Main purpose of job:
The purpose of this role is to lead engagement, coordination and technical policy advice on sustainable agriculture transition and reform in Brazil, as part of the Just Rural Transition (JRT) programme.
Brazil is one of three priority countries for the JRT programme (alongside Indonesia and Philippines). The post-holder will support the mobilisation and delivery of four programme components in Brazil, working with delivery partners including the World Bank, and international and national civil society organisations.
Agriculture and food systems are central to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. To achieve sustainable agriculture and food systems that deliver healthy diets and dynamic, inclusive economies, we know that we must address escalating climate and nature risks. The Just Rural Transition Support Programme was approved in March 2024 to work with Governments and other key partners to support design and implementation of agriculture public policies and support (including agriculture subsidy reforms) that scale sustainable approaches to benefit livelihoods, climate adaptation, mitigation, and nature.
The JRT programme is part of the UK’s International Climate Finance (ICF) portfolio in Brazil. UK ICF is an £11.6bn commitment of Official Development Assistance (ODA) covering the period 2021-26, which includes a range of programmes designed to support low- and middle-income countries to achieve a low carbon transition. In Brazil, a portfolio equivalent to £510m includes a significant portion focussed on nature, halting deforestation and biodiversity loss, sustainable supply chains, promoting bioeconomy, and mobilising private finance.
The post-holder will be part of a small global team on the JRT programme, alongside other Regional Advisors in Jakarta and Washington DC, and will be line-managed by the programme SRO based in London.
The post-holder can be based in any of the UK country offices in Brazil: in Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Belo Horizonte or Recife. They will have a direct link to the Climate team in the British Embassy Brasilia, and will also contribute to wider Embassy climate, nature and diplomacy priorities and activities.
This post is advertised as temporary, fixed term for 9 months, as maternity cover.
The Brazil Network is committed to providing a wide range of Learning and Development opportunities. The jobholder will be expected to agree a bespoke personal development plan depending on their individual needs. The Network can support formal and informal training in line with that plan.
Roles and responsibilities:
In this role you will be responsible for:
1. Managing the Just Rural Transition Programme mobilisation and delivery under four activity components (60%). You will build relationships with key programme delivery partners, including the World Bank and other regional and national partners, to support the design and mobilisation of the JRT programme interventions, building synergies between four delivery components:
- A World Bank multi-donor trust fund (Food Systems 2030), working with the Government of Brazil to implement agriculture policy reform.
- A Flexible Support Fund for small-scale technical assistance projects which can help to shape country strategy, governance on sustainable agriculture initiatives. You will co-design activities and strategies, consider political-economy analysis within approaches and be responsible for supporting engagement with relevant donors (e.g. MDBs, BMZ, FAO) to join up approaches and look for partnership opportunities in Brazil.
- A Community of Practice of non-state actors in Brazil on sustainable agriculture policy reform, through a programme of work delivered by Clim-Eat.
- A programme of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning across the programme cycle, delivered by Cowater.
2. Engagement with Brazil on JRT agriculture policy objectives (20%). You will play a central role in building and maintaining strategic relationships with the Brazilian government on agriculture and food systems public policies. You will also engage with other international agencies operating in Brazil (e.g. the IICA, GIZ, IFAD, MDBs), and across the World Bank at a national and regional level.
- Leading engagement with the Ministries of Agriculture in Brazil to identify, influence, and support sustainable agriculture and food systems initiatives, such as the Resilient Agriculture Investment for net Zero land degradation (RAIZ), the Brazilian Green Way, the Brazilian Sustainable Taxonomy, among others.
- Proactively develop, manage and wield the most influence with the Embassy’s UK–Brazil contacts at all levels of seniority and in all sectors across the sustainable agriculture and climate work;
3. Supporting the (JRTSP-funded) Global Agriculture Policy Dialogue (10%)
- Supporting the delivery of dynamic regional Policy Dialogues under the UK-World Bank-IICA convened Government-Government Regional Agriculture Policy Dialogue.
- Driving learning and innovation, capturing insights from Brazil’s experience to inform and inspire policy reform across Latin America and beyond.
- Convening and coordinating approaches with other major donors and organisations working on policy reform and repurposing expenditures in Brazil, to catalyse greater join-up in approaches and reduce fragmented international support.
- Shaping global conversations by feeding lessons into UK-funded programs and international platforms like the Rio Conventions COPs and other high-level fora.
4. Support to the embassy on the wider climate and nature agenda (10%). You will support wider Embassy climate and environment objectives. This may include supporting better alignment of JRT with initiatives across the Brazil network, with particular focus on coordiantion between JRT and water security, through the new Just Transition for Water Security programme. For these and other relevant programmes you will build effective relationships with in-country stakeholders, engage in local and international events, and help guide the ICF Brazil strategy. You may lead on policy briefs, presentations and other reporting to HMG to inform the development and management of relevant programmes and policy development opportunities. Climate, Nature and Energy work is a core part of the UK Embassy in Brazil’s focus, and this role sits alongside major programme and policy initiatives involving a range of UK government departments.
