Under the oversight of the GCA Global Lead for Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions, the Specialist Infrastructure and NBS is expected to perform the following activities:
Strategically develop and implement a pipeline of projects across infrastructure sectors and countries in Africa and South-East Asia, formulate concept notes , design activities with innovative and solutions-oriented approach, lead procurement, implementation, reporting and management of GCA upstream technical assistance support to resilient infrastructure and NBS projects in Africa and South-East Asia. This is including but not limited to the preparation of project concepts, procurement documents, contract management, planning tools, and progress monitoring and reporting. This requires an in-depth understanding of how to use climate data and analytics and appraise innovative adaptation and resilience solutions (incl. NBS), with focus on quantifying climate risks to infrastructure and providing practical, innovative solutions to climate-proof public and private infrastructure investment projects.
Lead the engagement with MDB task teams and development partners to identify forward-looking adaptation projects and investment programs on resilient infrastructure and NBS in Africa that contribute to the strategic development and implementation of GCA's work under AAAP and in Bangladesh. Frequent travels in Africa / South-East Asia will be required to organise or participate to projects' missions.
Identify emerging climate change adaptation trends and challenges, evaluate and secure the potential for GCA to provide added value, develop internal and external project briefings and presentations to showcase technical insights and support learnings across projects.
Develop and review reports, presentations, public communication material, and project briefs, ensuring that all project outputs are technically robust and with a clear narrative. Identify innovative and cutting-edge analytical approaches to be replicated in upcoming activities.
Develop or contribute to the preparation of knowledge products – e.g., policy briefs, news stories, reports – on GCA's activities and work program in Africa, as well as internal and external capacity building activities under the Resilient Infrastructure pillar of AAAP.
Further strategically expand and maintain GCA's network of international, national, regional, and local stakeholders, including to present the impact of the work of the Infrastructure and NBS Program to external stakeholders globally.
REQUIREMENTS
Proven experience in developing and implementing strategies, programs and projects in the area of infrastructure development projects (strategic, technical, financial, procurement), in relation to climate adaptations, demonstrated with:
Master's degree or PhD in relevant fields.
At least 10 years and more (for Senior level) of experience in large-scale infrastructure projects, with a focus on climate adaptation in Africa as a significant advantage.
Experience in advising government agencies, financial institutions, international organizations, or private sector in ongoing and new development projects infrastructure.
Strong understanding of key subject areas such as climate data analytics, resilient infrastructure, NBS, and project finance.
Strong project conceptualization and management skills, with:
leadership, coordination, reporting and strategic thinking, with ability to articulate complex ideas into clear outputs with a coherent narrative to a diverse audience of stakeholders at technical and strategic levels.
Innovative thinking to conceptualize projects activities in line with strategic objectives and at the forefront of stakeholders needs.
Excellent planning, procurement, and communication skills with a solutions-oriented approach.
Motivation to work in a global organization dedicated to accelerating action for climate adaptation, with:
Ability to collaborate effectively against ambitious targets in a multicultural team and to work with diverse stakeholders at different technical and strategical levels
Excellent English, additional language skills especially French is a plus.
Ability to travel internationally regularly.