Senior Climate Change Specialist

About the Role

The Islamic Development Bank is seeking a Senior Climate Change Specialist to join its team in Jeddah. This contract position requires 5-10 years of experience and focuses on providing senior-level technical and professional expertise to advance the Bank's climate action, green growth, and sustainability agenda across various initiatives, including mitigation, adaptation, resilience, and nature-based solutions. The specialist will support the Bank in enhancing the development impact of its operations.

Job Purpose

The Senior Climate Change Specialist will participate as a core team member in the identification, preparation, appraisal, and implementation support of projects and programs. This includes climate risk screening, GHG accounting, climate finance qualification, and Paris alignment assessment. The role also involves supporting the mainstreaming of climate and environmental considerations within the Bank’s systems, policies, and standards, such as the Environmental and Social Framework and sustainable finance architecture. The specialist will assist Member Countries in implementing their Nationally Determined Contributions, National Adaptation Plans, long-term low-emission development strategies, and net-zero pathways.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development of strategic plans, analytics, and guidance related to climate mitigation, adaptation, and environmental sustainability.
• Lead input on climate change aspects during project identification, appraisal, design, processing, and approval, including physical and transition climate risk screening, GHG accounting, and climate co-benefit qualification.
• Support the Bank’s alignment with the Paris Agreement and the consistent application of agreed assessment methods by project teams.
• Support the interface between the climate agenda and the Bank’s Environmental and Social Standards, including climate-related aspects of risk screening, resource efficiency, and nature-based solutions.
• Co-lead Communities of Practice in selected sectors on climate mitigation and adaptation, providing technical leadership and participating in MDB Working Groups.
• Contribute to the delivery of global engagement products on climate mitigation and adaptation, and participate in country dialogues and capacity building workshops in Member Countries.
• Support the achievement of the Bank’s corporate climate finance target, including adaptation finance ambition, and track commitments and progress.
• Apply joint MDB methodologies for tracking climate change mitigation and adaptation finance, ensuring consistent classification.
• Support the operationalization and management of the Physical Climate Risk Management System and ensure implementation of best practices in climate adaptation and resilience measures.
• Contribute to articulating the Bank’s Islamic finance offer for climate action, including blended and Shari’ah-compliant instruments.
• Identify, assess, and monitor capacity development needs for internal and external stakeholders, designing and administering relevant interventions.
• Contribute to the Division’s engagement with international climate finance institutions and coordinate fundraising for relevant IsDB climate-tagged projects.
• Prepare and quality-assure concept notes, funding proposals, and terms of reference for submission to climate funds.
• Collaborate with academia, MDBs, UN agencies, and other partners on research, analysis, and outreach, supporting the Bank’s engagement with UNFCCC, UNCBD, and UNCCD processes.
• Track external issues and best practices in climate mitigation and adaptation, providing technical support to Management on engagement in key external processes.
• Contribute to knowledge products, guidance notes, policy briefs, and case studies capturing lessons from the Bank’s climate portfolio.
• Contribute to the preparation of progress reports on project cycle activities and ensure climate-relevant core results indicators are included at the design stage.
• Contribute to divisional and departmental results and KPI reporting, and to the evidence base supporting Management and Board reporting on the climate portfolio.
• Contribute to the Bank’s external climate reporting commitments, including joint MDB climate finance reporting.

Experience and Qualifications

Candidates should possess 8-10 years of relevant experience in climate change and environmental sustainability. The role requires a strong technical and professional background in climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience, with practical experience in project identification, appraisal, and implementation support. Familiarity with climate risk screening, GHG accounting, climate finance qualification, and Paris Agreement alignment is essential. Experience in resource mobilization and partnership building with international climate finance institutions is also required.

Work Environment

This role is based in Jeddah and operates on a contract basis. The specialist will work within the Climate Change and Environment Division, collaborating with other Global Practices and Regional Hubs in the Operations Complex. The position involves coordinating the work of consultants and less experienced team members.

Application Process

Further details on the application process will be provided upon inquiry. The salary for this position is not disclosed.