Extended Term Consultant

Extended Term Consultant

Job #: req37383 Organization: World Bank Sector: Climate Change Grade: EC1 Term Duration: 1 year 0 months Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: Washington, DC,United States Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): French & Spanish Closing Date: 7/13/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Climate change will greatly affect the poorest people in the world, who are often hardest hit by weather catastrophes, desertification, and rising sea levels and least able to respond. In some parts of the world, climate change has already contributed to worsening food security, reduced the predictable availability of fresh water, and exacerbated the spread of disease and other threats to human health.

Helping the most vulnerable countries and communities adapt to increasing challenges of climate change is an imperative for the international community, requiring significant resources to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Adaptation Fund is an innovative financing mechanism set up by the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with the purpose of financing concrete climate change adaptation projects and programs in developing country Parties. At the request of the COP, the GEF is providing secretariat services to the Adaptation Fund Board (the Board) on an interim basis, through a dedicated team. Since becoming fully operational in 2010, the Board has approved over 190 projects and programs worth more than USD 1.2 billion in over 100 countries.

Launched under the Kyoto Protocol of the UNFCCC, the Adaptation Fund has been formally serving the Paris Agreement since 2019. The Adaptation Fund is implementing its second medium term strategy (2023-2027) that rests on the three pillars of adaptation action, innovation and learning/knowledge management.

The Adaptation Fund supports country-driven projects and programs, innovation, and global learning for effective adaptation. All of the Adaptation Fund’s activities are designed to build national and local adaptive capacities while reaching and engaging the most vulnerable groups, and to integrate gender consideration to provide equal opportunity to access and benefit from the Fund’s resources. They are also aimed at enhancing synergies with other sources of climate finance, while creating models that can be replicated or scaled up.

Since 2022, the Fund has been implementing its current Resource Mobilization Strategy (2022 – 2025). As part of the strategy and action plan, the Board sets annual resource mobilization targets for voluntary contributions. The Board is currently developing its next Resource Mobilization Strategy for 2026 to 2029.

The Adaptation Fund can also receive resources from international carbon markets. It was initially set up to be financed with the share of proceeds amounting to two per cent of certified emission reductions (CERs) issued from activities under the clean development mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. This provides the AF with a unique mandate and ability to channel funding from various sources towards concrete adaptation action in the most climate vulnerable communities in developing countries.

The Fund is also set to receive a five per cent share of proceeds from the Paris Agreement’s Article 6.4 Carbon Crediting Mechanism (UNFCCC Decision 3/CMA.3). In addition, Parties and stakeholder using cooperative approaches under Article 6.2 are strongly encouraged to commit to contribute resources for adaptation, in particular through contributions to the Adaptation Fund (UNFCCC Decision 2/CMA.3).

The Secretariat is recruiting an extended-term consultant to strengthen the Adaptation Fund’s capacity to mobilize resources from international carbon markets—particularly under Articles 6.2 and 6.4 of the Paris Agreement and relevant voluntary carbon market initiatives.

The consultant will play a key role in developing and implementing strategies to advance the Adaptation Fund’s engagement with Article 6 through engagement with governments, multilateral agencies, the corporate sector, Parties, and carbon market actors—translating Board decisions, mandates, and strategic priorities into concrete country-level discussions, partnerships, and transaction-related processes—with a primary focus on advancing Article 6 implementation while contributing to the Adaptation Fund’s Resource Mobilization Strategy 2026–2029 (subject to Board approval), particularly for carbon market linked sources of adaptation finance.

The consultant reports to the Lead for the Country Partnerships Unit and will work closely with the Country and Partnerships Unit and other relevant Secretariat teams to develop the deliverables below. The consultant will report regularly to the Secretariat on progress against agreed outputs and will adjust deliverables as needed based on evolving Article 6 discussions and Secretariat priorities.

Duties and Accountabilities

The successful candidate will be expected to carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Article 6 and Carbon-Market-Related Resource Mobilization

• Map and structure the Secretariat’s engagement with Parties and stakeholders to advance and implement contributions to the Adaptation Fund under Articles 6.2 and 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, as well as relevant voluntary carbon market initiatives, to support the implementation of the AF Resource Mobilization Strategy 2026–2029 (subject to Board approval), with a particular focus on carbon-market-linked sources of adaptation finance, including identifying, advancing, and tracking relevant opportunities.

• Produce a prioritized pipeline of 6–8 candidate cooperative approaches under Article 6.2 (ITMO generating activities) with potential Adaptation Fund contribution modalities, including counterpart mapping, indicative volume/value ranges, and key risk considerations. Support the preparation, facilitation, and follow up on bilateral and multilateral discussions with countries exploring cooperative approaches and carbon market arrangements with adaptation-related contributions, including by developing up to two engagement instruments (e.g., Letters of Intent or MoUs) and internal process notes outlining contribution pathways to the Adaptation Fund under Article 6.2, accompanied describing roles, steps, and required documentation for advancing transactions.

• Contribute to the development and application of other practical approaches for channeling resources from carbon market activities to the Adaptation Fund, consistent with UNFCCC decisions and Board guidance.

2. Partnerships and External Engagement

• Support engagement with key stakeholders in the carbon markets landscape, such as governments, international organizations, carbon market platforms, standard-setting bodies, to strengthen awareness of and support for the Adaptation Fund’s mandate and role.

• Deliver a targeted stakeholder engagement plan identifying 10–12 priority counterparts (Parties’ Article 6 leads, A6.4 Supervisory Body liaison points, registries/platforms, standards bodies), with contact strategies and success metrics.

• Contribute to the preparation of outreach materials, talking points, and briefing notes to position the Adaptation Fund within evolving carbon market and Article 6 discussions.

• Coordinate and document at least four engagements (virtual or in person) with priority counterparts; produce action memos following each engagement.

3. Analytical, Strategic, and Internal Support

• Provide targeted qualitative and quantitative analytical support to inform decision-making related to carbon market engagement and resource mobilization.

• Support the preparation of internal notes, briefings, and Board-related materials related to carbon markets and Article 6 implementation, as required.

• Monitor and synthesize relevant developments in international and voluntary carbon markets with direct relevance to the Adaptation Fund’s mandate and activities, and contribute to internal knowledge-sharing and capacity-building efforts.

Selection Criteria

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with 2 years of
experience or equivalent combination of education and experience;

• Minimum of five years of relevant professional experience in climate change, carbon markets, sustainable finance, or related fields;

• Demonstrated expertise in carbon finance and knowledge of sustainable finance instruments;

• Experience in project management, including planning, organizing, and executing climate-related projects;

• Thorough understanding of climate change and development challenges, key climate change policy and market issues, including the latest developments in the field;

• Proficiency in data analysis and report writing to support strategic development and decision-making;

• Excellent written and verbal communication and analytical skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear and concise language;

• Understanding of the challenges faced by developing countries in accessing climate finance.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

As per WBG policy, an Extended Term (ET) appointment is subject to a lifetime maximum of three (3) years. Former and current ET staff who have completed or are in the process of completing their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.

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