Consultancy – Green Jobs Researcher job at Palladium
About the Organization
Palladium is in the business of making the world a better place, and we believe that collaborative models and systemic approaches are the way to achieve progress and success.
Job Description
The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) is a 7-year and €134 million programme funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that aims to create a prosperous future for 235,000 young women and men in the Middle East, North Africa, Sahel & West Africa and Horn of Africa regions. The Fund will be supporting initiatives in 11 focus countries that will offer youth, in particular young women, opportunities for work that is demand-driven and productive, offering a stable income and safe working conditions, and that is contributing to their personal development and social protection.
Private sector, civil society and knowledge institutions will be invited to submit proposals geared to scalable solutions for creating more and better jobs and income generating opportunities for youth. Solutions will in particular focus on an integrated approach that addresses the shortcomings on the demand side (jobs) and supply side (skills) and bridging the mismatch between these two in the labour market.
Assignment Overview:
Dealing with the negative consequences of climate change and creating a large number of jobs for a growing population are two of the major challenges facing Uganda. The transition to a green economy can help tackle both simultaneously. This transition is twofold, along the lines of adaptation and mitigation. On the one hand, it involves making the Ugandan economy more resilient to the effects of climate change through initiatives that anticipate, adapt and absorb changes in climate. On the otherhand, it requires investments in amongst others renewable energy and more sustainable production processes, in order to reduce Uganda’s own emissions. Both of these tracks of the green transition require not only investments and resource allocation, but also labour.
Green jobs, therefore, are essential to make it work, and they therefore hold a great potential for a green and an economic transition. This is why green jobs are a key focus area for the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment, not just in Uganda but across its regional portfolio. Since the start of CFYE in Uganda, and through the portfolio of private sector initiatives that it established through two competitive calls for solutions, a wealth of experience and insights have been generated on the topic of green jobs. At the same time, , still a lot is unknown and there is a strong interest to bring these experiences and insights (not just from within CFYE but also from the broader Ugandan green economy) together in one learning and best practices report. It is for this reason that CFYE is looking for a green jobs researcher to take up the below described consultancy.
Key Research Questions:
A first research, implemented by CFYE and Include, was delivered in 2023 and covered in-depth insights on green jobs across Africa, complemented by specific case studies from CFYE’s Kenya portfolio. This research report can be found via Microsoft Word - green jobs WITH TEXT BOXES and IMAGE HEADER copy.docx (includeplatform.net)
The above report should be seen as a critical foundation to this assignment; the definition of green jobs for this assignment should align with the definition described in the above report, as should the focus on particular (green) sectors and business models. This assignment should be seen as a follow-up to this initial research by INCLUDE, specifically zooming into the context of Uganda. It is foreseen that this assignment addresses the following questions:
Main question: What are promising pathways within the different green sectors and business models (agriculture, waste recycling, circular, etc.) for creating decent jobs for youth in Uganda?
Duties and Responsibilities
This assignment has a three-fold ambition:
UNDERSTAND the potential for green jobs in green sectors and business models in Uganda,
IMPROVE decent work for youth in green jobs by addressing key barriers and leveraging opportunities
ENABLE a just, green transition in Uganda by identifying pathways for policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholders.
Hereto the project will do the following:
Further strengthen the evidence base around green jobs for youth in Uganda.
Identify (systemic) barriers and opportunities for decent youth employment within the green economy in Uganda.
Identify best practices from the CFYE portfolio to support their implementing partners (IPs) to provide decent green jobs for youth.
Synthesise and showcase these best practices and actionable lessons learned for CFYE’s IPs.
Activities & Deliverables:
To achieve this objective and address the mentioned research questions, we expect the consultant to take up the following key activities:
Key activity 1: scoping and evidence synthesis:
Objective: Building on existing research to gain insight into opportunities and challenges for decent work for youth within the green economy in Uganda.
Methodology:
Quick scan of existing (academic and grey) literature on green jobs for youth in Uganda.
Expert exchange with key stakeholders in the Ugandan ecosystem (incl the Climate Smart Jobs program) to brainstorm and validate knowledge questions and research focus and gain key insights
Ecosystem mapping: identify key actors in the green economy in Uganda, the employment/income generating opportunities they create and the overall opportunities & barriers for improving job decency in the green economy
Deliverables:
Kick-off meeting;
Work plan and research focus based on input of CFYE key personnel.
Evidence synthesis report of existing literature, ecosystem mapping and expert exchanges.
Key Activity 2: Data collection & analysis of CFYE IP case illustrations:
Objective: Identify and analyse best practices from the CFYE portfolio to synthesise actionable learnings for CFYE’s implementing partners (IPs).
Methodology:
Comparative case study approach of 3 CFYE IPs in Uganda
Interviewing CFYE IPs on their experience creating green decent youth employment
3 case illustrations showcasing best practices of CFYE IPs: Eco Brixs, Proteen Marula and woord en daad
Sense-making session with (all relevant) IPs operating in Uganda to validate findings and gain a broader perspective on the enabling market and policy environment
Develop policy & programming pathways for decent job creation for youth in the green economy in Uganda
Deliverable:
3 two-page case studies on the three IPs including identified best practices and lessons learned.
Key Activity 3: Validation, writing and publishing:
Objective: Synthesizing collected evidence of the above activities and sense-making.
Methodology: data analysis and facilitating a sense-making session.
Deliverable:
Sense-making session with CFYE and IP representatives to validate analysis
Insight paper on the most promising pathways within the green economy for creating decent jobs for youth in Uganda.
Operational Arrangements:
On a day-to-day basis, the consultant will report to CFYE Uganda Country Lead and work in close collaboration with CFYE’s Learning theme lead on green jobs. CFYE will facilitate the necessary contacts with its IPs for the purposes of this study.
Qualification, Experiences and Competencies
Minimum Bachelor degree in a relevant field of study
Applicants must have expertise in youth employment approaches and experience working with or in the Uganda private sector.
Applicants must have demonstrable experience researching the green economy and/or labour market (ideally with a focus on youth) and ideally also have had exposure to implementing these insights in practice (i.e. through developmental programs).
Working knowledge of issues and opportunities related to the green economy in Uganda.
Strong interpersonal skills and proven ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships across teams and organisations.
Applicants must have experience using both qualitative and quantitative research approaches in data collection, analysis and reporting and use their findings to inform knowledge platforms.
Candidate should demonstrate strong writing skills and ability to present research findings in a clear, concise and engaging manner for various stakeholder audiences.
Ability to pay attention to detail and to perform multiple tasks, balancing competing priorities effectively and efficiently often within a required period.
How to Apply
APPLICATION FOR THIS POSITION MUST BE DONE ONLINE:
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