Climate Change and Natural Resources Management - National Coordinator (National Consultant)

Organizational Settings

The Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Eswatini have partnered since the country joined the Organization in 1971. FAO assistance has covered the formulation and implementation of food security and nutrition policies, including risk reduction and management strategies, and activities to increase agricultural productivity. Eswatini is a Lower-Middle Income Country very vulnerable to the effects of climate change (CC), and particularly to droughts that are more frequent. Around 79% of households live on National Land depending on agriculture as primary livelihood strategy. Staple crops, especially maize, beans and sorghum, and livestock productivity declined by more than 30% since 2014 due to CC and the shrinkage of cultivated areas, due to the reduced investment in farming for the frequent droughts. Projections based on the RCP 8.5 scenario foresee a decrease of 4.19% in maize productivity and of 17.84% in managed grass productivity by 2050 assuming 1995 as year of reference. It should be noted that 79% of Eswatini’s rural population depends upon agriculture for their livelihood and subsistence is particularly vulnerable to such disasters. Notably, the Kingdom of Eswatini submitted her revised and enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change on 12 October 2021 towards maintaining global temperature to below 1.5 degrees and building resilience to climate impacts. This includes supporting small-scale food producers to adopt inclusive commercial value chain approaches in agriculture and allied sectors. Through the GCF Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme which has an objective to support country-driven initiatives by developing countries to strengthen their institutional capacities, governance mechanisms, and planning and programming frameworks towards a transformational long-term climate action agenda. This consultancy is aligned with the GCF area of support to strengthen the National Designated Authority (NDA) and enhance coordination mechanisms, and other capacity building support process. Given this context, in compliance with the overarching objective of the NDC the Climate Change and Natural Resources Management - National Coordinator (National Consultant) will strengthen Eswatini’s commitment towards climate action in the Agriculture Value Chains which is a priority sector in the revised NDC. The GCF Readiness activities are being implemented by FAO as delivery partner in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment as NDA. As delivery partner, FAO is managing the funds received from the GCF, and will prepare the technical and financial reports that will be submitted to the GCF Secretariat which is a direct responsibility of the Climate Change and Natural Resources Management - National Coordinator (National Consultant).

Reporting Lines

The Climate Change and Natural Resources Management - National Coordinator will report to the FAO Representative for Eswatini, (FAOR), under the direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR and the Lead Technical Officer, and work directly with Agro-Food Systems and Investment Policy Support Specialist.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The Climate Change and Natural Resources Management - National Coordinator (National Consultant) shall be primarily responsible to: • Provide implementation support to project by providing technical support and ensuring appropriate linkages among the components and among consultants and concerned actors; • Develop project work plan and budgets; • Prepare bid documents including TORs for project experts/consultants working on the various aspects of the project and to the selection process; • Assist consultants and institutions with the preparation of technical reports for the project; • Coordinate the organizing and conducting of assessments, consultations and stakeholders workshops; • Provide advice so that the appropriate approaches and technical requirements are followed during project implementation; • Facilitate the review and evaluation of consultants reports; • Support the Agriculture Sector Climate change Coordination mechanism, including organisation of meetings, reporting progress, prepare steering committee packs, prepare technical working group materials and facilitate information sharing. • Coordinate logistical arrangements for the various consultancies and meetings under the project; • Coordinate with relevant national stakeholders, especially the NDA (Ministry of Environment) and Ministry of Agriculture to ensure maximum delivery and participation in project activities; • Coordinate the development and dissemination of awareness raising materials at various levels; • Prepare project reports of progress (every 6 months in accordance with GCF reporting requirements) and briefs as required; • Ensure interventions are well coordinated with other FAO and non-FAO projects in the country and build on FAO comparative advantage, successful practices, lessons learnt; • Perform other project management duties as required, assigned by the FAOR.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING:

Minimum requirements

• An advanced degree (Master’s) in Agriculture, Forestry, Environmental Science, Natural Resources Management, Climate Change or related fields; • At least 5-years’ experience in project management and implementation. Minimum of 5 years’ professional experience in project management • Knowledge of the Agriculture sector and use of natural resources as it relates to the effects of climate change in regard to adaptation /resilience and mitigation in agricultural value chains; • Demonstrated knowledge of international climate finance, specifically the green climate fund architecture and adaptation and mitigation agendas of the UNFCCC (understanding of the Eswatini NDC activities); • Full working capability in English and SiSwati; • Nationality of Eswatini or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrated work experience on climate change effects on Crops, Livestock, Forestry sectors; • Knowledge of the National Determined Contribution priority to agriculture sector; • Experience on climate related policy mapping and environmental safeguards assessments; • Ability to work under pressure to tight timelines and without direct supervision; • Strong analytical and conceptual abilities, communication skills, both verbal and in writing; • Ability to coordinate and work with partners; to work with staff / team under pressure; • Demonstrate experience in project implementation, monitoring and reporting. • Demonstrated experience in conducting research and being a good team player; • Demonstrated ability to supervise and monitor work effectively; • Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder consultations with various target audiences; • Excellent written and oral communication skills; • Experience in handling and coordinating multi-stakeholders workshops.

Selection criteria

• Extent and relevance of experience in Agricultural value chains on how they are affected by climate change and their resilient technologies employed; • Relevant work experience in more than one Agricultural Sector; • Experience working with government ministries and /or agricultural sector, NGOs, Donors and private financial sector stakeholders; • Ability to work independently, strong analytical skills and problem solving; • Computer literacy with Word, PowerPoint and basic spreadsheets (Excel); • Excellent communication (both written and oral) and presentation skills in English.