Principal Climate Risk and Disaster Officer at African Development Bank - AfDB

The main responsibility of the Principal Climate Risk & Disaster Officer will be to support the preparation and implementation of CDSF activities related to climate risk and disaster management, and in particular support the implementation of the activities related to disaster risk and resilience building in Africa.  Working under the guidance and supervision of the CDSF coordinator, he/she will be responsible for:

• Leading the CDSF programmatic activities related to climate risk and disaster management activities, i.e., project identification, preparation, appraisal, mid-term review, supervision, post evaluation (PCR) and submission of the grant proposals for approval by the Bank.
• Providing technical and policy advice to the CDSF team and professional staff from the regional member countries and regional climate centers during implementation of projects and other activities related to climate risk and disaster management projects including procurement, project monitoring, disbursement and evaluation. Monitoring the status of the progress, challenges and administrative issues related to the CDSF portfolio and preparing project documents, and aide memoirs from project supervisions.
• Providing technical advice and ensuring that the DRR programs as well as the investments are consistent with internationally recognised process and standards, e.g, in the area of Numerical Weather Predictions and Climatology.
• Ensuring that the AfDB rules and procedures for the procurement, disbursement, legal agreements, anti-corruption action planning and social and environmental safeguards are properly applied.
• Organizing regular supervision missions and other technical and financial reviews of ongoing projects and identifying areas for improvement in regard to problem projects.
• Liaising with the EUMETSAT on the implementation of the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) related programs and ensuring timely technical advice on specific aspects related to the projects (e.g., Regional Advanced Retransmission Systems (RARS), Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), and access to satellite data).
• Coordinate with the agencies/entities responsible for the implementation of the other results of the EU-ACP Disaster Resilience program (i.e., AUC, UNISDAR, World Bank – Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction) in order to ensure synergies between the EU supported programs.
• Preparing reports and briefing materials for AfDB management and CDSF/ClimDev-Africa Steering Committee.
• Defending the CDSF projects and activities at the CDSC Steering Committee, AfDB management and Board and responding to operational questions.
• Working with relevant Bank departments, Country Teams and Regional Departments to ensure that CDSF operations meet Bank standards and conform to Country policies and CDSF Operational Procedures.
• Performing any other duties pertinent to the CDSF and assigned by the Coordinator of CDSF.

Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• At least a Master’s degree in climatology, hydrology, meteorology, climate science, earth science or a closely related field, a PhD will be an added advantage.
• A minimum of six (6) years relevant professional experience in climate science, meteorology, or climatology in  Africa, including policy formation, capacity building and investments in climate data information management systems;
• Sound understanding of regional advanced retransmission systems, numerical weather predictions and use of polar orbiting meteorological satellite data for weather forecasting;
• Excellent organizational skills and prioritization of work program, meeting deadlines, conducting several activities while simultaneously contributing to the work of others;
• Being capable of working in a team with colleagues with respect to gender and diversity;
• Ability to provide guidance and advice on strategies to enable others to achieve goals and solve problems;
• Ability to communicate and write effectively in English and/or French with a good working knowledge of the other language;
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access, Power Point, MS projects, knowledge of SAP;
• Willingness to travel to the project implementation countries and attend international meetings on climate change adaption as may be required.