Green Climate Fund (GCF) Specialist

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT :

Job Posting: 29/Oct/2026

Closure Date: 26/Nov/2026, 10:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit: OCB - Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment

Job Type: Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition: Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)

Grade Level: N/A

Primary Location: Various Locations-Various Locations

Duration: Up to 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 Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) works to ensure that countries and stakeholders respond to the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. OCB provides a cross organizational coordination role on these issues and is a focal point to major multilateral environmental agreements including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Office also assists FAO Members in their responses towards the interlinked challenges of food security, climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation including through facilitating access to climate and environmental financing such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Green Climate Fund (GCF). In addition, OCB hosts the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme, the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as well as FAO’s work on environmental safeguards and leads the Programme Priority Areas on Climate Change (PPA BE1) and Bioeconomy for Sustainable Food and Agriculture (PPA BE2).

Guided by its new Climate Change Strategy, FAO is scaling up support to developing countries to transition toward sustainable and climate-smart patterns of agricultural development. Such a transition is vital to FAO’s efforts to achieve food security and nutrition for all, and can play an important role in broader international efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. In this context, FAO Member States have emphasized the need to scale up public and private investment in climate action. FAO is responding through a variety of avenues, including by prioritizing the development of a project portfolio with the Green Climate Fund (GCF). FAO has established a GCF Team within OCB (OCB-GCF Team) to coordinate the development and management of the GCF portfolio. The OCB-GCF Team works in close collaboration with FAO Decentralized Offices and technical staff to identify, develop and deliver high-quality climate investment and readiness projects that respond to countries’ priorities as defined in their national climate and sectoral policies and that deliver the type of transformational change sought by the GCF.

The purpose of this call is to provide the FAO-GCF community with qualified candidates who can 1) support and/or lead GCF project formulation and/or 2) support GCF accreditation process for national/regional direct access entities. The assignment may be home based with travel required for field missions.

Reporting Lines

The Specialist will work under the supervision of the Senior Natural Resources Officer, in close collaboration with the respective FAO Representation in the relevant country of assignment, as well as the relevant FAO Regional Office.

Technical Focus

For GCF Project Design Specialists, identification and design of FAO-GCF projects and programmes (Project Ideas, Concept Notes, Funding Proposals, and/or Readiness programme). It includes research, technical analysis, supporting negotiations on implementation arrangements / co-finance, and other project related services to support the formulation of projects and programmes.

For Accreditation Specialists, provision of technical assistance to national/regional entities for GCF accreditation process. It includes capacity assessment, policy/ strategic analysis, and technical and quality assurance support related to fiduciary standards and financial management.

Tasks and responsibilities

For GCF Project Design Specialist:

• Lead the formulation of GCF proposal packages, ensuring technical quality and alignment with GCF investment criteria and other requirements.
• Develop the GCF project’s Theory of Change and logframe with specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound indicators in alignment with the GCF’s Integrated Result Management Framework.
• Outline the content of feasibility study document and lead/ oversee all project feasibility work, ensuring all necessary elements are adequately covered in alignment with GCF requirements.
• Provide technical expertise and project design guidance to project proponents in the identification and development of climate investment project proposals that address country priorities and further FAO and GCF strategic objectives, aligned to programme priorities and operational policies and procedures.
• Support and advise the Decentralized Offices on drafting and finalizing appropriate and clear project execution / implementation arrangements.
• Engage in consultations with stakeholders (national ministries and departments, development partners, private sector) to identify co-financing sources, and propose partnerships (including other IAEs and DAEs).
• Ensure quality control of the GCF Concept Notes and Funding Proposals in line with GCF requirements and FAO’s operational policies and procedures.
• Coordinate the proposal development team including FAO staff, consultants and partners, ensuring robust outputs, smooth communication, and adherence to the agreed timeline.
• Oversee the development of other GCF annexes in close coordination and collaboration with other consultants.
• Oversee the design and finalization of the project budget, in close coordination with the Economist/Operations Officer on the project design team, and ensure its “implementability”.
• Ensure that Environmental and Social Safeguards assessment informs the project design, including the selection and prioritization of mandatory and critical mitigation measures in close coordination with the ESS experts.
• Ensure cohesion, consistency, avoidance of duplication of information, and integration across the Funding Proposal package.
• Ensure proposed interventions are well coordinated with other FAO and non-FAO projects in the region/countries and ensure that the proposed interventions build on FAO comparative advantage, successful practices, and lessons learnt.
• Address comments from FAO internal reviewers, the GCF Secretariat and independent Technical Advisory Panel (iTAP).
• Participate in, and/or lead the design and delivery of capacity development activities to FAO technical staff in headquarters and Decentralized Offices on the strategies, priorities and procedures, trends and issues related to the GCF.
• Perform other related duties as required.

For Accreditation Specialist (the combination of tasks will vary by country context on direct access):

• Support the framing of accreditation objectives/goals and identification of criteria for the selection and nomination of potential DAEs, in discussion with the NDA and in line with country’s climate action priorities as defined in its GCF Country Programme, NDCs, NAPs, LTSs, etc.
• Organize and engage in stakeholder consultation/validation workshops to gather inputs on accreditation objectives and criteria.
• Support the assessment of potential candidate entities, in line with the accreditation criteria, to develop a shortlist of candidate DAEs.
• Elaborate gap assessments against GCF accreditation requirements for national/regional entities.
• Develop a GCF Accreditation Action Plan, providing strategic and sequenced guidance to address identified gaps across fiduciary standards, environmental and social safeguards, gender, and institutional capacity, in line with GCF accreditation requirements.
• Review, compile, and organize all evidence, supporting documents, and related materials required for GCF accreditation process (i.e. pre-screening and accreditation proposal submission by DAE).
• Advise on any policy or legal amendment required to satisfy GCF accreditation requirements.
• Assist the DAE in preparing mandatory documents and policy updates and provide quality assurance of these documents required for GCF accreditation application, including those related to Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS), Gender mainstreaming, Fiduciary Standards, Grievances and Complaint Mechanisms, project management frameworks, and any other compliance requirements in collaboration with relevant consultants or contractors.
• Develop an action plan towards strengthening institutional capacity and provide the necessary training for a successful application for and operationalization of accreditation with recommended improvements specifying required policy/system changes, capacity development needs, digital upgrades, budget estimates and implementation timelines to close gaps and maintain accreditation readiness.
• Assist in drafting appropriate responses and replies to any queries on the DAE application from GCF Secretariat.
• Develop a capacity building programme for DAEs applicants based on gap analysis and action plans.
• Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• For Consultants: Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in finance, business administration, political sciences, sustainable development, environment, climate policy, natural resources management, or natural resource economics or any other discipline relevant to the work of the Organization.. Consultants with bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
• For PSAs: University degree (or technical degree/certificate) from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in finance, business administration, political sciences, sustainable development, environment, climate policy, natural resources management, or natural resource economics or any other discipline relevant to the work of the Organization...
• A minimum of one year (for category C), five years (for category B), or 10 years (for category A) of relevant experience in one of the technical areas listed above.
• Working knowledge of English (level C).

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 is desirable.
• Extent and relevance of experience with and knowledge of the procedures of GCF and other climate/ environmental funds.
• Demonstrated capacity to write technical reports in English.
• Intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

For GCF Project Design Specialist:

• Proven experience in preparing GCF proposals (Concept Notes and Funding Proposals) and leading multi-disciplinary teams in the preparation of investment projects.
• Proven knowledge and experience in Theory of Change, Results Based Management and Results Based Budgeting methodologies as they apply to climate change project formulation.
• Extent and relevance of experience in providing technical expertise or advice to project proponents at national, subregional and regional levels regarding project development.
• Demonstrated analytical and conceptual skills with proven ability to write project documents and analyze and integrate diverse information from various sources.
• Ability to meet hard deadlines and to collaborate with various colleagues at FAO HQ and Decentralized Offices as well as the government counterparts.

For Accreditation Specialist:

• Extent and relevance of experience in supporting accreditation process (in particular GCF).
• Demonstrated experience with reviewing and quality-assuring institutional frameworks and policies.
• Proven advisory experience in operational and strategic institutional capacity development and due diligence.
• Demonstrated experience in planning, project management, coordination and working with Governments and national organizations and/or private sector entities.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application

• 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/. These qualifications should be in alignment with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings.

• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT