Senior Climate Resilient Water Resources Management Advisor (Home based Retainer) - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The Senior Climate Resilient Water Resources Management Advisor will provide strategic and technical support to help the Ministry of Agriculture mobilize climate finance, develop high-quality investment pipelines and project concept notes, strengthen institutional capacity, and support implementation of agriculture-related climate priorities under Ethiopia’s Nationally Determined Contribution and related plans. This is a home-based retainer position supporting climate-resilient water resource management initiatives in Ethiopia.

Responsibilities

• Identify, screen, and prioritize climate-resilient water sector investment opportunities, advancing finance-ready concept notes, project proposals, and investment packages.
• Prepare, coordinate, and refine high-quality concept notes, project proposals, and financing submissions for various climate funds and development partners.
• Develop bankable project documents including problem analysis, theory of change, results frameworks, budgets, financing plans, implementation arrangements, safeguards inputs, gender considerations, risk assessments, and monitoring frameworks.
• Prepare climate finance strategies, donor engagement plans, investor outreach materials, and partnership briefs to secure resources for sector implementation.
• Track financing windows and advise ministry leadership on relevant climate and development finance opportunities.
• Assess institutional gaps in fundraising, climate finance engagement, investment planning, project pipeline development, and proposal preparation within the Ministry and sector institutions.
• Design and deliver practical in-house training, coaching, and mentoring for Ministry staff and affiliated institutions on investment planning, project structuring, concept note development, proposal writing, donor engagement, and resource mobilization.
• Develop and institutionalize practical tools, templates, guidance notes, and standard operating procedures to improve project preparation and climate finance engagement.
• Support internal knowledge management, lesson capture, and continuity mechanisms within the Ministry.
• Provide strategic and technical support to the Climate Resilient Integrated Water Resources Management initiative and other basin development programs.
• Assist Ministry in preparing technical notes, implementation briefs, decision papers, and partner updates for basin programs.
• Support stronger coordination among Ministry departments, basin authorities, regional institutions, consultants, and development partners.
• Provide strategic advice on implementation of water-related Nationally Determined Contribution priorities and climate-resilient water sector commitments.
• Support review and refinement of sector strategies, investment priorities, and implementation approaches for alignment with national climate plans and financing opportunities.
• Advise on integration of climate resilience, implementation readiness, and climate finance considerations into water sector plans and strategic documents.
• Provide technical backstopping on climate-resilient water supply, watershed restoration, hydrological information systems, drought and flood resilience, and climate-informed planning.
• Support improvement of sector systems for planning, monitoring, reporting, verification, and knowledge management related to water sector climate interventions.
• Facilitate collaboration among Ministry departments, basin authorities, regional bureaus, Ministry of Planning and Development, Ministry of Finance, development partners, academia, non-government actors, and private sector stakeholders.
• Work closely with the NDC Partnership In-Country Facilitator and relevant climate finance and climate policy advisors to ensure alignment and coordination.
• Undertake field missions, consultations, reviews, and technical backstopping tasks to accelerate implementation of priority climate-resilient water sector interventions.
• Support preparation of presentations, briefs, talking points, and decision notes for Ministry leadership and development partners.
• Carry out other related strategic or technical tasks requested by Ministry leadership consistent with the assignment purpose.

Requirements

• Master’s degree, preferably in Water Resources Management, Hydrology, Hydraulic or Water Engineering, Climate Change, Environmental Science, Development Finance, Project Planning, Public Policy, or another closely related field.
• Bachelor's degree in related discipline with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience (total 7 years) may be accepted instead of an advanced university degree.
• PhD in a relevant field (desired).
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in climate-resilient water resources management, integrated water resources management, project preparation, investment planning, or related fields.
• Strong technical knowledge of climate-resilient water management, including water supply, watershed restoration, drought and flood resilience, hydrological information systems, water governance, and water infrastructure challenges in developing-country contexts.
• Proven ability to strengthen public institutions through training, mentoring, development of practical tools and guidance materials, and support for fundraising, investment planning, and project development.
• Demonstrated skills in analysis, report writing, coordination, negotiation, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement, including experience providing strategic or technical support to donor-supported water and climate programs.
• Demonstrated experience in mobilizing finance and preparing high-quality concept notes, project proposals, investment cases, or financing packages for climate, water, development, or infrastructure finance institutions (desired).
• Previous experience supporting government ministries or national institutions in Ethiopia or similar contexts (desired).
• Strong understanding of climate finance architecture and donor requirements.

Skills

• Climate-Resilient Water Use
• Water Resources Management
• Project Preparation
• Investment Planning
• Hydrological information systems
• Water Governance
• Watershed restoration
• Drought Resilience
• Urban Flood Resilience
• Water Infrastructure Management
• Institutional Capacity Building
• Training and Mentoring
• Guidance Materials Development
• Fundraising
• Project Proposal Preparation
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Coordination and Facilitation
• Negotiation Skills
• Climate Finance Mobilization
• Donor Requirements Knowledge

Languages

English