Climate Change Specialist

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

FAO is a specialized agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO's goal is to achieve food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 Members (194 countries and the European Union), FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.  

FAO Country Offices, working under overall corporate guidance and in line with the Strategic Framework, offer policy advice and support to countries in the mandated areas of FAO, facilitated through partnerships, resources and an active country programme to provide technical assistance, develop capacities and deliver core services while fully observing international standards of accountability to establish leadership and strengthen impact at the country  level.

FAO has been working in Lebanon since 1977. FAO Lebanon project portfolio has been growing in response to the different crises. Projects mainly target farmers, fishers, and their organisations with the aim of building their resilience and capacity to access potential markets, while undertaking sustainable management of resources.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Lebanon is supporting national efforts to enhance sustainable agricultural development, improve food security, and strengthen the resilience of rural livelihoods. The Climate Change Specialist will contribute to mainstreaming climate change adaptation and mitigation approaches into FAO Lebanon’s programme portfolio and support national efforts to build climate-resilient agrifood systems.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative and direct supervision of Programme Leader CPF Outputs 2&3 and in close coordination with other Units and colleagues in the FAO Representation in Lebanon, and counterpart national authorities.

Technical Focus

The Climate Change Specialist will provide technical expertise, management and implementation support across FAO Lebanon’s Climate Change and Sustainable Systems thematic area, with a primary focus on climate-resilient water and infrastructure systems, climate risk and vulnerability assessment, climate finance development, climate policy, and climate-smart approaches. The Specialist applies climate knowledge, nature-based solutions principles and climate policy frameworks to the design and implementation of specific interventions, ensuring that water management systems, irrigation infrastructure and rural energy investments are climate-proofed, and adaptation-oriented.

The Specialist works in close collaboration with the Sustainable Systems Specialist within this workstream. The Climate Change Specialist leads on climate risk assessment, climate-resilient design criteria and nature-based solutions for climate adaptation; the Sustainable Systems Specialist leads on infrastructure engineering design, technical specifications and systems performance monitoring. Both Specialists contribute jointly to irrigation master plans and climate finance proposal development under the direction of the Programme Leader.

Tasks and responsibilities

Climate risk assessment and resilience planning

•    Conduct and support climate risk and vulnerability assessments for target areas and communities, applying established methodologies to analyse exposure to climate hazards, including water scarcity, drought, flooding and extreme weather events, and their impacts on agricultural production, water resources and rural infrastructure.
•    Develop climate risk profiles and vulnerability maps for programme intervention areas using available climate data, GIS tools and remote sensing products, and use these to inform intervention design, targeting and the climate-proofing of infrastructure investments.
•    Contribute to the integration of climate risk findings into project design documents, logical frameworks, environmental and social assessments, and donor reporting products across FAO Lebanon’s portfolio.

Design of climate-resilient interventions

•    Provide technical guidance on the climate-resilient design of water management and irrigation systems, contributing to the integration of climate adaptation principles, including flexible design standards, adaptive management protocols and stress-testing against climate scenarios, into infrastructure rehabilitation and development works led by the Sustainable Systems Specialist.
•    Lead the design and implementation of nature-based solutions for climate adaptation, including constructed wetlands for water reuse, vegetated buffer zones for erosion control, and ecosystem-based approaches to watershed management, in coordination with the Sustainable Systems Specialist.
•    Contribute to the development of climate-informed irrigation master plans and water balance frameworks, integrating long-term climate projections, crop water demand scenarios and adaptation investment pathways into planning documents.
•    Prepare or contribute to technical specifications, field assessment reports and performance monitoring frameworks for climate-resilient infrastructure interventions, and provide technical review inputs for procurement processes where climate adaptation criteria apply.
•    Coordinate with the Sustainable Systems Specialist on the infrastructure and investment dimensions of proposals, integrating engineering design inputs, CAPEX/OPEX analyses and sustainability assessments into the climate alignment and co-benefits narrative.
•    Track developments in international climate finance policy and emerging funding opportunities relevant to Lebanon’s water, agriculture and infrastructure sectors, and advise the Programme Leader on strategic positioning for resource mobilisation.
•    Provide technical engineering inputs and climate resilience analyses to support the Programme Leader and Resource Mobilization unit in the development of proposals, ensuring that designs and solutions are technically substantiated and aligned with donor’s eligibility criteria.

Climate change mainstreaming across the programme portfolio

•    Serve as the internal technical resource on climate change for FAO Lebanon’s broader programme team, supporting the integration of climate risk considerations, adaptation measures and climate-smart approaches into the design and implementation of projects across all thematic areas.
•    Develop and maintain climate mainstreaming tools, checklists and guidance materials for use by FAO Lebanon’s programme and technical teams, building internal capacity on climate-sensitive programming approaches.

Project management and coordination

•    Lead/Contribute to the preparation and regular updating of project workplans, activity schedules and procurement plans for activities within the thematic area, in coordination with the Programme Leader, and the operations unit, ensuring that plans are realistic, up to date and aligned with project timelines and budgets.
•    Prepare Terms of Reference and Scope of Works, evaluation criteria, project reports and other programme documentation in compliance with FAO standards and donor requirements.
•    Assist in the preparation of technical specifications of inputs, supplies, and equipment, envisaged in Programmes’ documents and assist in the procurement process. 
•    Prepare and update project logical frameworks, results frameworks and performance monitoring matrices, in alignment with results-based management principles.
•    Monitor implementation progress of activities within the thematic workstream against approved workplans and budgets, identify bottlenecks and risks, and report findings and proposed corrective actions to the Programme Leader in a timely manner.
•    Coordinate with implementing partners, service providers, contractors and field teams to ensure the timely and quality delivery of project activities within the thematic area, maintaining clear records of coordination meetings, decisions and follow-up actions.
•    Lead the preparation of donor progress reports, assist in the preparation of project financial reports, FAO corporate reporting submissions and internal monitoring documents for the thematic workstream, providing accurate and timely technical and implementation data.
•    Participate in project review meetings, FAO Lebanon internal coordination meetings and relevant external coordination forums as directed by the Programme Leader, representing the thematic area and contributing technical and implementation updates.
•    Contribute engineering and climate resilience inputs to project proposals and concept notes, ensuring that climate-resilient design standards, nature-based solutions and adaptation technologies are technically substantiated, and support resource mobilization activities as directed by the Programme Leader.
•    Perform any other related duties as required by the Programme Leader.

Technology application and knowledge management

•    Apply remote sensing, GIS and climate data analysis tools to support programme planning, impact assessment and knowledge generation, including the mapping of climate hazard exposure, land degradation trends and water resource availability.
•    Conduct field assessments to monitor the performance of climate-resilient technologies and nature-based solutions implemented under FAO Lebanon’s projects, documenting results, identifying areas for improvement and generating evidence for adaptive management.
•    Develop knowledge products on climate-resilient technologies and practices, including technical guidelines, case studies and good practice notes, for sharing with national counterparts, implementing partners and the broader FAO network.
•    Support capacity development of farmers, local communities and national stakeholders on climate adaptation practices, adaptive water management and the adoption of climate-resilient agricultural and infrastructure technologies.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements   

•    Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Sciences, Climate Science, Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, Natural Resource Management, or a closely related technical field. 
•    6 years of relevant experience in climate change adaptation and mitigation, climate-resilient infrastructure or environmental management; 
•    Working knowledge of English (level C) 
•    National of Lebanon

FAO Core Competencies

•    Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
•    Demonstrated organization skills and ability to meet tight deadlines;         
•    Ability to prioritize tasks;           
•    Communication skills;           
•    Ability to work in a harmonious and effective way in a multicultural team;           
•    Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to maintain effective working relationships with supervisors and colleagues.    

Technical/Functional Skills

•    Strong knowledge of climate change adaptation and mitigation frameworks, including climate-smart agriculture (CSA), ecosystem-based adaptation, nature-based solutions and climate-resilient infrastructure design principles applicable to water and agricultural systems.
•    Demonstrated experience in climate risk and vulnerability assessment, including the use of climate data, hazard mapping tools and GIS for exposure analysis, impact assessment and the climate-proofing of infrastructure investments.
•    Knowledge of GEF, GCF, Adaptation Fund and UNCCD climate financing mechanisms, including proposal development requirements, eligibility criteria, theory of change frameworks and results measurement standards; demonstrated experience contributing to climate finance proposals is strongly preferred.
•    Experience with Lebanon’s national climate policy framework, including NDC implementation processes, UNFCCC reporting obligations and the role of the Ministry of Environment and related institutions in national climate governance.
•    Technical knowledge of nature-based solutions for water management and climate adaptation, including constructed wetlands, ecosystem-based watershed management and green infrastructure approaches, with ability to contribute to design, specification and performance monitoring.
•    Proficiency in GIS, remote sensing and climate data analysis tools for environmental monitoring, hazard mapping and spatial decision-support; ability to generate and interpret spatial products for programme planning and reporting.
•    Ability to mainstream climate change considerations into programme design, monitoring frameworks and reporting products across a multi-thematic country programme, serving as an internal technical resource on climate for the broader programme team.
•    Strong analytical and technical writing skills in English; demonstrated ability to produce climate risk assessments, concept notes, technical guidelines and knowledge products to a high professional standard.

Selection criteria

•    A Master’s degree with specialisation in climate change, environmental management or water resources is an asset.
•    Proven experience in: (i) conducting climate risk and vulnerability assessments using established methodologies and tools; (ii) design or implementation of climate-resilient water management or agricultural infrastructure interventions; (iii) design or implementation of nature-based solutions such as constructed wetlands, ecosystem-based adaptation or equivalent approaches. 
•    Experience in development of project proposals targeting GEF, GCF or equivalent climate finance mechanisms is highly desirable. 
•    Experience with GIS and remote sensing for climate or environmental monitoring is an asset. 
•    Prior experience with FAO, UN agencies or international organisations is an asset. 
•    Strong knowledge of Lebanon’s climate vulnerabilities, water sector challenges and relevant national institutions is highly desirable.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions. 

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO [link removed] and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application

• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/ [link removed].These qualifications should be in alignment with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings [link removed].
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
•  We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp [link removed]

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