Senior Environment and Safeguards Specialist Verified listing

FAO Pakistan with financial assistance from the Green Climate Fund is implementing a project called Transforming Indus Basin with Climate Resilient Agriculture and Water Management in Punjab and Sindh Provinces. The project aims to develop the country’s capacity to get and use the information it needs to cope with the impact of climate change and agriculture and water management. The overall goal of the project is to enhance the capacity of agriculture and pastoral sectors to cope with climate change, by up scaling farmers adaptation of climate change adaptation technologies and practices through a network of already established farmers field schools, and by mainstreaming climate change adaptation concerns and strategies into on-going agriculture development initiatives, policies and programming.

The positions are at the SB1V-SC9 level. One position is based in Multan, and the other is based in Tandojam, Pakistan.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Pakistan, and the direct supervision of Technical Advisor, and in close coordination with International Officers, national project coordinators, and the project’s other technical specialists in Multan and Hyderabad, the Senior Environment and Safeguards Specialist will perform following tasks and responsibilities.

Technical Focus

Ensure timely delivery of all activities/issues related to ESS, GRM and ESMP in the Transforming Indus Basin with Climate Resilient Agriculture and Water Management Project.

Tasks and responsibilities

1.    Manage and co-ordinate to ensure the implementation of FAO and GCF’s Environmental and Social Safeguards Standards (ESS), manage procedures including the establishment of an appropriate field compliance and reporting structure to ensure compliance with the ESS standards

2.    Manage Grievance Redress Mechanism/ feedback mechanism and based upon the feedback advising the PMU and key stakeholders the best practice of improving the social and environmental aspects of the project.

3.    Lead the ESS capacity building and training activities for all the stakeholders including government and other implementing partners .

Detailed responsibilities are listed below:

Project Environmental and Social Safeguards Implementation support

•    Review and update the existing project Environmental and Social Management System.
•    Coordinate, manage and implement the project safeguards in compliance with the FAO, GCF ESS standards and country’s guidelines.
•    Development and rolling out of a safeguard monitoring and reporting system against FAO and GCF’s Environmental and Social Safeguards Standards
•    Lead the ESS field due diligence, covering all the project districts, and advise the project implementation team on the findings
•    Screening of sub-projects identified under the projects, ensuring the screening process complies with the ESS standards; and advise on the site-specific safeguards ‘instruments required
•    Ensure that ESS requirements are incorporated into the LOA, MOU, and contract agreement of the project’s implementing partners
•    Lead in ensuring that safety and health concerns of the workers and the public are addressed during pre- construction, construction and implementation phases of the project construction works for the equipment installation particularly under component-1 of the project.

Minimum Requirements

•    Advance University degree in Environmental Science, Engineering, Socio-ecological Sciences, and Socio-environmental related degrees
•    Minimum of 5 years of professional working experience related to safeguards in a senior role with international agencies, multilateral banks, and other reputed institutions
•    Good knowledge of English and Urdu
•    National of Pakistan

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•    Excellent working knowledge related to compliance, safeguarding, due diligence requirements of different donors, of GCF as an asset.
•    Advanced knowledge of methodologies, tools, and implementation of social, environmental safeguards and key elements of programmatic risk management.
•    Track record of experience in designing and implementing safeguard and risk management activities, preferably for development programmes/projects.
•    Demonstrated abilities in designing data collection, conducting assessment, survey and other studies with minimal supervision.
•    Strong analytical and report writing skills.