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Vacancy id VAC-28645
Job title VAC-28645 Technical Advisor (Sustainable Development Goals)
Location Riyadh
Apply by 15-May-2025
Start date 01-Jun-2025
Duration 7 months
Number of vacancies 1
Qualification Master's in a relevant discipline (essential).
Sector experience Minimum of 7 year/s of demonstrable relevant geology, environmental science, or a related field, with a focus on project management and coordination experience (essential).
Geographical experience Minimum of 7 year/s of experience in MENA (essential).
Languages Fluent in English (essential).

Job description

CTG overview

CTG staff and support humanitarian projects in fragile and conflict-affected countries around the world, providing a rapid and cost-effective service for development and humanitarian missions.

CTG recruits, deploys and manages the right people with the right skills to implement humanitarian and development projects. Key to successful project delivery is the ability to mobilize at speed; CTG can source and deploy anyone, anywhere, in very high pace.

Visit www.ctg.org to find out more.
Overview of position

    Background information:

    • The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a G - 20 member with very high human development index ranking 37th out of 189 countries in 2021. Heavy dependence on natural resources, especially oil & gas, presents a major challenge for future development with significant needs for rapid economic diversification. The Kingdom has made significant progress towards the achievement of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); however, it still faces major environmental challenges, including accelerated land degradation & desertification, rapid ecosystem degradation, loss of biodiversity & land cover with high exposure to climate risks.

    • Saudi Arabia has a diversified topography & terrains spanning from desert to mountain series & coastal areas. Although known for its dominant desert and dryland climate, Saudi Arabia has about 2% of its total area covered by forests, including Juniper woodlands representing approximately 2.7 million hectares. The total number of plant species is estimated at 2,247, with 246 endemic species & 334 medicinal plants distributed across different ecosystems including 171 million hectares of rangelands and grasslands. The Sabkha are important ecosystems in the Red Sea & the Gulf areas that present along with other marine ecosystems, an essential foundation for local livelihoods in coastal areas.

    In response to growing climate & environmental risks, the Kingdom launched the ambitious Saudi Green Initiative (SGI), under Saudi Vision 2030, with the objectives of:

    • Reducing carbon emissions by 278 mtpa by 2030.

    • Greening the country by planting 10 billion trees in coming decades, equal to rehabilitating 40 million hectares of land.

    • Protecting terrestrial & marine ecosystems by raising the surface of protected areas to more than 30% of total land area.

    The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development & Combating Desertification (NCVC) was established in 2019 under the Ministry of Environment, Water & Agriculture (MoEWA) to support national efforts to protect the Kingdom’s environment. NCVC is tasked with combating desertification, developing & rehabilitating forest vegetation cover, protecting local endangered plant species, developing & managing national parks. The centre is engaged in the implementation of projects & initiatives to expand the green cover through afforestation / reforestation, combating desertification, rehabilitating, restoring degraded lands & ecosystems. The centre has four technical departments:

    • Department of Rangelands.

    • Department of National Parks.

    • Department of Forestry.

    • Department of Biodiversity Conservation & Combating Desertification.

    Project description:

    Our client, in collaboration with the NCVC, is supporting the implementation of the project “strengthening institutional & technical capacities of NCV”. The goal of the project is to strengthen the institutional, technical, & technological capacities of the centre in order to conduct its mandate effectively. This will be achieved by strengthening international cooperation, building technical capacities in natural resource management, facilitating digital transformation, supporting the implementation of the National Greening Program (NGP) under the SGI & mainstreaming the SDG's into national ecosystem restoration efforts. A gender sensitive approach will be adopted to ensure that both, men & women, contribute to & benefit from project implementation. To achieve this goal, the project will contribute to the achievement of the following 5 outputs:

    • Strengthening international cooperation & network.

    • Mainstreaming SDGs into national ecosystem restoration efforts.

    • Supporting & accelerating implementation of NGP.

    • Transforming information technology, digital infrastructure & data excellence.

    • Strengthening institutional & technical capacities.
    Role objectives

    The Technical Advisor on the SDG's will lead the project work under “Mainstreaming SDGs into national ecosystem restoration efforts”. S / he will play a key role in providing strategic guidance & fostering collaboration to advance the SDG's in the Kingdom, building on the ambitious ecosystem restoration efforts under the SGI. S / he will support the engagement of the centre in national, regional & international SDG processes & activities. The scope of work will include the following:

    The Technical Advisor on the SDG's will provide technical supervision, advice & quality assurance for delivering the activities under output 2, namely by:

    • Contribute to the development of an SDG mainstreaming training pack including a basic course tailored to NCVC needs, with face to face sessions & advanced e tutorials (based on UNDG reference guide "mainstreaming the 2030 agenda for sustainable development”).

    • Backstop the SDG team / unit to advance the centre’s work on the SDGs & promote the integration of SDGs into national ecosystem restoration efforts. This includes the preparation of a manual to guide the work of the team, define the approach & methodology for mainstreaming SDGs into ecosystem restoration initiatives & projects.

    • Provide technical support to integrate the SDGs in ecosystem restoration projects implemented by centre, including the pilot projects implemented under the NGP output 3.

    • Support the development of an SDG indicator monitoring framework to track the achievement of SDG targets in these projects. The framework will capture the multiple benefits of ecosystem restoration, particularly, healthy ecosystems & water security (SDG's 15 & 6), improved livelihoods, economic opportunities & jobs (SDG 8), climate change mitigation & adaptation (SDG 13), gender equality & empowerment (SDG 5).

    • Support the development of a digital SDG monitoring dashboard to showcase the results achieved & multiple benefits of ecosystem restoration under the NGP. The information from the dashboard will feed into status reviews, policy guidance, capacity building activities & efforts to raise awareness on the role of ecosystem restoration in achieving the SDGs.

    • Share knowledge products, case studies & lessons learnt from ecosystem restoration projects in relevant national forums to inform & advance the integration of the SDGs within the large scale implementation of the NGP (“SDG accelerator”).

    • Support development of an online toolbox to provide tools, guidance & best practices for project designers & implementers within the framework of the NGP.

    • Participate in regional & international forums on SDG mainstreaming, ecosystem restoration & share the Kingdom’s experience & good practices under the NGP.

    • Develop terms of reference, assist in the recruitment & supervise the work of national & international consultants hired to support the implementation of activities under output 2.

    • Contribute to the delivery of any other relevant task pertaining to output 2 & the activities of the centre on the SDGs.

    Monitoring, evaluation & reporting:

    • Monitor the implementation of the agreed activities & the achievement of the intended results for output 2. Update & revise the indicators, baselines & targets for this output & its activities (in the results framework) as needed for effective project implementation, monitoring & evaluation.

    • Prepare the inputs regarding output 2 for the project progress reports, including reports to national partners as required, focusing on capturing results, lessons & follow up actions.

    Strategic advice, capacity building & knowledge sharing:

    • Provide strategic advice for the development & implementation of policies, legislation & regulatory frameworks related to the SDG's.

    • Contribute to building the capacities of national counterparts working on output 2, including mentoring & identification of appropriate training opportunities.

    • Transfer & apply technical knowledge from his / her academic background & professional experience to enhance technical knowledge of national counterparts working on output 2.

    • Contribute to the production of knowledge products, policy briefs & research papers to enhance the NCVC's visibility & thought leadership in the national & international arena.
    Project reporting

    This role will reports to the line manager.
    Key competencies

  • Education relevant to the role.

  • Experience relevant to the role.

  • Must be fluent in English.

    •
    Team management

    This role has no team management responsibility.
    Further information

    Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.
    Disclaimer:
    · At no stage of the recruitment process will CTG ask candidates for a fee. This includes during the application stage, interview, assessment and training.
    · CTG has a zero tolerance to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) which is outlined in its Code of Conduct. Protection from SEA is everyone’s responsibility
    · CTG encourages all candidates applying for this advertisement to ensure that their candidate profile is up to date with up to date experience / education / contact details, as this will help you being considered further in your application for this role.