Consultancy: Africa Food System & Climate Connector at World Resources Institute (WRI)

Key responsibilities include:

•  Engage with key stakeholders of the food ecosystem in Africa, from production and processing levels to retailers and consumers (eg. producers, retail, industry providers, fintech and digital entrepreneur community), with a deliberate effort to profile and address farmers' requirements and potential contributions in relation to the sustainable agriculture agenda.
•  Actively engage in and support relevant National platforms established by FOLU (Food and land Use Coalition) partners to bring more African farmer voices in food systems by ensuring the representation of local, national and regional farmer federations. These may include: Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF); Plateforme Sous-Regionale des Organisations Paysannes d'Afrique Centrale (PROPAC); Rseau des Organisations Paysannes et de Producteurs de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (ROPPA); Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU); and Union Maghrbine et Nord-Africaines des Agriculteurs (UMNAGRI), among others.
•  Ensure the inclusion of women and youth voices and priorities in local, national and global agenda on food systems transformation agenda through FOLU platforms and UNHLC's initiatives.
•  Lead the organisation and execution of at least one workshop with the FOLU Kenya platform on Food Systems transformation and ensure the recommendations are taken up in Africa Food Systems Transformation Forum (formally AGRF) and COP 27.
•  Support the transformation lead on food and agriculture in at the HLC team ensuring inputs from Africa based initiatives, dialogues and groups including farmer organisations to inform the HLC global agenda and narratives on food systems transformation, as well as informing other key agenda leading coalitions such as FOLU.
•  Ensure that the discussions, agendas, prototypes and standards informing food systems frameworks and initiatives (including Regen 10, SBTI FLAG, Glasgow Agriculture Breakthrough) incorporate the insights, experience of African food producers and farmers, including women and youth.
•  Support any eventual Loss and Damage on actions related to food and agriculture.
•  Maximise synergies between regenerative agriculture and R2R campaign.
•  Support on any briefing to HLCs and the strat comms team ensuring that farmers' and SME voices are included in food and agriculture messages and events.
•  Regular coordination with the expanding Africa- based Climate Champions team.

About you

The successful candidate will have experience of working with/or as a smallholder farmer or in an SME food business in East Africa. You will be a highly motivated self-starter, willing to work across different time zones and cultures in a high-profile, fast-paced environment. A relevant undergraduate degree qualification is desirable but not essential to perform this role.

The following requirements are essential:

•  Proactive, outward facing networker and farmers' advocate who is comfortable inserting her/himself into regional and local debates and forums involving a wide range of stakeholders (eg with corporate, media, investors, think tanks) to promote the voice and experience of smallholder farmers so as to create opportunities for further engagement with smallholder farmers and agri SMEs.
•  Understanding of the science and various forms of local knowledge involved with sustainable, nature positive, climate resilient agriculture
•  Excellent communication skills in English, and at least one other major African language (Swahili, Arabic etc) - with succinct writing skills.
•  Comfortable working in a fast paced, online global team operating across different time zones.
•  Candidates who come from a farming background are highly encouraged.
•  Commitment to the Climate Champion Core values (below)

Core Values

•  Unite behind the science: we commit to make the changes scientists tell us are needed.
•  Build upon the incredible work to date: we will cross-fertilize and amplify the work of the many heroes who have already committed so much to addressing climate change.
•  Take into account different ideas and perspectives: we're willing to be challenged and to challenge, we look for the best in people and the best, most sound and most credible ideas, wherever they come from.
•  Practice stubborn optimism: we recognize the scale of the problem, combined with an absolute determination to build our way out.
•  Seek progress not perfection: all of us can be criticised and many of those best able to advance this issue are currently the biggest causes of it. We can't allow cynical greenwashing, but all who are serious about tackling climate change positively will be welcomed.
•  Be humble and generous: we keep our egos in check and work together for the good of the whole.

Code of Conduct

As a member of the Climate Champions Team you are required to adhere to the highest standards of conduct and behaviour, protecting the integrity of the mandate from Parties, the UNFCCC process, the UNFCCC institution and the COP presidency. Shortly after joining, there will be a number of mandatory induction meetings to ensure you have the information and tools needed to work to the highest standards.