Climate Change Adaptation Specialist

Organizational Setting Guided by Syria’s national development policies and priorities, a Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness project has been awarded to assist the Government of Syria in the preparatory activities necessary to support the set-up of a fully functioning National Designated Authority (NDA) and his/her office, as well as a Steering Committee that supports the NDA in making strategic decisions. This project will develop NDA’ manual which provide the guidance on rules and procedures of the Syria’s NDA for its day-to-day operation, including decision-making process, criteria with regard to funding and accreditation support decisions, institutional mechanism, and other policies to strengthen its operational efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency. The project will further ensure that Syria’s climate profile is assessed and communicated to all relevant officials. The climate profile of Syria will guide the thematic areas to be included in Syria’s country programme, which is a major output of this project. The country programme, which will be drafted through inclusive stakeholder consultations, will guide the Government of Syria to pursue sustainable and cost-efficient Climate Change adaptation and mitigation measures and prepare the country to take on larger climate finance projects. The project can be found online following this link: https://www.greenclimate.fund/document/nda-strengthening-and-country-programming-support-syrian-arab-republic-through-fao. Reporting Lines The International consultant for preparing Comprehensive Climate Profile for Syria (climate change adaptation specialist) will report to the FAO Representative for Syria Office. Technical Focus As part of the GCF Readiness Program’s support to the National Designated Authority (NDA) of the Government of Syria, the service of a consultant is sought to determine Syria’ climate change and variability profile as per activity 2.2.1. This profiling exercise will build on existing data, policy and planning work such as the National Determined Contributions (NDC), initial national communications (INC), and other relevant national climate policies and strategies, as available. The consultant is expected to finalize this task in close collaboration with the Syrian Meteorological Office and other relevant stakeholders. Stakeholder interactions will be facilitated through the FAO Syria office as well as the NDA. The consultant will be expected to travel to Syria for data collection, stakeholder engagement as well as for presenting the final results of the assignment to the NDA’s office. The output of this country profiling will inform the thematic CC programme of Syria. Result: The deliverable is a Comprehensive Climate Profile for Syria. The contents of the report will include the combined results from both consultants (adaptation and mitigation profile consultant) as per the scope of work and recommendations for data and information needs with regards to climate change adaptation and mitigation actions. Tasks and responsibilities The consultant will work closely with a mitigation consultant to develop the Comprehensive Climate Profile Analysis Report on Syria in consultation with the Syria’s NDA and the Steering Committee. The consultant shall the carry out the following tasks to achieve the desired results of the assignment:

Evaluate the robustness of existing climate data and of the need for additional weather data, climate observations, projections, impact models, and vulnerability assessments.
Based on available information, present the aggregate impacts (including observations and projections) of climate change on Syrian key sectors, including agriculture sub-sectors.
Identify productive areas and sectors most relevant from a CC adaptation standpoint (such as climate resilient value chains).
Engage with stakeholders, as needed for executing this assignment.
Organize a meeting with the NDA and the Steering Committee for discussing the draft report.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING Minimum Requirements

Master’s Degree or PhD in climatology, environmental science, agro-ecology, agro-climatology climate change adaptation;
At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in the context of climatology (and/ or CC mitigation profiling);
Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of the other FAO Official languages, preferably Arabic.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

Strong analytical skills;
Initiative, ability to work independently, sound judgment of facts and figures and good interpersonal skills;

Selection Criteria

Experience in engaging with various stakeholders, using participatory and consultative approaches (including organization of remote key informant interviews and larger-group online meetings given the COVID-19 situation) and ability to manage a diversity of views in different cultural contexts;
Experience in drafting documents in clear and concise English (a writing sample will need to be submitted);
Working experience in Asian and Arabic Countries is desirable;

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing) Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list If you are in possession of language certificate/s from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT), please attach the certificate/s when submitting the application. For more information, visit the FAO employment website HOW TO APPLY To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered. We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org APPLY HERE