View Vacancy – Climate and Environment policy officer (DRC & RoC) C4 (02/21 KSH)

FCDO pursues our national interests and projects the UK as a force for good in the world. We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK’s security, defend our values, reduce poverty and tackle global challenges with our international partners.

We place emphasis on how we lead and behave towards each other, how we make decisions and how we get the job done to deliver our cultural statement:

• We put respect and kindness first. We are inclusive, we get to know each other, and value our diversity and the contribution we each bring. We are fair, act with integrity, and tackle inequality and unacceptable behaviour. We work together and take responsibility to solve problems. 
• We draw on the expertise, insight and diverse perspectives of people across the FCDO, HMG, and beyond. We use the best available data and evidence. We are open to challenge and take a long-term approach. We are transparent about the rationale for decisions and smart about taking and managing risks.   
• We are agile and alert to emerging opportunities. We encourage learning, innovation and use of data and digital. We are all clear on what we are expected to deliver and support each other in doing so. We look to reduce duplication and unnecessary process. We are committed to transforming both the FCDO and the way HMG delivers international policy.

Description of Team/Division:

While Africa has historically contributed little to the causes of climate change, it is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The consequences of climate change are already being seen across Sub-Saharan Africa and these are likely to become more severe over the coming decades, with increases in temperatures, extreme weather events, floods and droughts predicted.

With over 60% of population directly dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods, dealing with the consequences of climate change will be critical to achieving increased prosperity and security in the region. Currently, two-thirds of Sub-Saharan Africans lack access to electricity, and as population and economies grow, demand for reliable, affordable energy will increase. We want to see the region develop sustainably, leapfrogging to low carbon economies, with sustainable natural resource management that also provides increased prosperity and opportunity for the region’s people.

Congo Basin hosts the 2nd most important forest on Earth (after the Amazon) and the world’s largest tropical peatland. It is vital for global biodiversity, local livelihoods and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Over 40m people rely directly on DRC’s forest resources for their livelihoods, and the Congo forests also provide other life-sustaining ecosystem services such as regulating rainfall in many parts of sub Saharan Africa, water provision, flood prevention and nutrient cycling.

The UK’s co-hosting of UNFCCC’s COP 26 in November 2021 is a unique opportunity to work collaboratively on climate with our partners across Africa, to amplify African voices, support African leadership and facilitate effective African engagement with the UNFCCC negotiations process.

The post holder will be a part of the Green Growth, Climate and Trade team within the British Embassy Kinshasa, which is leading on UK’s engagement on these subjects areas. The team has a specific focus this year on COP. The team contains a mix of political and programmatic engagement, focusing on both providing programmatic support to green growth initiatives in the Congo Basin, but also on the political engagement needed from Gov DRC & RoC to support those initiatives and enact change.

Purpose of Job:

The post holder will be a part of the Green Growth, Climate and Trade team, with primary responsibilities to work on the climate and environment agenda leading up to CoP 26 in November.

They will work closely with team members, leading on stakeholder management with Government interlocuters, the International Community, NGOs, etc., and provide programme management and administrative support. The post holder will be a strong communicator, leader and project manager. They will also be a competent administrator with excellent organisational skills and have the ability to juggle multiple tasks and tight deadlines.

They will need to have strong strategic awareness and planning skills, in order to manage and monitor the team priorities and activities and ensure delivery on time. The job requires flexibility to step in to take on tasks at short notice and deliver. They must be able to work independently and be confident in dealing with partners, government officials and development partners. They will be a strong communicator, with a good track record of working in multi-disciplinary teams and building relationships.

Key Responsibilities:

We all have a responsibility to embrace the changes of the FCDO as it transforms, building the culture we want to see and delivering our cultural statement in how we lead and behave towards others; how we make decisions and how we get the job done is everyone’s responsibility.

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Supporting political and programmatic engagement with Government of DRC and Rep of Congo in the Climate space.
• Developing and managing a strong stakeholder network across the DRC and Rep of Congo. This network includes the international community, civil society, private sector, governmental interlocutors, NGOs and London.
• Administrative tasks, such as Note Verbale drafting, supporting team priorities, reporting to London.
• Project management of climate funding activities, such as events and initiatives
• Developing engaging communicatrions around Climate in coordination with the Embassy’s Comms team

• Fluent in French and English (spoken and written)
• Highly self-motivated and driven – able to independently drive forward projects, consulting with others when needed and ensuring completion to a high standard.
• Responsible and able to deliver in a timely manner against short deadlines – able to ensure objectives are met in often short time frames and without needing extensive managerial oversight.