VCCRP Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) Advisor - Consultancy

· Short term consultancy assignment – up to a maximum of 80 days

· Commencing 1 February 2026 – 31 December 2026

· Port Vila, Vanuatu (or home based with specific in-country missions)

· Open to national and international candidates

Save the Children: A place where your purpose matters.

It takes all types of personalities and talents to drive our organisation – yours included. We value a healthy work-life balance and ensure our people feel connected to each other and our impact. Learn from inspiring people and grow from a connection to our strong local and global networks. From our programs to our support services – this is the place to realise your purpose.

About the project:

The Vanuatu Community-based Climate Resilience Project (VCCRP) is the largest locally-led adaptation project in the Pacific. It aims to reduce climate-related vulnerabilities and build adaptive capacity across all six provinces of Vanuatu. VCCRP is implemented by the Government of Vanuatu with support from Save the Children Vanuatu and funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The project is managed by a Program Management Unit (PMU) within the Department of Climate Change (DoCC) in the Ministry of Climate Change.

A place to make a difference:

Save the Children is seeking a qualified consultant to serve as the Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) Advisor for the VCCRP. The consultant will provide technical guidance, oversight and support to ensure that project activities are designed and implemented in compliance with environmental and social safeguards, and that they promote equitable access to benefits while mitigating risks to people and the environment.

In this consulting assignment you will be:

1. Ensuring the application of environmental and social safeguards across all project activities, within alignment to national laws and Green Climate Fund (GCF) requirements.

2. Providing technical assistance to review and implement the Environmental and Social Assessment and Residual Risk Management Plan (ESARRMP) and its integration into procurement, planning, implementation and monitoring processes.

3. Providing technical assistance to review and implement the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) and train implementing partners on its use.

4. Conducting environmental and social risk screening and facilitating environmental impact assessments (EIAs) where required.

5. Building capacity of project staff and partners through training and technical support on ESS principles and practices.

6. Promoting gender equity, disability inclusion, and social accountability across all project components.

7. Collaborating with the government and other stakeholders to ensure best practices are followed and captured.

This consultancy requires:

1. 3–5 years’ experience in an ESS Advisor or similar role with proven experience in environmental and social safeguards, including risk screening and mitigation planning.

2. Strong knowledge of international environmental regulations and best practices (strong knowledge of Vanuatu’s environmental regulations is desirable)

3. Demonstrated experience working with donor ESS compliance requirements on largescale climate change and disaster risk reduction projects including the integration of GEDSI into strategies (experience working with GCF is desirable)

4. Demonstrated experience developing tools and practical approaches that can be used at the national, subnational and community level and ability to lead training and capacity-building initiatives to support teams to use these

5. Highly organised, able to plan well and strong coordination skills (internal and external stakeholders)

6. Effective communication skills in English (fluency in Bislama and French is desirable)

7. Proven ability to work in cross-cultural, multi-stakeholder environments and experience working in the Pacific

8. Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Master’s Degree is desirable)

9. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (and additional proficiency in other data management and visualisation tools is desirable)

The full Terms of Reference can be found here.

Does this sound like the place for you?

We’d love to hear from you. To apply, please send an application that includes:

· A letter expressing interest, outlining relevant experience and expertise

· A copy of your CV

· Contact details of at least two referees

· Your daily rate

Applications must be received no later than Monday 5th January at 17:00 (UTC+11), 2026 via the link provided.

Save the Children Australia is a child-safe organisation. All consultants are required to undergo a National Police Check, a Working with Children Check where necessary, and sign our Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct.