Consultancy: Population Climate Change Risk Assessment Consultant, Population & Development Branch, Technical Division

Purpose of consultancy:
The Population-oriented Climate Change Risk Mapping expert will report to the climate change and geospatial focal point from Population and Development Branch and the gender focal point from Gender and Human Rights Branch, Technical Division, under the overall supervision of the Chief, Population and Development Branch.

We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled climate change and geospatial expert to join our team to work and support generation of the global report of population - climate change risk assessment. The consultant will identify data and indicators for risk assessment, reflecting population exposure, vulnerability, and lack of coping capacity. Results will be a master list of indicators, an initial analysis of population exposure to natural hazards, collection of existing data for identified indicators, and an initial database of key indicators (including exposure, vulnerability and coping capacity) that will be used as a foundation to develop a report on global population - climate change risk assessment, with a gender lens, next year.

Indicators will be based on references, including (not all):
UNFPA’s Framework for the Assessment of Population Risk and Resilience to Climate Change UNFPA’s Value proposition on Climate Change European Commission’s INFORM Risk Index UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Index
UNSD’s Global Set of Climate Change Statistics and Indicators

Scope of work:
Population Climate Change Risk Assessment Consultant, will be responsible for the following tasks:
● Work with UNFPA Population Development Branch (PDB) and Gender and Human Rights Branch (GHRB) project focal points to identify indicators reflecting population’s exposure, vulnerability and coping capacity to climate change, including from a gender lens and develop a master list of indicators with metadata;
● Conduct data scoping and collect existing data relevant for population risk to climate change (flood, drought, heat wave, hurricane, etc.) including three dimensions, e.g. population exposure, vulnerability and coping capacity, from the UN, academics, and other existing databases;
● Assess needs to create a consistent geodatabase using the collected spatial data layers with attention to data resolution, grid cell alignment, projection, data conversions and data type;
● For a set of data layers, conduct the above data processing and run geospatial analysis (mainly zonal statistics) to expand the database of population exposed to climate change hazards: use existing gridded population data (e.g. Worldpop) and various climate change hazards data to generate layers representing populations exposed to climate change hazards;
● Compile a geospatial database on population risk to climate change at the country level, including population exposure to multiple climate change hazards based on above analysis, and existing national estimates for vulnerability and coping capacity, as well as a gender lens.

Duration of the consultancy:
The consultant is expected to work full time between November 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023
Payment will be made on receipt of deliverables as per the agreed schedule.

Deliverables:
Deliverables will be provided on a schedule to be jointly determined by the consultant, the climate change and geospatial focal point from Population and Development Branch and the gender focal point from Gender and Human Rights Branch, Technical Division. Work will be delivered electronically by email.

Supervisory arrangements:
The consultant will report to the climate change and geospatial focal point from Population and Development Branch and the gender focal point from Gender and Human Rights Branch, Technical Division, under the overall supervision of the Chief, Population and Development Branch.
Expected Travel: N/A

Required Expertise and Qualifications
Education:
Advanced degree (Ph.D. preferred) in Geography, Geospatial science, social science, demography, or environmental science
Knowledge and Experience:

 At least ten years of working experience related to climate change population risk, social vulnerability and geospatial analysis;

 Understanding of climate change risks to populations - exposure, vulnerability and coping capacity;

 Expertise in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software for geospatial analysis, mapping, and database development;

 Expertise in population and climate change data, e.g., census, demographic and health survey, and other survey data;

 Proficient in the major statistics software (R, SPSS, Stata, or SAS, etc.)

 Excellent written and verbal communication skills;

 Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.

How to Apply
Please send your resume and a cover letter with “Population Climate Change Risk Assessment Consultant”, in the subject to szhang@unfpa.org by Monday, October 23, 2023