Senior Climate Smart Agriculture Advisor (Home based Retainer)

Job Description

Job Title – Senior Climate Smart Agriculture Advisor (Home based Retainer)

Location – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Duration

12 months, maximum of 220 working days, with possibility of an extension depending on satisfactory performance and on availability of funds

Role Purpose

The Senior Climate-Smart Agriculture Advisor will provide strategic and technical support to help the Ministry of Agriculture mobilize climate finance, develop high-quality investment pipelines and project concept notes, strengthen institutional capacity, and support implementation of agriculture-related climate priorities under Ethiopia’s Nationally Determined Contribution and related plans.

Functions / Key Results Expected

The Consultant will report to UNOPS, while day-to-day oversight of the assignment will be provided by the department within the Ministry of Agriculture in which he or she is embedded. The Advisor will also work in close coordination with the Ministry of Planning and Development, the NDC Partnership In-Country Facilitator, and other relevant partners to ensure alignment and effective delivery of the assignment. More specifically, the incumbent will perform the following functions:

Climate Finance Mobilization

• Identify, screen, and prioritize climate-smart agriculture investment opportunities related to crops, livestock, soil and water management, agroforestry, irrigation, digital advisory services, and resilient value chains.
• Prepare and refine high-quality concept notes, project proposals, and investment packages for submission to climate funds, development banks, bilateral partners, philanthropic institutions, and relevant private investors.
• Coordinate bankable project proposal development, including problem analysis, theory of change, results frameworks, budgets, financing plans, implementation arrangements, safeguards inputs, gender considerations, risk assessments, and monitoring frameworks.
• Prepare climate finance strategies, donor engagement plans, funding opportunity trackers, investor outreach materials, and partnership notes to mobilize support for priority agriculture interventions.

Capacity Building and Strategic and Technical Support

• Strengthen the Ministry’s capacity to prepare investment plans, project pipelines, concept notes, full project proposals, and financing strategies aligned with agriculture priorities, the Nationally Determined Contribution, and national development plans.
• Provide strategic advice on implementation of agriculture-related climate priorities and climate-smart agriculture commitments, and support refinement of sector strategies, investment priorities, and implementation approaches.
• Design and deliver practical in-house training, coaching, and mentoring for Ministry staff, regional bureaus, extension systems, and other relevant institutions on climate finance, proposal development, donor engagement, and investment planning.
• Improve institutional systems for project development, coordination, monitoring, reporting, verification, and knowledge management within the agriculture sector.
• Develop practical tools, templates, guidance notes, and standard operating procedures to improve the quality and consistency of project preparation and climate finance engagement.
• Advise on integration of climate-smart agriculture, and climate resilient included in the Sector NDC implementation Plan into agricultural policies, programs, and sector planning documents.

Skills

Capacity Building, Climate, Finance, Fundraising, Policy Analysis, Project Planning, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Planning.

Education Requirements

Required

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Conservation Agriculture, Land and Water Resource Management, Irrigation water management, Agronomy, Livestock, Climate Change Agriculture, Project Planning, Public Policy, or another closely related field.
• Bachelor’s degree in related discipline with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience (7 total) may be accepted instead of an advanced university degree.

Desired

• PhD in Agriculture, Agronomy, Integrated watershed management, soil and water Conservation, agroforestry, development, climate-smart integrated watershed/catchment management, and rangeland development and management

Experience Requirements

Required

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in climate-smart agriculture, climate risk management, nature-based solutions (NbS), climate finance, agricultural investment planning, project preparation, fundraising, or closely related areas
• Proven experience developing agricultural investment plans and project proposals contributing to national CSA strategies (including the NDC), and climate risk management.
• Good knowledge of climate-smart agriculture approaches, value chains, irrigation, soil and water management and participatory rangelands improvements and livestock related resilient development initiatives in developing-country contexts

Strong understanding of climate finance architecture and donor requirements, with practical experience engaging multilateral climate funds, development banks, bilateral partners, philanthropic organizations, or private investors.

Desired

• Expertise in promoting climate-smart agriculture technologies and experience engaging private-sector actors to scale technologies, partnerships, and agri-value chains and market development.
• Strong analytical, writing, coordination, negotiation, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Practical experience working within Government Organizations and/or Federal Ministries.

Language Requirements

• English, Fluent.
• Amharic, Fluent.

offer

• This is a retainer national vacancy / position for twelve 12 months, maximum of 220 working days, with possibility of an extension depending on satisfactory performance and on availability of funds.
• This is a Home-based position, meaning that the incumbent will not work from a UNOPS office but from the government facilities. Therefore, the incumbent will need to use his/her own laptop and software.
• As this is a Local Position, in order to be eligible, the incumbent should be a national of Ethiopia or have a valid residence permit in the country.
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Opportunities for learning and growth

• Commitment to Excellence: Our support extends to all personnel at every level of the organization.
• Ongoing Development: We provide ongoing opportunities to help our people learn, develop, and excel at their jobs.
• State-of-the-Art Learning: Access a wide range of learning through our blended learning programmes, covering Leadership development and Personal and professional development.
• Key Credentials: Opportunities to benefit from Internationally recognized technical certifications and Membership to professional associations in various areas.
• Internal Culture: We foster an environment that encourages and supports knowledge sharing and collaboration.