Climate Resilience Specialist

Organizational Context

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives and building a pathway to peace, stability, and prosperity. WFP uses food assistance to combat hunger and address the impacts of climate change, conflict, and disasters. We are committed to a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce operating with integrity, collaboration, commitment, humanity, and inclusion.

Job Purpose

The Climate Resilience Specialist will lead WFP Malawi's efforts to enhance community resilience and adaptive capacity against escalating climate shocks like floods and droughts, which threaten food security and the Zero Hunger initiative. This role provides technical leadership for climate adaptation projects, particularly those funded by climate finance mechanisms, ensuring evidence-based design, compliant implementation, robust monitoring, and strong partnerships. The specialist will ensure climate adaptation interventions effectively protect and strengthen food systems, livelihoods, and nutritional outcomes for vulnerable populations. Key responsibilities include strategic leadership, project design and implementation, government and stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation, integrating cross-cutting priorities like gender and protection, resource mobilization, and managing operations and budgets.

Responsibilities

The Climate Resilience Specialist will spearhead WFP Malawi's initiatives to bolster community resilience against escalating climate shocks like floods and droughts, which imperil food security and the Zero Hunger goal. This role demands technical leadership in designing, implementing, and monitoring climate adaptation projects, particularly those funded by climate-related mechanisms. The specialist will ensure interventions effectively protect and enhance food systems, livelihoods, and nutritional outcomes for vulnerable populations. A key responsibility is integrating cross-cutting priorities such as gender equality, protection, accountability to affected populations, and environmental and social safeguards into all climate resilience efforts. The role involves strategic leadership in portfolio management, project design and implementation, government and stakeholder engagement, and robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks. Additionally, the specialist will contribute to partnerships, resource mobilization, and operational aspects like budgeting and procurement, ensuring alignment with WFP's strategic objectives and donor requirements. This position is crucial for advancing sustainable food systems and adaptive capacities in Malawi amidst climate change challenges.

Work Experience

Requires a minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in climate adaptation/resilience programming, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa. Demonstrated experience managing Climate Adaptation Fund/bilateral climate projects is essential, including compliance, monitoring, evaluation, and stakeholder engagement. Technical expertise in at least two areas such as climate services, anticipatory action, community-based adaptation, ecosystem management, water resources, nature-based solutions, social protection linkages, or livelihood diversification is needed. Proven ability in government coordination, partner management, and capacity building is also required.

Skills

Climate Adaptation, Resilience Programming, Natural Resource Management, Disaster Risk Management, Agriculture, Food Security, Stakeholder Engagement, Capacity Building, Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Environmental and Social Safeguards, Gender Equality, Protection, Accountability to Affected Populations, Resource Mobilization, Policy Dialogue, Climate Services, Anticipatory Action, Livelihood Diversification, Water Resource Management, Nature-Based Solutions, Social Protection Linkages

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