Summary
Date Posted: Monday, October 18, 2021 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:

Supervisor: Assistant Secretary-General (ECA).
Duty Station: OACPS Secretariat, Belgium

Organisational Context
Under the guidance and supervision of the Assistant Secretary-General, Environment and Climate Action, the Expert for Resilience and Climate Action provides for the OACPS high quality, accurate, coherent policy and technical advice and assistance, and promotes a professional client-oriented approach consistent with the Secretariat of the OACPS’ rules and regulations.

The Expert proposes OACPS-wide policies and/or strategies related to OACPS resilience and climate action priorities. He/she will provide policy and technical advice and will support and manage the public policy process and content. The incumbent has the combined role of Manager (for programmes and projects), Specialist (in the subject matter of resilience and climate action), and Advisor (in terms of provision of policy and technical advice and support to members of the OACPS).

The Expert’s internal focus will involve working with members of both co-located and virtual, multidisciplinary teams of people from diverse cultures, expertise, and experiences in and across the regions and countries of the OACPS, to provide support to OACPS governing organs (Committee of Ambassadors, Council of Ministers, and OACPS PA and JPA) and relevant working arms of these organs (such as the Subcommittee for Sustainable Development and Subcommittee on Political, Social, Humanitarian & Cultural Affairs) as well as subsidiary and consultative organs (such as the SIDS Forum), on matters of and related to resilience and climate action. He/she will also provide backstopping, across the OACPS work agenda given that resilience and climate action are important, underpinning considerations if members of the OACPS are to their overall sustainable development goals.

The Expert’s external focus will involve strategic advocacy and engagement with the European Commission, a long-standing partner of the OACPS, as well as other international partners (such as other multilateral groupings, international organisations and third countries) to support initiatives and interventions that address members and regions of the OACPS’ policy priorities, and address opportunities and challenges in the cross-cutting thematic areas of resilience and climate action.

The Expert will also establish networks and pursue new collaborative partnerships to advance OACPS’ resilience and climate action agenda based on the interests and issues of its regions and members States.

Functions / Key Results Expected
Summary of Key Functions:
• Promotes a substantive and strategic policy engagement on resilience and climate action to build strategic alliances, forge high level partnerships, support risk informed decision-making and improve inclusive engagement - ensuring consistency with international policy guidance on resilience and climate action.
• Inspires global action on disaster risk governance and the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, Sendai Framework, and other Multilateral Environmental Agreements.
• Provides quality, timely policy advice to regions and member States of the OACPS aimed at managing, coordinating, and monitoring all action related to building resilience to disaster risks and adapting and mitigating Climate Change.
• Promotes initiatives for the OACPS focused on integrating resilience and climate action considerations into relevant OACPS sustainable development policies and actions that contribute to inter alia food security and nutrition; sustainable livelihoods & wellbeing, economies and trade while ensuring natural ecosystems and biodiversity are sustainably managed and conserved.
• Facilitates effective implementation and monitoring of relevant decisions of OACPS governing organs including through organising meetings of the Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development, relevant Ad-hoc Working Groups and the OACPS SIDS Forum; and contributes to the efficient functioning of the meetings of the Committee of Ambassadors and Council of Ministers through the preparation of all relevant meeting reports, position papers, declarations, issues papers, decisions and resolutions.
• Facilitates and/or supports programme design that ensures integration of resilience and climate action considerations and provides support for the effective implementation of intra-OACPS regional and, or multi-country programmes and projects that embrace resilience and climate action as underpinning considerations.
• Facilitates the coordination, monitoring and guidance on 11th EDF Intra-ACP funded programmes such as for climate change and disaster risk reduction initiatives (Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+); Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA)); Natural Disaster Risk Reduction (NDRR); Support to SIDS and coastal countries), which are being implemented by PMUs with technical assistance embedded in the Secretariat of the OACPS, as well as a range of international multi-lateral and OACPS regional technical implementing partners.
• Strengthens existing and establishes new partnerships to secure & leverage initiatives including financing to support members and regions of the OACPS to integrate and mainstream resilience and climate action into all sustainable development policy, planning, and practice initiatives.
• Enhances access to adequate and predictable financial resources to reduce debt, increase investments in disaster risk reduction for resilience, and effectively implement actions to climate change - National Adaptation Plans and Nationally Determined Contributions.
• Coordinates climate change policy dialogue between key regional OACPS stakeholders, including relevant policy and technical agencies, donors, NGOs, private sector, and civil society – for a robust, relevant post-Paris institutional and financial regime, using technical guidance available at the global level and ensuring consistency with international climate policy guidance.
• Coordinates disaster risk reduction policy dialogue between key regional OACPS stakeholders, including relevant policy and technical agencies, donors, NGOs, private sector, and civil society – for robust, relevant implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR.
• Coordinates and supports members and regions of the OACPS’ advocacy and engagement, in negotiations of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and other relevant instruments, including developing OACPS common positions in negotiations and contributing to OACPS Partnership Agreements or Memorandums of Understanding, with Third countries and International Partners, when necessary.
• Supports members and regions of the OACPS to strengthen capacities to implement the MEAs such as the UNFCCC, UNDRR and UNCCD, and other related instruments they have signed and ratified.
• Supports preparation and convening of meetings of OACPS governing organs related to resilience and climate action through the preparation of relevant, quality meeting reports, position papers, declarations, issues papers, decisions and resolutions.
• Facilitates effective implementation of decisions of OACPS governing organs related to resilience and climate action to provide support toward achieving OACPS sustainable development objectives.
• The Expert also supervises along with others the work of a secretary and carries out the performance assessment on an annual basis.

Impact of Results
The expected key results are to inculcate and build a risk management culture within and across regions and member States of the OACPS, enabling risk management considerations to be an underpinning imperative to the achievement of durable, resilient sustainable development goals and targets.

Competencies
Corporate Competencies:
• Demonstrates and promotes the highest standard of professional integrity, impartiality, fairness, and transparency in all matters affecting his/her work and status.
• Understands the structure and hierarchy of the Secretariat of the OACPS, the OACPS governing organs and their interaction with partners, institutional and international public policy process flows internal and external to the organisation, OACPS products and services, and their measures of effectiveness, and the perceptions of Partners and external Parties.

Functional Competencies:
• Possesses good knowledge of Secretariat of the OACPS’ policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks.
• Continues to seek new and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work of the Department and Secretariat.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and/or French.
• Ability to provide specialised advice and guidance to external Partners and Parties.
• Ability to work independently without supervision; in a multicultural, multiracial and multilingual environment, and to meet deadlines without comprising quality of output.

Managerial Competencies:
• Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the Department and within and across the Secretariat and OACPS governing organs, and with external Partners and Parties.
• Strong planning, organisation, problem-solving, coordination and negotiation skills.

Behavioural Competencies:
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team of people from diverse cultures, expertise and experiences, with mutual respect and responsibility.

Qualifications
• Master’s degree in climate sciences, environmental sciences, earth sciences, natural resource economics, political science, management, economics, or related social sciences

Work experience
• Minimum of ten (10) years of relevant professional experience in development policy and planning. Practice experience at national and, or regional level would be an advantage. At least three years’ experience working in a regional and, or international organisation would be an advantage.

Language Requirements
• Good command of English or French or Portuguese or Spanish. Working knowledge of at least one of the other three would be an added advantage.

Special Notice
Candidates for the post must be nationals of Member States from the African, Caribbean and Pacific Regions and must therefore attach a copy of their valid passport for proof of nationality. Applications from non-OACPS nationals will not be considered.

Staff Members of the OACPS are subject to the authority of and duties assigned by the Secretary General and will discharge their functions under conditions established by the Secretary General.

All employment decisions are made on the suitability of the candidate and the needs of the OACPS. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

The appointment to this position is for an initial period of 3 years and renewal thereof is subject to the needs of the OACPS and availability of the post or funds.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 120

Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree

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Job application procedure

Applications for this post should be sent by e-mail to: hr@acp.int and must reach the Secretariat by mid night on the deadline date.

Applications must be accompanied by an updated curriculum vitae completed in the following format: https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/editors/en/cv/compose. Applications in another format will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further evaluation. Applicants must provide copies of degrees, diplomas, certificates and any other documents attesting to their competence and professional experience.


Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and those under serious consideration will be subject to reference checks.

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