Specialist: Climate Smart Agriculture

Functional Title: Specialist: Climate Smart Agriculture

Responsibility Level: Specialist
Department: Women’s Economic Empowerment and Climate Justice
Work Station: CARE Nepal, Country office
Incumbent’s Name: Vacant
Supervisor: Senior Manager: Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security, and Resilient Livelihoods
Co-evaluator: WEECJ Coordinator

JOB SUMMARY
This position supports CARE Nepal’s climate justice, resilience building, natural resource management, and women economic empowerment initiatives. CSA specialist is also responsible for stakeholder coordination, implementation, and reporting of Climate Smart Village Nepal (CSV -N) project. Depending on the situation, the incumbent may need to take a very active role in technical co-ordination, policy analysis and advocacy, needs assessment for new business development, knowledge brokering and stakeholder liaison. In addition, this position represents CARE Nepal in various resilience and climate change related forum at provincial, and national level.

Climate Smart Village Nepal (CSV-N) project, funded by public funding program of the Austrian Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK), contributes in achieving Nepal’s NDC target promoting gender-responsive, climate resilient farming communities with low GHG emissions in Madhesh province Increased climate change resilience of 12,500 small scale and landless women, youth, and marginalized farmers will be triggered through the introduction of climate smart agriculture (CSA)practices such as water smart irrigation, seed smart, carbon smart cropping practices etc which contributes to enhancing climate resilience of agri-food systems. The project will also strengthen the voice and leadership of women, youth, and marginalized farmers in development of local climate just policies, plans, and budgets, thereby contributing to sustainable, equitable access to information and resources for climate change adaptation and mitigation beyond the implementation.

As a specialized knowledge holder, this position will be responsible to implement Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices at household level, packaging proven CSAs in the locality design and implement Climate Smart Community and finally upgrade it up to develop Climate Smart Village (CSV). Additionally, she will provide expert support to local government to provision policies related to CSA, CSV, small scale mitigation measures, different climate smart practices, Farmer Field School etc. Likewise, the incumbent will guide implementing partner to operationalize interventions given in project document building on the success developed through existing FFBS project. She will spend at least 30% of time on field visits, to monitor field activities and provide coaching, training, backstopping to partner organizations at the implementation level. The employee shall fully comply with CARE policies and procedures and should be accountable for it.

Major Responsibilities and Tasks:
R1. Project Design and Development

• Assess in-country resources such as human, material, and financial to capacitate relevant staff and agencies on CSA and CSV.
• Provide technical assistance in project design and development processes, especially those relating to natural resource management, climate justice, Agriculture, and resilience.
• Conduct need assessment to design suitable intervention for different projects.
• Design context specific and pragmatic climate smart community and climate smart village with the support of implementing partner.
• Ensure learnings and gaps/issues identified during project implementation are integrated into further project design and planning process.
• Ensure social inclusion, diversity, gender-based violence, governance, and resilience issues are integrated into project design and implementation.
• Contribute to development of concept notes, project proposals, and model documents per need.
• Lead project related inception, review, startup workshops, meetings, district project advisory committee (DPAC) meeting and engage actively with donors, government, and relevant groups.

R2. Program Management and Implementation

• Coordinate with local governments for joint planning and implementation of the activities related to CSV-N project.
• Work with local partner, stakeholders, and community for the promotion of Climate Smart Agriculture Practices in targeted local governments.
• Provide technical support to implementing partners and local government to integrate and implement climate-informed programs.
• Develop standard operating procedures and training packages (including trainer and participant manuals) based on the contents, methodologies, tools, and approaches to capacitate partner, local actors and FFBS group.
• Ensure capacity building of staff for effective implementation of project activities.
• Liaise continuously CARE Nepal with relevant stakeholders to implement CSV-N project with higher technical accuracy.
• Enhance understanding of climate vulnerable communities on the causes of climate change, gender and diversity differential impacts, and the importance of adaptation and mitigation practices
• Plan and manage projects in a phased and prioritized manner with full consultation and co-ordination with CARE staff, consortium partners and other relevant agencies.
• Ensure program quality standers are fully considered throughout the project cycle.
• Be responsible for procurement, logistic as well as commodity management required for project and guide team in regulating same in field level.
• Work with M&E team to maintain systems by integrating accountability, donor reporting, performance metrics, organizational learning ensuring program quality standards.
• Work with technical lead and support functions to ensure high quality and high impact actions in  line with country strategy and thematic paper.
• Analyze risk related intervention implementation and prepare safeguarding plan to mitigate risk .

R3 Monitoring, evaluation, learning, documentation, reporting and relationship management.

• Develop guidelines and field-based tools for monitoring and evaluation of the project working with MEAL team.
• Track/monitor progress against indicators to meet the objectives and goals of the project.
• Review all project documents to ensure that technical quality is maintained.
• Document case studies, good practices, and lessons learned in a timely manner and disseminate it to relevant stakeholders.
• Lead the action related to IEC/BCC materials and training manual on climate smart practices in Farmer Field School modality as per CSV-N project requirement.
• Take charge of documenting learnings and good practices to institutionalize into organizational system.
• Manage database system by closely working with partner and M&E team.
• Collaborate with different programs of organization to ensure climatic interventions integrated in organizational efforts.
• Be a part of advocacy and research effort of project and organization.
• Assist M&E team in collecting data from the field, update project M&E universe and prepare reports analyzing the database.
• Preparation and submission of periodic report to concerned authorities.

4. Coordination

• Coordinate with government, civil society organization, change agents, women lead organizations, private sector and other relevant stakeholders to establish functional relationship and collaborations.
• Maintain relations and partnerships with local, regional, and national stakeholders, including the Government of Nepal, donors, media and private sector.
• Coordinate with relevant ministries and stakeholders at province and federal level to develop conducive environment for project and ensure representation as well as reporting.
• Onboard and mobilize private sector partners to introduce innovative green solution related to agriculture production and Youth climate Organizations for creating climate awareness among impact populations and local actors

R5. Capacity Building

• Support partners, concerned people’s organizations on testing, document and scaling of innovative models and practices related to CSA and CSV.
• Capacitate CARE as well as partner staff on natural resource management, climate smart agriculture, climate justice, disaster risk reduction, and resilience building.
• Visit the field frequently to coach, mentor, and train partner as well as CARE team for quality delivery of program interventions in the field.
• Put effort to enhance partner’s capacity to deliver project efficiently and effectively by maintaining quality standards and ensuring CARE and donor compliances.
• Identify development needs of project staff and partner’s staff and follow appropriate strategies and actions for capacitating their skills and knowledge.
• Develop partners’ capacity in designing, piloting, evidence generation, documentation, and out scaling of proven models.
• Develop resource material related to Farmer Field School on climate smart practices and train implementing partner and local stakeholder on CSV modality.

R5. Thematic Integration and Advocacy

• Thematic backstopping to CARE staff, partners and at community level on entire cycle of the program.
• Provide technical support to partner and stakeholders at organizational level along with on required advocacy and policy spaces and platforms.
• Understand the community needs and bring these in to CARE for robust programming and value add on the sector.
• Take a lead role on climate adaptation and resilience related initiatives integration across CARE Nepal’s themes.

R6. Upholding CARE’s Core values and ensuring its principles.

• Comply and exercise organizational values and culture.
• Help to promote rights and good governance.
• Responsible for gender responsive behavior in all actions and decisions
• Link and demonstrate CARE Nepal’s core values, programming principles, strategic objectives, gender equity and equality in programming and behaviors.
• Responsible for gender responsive behavior in all actions and decisions.
• Demonstrate positive behaviors following CARE code of conduct and uphold implementation of CARE Safeguarding policy at all levels.
• Conduct awareness raising on CARE Safeguarding policy, feedback and accountability channels and code of conduct.

Data Protection:
The post holder hereby agrees not to disclose any confidential or sensitive information to a third party or outside organization except where required to do so by law.

SPENDING AUTHORITY: As per ASF
SUPERVISION: None

WORKING CONDITIONS: Based in CARE Nepal office at Kathmandu with at least 30% of the time in project areas, with diverse stakeholders, representation in relevant partners and partner offices.

PERSON SPECIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Qualifications:
Master’s degree in agriculture and related subject from a recognized university with a good understanding/practice of Farmer Field School on climate change, Climate Smart Agricultural practices, Climate Smart Village, Small Scale Mitigation measures and polices related to climate change, agriculture, and food system.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in program development, and implementation of project related to Farmer Field School on climate change, Climate Smart Agricultural practices, Climate Smart Village, Green Small Scale mitigation measures, Climate and Agriculture related policies.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in taking a lead role in the execution of Climate Smart Agriculture related project including partner and budget management.
• Hands-on experience from Climate Smart Agriculture and climate Smart village practices implementation.

Skills and knowledge:

• Partnership and networking skills
• Understanding of different social issues such as Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Diversity, Gender Based Violence, Accountability and Governance
• Familiar with agriculture and climate related polices of Nepal including familiar in local planning process.
• Monitoring and evaluation, documentation and report writing skills.
• Project management, donor liaison and reporting.
• Expertise in program financial management including donor compliance.
• Leadership, team building and human resource management.
• Strong analytical, communication and coordination skills
• Fluent in written and spoken English and Nepali.
• Proficiency in spoken Maithili language will be added value to the candidate.

Competencies:

• Leadership – Able to assume a leadership role in helping and working with others to achieve excellent results.
• Planning and organizing – Able to define work goals and objectives; develop and execute work plans; and contribute to the achievement of work group objectives.
• Teamwork – Able to work effectively with other people within a work group.
• Developing others – Able to foster the development of others by providing a supportive learning environment.
• Communicating and sharing ideas and information – Able to present information and express opinions confidently to internal and external audiences.
• Writing – Able to communicate ideas and information in writing to ensure that information and messages are understood and have the desired impact.
• Initiative – Deals with situations and issues proactively and persistently
• Embracing and Valuing Diversity – Able to contribute effectively to a culture that positively values the diversity of people, values, and ideas within CARE Nepal
• Influencing – Able to generate commitment and build consensus among others and gain their support.
• Innovation – Demonstrates openness to new ideas, seeks out new opportunities.
• Interpersonal sensitivity – Able to communicate with sensitivity and foster communication, actively listening to others

Tagged as: Care Nepal, Kathmandu, NGO INGO, Specialist