JOB DESCRIPTION

Name of Project: Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE) Programme

Job Title: Climate Change Advisor

Location: Abuja Nigeria

Reports to: Senior Programme Manager

General Information on the PACE Programme:

The Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE) is a 48-month programme funded by UK International Development. It aims to support coalitions to influence the government to resolve Nigeria’s climate and governance problems affecting the poorest and most vulnerable and hold them accountable for the country’s climate change objectives. It is managed by DAI Global UK in association with The Policy Practice, Women Environmental Programme, the International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development, Accountability Lab, Integrity, and Bridge that Gap Nigeria. The programme objectives will be achieved by increasing state government income from internally generated revenue; mainstreaming climate action into state government policy, planning and budgets; and strengthening election delivery and credibility. PACE will achieve this by working with multi-stakeholder coalitions at the federal and sub-national levels including civil society organisations, the private sector, progressive state governments, and the Federal government, thinking and working politically and using applied political economy analysis, through a Whole of Society approach.

PACE emerges from a rich legacy of over two decades of governance reform efforts in Nigeria, drawing on the successes and lessons learned from previous initiatives. These include the Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), the State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability (SPARC), the State Accountability and Voice Initiative (SAVI), and the State and Local Government Programme (SLGP). The programme is implemented in Kaduna, Kano, and Jigawa in north-western Nigeria, with targeted strategic engagement at the federal and regional levels but aims to influence change in all 36 states of Nigeria.

Role Description

The Climate Change Advisor provides strategic leadership and technical guidance to ensure the achievement of PACE’s climate governance objectives. The Advisor leads work on mainstreaming climate priorities into governance, policy, and institutional frameworks, and strengthens Nigeria’s response to climate change through mitigation, adaptation, and resilience strategies.

A core part of the role is coalition-building under the Whole of Society approach, ensuring diverse voices; government, civil society, youth, women, people living with disabilities and private sector, are embedded in climate actions. The Advisor also ensures PACE’s climate governance work is aligned with FCDO priorities, development partners, and donor platforms, while working in close collaboration with the Green PFM Advisor, who leads on climate finance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead PACE’s climate governance portfolio, ensuring interventions align with programme objectives and Nigeria’s climate commitments.

• Provide high-level technical and political economy advice on climate policy, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience.

• Support federal and state delivery teams to integrate climate priorities into planning, budgeting, and reform processes.

• Strengthen coalitions/partnerships under the Whole of Society approach, embedding civil society, private sector, women, people living with disabilities and youth voices in climate action.

• Collaborate with the Green PFM Advisor to ensure governance and finance interventions are complementary and coherent.

• Represent PACE in climate governance forums, donor platforms, and policy dialogues, ensuring visibility and credibility.

• Provide technical input into climate-related legislative and institutional reforms.

• Contribute to programme-wide reporting, learning, and quality assurance, ensuring climate governance is captured in PACE’s results framework.

Collaboration with the Green PFM Advisor

The Climate Change Advisor works in close collaboration with the Green PFM Advisor to ensure PACE’s climate portfolio is coherent, technically sound, and politically anchored. While each role has a distinct mandate, their collaboration is critical to achieving sustainable results.

Division of Core Responsibilities

• Climate Change Advisor: Leads on climate governance, including policy, legislation, institutional frameworks, mitigation, adaptation, resilience, coalition-building, and donor engagement.

• Green PFM Advisor: Leads on climate finance, including budget tagging, fiscal frameworks, financing instruments, domestic resource mobilisation, and access to international climate funds

Areas of Intersection

Some interventions require joint input because they involve both governance and finance. In these cases:

• The Green PFM Advisor leads on technical design of financial tools, fiscal reforms, and financing pathways.
• The Climate Change Advisor leads on political economy, institutional anchoring, and coalition/partnerships engagement.
• Delivery Teams engage both Advisors at the design stage so governance and finance elements are integrated from the outset.

Delivery Team Engagement

• Finance-specific requests are routed to the Green PFM Advisor (with the Climate Advisor looped in).
• Governance-specific requests are routed to the Climate Change Advisor (with the Green PFM Advisor looped in).
• Delivery Teams involve both Advisors early in intervention design; Advisors advise on whether one or both need to remain engaged through delivery.
• Advisors provide coordinated input on interventions where governance and finance intersect.

Coordination and Reporting

• Advisors share updates on joint interventions in the monthly Technical Advisory Team meeting; effective collaboration will be a measure of performance.
• Back-to-office notes from external engagements are copied to each other, to the SPM, and other relevant team members.
• Both Advisors are jointly responsible for quality assuring reports and other outputs, ensuring technical accuracy and strategic coherence across PACE’s climate work.
• MERL and KM teams capture joint contributions for reporting and learning.

Representation Protocol

• Single Voice: PACE presents a unified position externally, with both Advisors ensuring consistency of message when representing the programme.
• Joint Representation: For high-level platforms, both may attend but with clearly defined speaking roles; Green PFM on finance, Climate Change on governance.
• Designated Representation: For routine meetings, Advisors will agree in advance who represents PACE, based on the agenda.
• SPM Oversight: In case of ambiguity, the SPM will provide final clarification.

Key Qualifications and Experiences

Education

• Master’s degree in Climate Policy, Environmental Sciences/Management/Law, Economics, or a related discipline.

Experience

• At least 10 years’ experience in climate governance, or related fields.
• Demonstrated track record in climate policy design and implementation (national or subnational).
• Proven experience in mainstreaming climate considerations into governance systems, legislation, and institutional frameworks.
• Experience leading or contributing to mitigation, adaptation, and resilience programmes.
• Solid record of coalition-building and stakeholder engagement across government, civil society, and private sector.
• Experience with international climate negotiations, donor coordination platforms, or multilateral processes (e.g., UNFCCC, COP, GCF), would be an advantage

Skills and Competencies

• Strong technical knowledge of climate governance and resilience.
• Solid understanding of the political economy of Nigeria’s climate response/action.
• Ability to provide strategic and technical advice at federal and state levels.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively.
• Strong communication and representation skills with senior government officials and international partners.
• Ability to deliver high-quality outputs under pressure and within tight deadlines.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Quality and timeliness of climate governance outputs delivered within agreed deadlines.
• Demonstrated leadership in shaping and delivering PACE’s climate governance portfolio.
• Evidence of strengthened coalitions integrating diverse stakeholders into climate reform.
• Evidence of effective collaboration with the Green PFM Advisor, reflected in coherent governance and finance interventions.
• Documented contributions to cross-programme synergies, ensuring PACE’s governance and finance climate interventions are coherent.
• Contributions to learning products, reports, and evidence that inform programme strategy

Other Key Performance Indicators (Soft Skills)

• Team Spirit: Works collaboratively with peers and delivery teams.
• Communication: Shares knowledge clearly, promptly, and consistently.
• Time Management: Prioritises effectively, delivering quality outputs on time.
• Dependability: Demonstrates accountability and maintains high standards.
• Professionalism & Representation: Consistently represents PACE with credibility and influence in political, technical, and donor forums.

METHOD OF APPLICATION

Qualified candidates should please send their CV to [email protected] by the 30th September 2025 using the Job Title as the subject of the email

DAI will only contact candidates that are successful at this pre-qualification stage.

More information about DAI can be found on the DAI website; www.dai.com

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements