Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Policy Specialist

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• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
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Organizational Setting

FAO had secured funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness programme, for implementing the project GCP/SRL/079/GCR “Capacity enhancement of the National Designated Authority (NDA) and other relevant stakeholders in Sri Lanka to re-evaluate technical needs for climate change adaptation and mitigation and assess climate finance priorities for agriculture by developing innovative Climate Smart investment mechanisms through increased partnerships between public and private sectors”. The Project Goal is to enhance the capacity of the Climate Change Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment and other relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, to jointly identify and implement technical needs for addressing Sri Lanka’s climate challenges in its priority sectors, and leverage public and private investment for climate-Smart Agriculture through scientific knowledge-based planning.

For this purpose, FAO Sri Lanka is recruiting a Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Policy Specialist, to support the International Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist in all the activities related to conducting the policy study by providing local knowledge of climate change and/or environment policy in Sri Lanka. The consultant is expected to cofacilitate the first forum of private public forum and support developing reports.

Reporting Lines

The Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Policy Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programmes). He/she will work in close coordination with the International Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist Financing and the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the GCF Readiness Project and the Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist. He/she will work under the overall technical supervision by the Environment and Climate Change Specialist, FAOLK and the Lead Technical Officer.

Technical Focus

• Policy study
• Enhance Private sector engagement.
• Public-private partnership

Tasks and responsibilities

CSA Investment Plan

• With the International Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Specialist, review the process and inputs required to develop the CSA Investment Plan.
• Prepare a policy and institutional overview review of government policies, regulations and institutions that could support investment in climate-Smart Agriculture projects as part of the CSA investment plan development process.
• Review the CSA investment plan priority measures and investment packages.
• Prepare inputs for the plan highlighting the barriers to financing the investment packages based on current policy and institutional settings and provide recommendations on policy level interventions needed for the successful implementation of the CSA investment plan.

Private Sector Engagement

• Support the International Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist to conduct a study to identify national barriers and gaps (policies, mechanisms, pathways) for private sector engagement in financial and non-financial mechanisms by providing local knowledge of climate change and/or environment policy in Sri Lanka
• Support the International Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist to Develop clear strategies to increase private sector engagement and investments in low- emission and climate-resilient agriculture and prepare an action plan.
• Support International Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist to Validate the finding of policy study by the private sector working group to ensure they agree on the findings, recommendations and action plan and finalize the report.
• Support FAO to facilitate the first forum for private, public and NGO/ CSO actors to engage in a constructive dialogue to identify commercial opportunities and to develop focussed and strategic actions to transition to a low- carbon, climate resilient economy.
• Support International Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist to produce a private sector forum completion report.
• Work closely with International Agriculture Private Sector Climate Financing Specialist and Private Sector Climate Financing specialist to implement activities under 2.4.2

Other duties

• Provide inputs for the national and international consultants of the project for their deliverables.
• Undertake any other tasks as requested by the FAOR / AFAOR (Programme).

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Agriculture, Economics, Climate Change, or any other relevant subject.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in the field of private sector engagement in climate action, public-private partnership (PPP), policy analysis and policy development, strategic planning related to development or environmental management with experience working on international donor-funded projects such as the GEF, Adaptation Fund or the GCF, preferably in the Asian region.
• Working knowledge of English and Sinhala and/or Tamil.
• National of Sri Lanka or resident of the country with valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Familiarity with effective use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Windows, Word, Outlook, Excel, Power Point).
• Good interpersonal skills, and ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong analytical skills and experience in developing technical reports - undertaking research, primary and secondary data collection, analysis and report writing.
• Ability to work/deliver independently with minimal supervision.

Selection Criteria

• Extent and relevance of experience in Agriculture Investment and Climate change.
• Extent of experience in technical report writing.
• Experience in working with industry, academia, national authorities, UN agencies, donors, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations.
• Familiarity with the UN System and /or development sector will be considered an asset.

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.
• For other issues, visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
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• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

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