Job Description – Environmental and social safeguards Expert – GEF/GCF projects (2502084).

Job Description
Call for expressions of interest – vacancy announcement: 2502084
Environmental and social safeguards Expert – GEF/GCF projects
• Closure Date: 12/Sep/2025, 9:59:00 PM
• Organizational Unit: SFW
• Job Type: Non-staff opportunities
• Type of Requisition: Consultant
• Grade Level: N/A
• Primary Location: Senegal-Dakar
• Duration: 11 months
• Post Number: N/A

Important notice: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture.
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO’s values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.


Organizational Setting
The FAO Sub-Regional office for West Africa (SFW) responsible for developing, promoting and implementing FAO agreed strategies to help countries and sub-regional organizations address food security, nutrition, agriculture and rural development priorities in West Africa. The Office has a multidisciplinary team of technical experts, in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, land and water, and pastoralism, who provide technical support to the 15 member countries of ECOWAS in their fight against poverty and the promotion of food and nutritional security; as well as to a wider 17 member countries of the Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) in strengthening the resilience of the Sahel countries.
There is growing international recognition that the agricultural sectors (including crops, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture and livestock) play a central role in responding to climate change, as these sectors are among the foremost priorities in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by African countries under the UNFCCC. In this regard, SFW Strategy has as one of its priority areas “Sustainable Management of the Environment and Natural Resources (SMENR)” that intends to support countries address issues related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, the preservation of biodiversity, and the collection, management and sharing on the environment and natural resources data in the sub-region.
SFW is increasingly receiving requests from countries in West Africa for providing technical support in the development of concept notes and project proposals to key environmental donors (GCF and GEF and Adaptation Fund) as well as their implementation. As an accredited agency to the GEF, GCF and Adaptation Fund, FAO intends to expand its portfolio to assist countries in fulfilling their ambitions on climate action, notably, with UNFCCC, as well as the NDCs in the Paris Agreement.
GEF will shortly be the main donors of countries in the West Africa Sub-Region, in terms of climate actions. The portfolio of SFW comprises more than 60 projects funded by GEF. To succeed in the engagement with countries and the Secretariat of GEF, the FAO intends to strengthen its climate team at SFW


Reporting Lines
The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the Senior Policy Officer at SFW and the technical supervision of the Forestry Officer at SFW, and in close collaboration projects implementation teams at country level.


Technical Focus
The Environmental and Social Safeguards Expert will provide strategic direction and technical support for the Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) within the GCF/GEF projects. The expert will ensure compliance with ESS standards as per donor and FAO requirements, supporting the integration of safeguarding aspects into project design, proposal development, and management implementation.


Tasks and responsibilities
ES planning and implementation support:
• Provide technical support to project design and implementation teams to ensure compliance with FAO’s, GCF/GEF’s gender and ESS policies and relevant national laws, and collaborate with the FAO ESM Unit as necessary.
• Work with FAO national consultants to design safeguard screening of relevant activities to assess potential environmental and social risks associated with the project, developing a list of activities that are ineligible for support due to poor environmental or social performance.
• Provide technical support and advice on mainstreaming ESS policies and partners procedures during designing and implementation of climate related projects in the sub-region with multidisciplinary climate team.
• Support to project implementation teams to ensure compliance with GEF/GCF and others agencies gender and environmental and social safeguards policies and procedures advice on any challenges and means of risk mitigation.
• Review environmental and social frameworks, plans, reports and instruments, and/or assist in the further development, refinement and implementation of projects environmental and social safeguards
• Develop, updating, and implement an accessible grievance redress mechanism (GRM) that is consistent with GEF/GCF Policy and other partners agencies ESS policies.
ES capacity building and knowledge sharing and communication:
• Support the capacity building activities of countries in the West Africa Sub-Region on environment and social safeguards, in particular with the development/update the training materials and delivery of webinar sessions
• Build awareness on safeguard policy/guidelines/tools to key stakeholders
• Develop, review, and implement relevant ESS policies, instruments, procedures, and measures needed to prevent, reduce, or mitigate risks or negative impacts of all project interventions with attention on gender-sensitive
• Support mainstreaming and implementation of FAO’s Framework for Environmental and Social Management, through awareness raising and capacity building Contributes to the collection and promotion of knowledge sharing and best practices and influences partners in stakeholder consultations Provide technical inputs into communication materials, including briefs, leaflets, presentations.

ES Reporting, monitoring, research and resource mobilization:
• Develop and implement monitoring tools and inform indicators
• Support preparing and submitting regular monitoring reports on the ESS performance of the project, including the implementation of the project’s ESS policies and instruments, stakeholder engagement activities, and the performance of the GRM.
• Support the monitoring of project activities to ensure that FAO offices in West Africa comply with ESS specifications.
• Research, compile and organize information and reference materials from various sources for reports; create spreadsheets and presentations; manage and update databases for mailing lists and other information.
• Supports resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Corporate strategy.
• Perform other duties as required
Candidates will be assessed against the following

Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in environmental management, environmental sciences, environmental economic or, natural resource management, or a related field as appropriate for the specific profile. Consultants with bachelor`s degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in environment, forestry, natural resources management, climate change and REDD+ processes in developing countries
• Working knowledge of French and English.


FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement


Technical/Functional Skills
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions in West Africa is desirable;
• Experienc and knowledge in environment sustainability analysis and policy, climate change funding, gender mainstreaming;
• Experiences in handling climate programming for GEF, GCF and donor funding are preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in implementation of safeguard guidelines, policies, procedures and tools, and capacity building on Environmental and social safeguards standards and management in the context of forestry, natural resources management, climate change, food and agriculture.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and engage with a wide range of stakeholders, from government officials to Civil Society Organizations as well as local communities.
• Demonstrated ability to provide Environmental and social safeguards inputs which contribute to formulate, draft and finalize projects related to environment, forestry, natural resources management and climate change.
• Relevant experience in the design, formulation or evaluation of substantial agricultural and rural development projects and programmes with a focus on climate change. Experience on GCF, GEF or Investment Financing Institutions (IFI) is an advantage
Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency




Additional information
• FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
• Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• For more information, visit the FAO employment website
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.