and country-level government agencies to ensure collaboration, engagement and information-sharing of relevant program activities.

Supervisory Responsibility

None.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: TRaQ Director

Works Directly With: Country Director, Director of Programs, Operations Director, Finance Director, Program Managers, TRaQ team, consortium partners, local implementing partners.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Bachelors degree in agricultural systems, environmental sciences, natural resources management, or climate resilience program; Masters degree beneficial
• 5 to 7 years of relevant technical experience in climate-adaptation or related field
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing climate adaptation strategies and interventions
• Previous work experience within the dryland areas of Kenya required
• Strong communication skills, including the proven ability to engage with / facilitate discussions with diverse stakeholders
• Proven ability to work cooperatively with others in a team environment, including with a diverse group of national and international staff
• In-depth understanding of climate-related policies at the local and national levels necessary
• Experience advocating for the adoption of climate-resilient policies, including influencing of decision-makers and key stakeholders
• Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office software (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) required
• Persuasive written and oral communication in English and Swahili required, competency in another relevant local language beneficial

Success Factors

The successful Climate Adaptation Advisor candidate will possess significant technical experience, including the design, development and management of interventions in support of climate adaptation. The successful candidate should have the proven ability to influence donors, partners, and peer organizations toward innovative programs and best practices. S/he will have the ability to juggle multiple priorities under tight deadlines and to calmly and diplomatically deal with unexpected events impacting program operations. S/he will also be a team player with a positive attitude to problem-solving and conflict resolution and focus on team building and capacity-building of program staff to apply creative solutions to program quality.  The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written / verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position will be based in Nairobi. Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues. 

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.