Senior operations officer (climate change specialist)

Job #: 110061 Background / General description:

IFC aims to create opportunities and improve lives. Within the South Asia region the impacts of climate change present huge risks to business and the population. The combination of frequent natural disasters, high population density, poor infrastructure and low resilience to economic shocks, makes the region, and especially Nepal and Bangladesh, especially vulnerable to climatic risks. The high incidence of poverty and heavy reliance of poor people on agriculture and natural resources increases their vulnerability to climate change. IFC Advisory Services in South Asia is at the cutting edge of developing interventions that increase the role of the private sector in addressing these impacts. IFC is currently pioneering initiatives in agriculture such as the development and distribution of drought and saline resistant seed varieties to enhance year round production where IFC is supporting private sector seed companies in production, promotion and distribution of stress tolerant rice and vegetable seeds. IFC South Asia is taking a leading role in the corporation s response to Climate Change Adaptation/Resilience (CCR). With support from the South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) has already begun some work in this space. IFC anticipates obtaining additional funding from the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) and is committed to expanding its leadership in this space. To do so we are seeking a senior Climate Change professional to work with the IFC advisory teams to conceptually and strategically support the implementation and monitoring of the climate change initiatives in its growing portfolio of CCR projects.

Duties and Accountabilities:

- (S)he will also be expected to provide leadership on developing IFC s CCR strategy for South Asia with a particular focus on Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. Specifically, (s)he will: Provide conceptual and strategic leadership and support to the regional team in the area of CCR with a primary focus on Bangladesh and Nepal. (S)he will develop a suitable CCR strategy, articulating objectives, implementation plans, engaging relevant stakeholders, both internal and external and building a robust monitoring and evaluation methodology.
- Support the monitoring and evaluation team to (i) develop appropriate monitoring frameworks and indicators for climate change projects and (ii) carry out vulnerability forecasting where required.
- Support Project Teams in identifying the environmental risks in different projects and devising appropriate mitigation strategy.
- Liaise and provide input with global Climate Change teams to ensure collaboration and cohesion between global and regional initiatives.
- Develop and support IFC s knowledge management in this new area by creating a repository of climate change related reports, articles, papers, which may also be shared through global collaboration platforms, and update on a regular basis.
- Develop an appropriate media strategy and outputs highlighting CCR initiatives being undertaken in the region for internal and external audiences.
- Act as a regional point of expertise within the greater Asia region on adaptation and resilience.

Selection Criteria:

- Masters or PhD degree in climate change related issues.
- 10+ years of work experience in climate change related aspects.
- Sound understanding and work experience in both climate change adaptation and mitigation.
- Work experience in development organizations preferred.
- Sound understanding of private sector operations is critical.
- Self-starter, mature, and flexible attitude; able to work in multicultural, fast-paced team.
- Strong leadership abilities with proven successful project manager experience.
- Strong client relationship management skills and ability to establish strong credibility among senior clients.
- Demonstrated team player with willingness to contribute as needed .
- Commitment to quality service, drive to exceed expectations, and proactive development of relations with IFC clients.
- Strong analytical and conceptual skills encompassing development finance.
- Experience of the South Asia context and of projects within the region.
- Ability to travel extensively in South Asia.
- Ability to work effectively in teams, communicate ideas clearly and confidently, articulate issues and recommend solutions.
- Ability to work independently, multi-task, deal with conflicting priorities and deliver high quality work on schedule.
- Sound business judgment and strong problem solving, negotiation, and commercial skills.
- Fluency in English is essential to enable the staff member to produce concise written and oral reports. No paper mail or faxes please, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.