Global Climate Resilience & Adaptation Advisor

Are you passionate about supporting people and communities to adapt to climate change and strengthen their resilience? Do you have deep knowledge and experience of climate adaptation and regenerative resilience in conflict-affected areas? Are you a strong communicator and a confident leader in your technical field?

Who are we?

DRC is strengthening its response to the global climate crisis through climate adaptation and resilience for conflict-and displacement affected individuals and communities, as well as ensuring our own conduct is nature-positive, as per priorities set out in Strategy 2025 and DRCs Framework on Climate change and Environment. In recent years, DRC has established an evidence base on building community resilience to climate change and environmental degradation using interdisciplinary methods that bridge regenerative design, agroecology, agroforestry, peacebuilding, passive water harvesting and community design to address problems linked to climate change, ecological degradation, market disruption and community insecurity. This includes projects like the Northern Uganda Resilience Initiative[1] and the Resilient Colline in Burundi[2]. You can find more information on our web page and in the Green Catalogue.

This post is based within The Programme Division which develops programmatic concepts and strategies relevant to DRCs international operations and delivers support to operations within these areas. The Programme Division hosts various global specialist lead functions including for DRCs five core sectors and the DRC Response Framework.[3]

About the job

The Global Climate Resilience & Adaptation Advisor will lead DRCs global work on strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-induced impacts. You will deliver technical capacity building and support programme design for DRCs response to displacement, seeking to scale, improve and replicate regenerative resilience initiatives. You will support organizational learning and provide technical guidance and training for regions & country operations. In so doing, you will help to strengthen DRCs competitive position as a global leader in Regenerative Resilience in Displacement. You will work in close collaboration with Global Sector & Platform Leads and be a key member of DRCs Go Green team which also comprises a global Environmental advisor and two other advisors on respectively climate mainstreaming and mitigation. This is a full-time global role.

The specific areas of responsibility for the role are as follows:

Technical advice and support

• Provide technical support for Regional and Country offices & staff on regenerative resilience & climate adaptation, and build capacities through online, in-person, site-based trainings and demonstrations to scale-up, improve and expand climate adaptation and resilience initiatives. Technical fields may include a broad range: nature-based solutions, permaculture, regenerative & circular resilience, climate-smart agriculture, groundwater recharge and more
• Support regions and countries in project design for climate adaptation and resilience (in above-mentioned technical fields), incl by supporting development of key results indicators
• Deliver technical resources, guidance and tools for climate adaptation and resilience
• Support documentation and replication of good practices across countries/regions

Resources and learning

• Establish and co-facilitate a Community of Practice comprising staff from DRC countries and regions and actively coordinate & plan with the DRC Green Team
• Develop and maintain a roster of technical experts (consultants) in relevant fields related to climate adaptation and resilience
• Contribute to learning and evidence-building on climate adaptation and resilience, including by collecting and sharing good practice
• Contribute to organisational awareness-raising and internal communication (incl on insite / sharepoint) for organisational change, coordinating with the climate & environmental mainstreaming lead

Strategy and policy

• Provide support to business development, fundraising and partnership development in country and regional offices on the above technical topics
• Build global partnerships, incl. in support of evidence-building, advocacy and learning (incl. relationship building with research institutions)
• Represent DRC in relevant global policy forums and contribute to key advocacy messages related to climate and displacement.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to have minimum 6 years experience in progressively more senior roles within the climate adaptation and/or regenerative resilience field. This should include a minimum of 2 years overseeing or delivering technical support to complex multisector programmes, preferably in conflict- or displacement affected locations.

All employees should master DRC’s core competencies: Communicating, Taking the lead, Collaborating, Striving for excellence and Demonstrating integrity.

Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required

• Strong knowledge of climate change issues and impacts on conflict- and displacement affected people
• Strong technical background in regenerative resilience and/or climate adaptation methods and practices, in one or more specific areas (for ex: circular design, permaculture, regenerative design, agroecology, natural resource management or other)
• Experience working in different country contexts and/or regions (e.g. beyond one project or location)
• Ability to assess climate risks, develop recommendations and provide technical support for programming to improve resilience and support climate adaptation
• Ability to develop and deliver technical trainings (in one or more relevant technical fields, see above)
• Ability to establish collaborative working relationships across dispersed geographical locations
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including writing and facilitation
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as part of a small team, and to form close working relationships with a diverse range of multi-cultural colleagues
• Strong computer skills (MS Word, Excel, Outlook and Power Point)
• Able and willing to travel for up to 45 days per year
• An academic degree in climate adaptation and resilience or in any other closely related area (social sciences or a relevant technical field)

Desirable

• Experience working on displacement-related topics
• Strong track record of mobilizing donor support
• Knowledge / experience in conflict sensitivity and/or conflict resolution
• Experience using Climate vulnerability assessments (CVA) for programme design and implementation
• Experience with forecast-based and/or climate early warning programming
• Experience in participatory project design with communities

We offer

Contract length: One year with possibility of extension, subject to donor funding

Workplace: The position will be located in one of DRCs regional offices or in a country office, or at HQ in Copenhagen. Therefore, if you are interested in and qualified for this position, please indicate your preferred DRC duty station in your cover letter.

Start date: February 1st 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter

Employment band: Non-management F

Salary and conditions for the position will be on DRC terms (for more info, see our web page). Benefits package (incl. whether post is accompanied) to be determined based on mutual agreement concerning DRC duty station.

Application process

Allapplicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV in English.

Closing date for applications: December 1st. We expect to conduct interviews during the week of December 11th

Further information

For questions regarding the vacancy please contact [emailprotected], Global Lead on addressing root causes of conflict & displacement. For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.

[1] See more: https://nuri.ag/

[2] See more: https://pro.drc.ngo/resources/news/green-innovations-drc-burundi-partnering-with-nature-and-people-to-find-the-solutions-learning-brief/

[3] DRCs Response Framework covers 3 types of response (Emergency response, durable solutions and addressing root causes) and five core sectors: Protection, Shelter & Settlements, Humanitarian Disarmament & Peacebuilding, Camp Coordination & Camp management, and Economic Recovery.

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