View Vacancy - PACT Climate Officer HEO (16/22 NR) O/H

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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)

As part of the British Government’s global response to the climate challenge, and commitment to help deliver the aims of the Paris Agreement (UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2015), the UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) programme was established in 2018 as a flagship programme to support the UK’s climate initiatives around the world. PACT provides technical assistance to partner countries to support acceleration of their clean growth transitions and reduce carbon emissions in line with their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In September 2021, the UK Prime Minister announced £200m of new funding for UK PACT to continue its delivery and grow as a programme to March 2026.

Kenya has been identified as a key strategic climate partner for the UK with the PACT programme potentially playing a transformative role in Kenya, increasing the capacity and capability of Kenya institutions to deliver climate smart solutions in a range of areas and help support the delivery of its NDC.

This job is located within the British High Commission’s Prosperity & Climate Team. The team leads for the UK in Kenya on key economic policy issues including trade, finance, infrastructure and urbanisation, climate diplomacy and the UK’s global commitments on environment and biodiversity.  The primary focus of the job holder is to coordinate the PACT programme in Kenya, acting a point of contact between the PACT team in London, PACT project implementing partners, and key Government, private sector and civil society stakeholders. From time to time, the post holder will be called upon to implement other climate projects supported by British government work in Kenya, including diplomatic and policy action to support delivery of outcomes from COP26 and COP27.  This role will report to the Team’s Climate and Environment Adviser and will be expected to develop strong links with other colleagues across the Mission.

The role entails:

Programme implementation and delivery 

  • Working within the Prosperity and Climate Team in the British High Commission and collaborating with the PACT team in London, act as policy and programme lead for the UK PACT programme in Kenya, focused on delivery and oversight. Ensure that the portfolio and activities remain focused on intended objectives and key results, and track indicators to ensure our activity is adding value.
  • Provide policy expertise to support the planning, development and implementation of current and future UK PACT programmes through a clear understanding of the forest and energy landscapes in Kenya including the political economy, opportunities for nature-based solutions, carbon markets and the country’s needs.
  • Inform strategy implementation and activity planning through insightful briefings and analysis on specific climate themes, trends, identifying new opportunities, highlighting risks and mitigation strategies working closely with PACT grantees and delivery partner.
  • Work with the UK PACT delivery partner to organise and manage calls for proposals and approval of projects for the UK PACT Kenya Country Programme.
  • On an ongoing basis, oversee UK PACT’s forward work and activity plan in Kenya, ensuring it operates in a coordinated, integrated matter and delivers on UK objectives.
  • Review progress of UK PACT projects and form strategic relationships with project beneficiaries to ensure ongoing relevance and impact of projects.
  • Support demand scoping and market engagement events for relevant funding rounds.
  • Identify potential UK PACT skill-share opportunities, where experts from the UK PACT roster of experts can help key institutions, and support and facilitate visits by experts on missions.
  • Share outputs of UK PACT projects with Government of Kenya and other stakeholders to ensure sharing and uptake of recommendations.
  • Collate all relevant learning and share with colleagues in UK and British High Commission. Use learning to inform and update future strategy.
  • Provide support to other ICF programmes as needed, ensuring UK visibility, coherence and complementarity with other UK government programmes.

Stakeholder management 

  • Proactively develop, manage and strengthen the High Commission’s network of climate contacts to identify capacity building and policy influencing opportunities.
  • As required, represent the High Commission and UK Government as a credible interlocutor in climate related engagements.
  • Ensure coordination between UK climate programmes and initiatives supported by other donor agencies, identifying opportunities for multilateral cooperation where possible.
  • Proactively seek cross-team collaboration opportunities amongst High Commission teams to continue supporting a mainstreamed approach to climate change in bilateral programmes.
  • Play an active part in the corporate life of the High Commission (including, if necessary, as a member of the Greening Committee).
  • Advanced university degree for instance in, Environmental Science, Climate, Natural Resource Management or related discipline;
  • Strong experience and understanding of climate change programming with a focus on forest governance, nature based solutions and/or energy management;
  • Minimum 7 years of experience working on climate change issues, for example working for/with national or regional government, international organisations or agencies, ideally with project/ programme management experience;
  • Ability to demonstrate strong analytical and planning skills focused on achieving quality results;
  • Strong interpersonal, communication and relationship skills with ability to work collaboratively with others;
  • Be a flexible and creative problem-solver, able to develop innovative solutions to complex problems, coordinate coherent and compelling programmes and projects whilst delivering at pace;
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills (fluency in written and verbal English) and ability to adjust to different audiences;
  • Experience developing/implementing REDD+ projects
  • Knowledge of financial / budget management principles or previous financial management experience.
Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together
26 August 2022
Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
Fixed Term
24 months
Africa
Kenya
Nairobi
British High Commission
KES 390,410.27
1 October 2022

Learning and development opportunities:

  • Compulsory online training courses include Diversity and Inclusion;
  • Courses offered on UK government climate change and energy policy.

The British High Commission has an active L&D Committee and offers a wide range of in-house training and funding for external training on policy and programme work

Working patterns:

The standard hours for a full time member of office staff are 36 hours per week, with core hours of 08.30 to 15.00 Monday to Thursday and 08.30 to 13.00 on Friday, with at least a 30 minute lunch break as per the Nairobi Staff Handbook.

Full-time hours required. However, flexible working arrangements are welcome and you should take the opportunity to discuss this with the recruiting manager during the recruitment process.

Any other information:

Members of staff are entitled to paid annual leave, which is earned, from the day they commence employment. Entitlements are as follows:

Grades HEO - 30 days

In addition to annual leave, the BHC normally observes no fewer than 9 and no more than 14 Kenyan and British public and religious holidays in a year. These vary from year to year and are at the discretion of the High Commissioner. A list of holidays is published each year. 

THE CONTRACT IS EFFECTIVE FROM 1 OCTBER 2022 TO 31 MARCH 2025

  • Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening.
  • Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
  • The British High Commission will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.
  • Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Nairobi are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Kenya.
  • It is essential that the applicants already have the right to live and work in Kenya without the need to apply for a work permit.
  • Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.   
  • Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles. Please note:  AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5 
  • Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.
  • Please log into your profile on the application system on a regular basis to review the status of your application.
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This opportunity is closed to applications.