Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Deadline: August 25, 2023
Job Description
This position will be based in one of our offices in Africa: Addis Ababa, Nairobi, or Kigali.
About the Program:
WRI is spearheading the African Cities Climate Resilience (ACCR) Program, a major initiative to build urban resilience in African cities by promoting the use of nature-based solutions (NBS). ACCR will reduce climate-induced heat and water risks and shocks, boost social equality, and protect biodiversity by improving the health and coverage of ecosystems that provide resilience benefits to communities. We provide:
- Customized technical assistance and capacity building to city leaders and partners, for example including:
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- NBS opportunity identification and planning, utilizing cutting-edge geospatial analysis and technical feasibility analytic approaches;
- Social inclusion and equity plans to maximize the benefits of NBS projects to vulnerable and marginalized communities;
- Spearheading multisector partnerships that engage city leadership, civil society, business, government, communities, and researchers to move on large-scale NBS opportunities;
- Business case development and financial strategies to unlock investment in NBS;
- Plans to institutionalize NBS in city planning and development, including development of policy agendas, and the improvement of relevant regulations and incentives.
- Proof of concept implementation projects, orchestrating and managing NBS implementation projects at the community and basin level in priority cities and attracting scaled finance for city-wide NBS deployment.
- Regional peer learning, capacity building, and trends analysis to set enabling conditions in place and to prime a pipeline of NBS investment projects that utilize resilient NBS
- A regional workgroup of funds, facilities, and financial institutions that are keen to support and invest in NBS and green-gray infrastructure.
We currently partnering with cities in Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa, as well as cities in DRC, ROC, Burundi, and Ghana.
This initiative builds on the ongoing work of WRI’s Urban Water Resilience (UWR) and Cities4Forests Initiative (C4F).
Together, these initiatives and teams bring ample experience in creating accessible, equitable, healthy, and resilient urban areas for people, businesses, and the environment. We work with governments, financial institutions, and civil society to ensure a climate-resilient future by harnessing the multiple benefits nature provides in and around cities.
Job Highlight:
As Climate Resilient Cities Lead in Africa, your role will be to anchor and coordinate WRI’s research, engagement, and technical support on climate resilience in Africa. You will work with WRI Africa Cities Director and Global Leads for Urban Resilience and Cities4Forests to develop and implement the regional strategy and projects for equitable and climate resilient cities. You will work closely with the cities team in Africa and global office as well as stakeholders to identify priority projects and funding opportunities for climate resilience initiatives. You will also be working with other WRI initiatives, such AFR100. You will be responsible for identifying and building working relationships with local authorities, community, policy, private sector, and other partners to collaborate with in developing climate resilience initiatives/programs.
You will report to Director, Thriving Resilient Cities, WRI Africa.
What you will do:
Leadership, Coordination and Engagement (40%):
- Serve as the point contact and lead for project/program development and implementation as well as research work of the climate resilient cities initiative in Africa
- Liaise with government, donors, academic institutions, and other external stakeholders to expand WRI Africa Cities portfolio, specifically the climate resilient cities initiatives
- Serve as WRI Africa cities strategic team member as well as a national focal person for WRI’s cities work in your respective location
- Provide guidance on research agenda of climate resilient cities in Africa
- Identify outside engagement opportunities and work with communications and other program team members to set the communication and engagement plan for the project (this includes designing and implementing events)
- Lead work with team members to develop a knowledge product publication and dissemination plan for the project, seek approval from project directors on the same. Coordinate with Research, Data & Innovation (RDI) teams to set the work flow and approach to manage publications
- Coordinate with communication team and project leads on setting the overall communication agenda in coordination with project directors
- In coordination with the project directors, continue to develop partnership approaches with other programs like International Climate Action, World Resources Report, Economics Center, Equity Center and RKE to expand and deepen research and engagement work to achieve key project objectives
Program Management (40%):
- Coordinate the climate resilient cities initiatives on a day to day basis across all workstreams (baseline and MEL development, project prioritization, NBS design and financing and implementation) and with all team members (Cities, Water, Data, UWR, C4F). Lead in setting up project schedules, meeting agendas and manage deliverables as per commitments to donors as well as monitor and evaluate progresses against WRI targets for climate resilience
- Engage with Regional Cities Director and Global Directors (UWR and C4F) to prepare and lead on donor reporting including developing reports and presentations for quarterly and annual basis as required.
- Lead on the preparation of action plans and budget for climate resilient projects in Africa which includes internal financial reviews (quarterly reviews) to assess spend down versus allocation to adjust budgets as needed (to be coordinated with Global and Africa GFS leads)
- Get approvals from Cities and Project Directors, lead on refining and updating the staffing plan and budget for the project to ensure adequate capacity for delivery of the program.
- Develop job descriptions for hires aligned with the roles and responsibilities needed to deliver key components of the program. Get HR approvals and conduct hiring processes as per WRI protocols
- Develop a delivery plan for scaling the city level work to five other cities and work with the project directors to support implementation of the same
- Work with WRI’s equity experts to ensure gender and social equity integration into NBS projects, including in proposals, workplans, and MEL frameworks
- Manage, draft, partnership agreements and contracts for local partners and consultants as needed for project implementation
Fund mobilization (20%)
- Support fundraising through the identification and development of joint cities programs and projects proposals, which also includes leading responses to calls and Requests for Proposals identified in consultation with project directors. Respond to the same by formulating concept notes in coordination with team members. Engage project directors as needed to lead on LPR processes to seek WRI proposal approvals on key elements like CAPGaps, TOC, MEL, etc.
- Work with the Cities Director in Africa and global project directors to identify, respond to and lead on WRI’s internal flex funding processes and internal bilateral funding proposals to address new project research and analysis needs.
What will you need:
- Education: You have a master’s degree in urban development, urban governance, environment, urban economics, climate resilience, water wise development or another related field
- Experience: You have 8+ years of relevant, full-time work experience
- Experience in project management, including working with donor reporting requirements
- Experience working with peers and managers in matrixed environment
- Experience collaborating across organizations, practice areas, disciplines
- Demonstrated knowledge of urban climate resilience landscape and related equity issues in Africa
- Demonstrated knowledge of architecture, urban planning, urban development, climate resilience, water resources management and environment, and related social equity issues
- Experience communicating technical concepts to non-technical audiences in presentations and in writing
- Prior experience of working in the international NGO and development sector is preferred
- Willingness to travel both throughout Africa and internationally
- Languages: You are proficient in spoken and written English
Potential Salary:
Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.
How to Apply:
Please submit a resume with cover letter by September 12, 2023. You must apply through the: WRI Careers portal to be considered.
What we offer:
- A competitive salary
- Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US.
- The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities.
- A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work.
- The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI.
- Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours.
- Generous leave days that increase with tenure.
About Us:
Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.
The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.
Our mission and values:
WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.
Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence, Respect.
Our culture:
WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, we embrace all diversity and encourage women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification.
Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.