Main purpose of the job:

This position is an exciting opportunity to be at the heart of UK-Brazilian collaboration under the Green and Inclusive Growth Partnership (GIG), focused on sustainable land use – including the links between agriculture, land use and biodiversity. The post holder will be part of the International Sustainable Agriculture team in the UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and will also work closely with other teams in the Department’s International Biodiversity and Climate Directorate. UK International Climate Finance is an £11.6bn portfolio of Official Development Assistance (covering the period 2021-26), which includes a range of programmes designed to support low- and middle-income countries achieve a low carbon transition. This includes supporting the implementation of their Nationally Determined Contributions for emissions reductions into stronger policies and tangible progress on the ground, providing £3bn of this ICF support, with a significant portion focused on nature – halt deforestation and biodiversity loss, sustainable supply chains, promote bioeconomy and mobilise private finance.

The main duties of the post holder are to:

1. Drive delivery of Defra’s sustainable agriculture ICF programmes in the region (primarily the Rural Sustentável programme).
2. Provide strategic advice on opportunities and design of future Defra ICF programmes (including leading and developing UK sustainable land use positioning and engagement in Brazil).
3. Advise on links and opportunities across Defra’s sustainable land use programming and policy priorities, for example to formulate an engagement strategy for key sustainable agriculture and land use outcomes with actors across public and private sector, civil society, NGOs, academia, and businesses.
4. Advise on links and opportunities across Defra’s nature programming and policy priorities, for example sustainable commodities and international biodiversity agreements such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
5. Support wider Embassy climate and environment objectives. This may include supporting better alignment of Defra and HMG sustainable agriculture, finance and policy initiatives across the Brazil network’s priorities and initiatives, building effective relationships with in-country stakeholders and engaging in local and international events, and helping guide the ICF Brazil strategy. Climate, Nature and Energy work is a core part of the UK Embassy in Brazil’s focus, and this role sits alongside major programme and policy initiatives involving a range of UK government departments.

Sustainable Agriculture Programme Delivery

Brazil is a major recipient of international climate finance. It has made world-leading progress to halt forest loss and place sustainability at the heart of rural development. This position aims to use International Climate Finance (ICF) programmes to promote sustainable agriculture, as well as developing strategies that enable the biodiversity potential to generate development opportunities connected to well conserved forests and ecosystems.

UK Government support for sustainable agriculture and land use in Brazil includes £62,3m of non-reimbursable investment in low carbon agriculture through the Rural Sustentavel Programme. This currently covers 21% of Brazilian territory, with extensive engagement at the subnational level, through technical assistance on the ground, research, and support to the socio-productive organisations to strengthen rural property governance and reduce deforestation. The post holder will be expected to work with the programme manager and other officials in the UK to drive delivery of the programme, in particular liaising with delivery partners and stakeholders in Brazil, including the Brazilian Government (MAPA).

Brazil is one of the key targets of the Land Degradation and Neutrality Fund (LDN). In June 2022, it signed a 10-year loan, lending $12.6m USD (£11,03m) to Aloe Agroforestal (SLB group) in Parana State, aiming at a reduction in deforestation rates by building private investment markets that either create value from standing forests and/or incorporate forest protection into agricultural production. The post holder will work with the programme manager in the UK to raise any issues and identify opportunities for alignment or learning.

Sustainable Agriculture Programme Strategy and Design

A spending review is due to take place in 2024/25. The post holder is expected to provide insight, advice and strategic input on the design of possible programme continuation, expansion, or new programmes in Brazil, aligned with UK and Brazil Green Growth Partnership. Using knowledge of the Brazilian funding landscape, evidence and research (such as the Dasgupta review), Defra priorities, and existing programmes, they will advise on opportunities for future ICF spend which best represents impact and value-for-money. The post holder will be expected to understand and assess how well proposals deliver at least one of: leveraging additional finance; generating significant evidence or learning; and promoting or creating systemic change.

This will focus primarily on Defra’s international sustainable agriculture programming, but the post holder will also consider and advise on opportunities for other Defra ODA programming such as the Darwin Fund, the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC), or tactical scale up of other existing programmes to best suit Brazil’s context, in line with Embassy climate objectives and other HMG priorities.

The post holder will consider how Defra ODA programmes complement each other and provide strategic advice on delivering impact across programmes that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Sustainable Land Use Programme and Policy Engagement

This role is the primary coordinator in Brazil between UK sustainable agriculture and land use programmes and initiatives supported by other donor agencies; research and identify opportunities for multilateral cooperation where possible. To lead forward planning of the UK-Brazil Green and Inclusive Growth Sustainable Agriculture Pillar and strategic programme development of ICF programmes on sustainable agriculture and land use portfolio in country, identifying synergies and coherence with the wider HMG network.

Nature Programme and Policy Engagement

The post holder will provide strategic coherence across our sustainable land use programmes, linking outcomes to broader policy and programme work across Defra, HMG, and our network to better inform ongoing and future ODA spending.

The post holder will understand wider Defra priorities and IBC objectives, such as delivering the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework and halting deforestation through Forest Risk Commodity legislation, and will identify how ODA programming could either deliver these or be utilised as a tactical lever for engagement.

The post holder will also be expected to integrate this agenda with any existing ICF project and activities in country e.g. Partnership for Forests, UK PACT, skill-shares and secondments.

Embassy support

The expectation is to actively engage externally at senior and strategic level and will require frequent cross-team working with colleagues in the Network and the UK to deliver Embassy priorities. The post holder will be expected to develop strong links with other colleagues working on global issues across the Embassy.