Senior Climate Change Specialist

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending poverty in a livable planet. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. 

The Adaptation Fund is an innovative financing mechanism set up by the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with the purpose of financing concrete climate change adaptation projects and programmes in developing country Parties. At the request of the COP, the GEF is providing secretariat services to the Adaptation Fund Board (the Board) on an interim basis, through a dedicated team. Since becoming fully operational in 2010, the Board has approved 160 projects/programmes in over 100 vulnerable countries, for a total funding of more than US$ 1 billion.

Launched under the Kyoto Protocol of the UNFCCC, the Adaptation Fund has been formally serving Paris Agreement since 2019. 

The Adaptation Fund is implementing its second medium term strategy for years 2023-2027 that rests on the three pillars of adaptation action, innovation and learning/knowledge management. 

The Secretariat is recruiting a Senior Climate Change Specialist to coordinate the Fund’s work on portfolio management and results including on all project types. Reporting directly to the Head of the Adaptation Fund (Manager of the Secretariat), s/he will lead the Secretariat’s Results Based Management Team, and ensure timely and quality management of the Fund’s portfolio of projects and programmes in line with the Fund’s operational policies and guidelines, and coordinate the work of staff and consultants involved in that work. S/he will have a key role in the strategic management of the work of the Secretariat and be instrumental in operationalizing the medium-term strategy and further developing strategic planning, including through ensuring the coherence of the Fund’s results monitoring and knowledge management activities, and the regular review and update of the Fund’s strategic results framework. S/he will have an important role in communicating the Fund’s results to potential donors and supporting resource mobilization efforts. S/he will also coordinate the Fund’s interaction with other climate funds on efforts to streamline and, to the extent feasible, harmonize results frameworks and reporting, and contribute to the efforts to scale up Fund investments with external funding. S/he will further have a key role in coordinating the Secretariat’s interaction with the Fund’s independent Technical Evaluation Reference Group, including the preparation of the Secretariat’s inputs and management responses to evaluations.  

The Sr Climate Change Specialist will collaborate closely with colleagues in the Secretariat, while interacting with Board members,

accredited Implementing Entities, recipient country focal points, and other stakeholders. S/he will be under the supervision of the Head of the Adaptation Fund (Manager of the Secretariat).

Duties and Accountabilities:

The successful candidate will be expected to carry out the following duties and responsibilities: 

• Lead the Fund-level supervision of the Fund’s active portfolio of projects and programmes, including the areas of Results Based Management and Knowledge Management and their coherence.
• Supervise the preparation and management of, and reporting on, annual administrative budgets in the area of active portfolio supervision, including functioning as the task team leader to oversee consultant and firm contracts.
• Work closely with the Head of the Fund and the Secretariat’s Management Team to further develop the strategic direction of the Fund in the areas of concrete action, innovation and learning/knowledge management.
• Participate in portfolio development, and play a key role in the implementation of the medium-term strategy of the Fund. This includes providing guidance on the results orientation of the Fund in its delivery and reporting on both the strategic pillars and themes and the enabling systems, including through annual work planning across the different teams of the Secretariat, ensuring their coherence and synergies.
• Lead the preparation of the Fund’s annual performance reports and conducting portfolio monitoring missions.
• Lead the coordination of the review process of project/programme performance reports and various project-related reports and requests submitted by the implementing entities during project/programme implementation.
• Lead the provision of advice and technical support to the Fund’s implementing entities to strengthen results-based project planning, implementation and monitoring, through training and ad hoc support.
• Remain up-to-date on developments in the field of adaptation and resilience indicators, and provide strategic direction, advice and technical support for further development of the Fund’s tools and online database to improve collection and analysis of data that is used for the tracking project/programme implementation and results.
• Provide guidance and quality assurance support to the Knowledge Management team of the Secretariat.
• Support as needed the implementation of resource mobilization activities for the Fund.
• Along with other members of the Management Team, perform managerial tasks as an officer-in-charge on behalf of the Head of the Fund during periods of absence, as needed.
• Take responsible roles in representing the Fund and enhancing public awareness in various fora, including but not limited to, meetings convened under the UNFCCC and its subsidiary bodies, meetings of other climate funds, regional and sub-regional workshops, technical conferences and workshops, and bilateral meetings with governments, implementing agencies and other stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain a productive dialogue and positive relationships with key stakeholders, including developing country governments, climate change negotiators, national, regional and multilateral agencies involved in climate finance, think tanks and civil society.
• Lead and contribute to the preparation of Board and Committee documents, strategy and policy documents, talking points, and other materials to support the effective delivery of the Fund portfolio, as well as, through shared responsibility, to the preparations and ensuring smooth running of the Project and Programme Review Committee meetings, as needed.
• Coordinate the Fund’s interaction with other climate funds on efforts to streamline and, to the extent feasible, to harmonize results frameworks and reporting.
• Contribute, from the perspective of management of the active portfolio, to efforts of working with other climate funds, implementing entities, contributor governments and other stakeholders, to scale up projects supported by the Fund.
• Function as a focal point towards the Fund’s independent Technical Evaluation Reference Group (AF-TERG) including, inter alia, on the implementation on the Fund’s evaluation policy, and coordinate the preparation of the Secretariat’s inputs and management responses to evaluations done on the Fund’s work.
• Provide supervision and technical backstopping to junior staff.
• Keep the Head of the Fund (Manager of the Secretariat) apprised of the work done in the areas of responsibility, and perform any other task as required.

Selection Criteria:

• Master’s degree or higher in natural resources management, social policy, economics, environment or other field relevant to adaptation to climate change, and at least 8 years of relevant experience.
• Substantial experience with climate change adaptation and building resilience in an international context, and with working with portfolios of projects and/or programmes, including operational and budgetary oversight.
• Advanced and proven technical expertise in current concepts and best practices in utilizing results-based management approach to project management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation in the context of international development and, preferably in climate adaptation projects,.
• Solid understanding of the UNFCCC process and international climate finance architecture, particularly as they relate to monitoring, evaluation, learning and other results-based themes.
• Extensive experience in managing effective relations with a wide range of stakeholders (Governments, international organizations, multilateral and bilateral development agencies, developing country partners, NGOs, indigenous groups, scientific communities).
• Ability to address a range of issues related to climate change adaptation and resilience-building and their relationship to national sustainable development.
• Ability to think strategically and to rapidly analyze diverse information from varied sources.
• Ability and the necessary organizational skills to take initiative, personal ownership, and accountability to meet deadlines, work under pressure, balance competing demands and achieve agreed-upon results.
• Ability and experience of successfully leading, supervising and motivating direct reports and of building efficient teams.
• Demonstrated experience of working successfully with work plans and budgets, including their preparation, management and reporting.
• Demonstrates political awareness and ability to diplomatically handle sensitive situations with target audiences and to otherwise cultivate effective, productive client relationships/partnerships.
• Excellent oral and written communications and editing skills; strong command of English; knowledge of other languages would be desirable, especially French and Spanish.
• Ability to deal sensitively in multi-cultural environments and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues.
• Ability and willingness to travel internationally, including to visit projects in the field in developing countries, and to attend international meetings, with indicative expected travel of between 6 and 12 weeks per year.