Agriculture and climate change adaptation specialist

Requisition Number 11-0031

Since 1963 and in 145 countries, ACDI/VOCA has empowered people in developing and transitional nations to succeed in the global economy. Based in Washington, D.C., ACDI/VOCA is a nonprofit international development organization that delivers technical and management assistance in agribusiness, financial services, enterprise development, community development and food security to promote broad-based economic growth and vibrant civil society. ACDI/VOCA currently has approximately 90 projects in 40 countries and revenues of $124 million.

ACDI/VOCA is currently seeking an Agriculture and Climate Change Adaptation Specialist to develop a sector vulnerability assessment methodology that will analyze various agricultural sectors in Africa and Latin America for their climate change vulnerability. This analysis will then help USAID missions design programs for climate-smart agriculture production under Feed the Future initiatives. This position will be based in Washington, DC, with regular travel to the field. This position is contingent on ACDI/VOCA being awarded the program.

Responsibilities:

The individual will develop a vulnerability assessment tool to provide specific guidance for USAID programs; the tool should be designed with the Feed the Future framework in mind—i.e., around value chains, geographic regions and nutrition. This methodology should be strongly analytic, using the best available knowledge about exposure to physical impacts and sensitivity to those impacts in agricultural sectors. It must take into account the lack of data, but it should also draw from the work of the research community focusing on the impacts of climate change on the African and Latin American agricultural sectors. Lastly, it should be easily adaptable to a specific country context.

The specialist will then pilot test this methodology in one or two countries, analyze the findings, provide feedback to the team, and revise the methodology as appropriate.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in the fields of climate change, environmental science or another related field is required.
• Minimum of eight years of relevant work experience is required; previous experience on USAID-funded projects is preferred.
• Experience conducting climate change vulnerability analyses is required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of agricultural adaptation, value chain approaches, and Feed the Future initiatives is required.
• Experience in Africa on projects involving agriculture or natural resource management is also required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of nutrition is preferred.
• Linkages to the agricultural research community a plus.
• Fluency in English is required.