INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page.

Purpose

The National Adaptation Officer is expected to develop and update policies and plans related to climate change adaptation to help enhance the knowledge and skills of the government officials and other stakeholders to better understand adaptation.

Engagement

The National Adaptation Officer shall carry the overall responsibility of supporting GGGI in the implementation of its adaptation projects in Guyana and will facilitate coordination with the GGGI among different government departments, non-governmental organizations, research institutions, and other relevant entities. This includes working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Drainage, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (MoA/ NDIA) and engaging other agencies.

Delivery

• Review of coastal protection, drainage, and irrigation assessment reports prepared by or for NDIA.
• Organize and support training events and workshops for water management, use of instruments, water-related software/techniques for stakeholders in drainage and irrigation and prepare event reports.
• Within the present Terms of Reference, carry out other duties as requested by the GGGI Guyana Office and Senior Technical Adviser.
• Work closely with government agencies, stakeholders, and experts to develop and update policies related to climate change adaptation and ensuring these are aligned with sustainable development.
• Collect and compile all the relevant hydrological and climatological data related to integrated water resource management and flood management in Guyana.
• Monitoring and evaluating the progress of adaptation initiatives, assessing their effectiveness and making recommendations to adjust strategies as needed.
• Coordinate with stakeholders in adaptation coastal protection and drainage and irrigation for the implementation of activities under GGGI’s adaptation projects and initiatives.
• Support the development of technical specifications and tender documents for instruments such as canal flow monitoring instruments.
• Participate as a trainer in NDIA’s and GGGI’s technical seminars, workshops, and training programs.

Requirements

Qualification

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in water resources, Hydrogeology/ Environmental engineering, Water resources engineering, Geophysics, or a related field with emphasis on hydraulic modeling and GIS, Ph.D. is an advantage., or
• Preferably 5 years of experience in design implementation and management of water sector projects, including irrigation systems and team leadership of at least two similar assignments, preferably in Guyana.
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in work on coastal protection/disaster risk management/water resource management/agricultural system management/nature-based solutions/urban planning.
• Experience in conducting drainage assessments.
• Experience in the use of office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), and web-based management systems, and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages.
• Work experience, particularly in field positions, is desirable.
• Demonstrated abilities in designing data collection, conducting assessments, surveys and other studies with minimal supervision.
• Strong analytical and report writing skills fluency in English language.
• Experience of engaging actively with key stakeholders.
• Understands from a design perspective how NDIA and the government has been addressing climate adaptation and coastal protection.

Functional

• Computer skills in Engineering Software, Office Applications Including SPSS, Excel, Word, Outlook, Power Point.
• Strong learning agility to understand NbS and resilience incorporating adaptation work.
• Experience in working, liaising, and collaborating with development agencies, governments, NGOs, civil society organizations, and public international organizations
• Excellent communicator with experience in multi-cultural working environments.
• Self-initiative, motivated and team oriented
• Ability to manage time and prioritize effectively

Corporative

• Understand and actively supports GGGI’s mission, vision and values.
• Promote an organizational culture of trust, transparency, respect and partnership.
• Excels at problem solving, ask questions and seeks support when needed, shares easily information and knowledge with others both internally as externally.
• Manage emotions and stress positively, builds rapport and resolves conflict easily.
• Be able to lead where needed and provide solutions to challenges.
• Strong understanding and ability to execute operational processes that lead to successful project delivery.

INTRODUCTION

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is an intergovernmental organization founded to support and promote a model of economic growth known as green growth and has been functioning as a key development partner for the Government of Guyana (GoG). GGGI in Guyana has been supporting and implementing development projects since 2018 in the Renewable Energy and Sustainable Forest sectors and has recently expanded its support in the areas of Climate Resilience and Adaptation. Guyana has put great emphasis on addressing climate change because of its strategic importance as reflected in Guyana’s national strategy, the Low Carbon Development Strategy, 2030 (LCDS 2030) adopted in 2022.

Guyana’s coast is inextricably linked to its GDP and population, given its ecosystems, which support economies and communities with important goods and services and additionally provide protection from storms and erosion. Guyana’s coast is below the mean sea level and when combined with the increasing effects of climate change, especially rising sea levels, unpredictable heavy rainfall events, and sinking lands, it makes the country vulnerable. These coastal ecosystems, which protect people, infrastructure, and economic activities from flooding, erosion, and sea-level rise are critical for socio-economic well-being and are currently under threat. Traditional strategies to address coastal risk have relied on the use of hard coastal protection structures, often based on historical damages from erosion or in response to a specific disaster event. However, considering the projected impacts, addressing this with only hard infrastructure may not be the most feasible or cost-effective approach. A strong understanding of coastal dynamics is therefore required to ensure the design of structures and the development in areas is done well. GGGI’s work stream in this area will be focusing on including Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Guyana’s approach to coastal protection and flood risk management and adaptation, as well as supporting Guyana’s coastal Drainage and Irrigation systems management in designing a prioritized system for capital projects, all aimed at improving Guyana’s flood risk resilience.

DURATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS

The National Adaptation Officer is a National Position at a X8 grade level in the GGGI’s national scale for a duration of 36 months. GGGI provides 15% of base salary towards retirement plan/long-term savings, 27 days of annual leave, and private health insurance that covers dental and vision. GGGI is committed to providing a work environment that is sufficiently flexible to accommodate diverse life-cycle challenges and assist Staff members to achieve a better balance between work and personal/family commitments, thus ensuring high performance, long-term productivity, and well-being of Staff members.

The chosen candidate is expected to be based in Georgetown, Guyana, and will report directly to the Project Manager (also based in Guyana). This is a national position and does not include relocation benefits.