NIRAS is submitting a bid for the tendered “Consulting Services for Strengthening Capacities of EAC Secretariat and its Partners to Manage Nature-Based Solutions in East Africa,” funded by GIZ. The project aims to enhance the ability of the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat and its regional partners to effectively implement nature-based solutions (NbS). It falls under the broader “Support to management of nature-based solutions with EAC (EAC4Nature)” GIZ project, and focuses on improving the integration of NbS into the EAC’s political and regulatory framework, strengthening the technical and managerial capacities of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA), and the Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi/Rusizi River Basin Authority (ABAKIR), and enhancing information management systems related to water and environmental issues. The consulting services will provide advisory support, technical assistance, and capacity-building activities to ensure that the EAC Secretariat and its partners can manage NbS initiatives effectively and sustainably.
Key activities include revising EAC’s Climate Change Policy and Action plan, drafting EAC’s Framework for implementation of NDCs and EAC’s Carbon Credit Exchange Mechanism concept with a focus on NbS, developing concept notes for bankable NbS projects, and preparing MoUs on hydrological knowledge and data between and information sharing agreements. The project also involves operationalizing the Water Information System (WIS), developing State of the Basin Reports, and improving information management. Capacity-building measures will target technical and managerial personnel from the EAC Secretariat, LVBC, LTA, relevant ministries of EAC Partner States, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). By the end of the project, the consulting services aim to have significantly strengthened the region’s ability to manage natural resources sustainably, improve climate resilience, and promote gender-sensitive and inclusive approaches in all project activities.
The project is expected to start in July 2025 and will run for 33 months (with possibility for extension).
Tasks of the Nature-based Solutions Expert will include, but are not limited to:
- Representing the Contractor at EAC and LTA Secretariats
- Providing technical and organizational advice on NbS and climate financing to EAC and LTA secretariats, while facilitating the expert-pools
- Ensuring day-to-day steering of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of relevant activities under Output 2 and 3 including management of a pool of regional short-term experts in close consultation with GIZ
- Responsible for implementation of WP 1 and 3
- Ensuring coherence, coordination and complementarity of the Contractor’s services with the GIZ project and other relevant activities with LTA, in particular the TAKIWAMA project at LTA
- Managing procurement activities and administrative tasks locally in close coordination with the team leader
The Nature-based Solutions Expert position is expected to be up to 693 working days and will be based at EAC Secretariat in Arusha, Tanzania, with frequent travel to LTA Secretariat in Bujumbura, Burundi.
When uploading your CV, please indicate how you meet each of the qualifications and professional experiences listed.
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
Qualifications
- University degree (Master, PhD or equivalent) in natural resources management, environmental management or climate change
- English C2-level AND French C1-level AND Swahili B2-level (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)
Professional experience
- General professional experience: 8 years of professional experience in the natural resource or climate sector including 5 years of experience in the development and implementation of strategies and concepts for technical cooperation projects as well as bankable project design
- Specific professional experience: 5 years of professional experience in natural resources management and climate change adaptation policies and its implementation with regional bodies.
- Leadership/management experience: 8 years of management/leadership experience as project team leader or manager in development cooperation or business sector
- Geographical experience: 10 years of work experience in Sub-Saharan Africa; 5 years of work experience in Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania or Zambia; 5 years of work experience in regions of Africa outside the East African Community
- Experience in the field of development cooperation: 8 years of experience working on regional DC projects
