GHG Accounting Specialist

The GHG Accounting Specialist will provide technical advisory and methodological guidance on greenhouse gas accounting tools and carbon flux estimation in the AFOLU sector. The role includes quality review of GHG estimates in FAO evaluations, capacity development, and strategic support to climate and environment evaluations.

Responsibilities

• Provide systematic technical guidance to OED staff and external evaluation consultants on the appropriate selection, application, and interpretation of GHG accounting tools (EX-ACT, IPCC Inventory Software, NEXT) across different project phases (design, mid-term, final/ex-post).
• Conduct a comparative analysis of results when using different approaches to measuring GHG emissions or reductions in emissions, specifically the IPCC Inventory Software, IPCC, and EX-ACT.
• Advise on the harmonization of inputs, emission factors, tier levels, and scenario assumptions when cross-validating GHG estimates produced by different tools or different evaluators across the portfolio.
• Assist in identifying methodological divergences, calculation errors, or data gaps in project-level GHG assessments submitted to OED, and advise on corrective actions.
• Stay current with updates to GHG accounting tools, IPCC Guideline revisions, and evolving donor expectations for GHG reporting under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), and communicate relevant changes to OED staff.
• Review and validate GHG estimates (ex-ante, mid-term and ex-post) included in FAO projects evaluated by OED, particularly GCF- and GEF-funded projects, ensuring consistency with IPCC Guidelines.
• Verify the completeness, accuracy, transparency, and comparability of GHG accounting applied in evaluated projects, covering all relevant AFOLU categories (land-use change, forestry, livestock, soils) and carbon pools (above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass, soil organic carbon, dead organic matter, harvested wood products).
• Assess whether the tier level (Tier 1, 2, or 3) and the land representation (Approach 1, 2 or 3) applied are appropriate given available data, project scale, and reporting requirements, and flag cases where a simplified approach may materially affect results.
• Apply cross-validation practices by re-running or spot-checking GHG estimates using a second tool where feasible, and by cross-checking data sources against national statistics, default IPCC values, or field measurements, in line with Recommendation 5 of the Comparative Study.
• Identify non-AFOLU components of a project (e.g. Energy, Waste, Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU)) and advise on how these should be addressed in the GHG accounting.
• Support the development and roll-out of OED’s standardized guidance document for methodological choices, capturing: assumptions and emission factors used; data sources and their justification; tiers and approaches applied; parameters and units; and comparison notes where multiple tools or sources are used.
• Maintain or contribute to a decision log for methodological choices made in OED evaluations, improving auditability and consistency across the portfolio.
• Ensure that any differences between OED’s re-estimated GHG figures and original project estimates are clearly documented, explained, and reflected in evaluation reports.
• Provide targeted technical training to OED staff and external consultants to build familiarity with EX-ACT, the IPCC Inventory Software, and NEXT, and with OED’s methodological standards for GHG-related evaluation findings.
• Serve as an internal helpdesk resource, responding to technical queries from OED evaluators and consultants during active evaluations involving GHG accounting.
• Contribute to the development of training materials, methodological annexes, and guidance notes that facilitate consistent tool selection and application across OED’s evaluation portfolio.
• Collaborate with the evaluation team integrating GHG-related indicators and data into baseline, midterm, and final evaluation survey instruments, ensuring that data collected are suitable for ex-ante and ex-post GHG quantification.
• Liaise as needed with FAO technical divisions (ESA, OCB), tool developers (IPCC TFI, ESA, OCB), and external institutions (GCF, GEF) to ensure OED’s guidance remains aligned with current best practice.
• Advise OED management on the criteria for identifying projects that require use of the IPCC Inventory Software for alignment with National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (NGHGIs) and the ETF, including the NDCs and thresholds related to project scale, duration, sectoral contribution, and budget.
• Support OED’s engagement with national partners, ministries, and NGHGI teams to facilitate earlier alignment of project data with national reporting needs, where relevant to ongoing evaluations.
• Contribute, as requested, to OED’s participation in system-wide evaluation initiatives and to the development of methodological guidance for climate-related evaluations across the UN system.

Requirements

• Advanced University degree/University degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in environmental science, climate change, natural resource management, forestry, agronomy, agricultural economics, or a closely related discipline relevant to the work of the Organization.
• Consultants with bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
• At least seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in GHG accounting, carbon flux estimation, or climate change mitigation assessment, with demonstrated focus on the AFOLU sector.
• Demonstrated practical experience with at least two of the three tools covered in OED’s Comparative Study: EX-ACT, the IPCC Inventory Software, and/or NEXT.
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English is required; working knowledge of French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or Russian is desirable.
• In-depth knowledge of the IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2006 Guidelines, 2013 Wetlands Supplement, 2019 Refinement), including tier levels, carbon pools, and AFOLU methodologies for land-use change, forestry, livestock, and soil organic carbon.
• Ability to critically assess the methodological quality, completeness, transparency, and comparability of project-level GHG estimates against IPCC principles.
• Experience with scenario analysis for climate mitigation projects, including baseline/BAU scenario development and estimation of mitigation potential across different project phases.
• Familiarity with GCF and GEF requirements for GHG accounting and reporting in project design, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Understanding of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement and its implications for project-level reporting and alignment with NGHGIs and NDCs.
• Ability to communicate complex methodological findings clearly to non-specialist audiences, including evaluation managers, donor representatives, and country partners.
• Experience working in or with a monitoring, evaluation, or quality assurance function within a development or multilateral organization is an advantage.
• Work experience in more than one country or regional context, particularly in countries with significant AFOLU sectors (Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South and Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus), is desirable.

Skills

• GHG Accounting
• Carbon Flux Estimation
• Climate Mitigation Project Assessment
• AFOLU Sector Expertise
• EX-ACT Software
• IPCC Inventory Software
• NEXT Software
• IPCC Guidelines Knowledge
• Project-level GHG Estimation
• Scenario Analysis
• Baseline Scenario Development
• Mitigation Potential Estimation
• GCF Reporting Requirements
• GEF Reporting Requirements
• Enhanced Transparency Framework
• NGHGI Alignment
• NDC Alignment
• Methodological Quality Assessment
• GHG Reporting
• Capacity Development
• Monitoring and Evaluation

Languages

English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian