Senior Technical Specialist (SECAP)

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at local, national and international levels for policies that contribute to rural transformation.

The Strategy and Knowledge Department (SKD) provides expert guidance on IFAD's strategic direction, thematic priorities and technical quality of IFAD operations. It plays a critical role in providing technical expertise to operational teams to enhance development effectiveness by generating and disseminating IFAD’s development knowledge and evidence on strategic themes, and encouraging innovative application of cutting-edge global knowledge and evidence in IFAD investments to help countries tackle their most complex development challenges in fostering inclusive and sustainable rural transformation. SKD is composed of the: (i) Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division (ECG); (ii) Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division (PMI); and (iii) Research and Impact Assessment Division (RIA).

ECG is composed of two clusters: (i) Environment and Climate Change Cluster; (ii) and the Social Inclusion Cluster. ECG takes the lead in integrating cross-cutting themes of environment and climate, nutrition, gender, youth, and indigenous peoples into IFAD's portfolio, with the aim of strengthening the quality and impact of IFAD’s operations. ECG also contributes to the generation of evidence and knowledge on these themes, and facilitates their use in IFAD-funded projects and activities. In addition, ECG provides guidance and support to ensure the inclusion of marginalized groups, particularly women, indigenous peoples and rural youth, into IFAD operations. Addressing environmental, biodiversity and climate change issues are inseparable from IFAD’s mission to overcome poverty.

One of the pillars of this work is the preparation and implementation of the Social, Environment, and Climate Change Assessment Procedures (SECAP) for enhanced results. IFAD has successfully mainstreamed social inclusion, environment and climate change concerns into its procedures and programming since the IFAD10 replenishment cycle, and a key tool for doing so is through the application of the SECAP and respective Strategies and Action Plans for each theme through to 2025. The ambitious mainstreaming targets continue to be a corporate commitment for IFAD in its twelfth replenishment (IFAD12: 2022-2024) where it has further expanded on these commitments, including through an enhanced and expanded SECAP 2020 guidelines including, inter alia, a broader treatment of social risks, a distinct climate standard, greater focus on stakeholder consultations and grievance mechanisms. The SECAP seek to both minimize risks and maximize development gains.  
IFAD is also strengthening its capacity to consolidate supplementary financing alongside its Programmes of Loans and Grants (PoLG) to achieve impact at scale. These include IFAD Trust Funds (the ongoing Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme, Rural Resilience Programme), in addition to global climate change and environment Funds from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and the Adaptation Fund. To maintain its accreditation to these Funds, IFAD must also ensure and report on compliance with the standards established by their respective governance bodies.

The Senior Technical Specialist (SECAP) works under the supervision of the Sr. Technical Specialist (SECAP) or the Lead Regional Technical Specialist (Environment and Climate) and overall strategic, policy and management guidance, and supervision of the division Director.

Job Role  

The Senior Technical Specialist serves as IFAD’s technical expert in his/her area of expertise. S/he supports country/regional programs by providing state-of-the-art global technical advice throughout the project cycle (strategic and operational), as well as contributes to the corporate agenda, in his/her technical area of expertise. 
Within his/her areas of responsibility, the Senior Technical Specialist exercises a high degree of independence in providing reliable programme delivery. The incumbent at this level performs the full complexity range of work independently, including the analysis and approval of complex and/or precedent setting cases with the aim to ensure cohesion and synergy in the application of technical advice and provision of programme development support. S/he works collaboratively with the thematic Technical Specialists, Country Directors (CD)/Heads of Multi-country Offices (MCO) and other staff to ensure consistency.

The Senior Technical Specialist is an expert and knowledge builder in her/his thematic specialization. S/he provides technical expertise and guidance on generating and using new ideas to enrich the knowledge base that supports the Fund's policy agenda. With corporate, rather than country or regional specific focus, s/he provides substantive contribution to understanding future trends in rural development strengthening IFAD's strategic planning perspective and pro-actively fostering innovative and effective solutions to rural poverty within country programmes, IFAD policy, member governments, the academic community, and public opinion in the international development community. Work at this level is characterized by technical leadership in field of specialization in collaboration with professional and support staff of a unit or by the provision of authoritative technical advice. S/he works collaboratively with SKD technical specialists (both in PMI and ECG) to ensure consistency, cohesion and synergy in the application of technical advice and provision of programme development support facilitating knowledge flows and building of communities of practices. 

Position specifics: Senior Technical Specialist (SECAP) works collaboratively with respective ECG technical specialists (both Environment/Climate and Social Inclusion), PMI thematic Technical Specialists, Country Directors and other staff to ensure consistency, cohesion and synergy in the application of technical advice and provision of programme development support facilitating knowledge flows and building of communities of practices.  

Key Functions and Results  

1. SENIOR TECHNICAL ADVICE: The Senior Technical Specialist provides technically authoritative advice to improve the IFAD’s capacity to position itself as an influential global player in these domains, and to improve related national government policies and programmes, ensuring IFAD is regarded as a trusted and valued partner. Accountabilities may include, but are not limited to: (a) providing IFAD staff and partners with up-to-date professional advice on policy, institutional and technical issues; (b) contributing to ensuring that IFAD senior management is regularly and adequately briefed to engage effectively in high-level fora with policy implications for rural transformation; and (c) providing senior-level technical expertise to the preparation of knowledge products aimed at advancing IFAD’s voice in the global debate on rural transformation, in close collaboration within SKD and other IFAD departments.

2. KNOWLEDGE AND ADVISORY SERVICES: The Senior Technical Specialist enhances the development of viable and sustainable policies, and supports regional and global thematic input, through authoritative technical knowledge sharing for her/his area of specialization. S/he will ensure access to the latest sources of knowledge and innovation, strengthening of technical capacity, and establishment of new knowledge and advisory partnerships. Accountabilities may include, but are not limited to: (i) supporting intelligence gathering and analysis of debates relevant to inclusive and sustainable rural transformation in the global debate and facilitating knowledge sharing and experiences in this area within SKD, IFAD and among other stakeholders in the global arena; (ii) supporting the coordination of relevant knowledge development and dissemination of knowledge and lessons learned with external partners and stakeholders (including regional and national institutions) through seminars, workshops and the publication of Occasional Papers, journal articles, and electronic media, as well as the development of new knowledge products and operational tools informed by learning from the field; (iii) participating in IFAD-wide thematic discussions and developing appropriate technical and operation approaches of relevance to country/divisional strategies and programmes; and (iv) planning and leading learning events to strengthen IFAD’s knowledge and capacity to engage in global debates with policy implications for rural transformation.

3. PARTNERSHIP BUILDING AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES: The Senior Technical Specialist develops and maintains a network of strategic partnerships that can help advance IFAD’s mandate and messages around rural transformation in the global debate. S/he develops peer contacts inside and outside IFAD to keep up-to-date on activities at country and regional levels, support joint advocacy, and share knowledge to enhance the Fund’s profile as a highly competent and viable partner in development. Accountabilities may include: (a) building strategic partnerships with centers of excellence, complementary technical organizations, and specialized departments of other development institutions (including United Nations agencies, International Financial Institutions, bilateral cooperation agencies, non-governmental organizations, etc.); (b) strengthening IFAD’s representation and communication in policy processes, including representing IFAD at international, regional, and inter-agency meetings, seminars and conferences; and (c) developing and cultivating alliances in key global policy fora to strengthen IFAD's influence over time, with a strategic focus on specific themes.

4. MONITORING, EVALUATION AND REPORTING:The Senior Technical Specialist (SECAP) contributes to ensuring and capturing results from IFAD’s portfolio in order to enhance country level programmes in in the assigned Regional Office portfolios and funding decisions based on accurate technical data. In particular, accountabilities may include: (a) Monitor the quality of SECAP implementation projects, programmes and strategies. (b) Monitor and provide inputs to ensure the quality of SECAP studies being produced by projects during implementation.(c) Monitor and identify means to address poor implementation of SECAPs by project teams. (d) Provide support to reporting to IFAD’s Board on the quality of SECAP implementation ratings. (e)  Monitor and ensure IFAD’s and Supplementary Funds’ public information, disclosure and grievance redress mechanisms are in place and requirements are met. (f) Monitor and provide input to IFAD policies and strategies to ensure accreditation requirements are maintained; (g) Participate in supervision missions to provide support to the implementation of environment and social management plans; (h) Assess the quality of project implementation and progress reports to ensure their quality and comprehensiveness; (i) Troubleshoot issues related to project progress and provide recommendations to management on measures to overcome barriers to efficient and quality implementation.

5. MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS: The Senior Technical Specialist is accountable for integrity, transparency, and equity in the management of IFAD resources. This includes, among others, people management through support to recruitment of technical specialists and technical leadership/capacity development, coaching and mentoring of new and/or more junior staff, supervisory role and evaluation of performance of professionals and general service staff under his/her purview.

Position specifics: 

6. SENIOR ADVICE ON SECAP: The Senior Technical Specialist (SECAP)  will work to enhance the quality of the preparation and implementation of the Social, Environmental and Climate Change Assessment Procedures (SECAP) including opportunities to enhance project development objectives through social integration, climate change adaptation and mitigation and sustainable environmental management. This will include support to projects financed through a variety of sources including the Programme of Loans and Grants (PoLG) and a variety of supplementary Funds.  In particular, the incumbent will:
•    Coordinate the preparation and oversight of the implementation of SECAP requirements such as, inter alia, environment and social impact assessments, climate risk and adaptation assessments and environment and social management plans or frameworks in in the assigned Regional Office portfolios
•    Coordinate the Division’s safeguards team’s efforts in providing advice, building capacity, and advancing the development of safeguards policies within member countries.
•    Review projects, programmes and strategies in order to strengthen their contribution to countries’ development objectives, including those identified under multilateral and regional climate change and environment conventions in in the assigned Regional Office portfolios.
•    Ensure high quality SECAPs though robust and comprehensive assessments, development of management plans and project activities.  The expert will both lead and provide support to others in achieving quality SECAPs.
•    Lead the enhancement of high quality climate risk, impact and adaptation assessments based on state of the art methodologies.
•    Support and supplement the development and maintenance of a roster of certified SECAP regional and international consultants, ensuring expertise across all SECAP Standards and regional needs.
•    Draft and revise Terms of References for consultants for the preparation, capacity building and implementation of SECAPs; 
•    Provide technical backstopping and troubleshooting in high risk projects and countries in in the assigned Regional Office portfolios;
•    Participate in project delivery teams in in the assigned Regional Office portfolios, in particular where there are substantial and high levels of risks related to the SECAP; 
•    Work with regional teams to strengthen the climate and environment rationale and activities in project proposals; 
•    Provide technical inputs to the design, start-up and implementation of climate and environment projects supported through Supplementary funds (eg. concept notes, project design documents, preparation of TORs, data collection and analysis, review of consultant’s work

7. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: The Senior Technical Specialist (SECAP) will ensure country-level access to the latest sources of knowledge and innovation, strengthen national technical capacity and establish new Knowledge and advisory partnerships. In particular, accountabilities may include: (a) Coordinate the work of the Division to ensure that appropriate resources, capacity and knowledge are deployed to effectively cover the implementation of SECAP, in particular in coordination with the Division for Operational Policies and Results (OPR) SECAP team. (b) Coordinate ECG’s efforts to develop and implement the SECAP through adequate training and knowledge building on a continuous basis. (c) Identify and implement trainings for IFAD staff, consultants, project delivery teams and partner institutions as required. (d) Produce knowledge products to further develop IFAD’s technical tools and to communicate lessons learned and results from the portfolio of projects. (e) Propose enhancement of strategic documents and processes to support the preparation and implementation of the SECAP. (f) Participate in UN, MDB, regional, national and other safeguards related working groups. (g) Keep abreast and produce guidance materials to colleagues on changes to safeguards and other related policies and practices of the supplementary climate and environment funds. 

8. PARTNERSHIP BUILDING: The Senior Technical Specialist (SECAP) will (a) Monitor, ensure, and report on IFAD’s compliance with safeguards policies of external funding sources to ensure continued access to supplementary financing. This applies specifically to the Adaptation Fund, the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund. (b) Represent IFAD in relevant regional, sub-regional and international events to showcase IFAD’s innovations and results. (c) Expand innovative partnerships with development partners to facilitate coherence with IFAD climate change and environment agenda. (d) Play an active role in resource mobilization efforts related to ECG themes. (e) Contribute to responding to member requests for information. 
 

Key Performance Indicators  

Assignments require the provision of authoritative technical expertise in the field of specialization. The impact of work by the incumbent directly affects the overall country programme and contributes to regional and corporate policy and strategy. Senior Technical Specialists design and contribute to the delivery of a country programme. The impact on the overall IFAD country and regional programmes is significant in projecting the Fund’s role/capacity as a reliable, viable partner in development. Work is intricate in that it requires consideration of a wide range of technical factors and related data, and national policies relevant for the economic policy concerns of the international organization. Senior Technical Specialists also monitor and guide the work of external consultants and participate as experts in field missions and intergovernmental and expert group meetings of a technical nature.

Work at this level normally is not reviewed for technical accuracy. Senior Technical Specialists thus exercise independence and initiative in assessing needs and advising governments when on field mission. Decisions are made on the research or analytical strategies to be followed in resolving problems of concern in the technical area. Established methods and procedures are adapted as necessary in order to achieve desired results.

Working Relationships  

The work relationships of the Senior Technical Specialist involve providing technical advice, and negotiating and resolving problems that arise in technical project design and appraisal, supervision/implementation support and in preparing studies and reports. S/he serves as an expert in rural infrastructure and renewable energy and works with full technical independence in providing technical expertise and methodological guidance at the country level, as well as regionally, as required. Contacts are with counterparts and senior officials within other United Nations organizations having related programmes, and with officials of governments, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations, research institutes and academia. At intergovernmental bodies, expert groups and other meetings, the Senior Technical Specialist (Research) provides technical expertise and recommendations for policy formulation and official conclusions in a consultative and specialist capacity; s/he may also provide information regarding the organization's policies, and act as the representative of the organization, maintaining contacts to identify and evaluate emerging developments.

Job Profile Requirements  

Organizational Competencies:

Level 2:

Education:

(*) Note:  For internal candidates, this requirement will be assessed in line with the provisions set forth in the IFAD’s Human Resources Implementing Procedures. 

Experience:

Languages:

Skills:

Other Information