Organizational Setting

The Government of Norway has recently approved funding for the project “Monitoring, evaluation and learning framework for ecosystem-based adaptation in forests and agriculture” (MELBA Malawi). Between 2026-29, the project will operationalize a national monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) framework for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in the agriculture, forestry and land use (AFOLU) sectors to inform climate change adaptation planning and report against international commitments. The project is designed to run in parallel, and in close coordination, with the project “Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Resilient Watersheds and Communities in Malawi” (EbAM), funded through the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by FAO between 2024–30.

To support the implementation of the MELBA Malawi project, FAO Malawi is seeking to recruit the project’s Chief Technical Advisor (CTA). The CTA will be the overall technical lead of the project in Malawi, responsible for leading all technical activities. In addition, the CTA will work as the Geospatial Expert for the EbAM Project and will lead in the designing and deploying of a Spatial Information Management System (SIMS) customized for the EbAM Project.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR) in Malawi and the direct supervision of the Technical Advisor (TA) of the MELBA project

Technical Focus

The incumbent will work in close coordination and collaboration with the headquarters’ Forestry Division the subregional office and the EbAM project team

Tasks and responsibilities

• Lead the operational management of the MELBA project, ensuring all activities are delivered on time and within budget.
• Lead project governance, including the establishment of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) and Project Technical Committee (PTC), the organization of key events and capacity development efforts, and relations and contracts with external partners.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement and management throughout the project cycle, managing communications with government counterparts and other stakeholders in Malawi.
• Lead project M&E to track progress and impacts, identify good practices, promote learning, and provide timely evidence to inform decision-making and adaptive management.
• Lead the formulation and implementation of annual project work plan and communications plan, following the relevant FAO policies, standards and guidelines and donor visibility requirements.
• Coordinate operational support for development of MEL system architecture, coordinating field testing of monitoring tools, and supporting government engagement for indicator definition.
• Coordinate the project capacity building programme, facilitating institutional engagement and documentation and dissemination of good practice and lessons learned.
• Coordinate technical and policy inputs with Malawian focal points for climate, biodiversity and land degradation.
• Lead the preparation and submission of regular project reports to the PSC and donor, maintain the project M&E framework, update the FAO internal monitoring platforms, in coordination with the TA.
• Generate key information that feeds into national statistics on food and agriculture, integrated watershed management, land use and land cover change, in alignment with the goals of the Project.
• Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in climate change, environmental science, natural resources management, forestry, agriculture, political science, sociology, rural development, statistics, or any other discipline relevant to the work of the organization.
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in project coordination, monitoring and evaluation, natural resources management, and/or climate change adaptation, preferably with experience supporting complex, multi-stakeholder projects at national and subnational levels.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and Chichewa is mandatory
• National of Malawi

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrated experience in project management, coordination and operational support for environment, climate change or natural resources management projects, including budget management, procurement, and reporting.
• Experience in preparing and implementing project-level M&E systems for climate change or environment-related projects, including indicator development, data collection, and results tracking.
• Knowledge in climate change -related national reporting towards the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) especially on adaptation, would be beneficial.
• Knowledge and experience in spatial technologies including GIS, especially in areas of agriculture, watershed management, natural resources and climate change.
• Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder processes, including government engagement, community consultations, and coordination of technical working groups.
• Knowledge of Malawi’s institutional landscape for climate change, environment, socio-economic and natural resources management, including the decentralization framework and district-level planning processes.
• Experience in donor reporting, communications, and resource mobilization for development projects.
• Extent and relevance of experience in establishing and maintaining partnerships with government institutions, UN agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs) and donors.

• Lead the operational management of the MELBA project, ensuring all activities are delivered on time and within budget.
• Lead project governance, including the establishment of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) and Project Technical Committee (PTC), the organization of key events and capacity development efforts, and relations and contracts with external partners.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement and management throughout the project cycle, managing communications with government counterparts and other stakeholders in Malawi.
• Lead project M&E to track progress and impacts, identify good practices, promote learning, and provide timely evidence to inform decision-making and adaptive management.
• Lead the formulation and implementation of annual project work plan and communications plan, following the relevant FAO policies, standards and guidelines and donor visibility requirements.
• Coordinate operational support for development of MEL system architecture, coordinating field testing of monitoring tools, and supporting government engagement for indicator definition.
• Coordinate the project capacity building programme, facilitating institutional engagement and documentation and dissemination of good practice and lessons learned.
• Coordinate technical and policy inputs with Malawian focal points for climate, biodiversity and land degradation.
• Lead the preparation and submission of regular project reports to the PSC and donor, maintain the project M&E framework, update the FAO internal monitoring platforms, in coordination with the TA.
• Generate key information that feeds into national statistics on food and agriculture, integrated watershed management, land use and land cover change, in alignment with the goals of the Project.
• Perform other duties as required.

• Demonstrated experience in project management, coordination and operational support for environment, climate change or natural resources management projects, including budget management, procurement, and reporting.
• Experience in preparing and implementing project-level M&E systems for climate change or environment-related projects, including indicator development, data collection, and results tracking.
• Knowledge in climate change -related national reporting towards the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) especially on adaptation, would be beneficial.
• Knowledge and experience in spatial technologies including GIS, especially in areas of agriculture, watershed management, natural resources and climate change.
• Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder processes, including government engagement, community consultations, and coordination of technical working groups.
• Knowledge of Malawi’s institutional landscape for climate change, environment, socio-economic and natural resources management, including the decentralization framework and district-level planning processes.
• Experience in donor reporting, communications, and resource mobilization for development projects.
• Extent and relevance of experience in establishing and maintaining partnerships with government institutions, UN agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs) and donors.

• Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in climate change, environmental science, natural resources management, forestry, agriculture, political science, sociology, rural development, statistics, or any other discipline relevant to the work of the organization.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and Chichewa is mandatory