District Local Adaptation and Climate Change Advisor at BRAC Rwanda

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Introduction

BRAC International is a leading nonprofit organization with a mission to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and social injustice. Our approach is grounded in the conviction that people living in vulnerable situations can be agents of change if they are empowered with the tools, skills, and hope they need to change their lives. We design proven, scalable solutions that equip people with the support and confidence they need to achieve their potential. BRAC's institutional expertise on successfully implemented programmes is applied across 10 countries, touching the lives of over 130 million people, where our models are adapted according to the country's context. 

In 2022, the Mastercard Foundation in partnership with BRAC International (BI) started an initiative that will create positive and measurable impact for 1.2 million adolescent girls and young women and 9.5 million people across seven countries in East and West Africa, including Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda.

There is mounting urgency to support adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) living in poverty, which has been further amplified by the global pandemic. Through this partnership, scalable economic development approaches will be delivered in communities to foster the agency and voice of AGYW. They will have the opportunity to fulfill their aspirations, achieve sustainable livelihoods, and engage in advocacy issues.

In this regard, BRAC International is seeking applications from competent, dynamic and self-motivated individuals to fill the following position in Rwanda

Position: District Local Adaptation and Climate Change Advisor

Job Location: Based in Ngororero or Nyabihu District

Responsible to: Climate Change and Local Adaptation Coordinator, dotted reporting to District Executive Secretary through the unit of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

Contract nature: 12 months fulltime, fixed term with 3-months probation period.

Job Summary

Rwanda’s hard-won development gains, particularly in local economic development (LED), are threatened by climate change. The frequency and severity of climate-related disasters, including floods, landslides and droughts, have significantly increased in Rwanda since the early 2000s, causing human casualties and economic and environmental losses. For instance, the Rwanda National Institute of Statistics estimates that 75% of households in the country were affected by destructive rains, nearly 17% were affected by mountain slides, and nearly 8% by floods in 2019-2020. It is therefore critical that the planning, implementation, and operation and maintenance stages of future LED investments in Rwanda integrate targeted adaptation approaches to ensure they can withstand climate change.

In July 2023, the Government of Rwanda launched the €35 million Pro-Poor Development (PPD) Basket Fund to support inclusive and sustainable local LED by improving local service provision in rural and poor districts of Rwanda. The Basket Fund seeks to improve access to basic public services, provide employment opportunities, improve resilience to climate change, and have a positive impact on women and young people, while ensuring that no one is left behind.

To support the Project’s objectives of promoting inclusive and climate resilient development, Rwanda’s Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA) and Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) is partnering with BRAC International, Rwanda and the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) to pilot a people’s-led approach to plan and implement adaptation in two climate vulnerable districts, Nyabihu and Ngororero. This will be accompanied by capacity building support to the Project’s implementation teams across the 16 districts covered by the PPD Basket Fund, to support similar planning processes.

Key Duties/Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Technical advisor and coordinator, and dotted reporting to Executive Secretary through the unit of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, the post holder will:

1. Assist in developing the capacity of district government officials and community groups to plan and implement climate resilient investments under the Pro-poor basket fund. This will include the following tasks:
   1. Raise awareness, interest and demand from district government officials for mainstreaming climate adaptation planning and finance into the district development planning system.
   2. Facilitate the development and integration of Locally Led Adaptation approaches complementary to existing district planning systems that are relevant to and which promote informed participation of communities.
   3. Assist in developing an appropriate model for the integration of Locally Led Adaptation principles into the Pro-poor basket fund interventions.
   4. Assist in developing an appropriate approach for building the capacity of community groups and representative committees to plan climate adaptation actions and make proposals to District Steering Committees

2. Provide the District Technical and Steering Committees with secretariat services including organising background materials for meetings, recording discussions and agreements, and preparing reports on the committee’s work for district officials and other relevant stakeholders. 
3. Provide technical guidance in explaining the rationale of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and their relevance to PPD- Basket projects
4. Work with staff in charge of planning, monitoring & evaluation, environment & climate change adaptation and staff in charge of disaster management on planning and mobilizing community on climate change negative impacts and adaptation measures, as related to the Pro-poor basket fund interventions. 
5. Any other tasks/duties as assigned

Requirements/Person Specification

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, rural development, environmental economics, geography or related areas.
• 10 years’ experience of working in rural development, climate adaptation, climate finance projects and NDC implementation.
• Working knowledge of government planning systems.
• Experience of successful management of multiple stakeholder processes, ideally in decentralised governance systems.
• Knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of rural livelihoods and economies.
• Strong communication skills to convey complex messages in a clear, concise and effective manner in English, Kinyarwanda and French.
• Experience of writing and editing for a range of audiences including narrative reports, briefing papers and technical and non-technical publications.
• Ability to work in innovative, self-motivated and organized ways and able to collaborate with people from diverse background and cultures.
• Knowledge of business software (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, databases and communications).
• Open to both national and regional applicants.

Safeguarding Responsibilities

• Ensure the safety of team members from any harm, abuse, neglect, harassment and exploitation to achieve the programme’s goals on safeguarding implementation
• Act as a key source of support, guidance and expertise on safeguarding for establishing a safe working environment
• Practice, promote and endorse the issues of safeguarding policy among team members and ensure the implementation of safeguarding standards in every course of action
• Follow the safeguarding reporting procedure in case any reportable incident takes place and encourage others to do the same

Safeguarding Policy:

BRAC is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share the same commitment. We believe every stakeholder and every member of the communities we work with has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect, harassment, and exploitation - regardless of age, race, religion, and gender, status as an individual with a disability or ethnic origin. BRAC holds a zero-tolerance policy against sexual exploitation, discrimination, exploitation, abuse and harassment. Violations to stated policies will be subject to corrective action up to and including termination of contract.

If you feel you are the right match for the above-mentioned position, please follow the application instructions accordingly:

Candidates need to send a signed Cover letter in PDF format indicating the title of the position applied for, an updated CV mentioning educational grades, years of experience, and notarized copies of academic qualifications. All those documents should be sent through email: bracrwandarecruitment@gmail.com, Application deadline is 27^th  June 2024

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be called for interview.