Overview
The Senior Climate Resilient Water Resources Management Advisor will provide strategic and technical support to help the Ministry of Agriculture mobilize climate finance, develop investment pipelines and project concept notes, strengthen institutional capacity, and support implementation of agriculture-related climate priorities.
Key Responsibilities
- Identify, screen, and prioritize climate-resilient water sector investment opportunities.
- Prepare, coordinate, and refine high-quality concept notes, project proposals, and financing submissions.
- Develop bankable project documents.
- Prepare climate finance strategies, donor engagement plans, investor outreach materials, and partnership briefs.
- Track financing windows and advise on relevant climate and development finance opportunities.
- Assess institutional gaps in fundraising, climate finance engagement, investment planning, project pipeline development, and proposal preparation.
- Design and deliver practical in-house training, coaching, and mentoring for Ministry staff.
- Develop and institutionalize practical tools, templates, guidance notes, and standard operating procedures.
- Support internal knowledge management, lesson capture, and continuity mechanisms.
- Provide strategic and technical support to the Ministry in the design, coordination, implementation follow-up, and problem solving for the Climate Resilient Integrated Water Resources Management initiative.
- Support planning, technical review, coordination, and implementation follow-up for other major basin development and integrated water resources management programs.
- Assist the Ministry in preparing technical notes, implementation briefs, decision papers, and partner updates.
- Support stronger coordination among Ministry departments, basin authorities, regional institutions, consultants, and development partners.
- Provide strategic advice to the Ministry on implementation of water-related Nationally Determined Contribution priorities and climate-resilient water sector commitments.
- Support review and refinement of sector strategies, investment priorities, and implementation approaches.
- Advise on integration of climate resilience, implementation readiness, and climate finance considerations into water sector plans.
- Provide technical backstopping on climate-resilient water supply, watershed restoration, hydrological information systems, drought and flood resilience, and climate-informed planning.
- Support improvement of sector systems for planning, monitoring, measurement, reporting, verification, and knowledge management.
- Strengthen integration of climate data, hydrological information, risk analysis, and implementation tracking into water sector planning and reporting processes.
- Facilitate collaboration among Ministry departments, basin authorities, regional bureaus, the Ministry of Planning and Development, the Ministry of Finance or Climate Resilient Green Economy Facility, development partners, academia, non-government actors, and private sector stakeholders.
- Work closely with the NDC Partnership In-Country Facilitator and relevant climate finance and climate policy advisors.
- Undertake field missions, consultations, reviews, and technical backstopping tasks.
- Support preparation of presentations, briefs, talking points, and decision notes.
- Carry out any other related strategic or technical tasks requested by Ministry leadership.
Required Experience
- At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in climate-resilient water resources management, integrated water resources management, project preparation, investment planning, or related fields.
- Strong technical knowledge of climate-resilient water management, including water supply, watershed restoration, drought and flood resilience, hydrological information systems, water governance, and water infrastructure challenges in developing-country contexts.
- Proven ability to strengthen public institutions through training, mentoring, development of practical tools and guidance materials, and support for fundraising, investment planning, and project development.
- Demonstrated skills in analysis, report writing, coordination, negotiation, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement, including experience providing strategic or technical support to donor-supported water and climate programs.
- Demonstrated experience in mobilizing finance and preparing high-quality concept notes, project proposals, investment cases, or financing packages for climate, water, development, or infrastructure finance institutions.
- Previous experience supporting government ministries or national institutions in Ethiopia or similar contexts.
- Strong understanding of climate finance architecture and donor requirements, including practical experience engaging multilateral climate funds, development banks, bilateral partners, and philanthropic financing mechanisms.
- Knowledge of Ethiopia’s water-sector climate priorities and institutional landscape.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree, preferably in Water Resources Management, Hydrology, Hydraulic or Water Engineering, Climate Change, Environmental Science, Development Finance, Project Planning, Public Policy, or another closely related field.
- Bachelor's degree in related discipline with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience (total 7 years) may be accepted instead of an advanced university degree.
- PhD in a relevant field is desired.
