JOBS

Exciting International Recruitment Opportunity at WBG: Join Global Environment Facility (GEF) as a Climate Change Specialist

Ednah Carrick December 9, 2025

0 614 3 minutes read

Closing Date: 1 January 2026

Exciting International Recruitment Opportunity at WBG: Join Global Environment Facility (GEF) as a Climate Change Specialist

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? The World Bank Group (WBG) is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, WBG works with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges.

The GEF’s Climate Change Focal Area (CCFA) team develops and finances projects to address climate change mitigation priorities at national and global level, and to support the implementation of national climate change commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The CCFA team oversees the provision of financing for Enabling Activities for developing countries to meet reporting requirements under the UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement, including those related to the Enhanced Transparency Framework.

The GEF also supports capacity building for climate reporting through the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT). The GEF is seeking an expert and experienced environmental specialist to serve as a Climate Change Specialist in the CCFA team of the GEF Programming Division.

Duties and Accountabilities

The Climate Change Specialist will work in a multi-disciplinary technical team of climate change specialists and will actively participate in UNFCCC related events, supporting eligible countries in programming GEF resources. S/He will provide timely review and processing of projects proposals submitted by GEF-accredited agencies and provide sound upstream guidance to project proponents to foster coherence with GEF programming strategies. The selected candidate will also contribute to managing the pipeline of UNFCCC Enabling Activities (EA) and CBIT projects.

The environmental specialist will work within Regional Teams on functions that require cooperation and collaboration related to the programming of CCFA resources. S/he will also support regional and country-level engagement with clients and stakeholders to ensure that GEF recipient countries optimize their CCFA investments to achieve global environmental benefits. The environmental specialist will work under the guidance of the Climate Change Focal Area Coordinator and will report to the Manager of the Programming Division.

Specific Duties include the following:

Perform review of GEF programs, projects and enabling activities, including in relation to the estimation of carbon emission reductions
Participate in the activities of one of more regional teams, providing support on thematic issues related to the CCFA programing, and support Regional Coordinators in the engagement with country focal points and other national/regional constituencies or stakeholders
Contribute to the continuous improvement of technical guidelines related to CCFA engagements, including in the context of the GEF’s Integrated Programs
Provide analytical and synthesis support to managing the CCFA portfolio of projects, programs, and enabling activities, notably through data collection and analysis from the GEF Portal and related resources
Support GEF’s engagement with the UNFCCC multilateral process (COPs and other related bodies) and liaison with the UNFCCC Secretariat and relevant partners.
Support the preparation of major reports and GEF Council documents (e.g. GEF report on Relations with Conventions and Other International Institutions, GEF annual report to the UNFCCC COP)
Proactively participate in knowledge management, results-based management, monitoring, and other operational activities such as providing content for website and CCFA publications
Support the CCFA team in effective collaboration with other Focal Areas, Integrated Programs, and regional teams, particularly through participation in Extended Constituency Workshops and National Dialogues
As directed, provide inputs to the CEO and senior management on country and thematic briefings, talking points, speeches, analytical/strategic documents, etc.
As directed, contribute to the development of CCFA strategies and programs, as well as to GEF-9 and later replenishment processes
Contribute to the preparation of outreach activities and knowledge products in coordination with the GEF communications team, including online communications and publications.

Selection Criteria

Master’s Degree in climate change, environmental economics, natural resource management, sustainable development, or other fields related to climate change financing.
At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in the climate change field, including experience designing, implementing, and monitoring of climate change projects and programs Experience working on GEF projects is a plus.
Strong knowledge and project expertise in climate change mitigation, including clean energy, energy efficiency, energy access, low-carbon transportation, industry decarbonization and nature-based climate solutions, including in the forestry and low-carbon agriculture systems.
Demonstrated ability to effectively engage and develop appropriate and sound relationships with a range of stakeholders, international organizations, development agencies, scientific and technical bodies, private sector entities, developing country counterparts, and NGOs.
Experience in developing countries, particularly in the development and execution of climate change projects and/or related environmental sectors.
Working knowledge of GHG methodologies, transparency and institutional arrangements under the Paris Agreement.
Working knowledge related to Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) and Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) systems
In depth understanding of the climate finance landscape and experience with UNFCCC negotiations preferred.
Excellence in written and spoken English is essential.
Knowledge of other UN languages, French, Spanish and Arabic is preferred