Climate, Peace and Security Policy Scientist

The Organization

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people in a climate crisis. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future.

Through the development of CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security, CGIAR aims to unpack the linkages- and address knowledge gaps- with regard to the relationship between climate change and food security to leverage CGIAR expertise for peace and security outcomes. Using a multidisciplinary methodological approach, our main objective is to generate and align climate security-sensitive climate, land, food, and water systems science and evidence with ongoing efforts to address socio-political security, stability, and peace in the realms of policy, programming, and finance.

About the position

CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security is looking for a Climate, Peace, and Security Policy Scientist. The purpose of this position is to deliver high-quality research on climate-related security risks and climate action-peace opportunities, and how land, food, and water system science intersects with understanding and articulating these. Specifically, this position will contribute to increased understanding and evidence of the potential for climate change adaptation efforts, in general, and CGIAR research to contribute to peacebuilding and stability. This position will work directly with policy makers, researchers, and donors to strengthen the climate security sensitiveness of governance processes, policies, programs, and investments.

With a strong background in peace and conflict studies, policy, and related qualitative analysis, the successful candidate will contribute to the following research areas:

1. Evidence 4 Climate Security: Understanding the complexity of climate and security for informed decision-making that is gender sensitive and socially equitable. This research area will help unpack the main impact pathways that link climate, agriculture, and security in different geographies to enrich our knowledge of the complex, context-specific, socially variable, and dynamic pathways through which climate affects the risk of conflict.
2. Programming 4 Climate Security: Developing climate security sensitive operations in agricultural settings. The main goal of this component is to develop a global framework to inform the design and implementation of integrated programming at regional, national, and subnational levels improving interventions, research, policies, and investments to mitigate and prevent conflicts, reduce people’s inequalities, and vulnerabilities, and increase resilience.
3. Policy 4 Climate Security: Articulating the role of food systems in a climate crisis for policies and frameworks. This research area aims to engage with communities, civil society, and governing actors across multiple scales of governance to assess andimprove the coherence, integration, and performance of policies within climate-related and security domains.
4. Finance 4 Climate Security: Leveraging finance by aligning objectives and incentives along the Humanitarian Development and Peace Nexus. This research area aims to identify and prioritize climate adaptation investments that have the greatest peace potential to align climate adaptation and peace and security objectives of governments and donors.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Climate Security Governance, Policy coherence, and Programming workstreams, which aim to assess the climate security sensitiveness of governance, policy, and programming processes and design tools and guidelines to help policymakers, researchers and funders integrate climate security risks into decision making processes and investment decisions.
• Lead on the conceptual and theoretical development of climate security innovation products, such as the Climate Security Programming Proofing Guidelines and the Climate Security Governance and Policy toolkit
• Supervise, mentor, and manage Climate Security Specialists, including supporting, promoting, and disseminating their research
• Design, conduct, write, and disseminate high-quality research and communicate research findings through research papers, journal articles, reports, policy briefs, and other outlets
• Network with relevant researchers, policymakers, and civil society actors at national, regional, and international levels
• Fundraise and write proposals for research activities.
• Report/communication to supervisor and donors and discover/respond to tendering processes
• Support the global rollout of Climate Security research.
• Support the global and regional partnerships by managing and developing institutional relationships and joint initiatives with select country offices and regional bureaus

Qualifications and requirements:

• A Ph.D. Degree in Peace and Conflict Studies, International and political science, and related field
• At least 5 years of experience as a researcher initiating and carrying out their own research projects on issues related to climate-related security risks and experience managing researchers or research assistants.
• Extensive experience with international research for applied research and development programs
• Extensive experience in international, multi-cultural settings and in interacting with researchers, policymakers, donors, and civil society across a wide range of contexts
• Strong knowledge of issues relating to climate-related security risks, either more broadly or in-depth to a specific sub-area (e.g., peace and conflict, development, migration, or organizational responses).
• Strong knowledge of qualitative research methods.
• Good knowledge of the multilateral system, preferably the United Nations, African Union, or the Regional Economic Communities within Africa
• A record of publications commensurate with the length of time worked in research.
• Proven ability to work and deliver when leading teams.
• Ease of working in oral and written English and/or French, with further language proficiency being an advantage.
• Excellent report writing, communication, and project management skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team-oriented, multi-cultural environment
• Strong conceptual thinking to develop innovative research approaches

Terms of employment

This is an internationally recruited position and will be based in either Nairobi (Kenya), Pretoria (South Africa), Cairo (Egypt), or Dakar (Senegal). (Please note that preference will be given to Pretoria and Cairo where possible). The initial contract will be for two (2) years, subject to a trial period of six (6) months, and is renewable based on performance and availability. This is a position at level 10, on a scale of 14 levels, with level 14 being the highest.

The Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with a competitive salary and excellent benefits. We are an equal opportunity employer, and strive for gender, diversity, and inclusion in our staff, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic.