UK PACT Officer (Nature Focus) - Sustainable Economic Transformation Team at British High Commission

Type of Position: Fixed Term
Grade: Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
Type of Post: British High Commission
Working hours per week: 37
Start Date: 1 January 2023
End Date: 31 December 2023
Job Subcategory: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)
Job Category: Other British Government Departments (Partners across Government, including UK Visas)

Job Description

• Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing our world. Nigeria is both highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and at risk of significantly increased emissions as its economy and population grow.
• The United Kingdom launched Nigeria-UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) in 2021. This is part of the global UK PACT programme – active in over 10 countries across Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
• UK PACT supports partner countries with Technical Assistance across multiple sectors to improve the capacity and capability of key institutions to reduce emissions, mitigate climate change and foster inclusive economic growth in line with their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), increasing climate ambition and creating sustainable livelihoods in the process.
• Nigeria is a UK PACT priority country with an annual budget of around £3.5m up to 2026.
• The portfolio currently consists of three grant projects (in Nature and Energy Efficiency) and several direct-to-government skill-shares (in climate policy, green finance, and sustainable transport), with a rapidly growing pipeline. Our two current Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) projects address sustainable forest commodity supply chains and mangrove protection & restoration. In its 2021 NDC, Nigeria identified agroforestry, improved forest management and forest restoration as the top three NBS, and UK PACT keen to expand its nature work to support Nigeria’s NDC ambitions.
• This role will be instrumental in delivering this expansion. As well as coordinating the British High Commission (BHC) in Nigeria oversight of the existing UK PACT NBS projects, the successful candidate will be responsible for scoping new opportunities to respond to Federal and State-level demand and support other UK programmes.
• They will work closely with BHC colleagues, FCDO London and wider stakeholder networks (including Federal Government of Nigeria) to build a portfolio of NBS projects, and wider climate mitigation-focused skill shares and secondments.
• This position will help deliver the UK PACT Strategy’s goals for NBS, refresh objectives and interventions based on in-depth knowledge of the sector in Nigeria, while ensuring that all UK PACT activities fit with BHC’s Country Plan.
• Alongside applying technical expertise, the position has integral programme management and administrative responsibilities. The successful candidate will join an energy-focussed UK PACT Officer and be expected to work collaboratively on cross-cutting UK PACT tasks, including project monitoring, document preparation and stakeholder engagement. 
• The post holder will need to work effectively with the FCDO team in London, colleagues at the British High Commission in Abuja and the UK PACT delivery partner to manage the drafting and sign-off processes for new projects, ensure the timely completion and submission of reporting documents, and act as the Point of Contact for all nature enquiries along with broader UK PACT-related initiatives.
• The successful candidate will be an integral part of the Nigeria-UK PACT team, sitting within the Sustainable Economic Transformation block at the BHC in Abuja.
• The role reports to the Food and Agriculture Adviser, supporting NBS objectives in Nigeria by setting up and overseeing the UK PACT projects and skill-shares that can help deliver these, while working closely with the FCDO and BEIS International Climate Finance teams in London and UK PACT Delivery Partner.  UK PACT has a number of reporting structures between BHC, FCDO London and UK PACT Delivery Partners, so experience in matrix management structures and the ability to report to different audiences is welcomed.
• It is an exciting opportunity to be at the heart of this evolving area of UK – Nigeria collaboration. The post holder will contribute to the development of a vision for how to grow the UK-Nigeria climate relationship, building on the existing UK PACT portfolio and identifying new areas for support. 

Roles and Responsibilities
UK PACT Programme management and delivery:

• Work with the UK PACT delivery partners to oversee NBS project development and progress via regular update meetings, performance reviews and completion reports.
• Regularly review NBS portfolio risks, opportunities, and mitigation measures, communicating to FCDO’s delivery partner and FCDO Nigeria risk management structures.
• Develop skill-share pipeline, working with London colleagues, relevant experts, and government counterparts to ensure that skill-shares are clearly defined, with deliverable outcomes and sustained impact.
• Support the planning and delivery of in-person and online secondments and skill-sharing missions between the UK and Nigeria.
• Support reporting of results against International Climate Finance (ICF) KPIs, develop case studies of projects and be responsible for documenting learning, sharing recommendations with colleagues in the UK and BHC to inform programme management and future strategy development.
• Share outputs of UK PACT NBS projects with Nigerian Government and other stakeholders to ensure programme understanding and uptake of recommendations.
• Collaborate with the other UK PACT Officer on programme and policy issues of shared interest, and provide support to other ICF programmes as needed, ensuring UK visibility, coherence, and complementarity with other UK initiatives.

Nigeria - Nature Oversight:

• Maintain in-depth understanding of the nature and climate landscape in Nigeria, including previously funded activities by the UK and other donors, political economy, and country demands, working closely with BHC colleagues.
• Provide evidence-based recommendations to the Food and Agriculture Adviser and FCDO London on NBS project opportunities through UK PACT. Utilise a strong understanding of UK ICF and other donor portfolios to maximise links between nature programmes and improve their response to Nigerian priorities.
• Identify, analyse, and communicate policy, technological and commercial developments or risks that may influence the delivery of UK-Nigeria climate collaboration.
• Draw on the existing portfolio to continuously co-develop the UK PACT strategy with FCDO, BHC leads and relevant counterparts and identify key areas of demand where future UK PACT support on nature can drive climate ambition and support emissions reductions.
• Lead on briefings, presentations, and other reporting to the FCDO team in London to inform the development of nature-related UK PACT opportunities.

UK PACT Stakeholder management:

• Under the guidance of the Food and Agriculture Adviser and BHC colleagues, proactively develop, manage, and strengthen the High Commission’s network of UK – Nigeria NBS and wider climate contacts to identify capacity building and policy influencing opportunities for UK PACT.
• Support the Sustainable Economic Transformation and Climate & Environment Teams to scope and develop deeper climate collaboration with Nigeria, at Federal, State, and local level, fostering relationships across the Government of Nigeria in line with the Country Plan.
• Proactively seek cross-section collaboration opportunities amongst BHC teams to continue supporting a mainstreamed approach to NBS and climate change.
• Publicly represent the High Commission and UK Government as a credible interlocutor in NBS-related engagements, as necessary.

Corporate and Administration:

• Play an active part in the corporate life of the BHC to maximise the overall well-being of staff.
• Lead on the preparation and coordination of high-level climate missions Nigeria, identifying opportunities for relevant dialogues to support the development and delivery of programmes.
• Manage the broad array of UK PACT and BHC-related administrative tasks and support the wider team when required.  

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience
We are looking for a proactive self-starter, able to work well and have a flexible approach to work whilst under pressure and excellent interpersonal and communications skills to build strong relations within the British High Commission and with a wide range of stakeholders in Nigeria with the following:

• University Degree in Environmental Science, Climate, Public Policy, or related course (preferably with Nature, Forests and/or Land Use focus, which may be substituted for sufficient, relevant work experience).
• Minimum of 5 years of work experience with extensive Project/Programme management experience, preferably with international stakeholders.
• Demonstratable interpersonal, communication and relationship management skills.
• Ability to deliver high profile outcomes at pace, with tight competing deadlines, working in an agile way to changing demands.
• Be a flexible and creative problem-solver, able to come up with innovative solutions to complex problems and coordinate coherent and compelling programmes and projects.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Experience providing high-quality, initiative-led administrative and logistical support.
• Team player driven by collaboration

Language Requirements:

• Language: English but Hausa, Yoruba and/or Igbo also desirable.
• Level of language required:  Fluency in English

Desirable Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Experience of running grant-based technical assistance/capacity building projects in Nigeria
• Solid knowledge of Nigeria’s climate mitigation context and commitments, along with forestry, nature and land-use policies, its international commitments, and institutional frameworks.
•  Sound network of contacts in political arena, government, private sector, and civil societies.

Required Behaviours:

• Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace, Working Together.

Salary
USD2432.34 monthly

Other benefits and conditions of employment:

• The FCDO offer a wide range of learning and development opportunities throughout the year.