Senior Program Officer for Climate Smart Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Security (Private Sector)

JOB TITLE: Senior Program Officer for Climate Smart Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Security (Private Sector)

LOCATION: Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire or Rotterdam, The Netherlands

INTENSITY: Full time 

ANTICIPATED START DATE: As soon as possible

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 31/01/2022; 5pm CET

ABOUT GCA

The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that works as a solutions broker to catalyze action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sector, to ensure we learn from each other and work together for a climate resilient future. Adapting to 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. GCA is a rapidly growing organization with offices in Abidjan, Beijing, Dhaka, Groningen, and Rotterdam.

The GCA has an ambitious 2020-2025 business plan with three pillars:

Programs: GCA’s Programs include: Food Security; Using Nature for more resilient infrastructure; Water for Urban Growth and Resilience; Climate Finance; Youth Leadership

Knowledge: Building adaptation knowledge globally and in countries through cutting edge knowledge products such as the State and Trends in Adaptation Report; Data and Knowledge Platform

Advocacy and Awareness: Formulating policy messages to move adaptation agenda forward globally and in countries.

GCA’s work program in Africa is of paramount importance. All the components of GCA’s Business Plan must succeed to support changing the momentum and pace of adaptation in Africa. Guiding GCA’s program in Africa is the Africa-owned and Africa-led Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), co-created with the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) to implement the vision of the Africa Adaptation Initiative to support African countries on key adaptation initiatives.

The AAAP is contributing to closing Africa’s adaptation gap and supporting African countries to make a transformational shift in their development pathways by putting climate adaptation and resilience at the centre of their critical growth-oriented and inclusive policies, programs, and institutions. It is scaling up successful initiatives fundamental to African nations’ economic development, and prosperity for women and men. The four pillars of the AAAP are: Climate Smart Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Security, the Africa Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator, Empowering Youth through Jobs and Entrepreneurship, and Innovative Financial Initiatives for Africa.

The Climate Smart Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Security (ClimSmartDigAg) Pillar aims to scale up access to climate-smart digital technologies and associated data-driven agricultural and financial services for at least 30 million farmers in Africa and improve food security in 26 African countries. The Pillar together with AfDB’s Digital Agriculture Flagship will enhance the applicability, accessibility and affordability of climate smart digital technologies such as climate-informed advisory services, GIS and remote sensing for resource management, e-registration of famers and pastoralists, and climate-smart solutions for farm operations. These technologies could improve productivity, market connectedness, profitability and the sustainable use of natural resources. Activities of the pillar center on knowledge & analytics, last-mile capacity development and investments in pro-poor scalable digital agriculture innovations.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Profile

GCA seeks a dynamic individual to fill the role of Senior Program Officer to lead the delivery of Private Sector Advisory for Agriculture and Food Security. The individual will lead GCA’s work with the private sector on the Climate Smart Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Security of the AAAP comprising technical conceptual development on engagement with the private sector; support to countries on the implementation of the pillar; leading and working with AfDB and other partners on the AAAP.

The Senior Program Officer will report to the Program Lead while working closely with other members of the Leadership Team, thematic leads and colleagues. S/he will play a key role in positioning the GCA as the foremost international organization specialising in climate change adaptation.

Areas of responsibility

The areas of responsibility of the Senior Program Officer, Climate Smart Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Security (Digital Technologies) include:

- Participate in the preliminary evaluation of project proposals to assess their feasibility for financial support and/or technical assistance by GCA. This involves the initial screening of project, carrying out desk reviews, preparing preliminary evaluation notes for presentation to the Workstream Lead and the Regional Director

- Engage with AfDB and provide support to the implementation of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program the Climate Smart Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Security Pillar of the AAAP

- Develop a strategy outlining engagement with the private sector under the Climate Smart Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Security Pillar of the AAAP

- Provide guidance and technical assistance on the design of public sector enabled, private-sector delivered solutions to scale the adoption of insurance and digital climate informed agricultural advisory services

- Participate in project preparation meetings and missions of projects under the AAAP to embed adaptation in design and implementation

- Work with project partners and grantees to ensure effective implementation of projects and programs

- Facilitate the day-to-day implementation of GCA’s climate smart digital technologies for agriculture and food security work stream and support the coordination of the overall GCA Work Program relating to the pillar in Africa

- Support for preparation of ClimSmartDigAg pillar-related events and development of a network of actors and stakeholders

- Supporting the effective management of grantees within the Pillar and support program implementation

Any other roles that may be assigned by the supervisor

Job requirements

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

- A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in policy related work with at least 3 years in multi-lateral financial institutions or similar large organizations, and performing such roles as project preparing, appraising, supervising or implementing donor funded projects

- Full understanding of the principles of project cycle and project implementation is required for portfolio management.

- Professional experience in working to support the private sector with data-enabled or digital technologies for agriculture.

- Strong management skills to 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.

- Ability to effectively collaborate with diverse stakeholders at different technical and strategic levels– senior government officials and other authorities, representatives of multilateral development banks, implementation partners, and so on.

- Outstanding interpersonal skills, with proven ability to function effectively and collaboratively as an empowering team leader or team member of multi-disciplinary and multicultural teams, working in multiple locations, and to resolve conflicts constructively.

- 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 spoken and written English. Strong skills in French and other languages 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

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.

Subject to Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions, this staff post will be located either at GCA’s Africa Regional Office in Abidjan, Ivory Coast or in the Head Office in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply here ( an application submission webform will open)

Submit your CV and cover letter in English before January 31, 2022, 5 pm CET. 

Kindly mention the date as of which you would be available to start.

- Agriculture in Africa Media 

Email: Editor@agricinafrica.com