Climate Finance Specialist Full Time NEW

Job Purpose

Climate Finance Specialist will provide strategic and technical leadership in the identification, development, mobilization, and implementation of climate finance opportunities for ASDEPO. The position will lead the development of high-quality climate finance projects and strengthen ASDEPO’s capacity to access international and national climate finance mechanisms.

The Specialist will be expected to bring strong practical experience in climate finance project development and implementation, including experience working with recognized climate finance institutions, accredited entities, development organizations, international NGOs, or other organizations with established climate finance portfolios.

The position will contribute directly to ASDEPO’s resource mobilization strategy, climate resilience programming, partnership development, and institutional positioning within the climate finance sector.

Key Responsibilities

A. Climate Finance Development and Resource Mobilization

• Lead the identification, assessment, and prioritization of climate finance opportunities aligned with ASDEPO’s strategic priorities.
• Develop and maintain a pipeline of climate finance projects and funding opportunities.
• Lead the preparation of climate finance concept notes, funding proposals, investment proposals, and related financing documents.
• Develop funding strategies for accessing international, national, bilateral, multilateral, and private climate finance.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with climate finance institutions, accredited entities, donors, government institutions, development partners, research institutions, and private-sector actors.
• Monitor emerging climate finance mechanisms, funding windows, calls for proposals, and investment priorities.

B. Climate Finance Project Design

• Lead the design of technically sound and financially viable climate adaptation, resilience, mitigation, and nature-based solutions projects.
• Conduct or coordinate climate risk, vulnerability, needs, and opportunity assessments to inform project design.
• Ensure that project proposals demonstrate a clear climate rationale, theory of change, results framework, investment logic, sustainability, and scalability.
• Develop project budgets, financing structures, co-financing arrangements, results frameworks, indicators, and implementation strategies.
• Ensure integration of gender equality, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and environmental and social safeguards into project design.
• Ensure proposals meet the technical and fiduciary requirements of relevant climate finance institutions.

C. Project Implementation and Technical Oversight

• Provide technical leadership and oversight during implementation of climate finance projects.
• Support project teams to translate approved proposals into effective implementation plans and measurable results.
• Monitor implementation progress against approved climate finance frameworks, budgets, milestones, and results.
• Provide technical guidance on climate adaptation, resilience, mitigation, ecosystem restoration, climate-smart livelihoods, and disaster risk reduction interventions.
• Support effective monitoring, evaluation, learning, knowledge management, and reporting for climate-financed projects.
• Identify implementation risks and recommend appropriate corrective measures.

D. Climate Finance Institutional Capacity

• Strengthen ASDEPO’s institutional systems and capacity to develop and manage climate finance projects.
• Develop and facilitate training and mentoring for program, MEAL, finance, and management teams on climate finance requirements and project development.
• Contribute to strengthening ASDEPO’s readiness to work with international climate finance mechanisms and accredited entities.
• Support the development of organizational policies, systems, tools, and procedures relevant to climate finance programming.
• Promote evidence-based climate programming and documentation of lessons learned and good practices.

E. Partnership and Representation

• Represent ASDEPO in relevant climate finance meetings, technical working groups, conferences, consultations, and partnership forums.
• Develop strategic partnerships and consortia for large-scale climate finance opportunities.
• Coordinate with government ministries, regional authorities, research institutions, private-sector organizations, CSOs, and development partners.
• Identify opportunities for ASDEPO to participate as a lead organization, implementing partner, consortium member, or technical partner in climate finance initiatives.

Reports to: Program Director

• Duty Station: Addis Ababa, Head Office
• Category: Agriculture
• Level: Sinior-Level (8+ – 10 years’ experience)
• Employment Type: Contract based
• Salary: As per the organization salary scale
• Required Number: 1

Required Qualifications

Minimum Education

• Master’s degree in Climate Change, Climate Finance, Environmental Science, or a closely related field.
• Professional certification or specialized training in climate finance, project finance, carbon finance, climate risk, or related areas is an advantage.

Professional Experience

• At least 8–10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in climate finance, climate change programming, project development, resource mobilization, environmental programming, or development finance.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in the full project cycle of climate finance projects, from opportunity identification and concept development through proposal preparation, approval, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and closure.
• Significant experience working with well-established and recognized organizations involved in climate finance project development and implementation, such as accredited entities, international NGOs, development agencies, multilateral institutions, climate finance institutions, or comparable organizations.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and/or implementing projects financed through mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Adaptation Fund, Global Environment Facility (GEF), Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), bilateral climate funds, or other comparable climate finance mechanisms.
• Proven track record of developing successful concept notes, funding proposals, investment proposals, and climate finance project documentation.
• Demonstrated experience managing or providing technical oversight to complex, multi-stakeholder climate or development projects.
• Experience in climate finance partnerships, accreditation processes, fiduciary standards, environmental and social safeguards, and gender-responsive climate programming is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience mobilizing substantial financial resources for climate and development programs is a strong advantage.

Core Competencies

• Strategic leadership and analytical thinking
• Excellent proposal writing and communication skills
• Strong business development and resource mobilization capacity
• Partnership building and negotiation
• Project management and implementation oversight
• Financial and investment-oriented thinking
• Problem solving and decision making
• Ability to work with multidisciplinary and multicultural teams
• High level of integrity, accountability, and professionalism
• Ability to work independently and under demanding deadlines

Preferred Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will be a senior climate finance professional with a proven track record of developing and implementing climate finance projects, rather than solely an academic or general climate-change specialist.

Preference will be given to candidates who have:

• Worked directly with recognized climate finance institutions, accredited entities, international NGOs, development agencies, or multilateral organizations.
• Demonstrated experience taking climate finance projects from concept development through approval and implementation.
• Strong networks within the climate finance, development, government, and donor communities.
• Demonstrated ability to mobilize resources and establish strategic partnerships.
• Practical understanding of the Ethiopian and African climate finance landscape.

Safeguarding and Accountability

The post holder is expected to uphold ASDEPO’s safeguarding and protection standards, including child safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, non-discrimination, confidentiality, accountability to affected populations and the principle of do no harm. The Officer must immediately report suspected or observed safeguarding or serious protection concerns through ASDEPO’s established reporting mechanisms.