National Capacity Building Expert

The National Capacity Building Expert will lead activities to strengthen technical and institutional capacities for mainstreaming climate adaptation planning and integration into national planning and budgeting processes across seven selected sectors in Sierra Leone. The expert will support capacity assessments, develop training modules, facilitate workshops, and collaborate with academic institutions to enhance climate adaptation knowledge and practices.

Responsibilities

• Review existing policies, plans, and institutional capacities across 7 key sectors to assess the extent to which climate change adaptation action is integrated and identify areas requiring strengthening.
• Provide support for capacity needs assessment with the institutional coordination expert.
• Support capacity gaps assessment through stakeholder interviews, surveys, and focus groups to identify specific capacity gaps.
• Contribute to development of a capacity development plan and training module on integrating climate change adaptation in planning and budgeting processes at MDAs and decentralized offices at regional and district levels.
• Contribute to developing tailored training modules on climate change adaptation, planning, and budgeting.
• Provide the training module to the Climate Change Secretariat for uploading on the EPA website.
• Work with academic and research institutions and contribute to integration of climate change adaptation into their training, research programs, and knowledge-management systems.
• Provide logistical and technical support during capacity-building sessions.
• Facilitate workshop sessions, ensuring active participation and gender inclusion.
• Provide post-training technical support to government officers to facilitate the practical application of acquired knowledge and skills for effective adaptation planning and implementation.
• Contribute to development of monitoring mechanisms to assess training impact.
• Prepare progress reports, success stories, and lessons learned.
• Apply gender-sensitive criteria in participant selection and incorporate gender considerations into the trainings.
• Compile training reports, session summaries, and capacity assessment findings.
• Share best practices and recommendations for scale-up.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in development studies, climate change or environment or related fields.
• Professional qualifications in training and capacity development is an added advantage.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in designing and implementing capacity building initiatives targeting climate action.
• Working knowledge of English.
• National of Sierra Leone or resident of the country with a valid work permit.
• Knowledge in capacity building and trainings.
• Strong analytical, strategic planning, and coordination skills.
• Excellent Communication and facilitation skills.
• Ability to work with diverse stakeholders including government, civil society, and private sector.
• Fluency in English; knowledge of local languages is an asset.
• Evidence of previous work on capacity building and training.
• Evidence of previous experience working on similar projects.
• Knowledge of curriculum development, adult learning principles, and participatory training techniques to design effective training materials and facilitate capacity building.
• Academic training in facilitation, workshop design, and participatory methods to effectively deliver capacity-building sessions.
• Ability to critically analyze policies, conduct capacity assessments, and synthesize findings into comprehensive reports.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written – English.

Skills

• Capacity Building
• Training Design
• Climate Action
• Curriculum Design
• Adult Learning
• Participatory Training Methods
• Workshop Facilitation
• Capacity Assessments
• Policy Analysis
• Strategic Planning
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Report Writing
• Climate Adaptation Planning
• Institutional Strengthening
• Coordination Skills
• Communications Skills
• Facilitation Skills

Languages

English