Climate Smart Solutions for Agriculture Advisor at Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

The Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (German Agency for International Cooperation) is an international enterprise owned by the German Federal government, operating in many fields across more than 130 countries.

In Nigeria, GIZ's portfolio includes among others, a programme to support the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in its regional integration goals. The programme aims to strengthen sector-specific capacities in the areas of Peace and Security, Customs and Trade as weir as Strategic Management and Organizational Development in the ECOWAS Commission.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Climate Smart Solutions for Agriculture Advisor

Vacancy No: 110
Location: Abuja
Employment Type: Full-time
Organization: GIZ Nigeria, Agriculture Value Chain Facility (EU-VACE)

Responsibilities
The Climate Smart Solutions for Agriculture Advisor will have the following responsibilities:

• Contribute to climate risk assessments of selected agricultural value chains and others in the farming systems
• Identify initiatives at all stages of the project’s focal value chains offering potential for introduction of climate smart solutions
• Support agribusinesses to uptake sustainable and costeffective technology for climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Supervise, coach and mentor the project´s agribusiness partners implementing climate smart agriculture practices and technologies and ensure successful implementation
• Support agribusinesses and partners in promoting, market uptake and scaling of evidence-based climate smart technologies and innovations, integrating renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions along the chains
• Support climate smart agriculture implementation through a contextual analysis, analysing the barriers for uptake of climate smart agricultural best practices and innovative practices, and formulate recommendations for smallholder farmers, SMEs, financial institution, and governments
• Contribute to development and implementation of tailored climate smart agriculture training and coaching programs for small holder farmers (including women and youth), extension services providers (public, private, NGOs etc.), farmer cooperatives on climate-proofing agricultural production systems for selected value chains
• Support in the development of services providers business cases and scaling successful ones especially inclusion of inclusive and innovative water and energy efficient technologies
• Facilitate and/or contribute to development of strategic partnership and collaboration in the areas of climate-smart agriculture
• Support enabling environment function in collaboration with appropriate institutions
• Ensure coordination and collaboration along the agriculturebased value chain to strengthen impact with a focus on inclusive business approaches and smart agriculture
• Identify nature based agricultural measures reducing climate change vulnerability and proposing interventions to address gaps
• Develop strategic plans for reducing climate change vulnerability and enhancing food security
• Explore complementarity with nature based, agroecological, agroforestry and/or regenerative agriculture solutions wherever possible
• Budget control and implementation of operational planning, the monitoring and evaluation system, knowledge management and the effective public presentation of the project (impact communication) of selected workstreams

Tasks
Advising project partners:

• Reviews and updates existing smart agriculture solutions analysis and implementation strategies to mainstream the climate smart agriculture technologies across all areas of interventions
• Develops a strategy to support climate smart agriculture on existing lands to support farm expansion and reduce deforestation
• Supports the identification of growth-stage SMEs offering innovative technologies, products, and services contributing to project objectives in climate adaptation and resilient agricultural systems and designs areas of support
• Supports the identification of potential stages of value chain where productivity and new business models can be explored and supported and develops interventions, focusing on climate smart technology, that address those gaps
• Advises on specific climate smart interventions and extension systems along the agribusiness value chain including service providers ensuring agribusiness sustainability
• Coordinates with the climate smart agriculture partners to contribute to cost/benefit analysis which will underpin the investments for effective climate resilient production systems
• Supports SMEs and farmer groups/cooperatives on the most appropriate climate integration strategies, which enhances productivity and income of producers/agribusiness.
• Contributes to the joint learning of smallholder producers and SME adoption of climate smart agriculture
• Coordinates, manages, and supervises local extension providers in the business cases arisen from climate smart solutions introduction
• Supports technical expert missions to strengthen farmer organizations/cooperatives and SMEs in crop farming and management using climate smart technologies
• Ensures the creation of opportunities for women’s economic empowerment within accepted principles of inclusive socioeconomic development
• Analyses existing good practices and knowledge on the climate smart agriculture and prepares a practical guidance on including climate smart technologies in each of the identified value chains
• Identifies and promotes complementary between climate smart and agroecological, regenerative, agroforetry and biodiversity solutions
• Works closely with the Technical Value Chain Coordinator and Agribusiness Development Advisors to mainstream climate smart solutions across all project components

Networking and cooperation:

• Coherent conception, planning and implementation of project activities, the identification of local potential and the development of strategic partnerships
• Facilitates the development of feasibility studies for sustainable and climate smart food supply systems
• Promotes the adoption of climate smart strategies and technologies
• Supports policy related, dialogue and advocacy in collaboration with consortium partners and appropriate institutions with a focus on climate smart solutions

Knowledge management:

• Knowledge management, structured archiving and documentation
• Develops in-depth knowledge about business development practices, business opportunities and financing needs relevant to the agricultural value chains while ensuring awareness of the cultural and political economy related factors at play
• Ensure vulnerable groups, especially women and youth, are effectively represented in all activities
• Support strategy development out outreach and capacity building material to enable growth at identified stages and actors along the value chains
• Develop and promote new inclusive business ideas and innovations relevant to the development of the value chains
• Support selected events and provide expert guidance through development and delivery of learning material to ensure inclusive growth of project value chains
• Ensure an impact-oriented external presentation and external communication

Project management tasks:

• Is responsible for developing budgets and estimating expenses for programme activities in the above mentioned field.
• Assists national and international advisers or consultants in carrying out their work • Assists the programme with organisational issues
• Regularly consults with the unit manager and other staff and cooperates on programme activities
• Coordinates relevant activities at local level in consultation with the programme management team relevant project stakeholders
• Delivers collegiate support to ensure efficient implementation and organisation of the project
• Prepares input for project/programme reports and draws up documents in accordance with project standards on communication and presentation
• Handles contract management where needed including, but not limited to, offer preparation, impact monitoring, project progress review, reporting
• Assists management in writing progress reports and preparing presentations.
• Participation in advising and coordinating operational activities in the country, especially with a focus on projects in the field of agribusiness development
• Supporting the head of the project in higher-level tasks as required

Required Qualifications, Competences, and Experience
Qualifications:

• Completed university degree in Agriculture or climate/environmental sciences, including agroecology, agronomy, farm management, animal science, aquaculture, fisheries biology, agro business development, business administration, economics, rural development, engineering, social sciences or comparable courses
• In-depth knowledge of working with and promoting climate smart solutions for small and medium-sized growth-oriented companies in the agricultural sector
• Advanced knowledge on agroecology, biodiversity, agroforestry and/or regenerative agriculture
• Good overview knowledge and demonstrated practical experience of climate change adaptation / resilience concepts
• Ability and demonstrated experience with climate smart agriculture innovations

Professional experience:

• Several years of thematic experience in the areas of climate smart solutions, agricultural policy, rural development, food security, agroecology, biodiversity, nature-based solutions, deforestation and/or desertification
• Demonstrated ability to manage and/or evaluate climate change adaptation and resilience activities with focus on agriculture production
• Experience in working in the field of agriculture and with deep understanding of climate smart agriculture concepts and implementation
• Ability to strategically build and maintain networks among the private sector
• Previous coaching, teaching, training, or facilitation experience preferred
• In-depth knowledge of GIZ's internal processes and structures of German development cooperation is an advantage

Other knowledge, additional competences:

• Several years of professional experience in international cooperation
• Have passion for and excellent understanding of the Nigeria agribusiness ecosystem
• Commitment, team spirit, reliability, diplomatic skills, and intercultural understanding
• Ability to think and act strategically and analytically, quick comprehension and attention to detail
• Flexible to take on additional responsibilities as assigned/delegated
• High motivation to work at the interface of value chain development and the adoption of climate change adaptation and private sector development
• Willingness to undertake intensive field works
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English
• Excellent team spirit and networking capacity
• Ability to function sensitively in a diverse working environment
• Strong organizational competence
• Proactive, independent and flexible working style
• Strong awareness and passion on gender and other inclusivity considerations.

Salary
According to GIZ Salary Scale for Band 4.

Application Closing Date
10th December, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV and Letter of Motivation as one document with complete contact details to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Note

• Please include vacancy no. 110 in mail subject
• GIZ is an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity.
• All qualified candidates, regardless of disability, age, sex, ethnicity, race, and religion are encouraged to apply.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.