National Consultant on Climate Change

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programs, and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources sustainably. The post is located in the FAO Representation in the Islamic Republic of Iran (Tehran) and the Ministry of Agriculture Jahad (MAJ). All FAO-Iran employees shall follow the UN workweek (from Sunday to Thursday) and holiday schedule.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will perform his/her tasks and duties under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative to the I.R. Iran, direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Programme), in close coordination with the Project Officer, technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer, in close contact with the other FAO colleagues and in collaboration with the Department of Water and Soil of the Ministry of Agriculture Jahad.

Technical Focus

The National Climate Change Consultant provides technical expertise and support to implementation, operation, and capacity development of the strategies and concerns of the project associated with climate change and climate change adaptation in close collaboration with the Project Officer and the national stakeholders.

Task and Responsibilities

The incumbent will perform the following tasks and duties:

1. Review and collect available climate change projections and analyses for Iran, at the national level, for the target provinces of the project and associated river basins;
2. Review and collect available climate change impacts on land, water resources, and agriculture, at the national and in the target provinces of the project;
3. Perform assessment of climate change and its impacts on land, water, and agriculture in each of the target provinces of the project with a focus on observed and projected changes in climate variables and impacts i.e. on water, soil, climate hazards (such as flood and drought, heat and cold waves, hail, etc) and other associated disaster risks (such as soil erosion, land degradation), agriculture yield and other impacts;
4. In collaboration with the FAO team, perform a socio-economic vulnerability assessment of each target province with a focus on agricultural livelihoods and water and soil infrastructures, linked with biophysical impacts of climate change, including the impacts and lessons learned from the past floods and droughts;
5. Develop GIS databases, collect available and prepare new maps presenting the results of the above-mentioned assessments;
6. Provide climate change and vulnerability and risk assessment results for baseline studies on water, soil, and disaster risk management (DRM)/climate change adaptation (CCA), led by other national consultants;
7. Contribute to the development of a Draft strategy for climate and disaster-resilient soil and water management for each target province, working closely with the FAO team to ensure that the Strategy reflects a good understanding of and address critical climate change impacts, vulnerabilities and risks and adopt multi-hazard and integrated (soil, water, agriculture) approaches;
8. Provide climate change information, impacts, and other information/data and maps for the selection of sites and implementation of pilot testes;
9. Develop related training materials for strengthening Government counterpart capacity in climate change assessments;
10. Contribute to the design and implementation of other project trainings on climate-resilient soil, water and agriculture management, DRM and CCA;
11. Contribute to the development of strategic frameworks and reports mentioned in the project document including the final report on Climate Change Impact Assessment;
12. Perform other tasks assigned by the FAO Representative to the I.R. Iran.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Climatology, Climate Change, Agriculture, DRM or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in climate change assessment, GIS preferably in agriculture and natural resources management.
• National of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
• Proven communications skills and fluent in English and Persian.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Knowledge and familiarity with global climate change scenarios and downscaled scenarios available for Iran
• Track record of climate change impact assessments, preferably in agriculture and natural resources management sectors
• Knowledge and familiarity with institutional policy and regulatory frameworks of national entities engaged in Climate Change Adaptation in Iran.
• Ability to interact tactfully and effectively with multiple institutional actors in diverse sectors and at diverse levels, to communicate messages and to promote dialogue.
• Experience in developing strategies and plans in the area of technical expertise.
• Experience in capacity building, design and delivery of trainings/capacity building programmes including hands-on coaching.
• Proven capacity to conduct fieldwork and the ability to work in teams and establish working relationships central and local government institutions and civil society organizations.
• Excellent knowledge of GIS and spatial analysis tools.

• Good command of computer skills (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet).

• Excellent knowledge of climate change projections, downscaling at national, river basin and sub-nation levels, and impact analysis

• Excellent knowledge of and working experience with government institutions at all levels.
• Capacity to draft concise and strategic documents.