Climate Change Specialist (Anticipatory Action)
Organizational Context
FAO Sudan collaborates with the Government to develop policies and projects addressing hunger, malnutrition, and sustainable natural resource management. The organization focuses on enhancing climate resilience within the agricultural sector through initiatives that reduce vulnerability and promote adaptation and mitigation measures across various Sudanese states. This role involves close collaboration with FAO technical teams, implementing partners, and government authorities.
Job Purpose
The Climate Change Specialist (Anticipatory Action) will lead the design, implementation, and enhancement of climate risk management strategies, multi-hazard early warning systems, and pre-disaster humanitarian action plans. This role requires providing specialized technical expertise to develop and coordinate localized frameworks for climate risk management, early warning dissemination, and the activation of pre-disaster humanitarian responses throughout Sudan. The objective is to strengthen the country's capacity to anticipate and respond to climate-related shocks effectively.
Responsibilities
The specialist will define localized climate and weather thresholds for anticipatory action, adapting standard triggers to Sudan's specific conditions and the complexities of concurrent conflict and climate shocks. Responsibilities include partnering with the Sudan Meteorological Authority and National Council for Civil Defense to translate hydrometeorological data into early warning bulletins and integrating impact-based forecasting into humanitarian response mechanisms. The role involves designing Standard Operating Procedures for pre-disaster assistance, coordinating logistics for immediate stock deployment, and leading technical working groups with local authorities, NGOs, and international actors. Ensuring inclusive, conflict-sensitive, and locally led AA frameworks is crucial. Additionally, the specialist will design and deliver training workshops on climate resilience and early action for disaster management offices and monitor the impact of anticipatory pilots.
Work Experience
A minimum of seven years of relevant professional experience is required, specifically within Sudan's agriculture, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, or humanitarian/agricultural development sectors. Experience should encompass practical application in these fields, contributing to resilience-building and response mechanisms.
Skills
Key skills include demonstrated hands-on experience in designing, implementing, or operationalizing early warning and anticipatory action frameworks, translating forecasts into actionable humanitarian and development responses. Experience working with national/sub-national governments, UN agencies, or international NGOs in climate-vulnerable contexts is essential. Strong knowledge of climate change adaptation, early warning systems, and anticipatory actions in Sudan, as well as agriculture and natural resources management, is required. Experience in designing Early Action Protocols, establishing impact-based forecasting systems, or defining climate trigger thresholds is highly valued. Excellent knowledge of working with diverse stakeholders in Sudan and a track record with national disaster risk management authorities are crucial. Familiarity with risk mapping and climate-data visualization tools is also beneficial.