Job description
VACANCY TITLE: Senior Officer, Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions
GCA PROGRAM: Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions
LOCATION: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (preferred), Nairobi, Kenya or Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
LEVEL OF EFFORT: Full time
ANTICIPATED START DATE: 06 March 2023
ABOUT GCA
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that works as a solutions broker to catalyse action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sector, to ensure shared learning and collaboration for a climate resilient future. GCA is a rapidly growing organization with offices in Abidjan, Beijing, Dhaka, Groningen, and Rotterdam. Adapting to the impacts of climate change provides a “win-win” for health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security and economic growth. The work of the GCA elevates the visibility and political importance of climate adaptation and facilitates solutions, such as smarter investments, new technologies and better planning to become more resilient to climate-related threats.
In Africa, GCA and the African Development Bank (AfDB) launched the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) to mobilize $25 billion to drive adaptation on the African continent through four strategic pillars: food security, infrastructure, youth and employment, and climate finance. These results will be delivered through partnerships with Multilateral Development Banks and other leading implementation organizations, stakeholders, political and technical bodies. Within the framework of this partnership, GCA leads upstream activities with the broad goal of leveraging climate finance to mainstream climate risk in infrastructure investments. GCA’s work on resilient infrastructure addresses key barriers to integrating adaptation and innovative Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) into infrastructure projects by delivering upstream analysis and support to develop information and metrics on hazards, exposure, and vulnerability.
ABOUT THE ROLE
GCA seeks a dynamic and creative individual with strong analytical and communications skills to fill the role of Senior Officer Infrastructure and NBS for Africa, based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (preferred), Nairobi, Kenya or Rotterdam, The Netherlands. This role will focus on the implementation of infrastructure and NBS projects, engagement with stakeholders and strategic support to GCA’s resilient infrastructure program under AAAP, which aims to integrate climate resilience into investments worth over $7 billion by 2025.
The Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions Program is organized across four business lines:
- National infrastructure risk and resilience assessments to support countries to identify the key adaptation needs and prioritize a pipeline of infrastructure investments.
- Integrating adaptation and resilience into public and private infrastructure investment projects from MDBs.
- Structuring NBS investments for resilient infrastructure.
- Capacity building to mainstream climate resilience across the infrastructure lifecycle.
The Senior Officer Infrastructure and NBS will be responsible for driving an ambitious program and pipeline of projects across Africa, helping countries build climate-resilient infrastructure and leverage NBS to address adaptation needs.
Key Functions
Under the oversight of the GCA Global Lead for Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions, the Senior Officer Infrastructure and NBS is expected to perform the following activities:
- Understand how to use climate data and analytics and appraise innovative adaptation and resilience solutions (incl. NBS), with focus on quantifying climate risks to infrastructure and providing practical, innovative solutions to climate-proof public and private infrastructure investment projects.
- Develop and implement a pipeline of projects across infrastructure sectors and countries in Africa, including to screen projects, participate in project missions, develop internal and external project briefings and presentations, and evaluate the potential for GCA to provide added value to the projects.
- Closely engage with MDB task teams and development partners to identify forward-looking adaptation projects and investment programs on resilient infrastructure and NBS in Africa that contribute to the strategic development and implementation of GCA’s work under AAAP. Frequent travels in Africa will be required.
- Take a proactive role in the conceptualization, design, procurement, implementation and management of upstream technical assistance support on resilient infrastructure and NBS projects in Africa, including but not limited to the preparation of project concepts, procurement documents, contract management, planning tools, and progress monitoring and reporting.
- Further expand and maintain GCA’s network of international, national, regional and local stakeholders, including to present the impact of the work of the Infrastructure and NBS Program to external stakeholders globally.
- Develop and review reports, presentations, and project briefs, ensuring that all project outputs are technically robust and with a clear narrative.
- Support the preparation of knowledge products – e.g. policy briefs, news stories, reports – on GCA’s activities and work program in Africa, as well as internal and external capacity building activities under the Resilient Infrastructure pillar of AAAP.
Job requirements
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
- Master’s degree or PhD. in civil/environmental engineering, infrastructure project finance, environmental studies, development studies, or other relevant fields.
- Preference for at least 10 years’ experience in the implementation of complex and large-scale infrastructure projects and programs, with focus on climate adaptation and preferably in Africa.
- Experience working in government agencies, multilateral financial institutions, international organizations, development agencies or private sector (e.g., infrastructure operators, equity investors, risk management, etc.).
- Excellent conceptual and practical understanding of key subject areas such as climate data analytics, climate adaptation, resilient infrastructure, NBS, and infrastructure project finance.
- Excellent leadership and project management skills to work independently, effectively coordinate projects, contracts, and implementation partners, as well as to provide rapid and strategic inputs, ensuring the achievement of technically robust and timely outputs.
- Excellent planning and operational skills – including procurement and contract management – and a demonstrable sense of urgency and ability to work under tight deadlines in a team setting while maintaining an empowering and solutions-oriented approach.
- Excellent report writing, presentation and communication skills, backed by an ability to articulate complex ideas into clear outputs with a coherent narrative to a diverse audience of stakeholders at technical and strategic levels.
- Excellent teamwork and interpersonal skills, with proven ability to collaborate effectively in a multicultural team and organization.
- Excellent spoken and written English. Strong skills in French, Portuguese, Arabic and other languages (e.g., Swahili) will be an added advantage.
- Excellent computer skills (Microsoft Office Suite). Strong knowledge in geospatial analysis software (QGIS and ArcGIS) will be an added advantage.
- Ability to travel internationally regularly.
WHAT WE OFFER
With our global headquarters in Rotterdam on the world’s largest floating office, and regional offices around the globe, the GCA offers a dynamic, high-profile and international working environment in a growing organisation. You will be contributing to our global mission on climate adaptation. You will have the opportunity to draw upon the substantial expertise available at the GCA and its partner organizations across the world and you will be given an opportunity to support the shaping of international policies and global action on climate change, working at the highest governmental levels and collaborating with governments on all continents.
HOW TO APPLY
If you are interested in this position, please submit your motivation letter and CV by following the link https://gca.org/about-us/join-us/ before 20 January 2023, 5 pm CET. Kindly mention the date as of which you would be available to start in Rotterdam and/or remotely in case there are Covid-19 restrictions.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES STATEMENT
The GCA celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. GCA does not discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, nationality, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.
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