Climate Change Programme Officer

Horn of Africa Climate Change Programme Officer

Background

The Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre & Network (HoA-REC&N) is the secretariat of a Network of more than 40 higher-education institutions and civil society organisations in six countries of the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan). These organisations aim to improve environmental governance and promote sustainable development. A detailed overview about HoA-REC&N is available on www.hoarec.org

The Horn of Africa Climate Change Programme (HoA-CCP) is the organisation’s first regional programme that integrates all six National Chapters. The HoA-CCP aims to align to climate-relevant government policies in target countries, and work within identified priority areas to promote the systematic implementation of a flagship development model that establishes stronger links between safeguarding ecosystem integrity and enhancing income- generating opportunities. The programme aims to develop a ‘package’ of concrete activities (support to land use development planning, rainwater harvesting, soil conservation measures, sustainable agriculture, green value chains, renewable energy options) that form the basis for a tailor-made implementation plan for six different landscapes. The HoA-CCP will produce a number of concrete ‘products’. The Landscape Governance expert will assist the HoA-CCP Coordinator in the implementation of the programme:

• Baseline study for each landscape: a thorough biophysical, socio-economic and gender baseline is created for each of the selected landscapes, upon which a tailor-made intervention package per landscape will be designed and implemented by HoA-REN members, led by the Focal Point organisations. This package will be the result of a landscape visioning and priority-setting workshop held in each of the countries. 
• Demand Driven Action Research and Demonstration Initiatives: the HoA-CCP aims to promote innovations and innovative approaches in the area of ecosystem restoration, sustainable agriculture, green value chains, and greenhouse gas emission reductions, thereby making the programme function as a catalyst for new ideas in the different countries. It is critical to give special attention to the design of interventions that are gender responsive, e.g. by strengthening women cooperatives that produce, process and market non-timber forest products and identify land and water conservation interventions that improve the relative position of women. 
• Landscape Governance track: in collaboration with the WUR Centre for Development Innovation, a landscape governance track will be developed during the inception phase to provide network members with critical knowledge, experience and tools to become proactive, well-informed core actors in a multi-stakeholder setting for the sustainable governance and development of their respective landscapes. 
• Regional landscape studies: the flagship character of the programme will facilitate the bringing in of best practices into the policy arena at the national, regional and African level through the elaboration and publishing of studies on the Horn landscapes together with internationally renowned research institutions. The studies will capture success stories and lessons learned and aim to serve both the influencing of environmental and green growth policies in the Horn, and the attraction of additional funding for the HoA-CCP. 

Position: Programme Officer 

HoA-REC&N’s Horn of Africa Climate Change Programme (HoA-CCP) is now looking for a competent programme officer to assist in the implementation of the HoA-CCP in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, in close collaboration with the Programme coordinator.

Duty station: HoA-REC&N headquarters in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), with frequent travel to programme intervention countries in the Horn of Africa
Duration: One year, with the possibility of extension upon positive performance
Remuneration:To be negotiated 
Application deadline:August 20th, 2015

Job Summary:

Under supervision of the Programme coordinator, the programme officer shall assist on programme implementation, reporting and budgetting together with the National Chapters of the Regional Environment Network in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, as well as with the HoA-REC&N Gambella Branch Office. The programme officer will be responsible to take the lead in yearly reporting to the donor and the creation of action plans. A critical task will be to leverage additional funding from the public (donor) and private sector to upscale HoA-CCP activities. Hence, proposal writing will be one of the work activities. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Assist in the implementation of the different programme components (landscape governance learning journey; demand driven action research and demonstration initiatives; regional landscape studies; set-up framework for monitoring and evaluation of the HoA-CCP).
• Maintain good contact with stakeholders in the field of natural resource management and sustainable development, specifically focusing on the facilitation of partnerships between the private sector, local and national government, and the Network members and partners of the different Horn of Africa countries; 
• Prepare yearly progress reports to the donor, and formulate detailed activity plans and budgets for the coming year, in close consultation with the programme coordinator, National Chapters and (international) partners; 
• Support the development and implementation of a comprehensive monitoring system for the HoA-CCP, in close collaboration with HoA-REC’s M&E unit, and provide updates to the internal M&E system; 
• Engage in Calls for Proposals and discussions with donors to leverage additional funding for the HoA-CCP intervention landscapes; 
• Represent HoA-REC&N in relevant conferences, meetings and workshops. 

Educational, experience and skills requirements: 

• MSc/MA background in Natural Resource Management, Climate Change Adaptation, Integrated Water Resource Management, Sustainable Development and related fields; 
• At least 5 years of work experience in the field of natural resource management in the international development sector; 
• Proven ability to link different sectors (water, land, economy), to promote and give guidance to environmental governance processes; 
• Proven ability to facilitate and coordinate multi-stakeholder processes and maintain constructive contact with stakeholders in the field of natural resource management; 
• Strong affinity with, and knowledge of the nexus between poverty and natural resource management in the Horn of Africa;
• Proven excellence in report and proposal writing skills.

Essential requirements: 

• Applicants from Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan are encouraged to apply. The aim is to attract more staff coming from the Horn of Africa.
• Excellent computer skills (word, excel, powerpoint).
• Excellent knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of French, Arabic and/or Swahili is a distinct advantage.

Application: 

The salary and benefit package will be negotiable. Interested candidates that meet the required qualification and experience are invited to submit their Curriculum Vitae, copies of credentials, and passport along with an application letter to - recruitment@hoarec.org - before or on August 20th, 2015. Clearly indicate “Application for Programme Officer HoA-CCP” in the title of your email. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.