JOB DETAILS:
Organization details
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations on behalf of the German Government.
The global Sustainable peatland management for people, climate and biodiversity (Peat4People) programme, funded by the BMZ via its International Climate and Environment Initiative (IKI) intends to improve the technical and financial capacities of relevant stakeholders for the sustainable management of peatland landscapes in selected partner countries.

The importance of peatlands for climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as the preservation of biodiversity is enormous: covering only 3% of the earth's land area, they are estimated to store a third of the world's soil carbon or about twice the carbon content of the Earth's forest biomass. Uganda is home to approximately 6,878 km² of peatlands, which constitutes about 3.7% of the total land area. Notably, it has the third highest peatland carbon stock in Africa. Halting the emissions and maintaining the peatlands’ carbon sequestration and storage capacity is crucial for achieving global climate goals, as degrading peatlands are among the hotspots for greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, forestry and land use change (UNEP GPA, 2022 & IPCC Wetlands Supplement, 2014).

Despite their importance for biodiversity, important ecosystem services and climate protection, peatlands are endangered. The most common challenges to peatland integrity include land use change, pollution, human activities (e.g. population growth, overexploitation through extensive drainage for agriculture and forestry, peat extraction, untreated wastewater discharge) and climate change.

Enhancing the technical and financial capacities of stakeholders is essential for developing effective management strategies that can mitigate these threats and promote conservation and restoration efforts. By empowering local communities, small enterprises, academia and governments with the necessary tools and knowledge, the project aims to foster sustainable peatlands management that balance economic development with environmental benefits. Developed tools, approaches and capacities will also facilitate advanced peatland monitoring, enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions.

To facilitate sustainable management of peatlands in Uganda BMZ has commissioned a consortium of GIZ (lead), FAO and Greifswald Mire Center (GMC).
GIZ Uganda is recruiting a Rural Development Advisor to provide advisory service to relevant stakeholders and private sector actors.

Knowledge, skills and competences
• Knowledge of the international discussion on sustainability in agricultural supply chains and wetland/peatland preservation.
• Strong network with institutions working on wetland/peatland protection.

• Ability to communicate complex topics to be understood by different audiences.
• Pro-active attitude, flexibility and intercultural competence.

Responsibilities
A. Key Responsibilities
The Rural Development Advisor will be responsible for:
• Coordinate amongst the implementing partners in Uganda, which include Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO), Greifswald Mire Centre (GMC), and national and regional government institutions, NGOs etc.

• Focal point for the Ministry of Water and Environment (MoWE) and other stakeholders.
• Support and coordinate implementation of project activities in Uganda, including the promotion of pluviculture and financial compensation mechanisms

B. Specific Tasks
The Rural Development Advisor performs the following tasks:
1. Knowledge and advisory services
• Provide technical expertise and advisory services on private sector development with focus on expansion of cooperation with the private sector and cooperation with SME), particularly within pilot projects on paludiculture.
• Advise on product innovation management and creation and implementation of marketing strategies.

• Support the preparation of financing strategies and pilot activities focused on selected mechanisms such as carbon markets, biodiversity credits, and payments for ecosystem services.
2. Partnership coordination
• Cooperate and maintain regular contact with the Ministry of Water and Environment (MoWE), relevant parties from local government, civil society, research institutes, private sector and international agencies.
• Support the coordinate between the consortium members (FAO UGA and GMC when on ground)
• Participate and contribute to relevant processes, fora, events and meetings on the national and sub-national level.
• Support the planning and implementation of study tours, visiting delegations, exchange visits, missions and other official events as required.
3. Project coordination
• Support the preparation of terms of reference for service contracts or financing agreements in line with GIZ rules and regulations and supervise contracted third parties.
• Support the analysis and documentation of lessons learnt and impact assessment
• Take the lead in conceptualization the baseline and oversee the experts carrying out the baseline study
• Coordinate the implementation of project activities with members of the steering team, partners and contracted third parties.
• Provide monitoring data and contextual knowledge to contribute to reporting and public and internal communication.
• Organize internal and external events and meetings.

Other Duties/Additional Tasks
• Perform other duties and tasks at the request of management.

Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Climate Change, Environmental Science, Agriculture or a related field
Details of experience
• 5years of professional experience, of which at least 5 years in a comparable position.
• At least 5 years’ experience in providing advisory services in agriculture value chains, private sector development and related fields
• Proven experience working in or in close cooperation with small-holder cooperatives and associations.
• Experience working for or in cooperation with the private sector

• Applications and CVs should be in one document and a maximum of 5 pages only and sent electronically, quoting the position and reference number.
• Please include name and contact of three references. One official reference from your current workplace is a MUST.
• Eligible candidates are encouraged to apply to the Head of Human Resources.
Please note: This is a national position. Only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Disclaimer: GIZ DOES NOT charge any kind of FEE(s) at whichever stage of the recruitment process.