Senior Technical Specialist

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 Office of Technical Delivery is responsible for providing expert technical guidance to IFAD teams engaged in the design and implementation of projects and programmes to deliver the high technical quality investments that facilitate rural transformation, and which comply with IFAD's mandate and operational policies. The Office ensures IFAD applies and disseminates state-of-the-art knowledge in its investments and evidence on strategic themes and encourages the innovative application of global knowledge and evidence in IFAD investments. This helps countries tackle complex development challenges in fostering inclusive and sustainable rural transformation including mainstreaming areas.
The Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division (ECG) leads the mainstreaming of cross-cutting themes of environment and climate, gender, nutrition, youth, disability and indigenous peoples into IFAD's portfolio, and the implementation of social, environment and climate safeguards (SECAP), to strengthen the quality of IFAD's operations and programmes.  ECG takes the technical lead to strengthen the quality of IFAD's operations and programmes ensuring that IFAD's operations are environmentally sustainable, climate change resilient, nutrition sensitive and inclusive of marginalized groups (particularly women, rural youth, Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities.)
Job Role
The Senior Technical Specialist serves as IFAD's technical expert in their area of expertise. The position 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 their technical area of expertise. Within their 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.
The Senior Technical Specialist - Social, Environment and Climate Safeguards - (SECAP) works collaboratively with respective ECG technical specialists (both Environment/Climate and Social Inclusion), PMI thematic Technical Specialists, Country Directors and other staff in the Western and Central Africa (WCA) region 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 on their area of specialization to improve the capacity of IFAD to position itself as an influential global player in these domains, and to improve related national government policies and programmes and ensure IFAD is regarded as a trusted and valued partner. Accountabilities may include but are not limited to:
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 their area of specialization. The position will ensure access to the latest sources of knowledge and innovation, strengthen technical capacity and establish new knowledge and advisory partnerships. Accountabilities may include, but are not limited to: 
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. The position develops peer contacts inside and outside IFAD to keep up-to-date on activities at the country and regional levels, to support joint advocacy and for knowledge sharing to enhance the Fund's profile as a highly competent and viable partner in development. Accountabilities may include: 
4. MONITORING, EVALUATION AND REPORTING: The Senior Technical Specialist supports the Director/Lead Technical Specialists in knowledge management and other monitoring and reporting activities to enhance country level programme and funding decisions.
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 their purview.
In particular, the Senior Technical Specialist (SECAP)'s main responsibilities include:
6. SENIOR ADVICE ON SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE SAFEGUARDS: 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:
7. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: The Senior Technical Specialist (Social, Environment and Climate Safeguards) (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:
8. PARTNERSHIP BUILDING: The Senior Technical Specialist (Social, Environment and Climate Safeguards) will:
9. MONITORING, EVALUATION AND REPORTING: The Senior Technical Specialist (Social, Environment and Climate Safeguards) (SECAP) contributes to ensuring and capturing results from IFAD's portfolio in order to enhance country level programmes in the WCA regional portfolio and funding decisions based on accurate technical data. In particular, accountabilities may include:

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