UK PACT Climate Change Officer – C4 – British High Commission (BHC) Nigeria Recruitment

• Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing our world, and Nigeria is both vulnerable as an emerging economy, and a significant contributor to global greenhouse emissions, ranking within the top three emitters in Africa for both fossil fuel emissions and emission from land-use change.
• As part of the British Government’s global response to climate challenge and its commitment to help deliver the aims of the Paris Agreement (UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2016), the International Climate Finance (ICF) team in UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is responsible for £2bn of UK International Climate Finance. Within ICF, UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) is a £60 million technical assistance programme that has been established to support partner countries accelerate their clean growth transitions and reduce carbon emissions in line with their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
• Nigeria has been identified as a potential key strategic climate partner for UK PACT.  UK PACT could potentially play a transformative role in Nigeria increasing the capacity and capability of Nigerian institutions to deliver climate smart solutions in a range of areas.
• This new position will help shape a UK PACT intervention in Nigeria and will form part of the Climate and Energy Team at the British High Commission (BHC).  It is an exciting opportunity to be at the heart of this evolving area of UK – Nigeria collaboration.
• The post holder will contribute to the development of a vision for how to grow the UK-Nigeria climate relationship and will provide direct oversight of the programme of work agreed working closely with the BEIS International Climate Finance team in London.
• This role will report to the Head of Climate Change & Energy at the BHC and will expected to develop strong links with other colleagues working on global issues across the BHC, including the Science and Innovation Network, and Department of International Trade (DIT) teams.

Roles and Responsibilities
Nigeria – Climate Change and UK PACT Strategy Development (45%):

• Working within the climate and energy team, develop clear understanding of the climate change landscape in Nigeria including previously funded activities by the UK and other donors, political economy and country demands.
• Identify, analyse and flag policy, technological and commercial developments and risks that could influence the delivery of UK-Nigeria climate collaboration.
• Identify key areas of demand where UK expertise can be aligned and UK PACT projects could support emissions reduction.
• Lead on briefings, presentations and other reporting to BEIS team in London to inform the development of relevant UK PACT opportunities.
• Manage small-scale research and knowledge gathering contracts to support the evidence base for potential UK PACT activities in Nigeria.
• Provide evidence-based recommendations on collaboration opportunities to senior management at the BHC and in London, and in support of other parallel programmes including under FCDO centrally managed funding.

UK PACT Stakeholder management (20%):

• Proactively develop, manage and strengthen the BHC network of UK – Nigeria climate contacts at all levels of seniority and in all sectors, to identify capacity building and policy influencing opportunities for UK PACT.
• Support the Head of Climate and Energy Team to scope and develop deeper climate collaboration with Nigeria, at national, provincial and local level, fostering relationships across the Government of Nigeria.
• Foster strategic, regular communications with key stakeholders in the UK, Nigeria and other target countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to facilitate best practice sharing where appropriate.
• Publicly represent the BHC and UK Government as a credible interlocutor in climate related engagements as necessary.
• Ensure coordination between UK climate programmes and initiatives supported by other donor agencies, identifying opportunities for multilateral cooperation where possible.
• Proactively seek cross-section collaboration opportunities amongst BHC teams to continue supporting a mainstreamed approach to climate change in bilateral programmes.
• Support the launch of the UK PACT Challenge Fund and market engagement with local stakeholders to identify and support the delivery of a portfolio of innovative low-carbon technical assistance projects.

UK PACT Programme management and delivery (20%):

• Work with the UK PACT delivery partners, to organise and manage calls for proposals and manage approval of projects
• Work with the UK PACT delivery partners to oversee project performance reviews and completion reports.
• Share outputs of UK PACT projects with Government and other stakeholders to ensure sharing and uptake of recommendations.
• Collate all relevant learning and share with colleagues in UK and BHC. 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.

Administration (10%):

• Lead on the preparation and coordination of high-level climate missions Nigeria, identifying opportunities for relevant dialogues to support the development and delivery of programmes, as well as supporting the planning and delivery of potential skill-sharing missions between the UK and Nigeria
• The job holder will be expected to manage his or her own administrative tasks and support the wider team on administrative tasks as and when required.

Corporate (5%):

• Play an active part in the corporate life of the BHC (including if necessary as a member of any BHC Committees) to maximise the overall well-being of staff.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

• Resources:  Potential management of small-scale evidence, knowledge and capacity contracts (in the £10-£100s of thousands) to build momentum with the new government, minister and ministry, coordinating discussions between UK stakeholders (BEIS regional leads, UK programme management team and UK Delivery Partners) and Nigerian partners.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• We are looking for a proactive self-starter, able to work well and have a flexible approach to work whilst under pressure and excellent interpersonal and communications skills to build strong relations within the BHC and with a wide range of stakeholders in Nigeria with the following:
• University degree, preferably in Environmental Science, Climate, Public Policy or related course;
• Minimum 5 years of work experience, ideally with Project / Programme management experience, preferably with international stakeholders
• The ability to demonstrate strong interpersonal, communication and relationship skills;
• Be a flexible and creative problem-solver, able to come up with innovative solutions to complex problems, and coordinate coherent and compelling programmes and projects;
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Experience providing administrative and logistical support;
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) and ability to adjust to different audiences;
• Excellent presentation skills;
• Team player, driven by values.

Desirable Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Relevant post-graduate course
• Solid knowledge of Nigeria’s climate change policy, its international commitments and institutional framework
• Sound network of contacts in political arena, government, private sector and civil societies
• Candidates with prior work experience in International or multilateral  programmes will be considered as a plus
• Knowledge of financial sector
• Knowledge of low carbon / green sector
• Knowledge of infrastructure sector
• Knowledge of UK climate and energy policy, technology and commercial capabilities, and its global leadership in the subject matter

Required Competencies:

• Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Collaborating and Partnering, Delivering at Pace

Starting Monthly Salary
NGN 827,892.98

Application Closing Date  
6th October, 2020.

End Date
28th October, 2021.