Job description
Description
At Climate-KIC, we are wholeheartedly committed to building a diverse and representative team and an inclusive workplace that values different life experiences and perspectives, and we encourage personal development, learning and growth.
When recruiting, we look to achieve diversity in the candidate pool. We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and are happy to consider reasonable adjustments that will foster success in potential employees from diverse backgrounds and life situations. And because our team has differing needs and personal circumstances, we offer a high degree of flexibility to accommodate all working patterns. We’re happy to discuss your situation during the interview and see how best we can support you.
Don’t let Imposter Syndrome stop you from applying!
Climate-KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) is Europe’s foremost climate innovation initiative, entrusted by the European Commission to catalyse transformation through innovation. Headquartered in Amsterdam, with circa 160 people distributed all over the EU, Climate-KIC leads and orchestrates innovation with a community of more than 400. Together we conduct activities in 39 countries. We partner with cities, regions, governments and communities with the highest climate action ambition; providing the framework and expert support to holistically manage the complexity of climate change and deliver accelerated climate action.
Climate-KIC operates as a not-for-profit platform working through public-private partnership, wielding both public and private funding. We consist of 3 Legal entities: a Dutch BV Holding company (for profit) with 14 branches in European jurisdictions, providing grant management, innovation orchestration services, and impact investment advisory owned by a Dutch-based foundation with charity status – Climate-KIC International Foundation. Historically, we have been funded by our founder and core funder, the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT), but we are currently transitioning to a multi-funder model.
In this role, as a member of the Resilient and Climate Neutral Regions Cluster, you will support the development of Climate-KICs ‘Green Horizons Network’, which has the ambition to empower farmers in transition towards climate resilience. You will also contribute to the implementation of the Deep Demonstration in Ireland, focusing on our Dairy Flagship. Deep Demonstrations are a key part of our strategy. They show that fast and large-scale change is possible to accelerate decarbonisation and strengthen resilience in cities, regions, countries and businesses. The Dairy Flagship is based on a holistic framework for Sustainable Dairy that will identify the boundary conditions within which sustainable dairy production can flourishIn this role you’ll be working with all actors in the dairy value chain, but with a strong focus on the farmers and farmer advisors. As such you’ll be involved in stakeholder management and supporting the organization of and facilitating at workshops.
Key Responsibilities
· Support project management and coordination of the the dairy flagship of the Ireland Land Agri-Food Deep Demonstration, including:
· Maintaining and updating the workplan and assure connection to the portfolio of projects within the Ireland Deep Demonstration
· Engagement of farmers, cooperatives & community groups
· Engagement with key partners and service providers both in Ireland and internationally.
· Facilitate workshops about on farm sustainability
· Analyze data & develop methodologies to help farmer advisors work with the sustainable dairy Framework
· Supporting communications internally and externally; including the development of communications materials and delivering on communication strategy
· Facilitating project meetings and maintaining accurate records of decisions etc.
· Support Flagship insights and learning
In your role in the Green Horizons network you will:
· Support the knowledge exchange among farmers and agricultural experts in Europe
· Co-organise and facilitate events, webinars, and farm-specific working groups.
· Support in the development of (online access) access to tools and methods that enhance productivity and sustainability.
Key Working Relationships
You will be supporting the implementation of a complex, multi-stakeholder project, and the launch of the (online) farmers network. The role will involve working with some of the core partners of Climate-KIC, value chain actors and the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Marine in Ireland.
Key relationships for this specific role include:
The Resilient & Climate Neutral Regions cluster in Climate-KIC
The Ireland Land Agri-Food Deep Demonstration Team specifically those engaged on the Dairy Flagship.
Key sector stakeholders within the Flagship Delivery Team
The Climate-KIC farmers network team & community team.
The Coordinators of the Climate Resilient Food Systems theme within Climate-KIC
Requirements
To be successful in this role you will be an active team player with a can-do attitude and have strong self-management capabilities to achieve final, high-quality, impactful results. You will be a self-motivated doer and actively contribute to building a community of climate resilient farmers.
Experience and knowledge requirements
· An understanding of food systems and sustainability challenges; especially related to the role of primary producers and as they pertain to the Irish context.
· Good knowledge of the European agri-food, bioeconomy, and soil policy context.
· Academic background ideally in the field of Agriculture, Climate, Environmental Science, Environmental Policy, Soil Science, or Environmental Engineering;
· A recognised qualification and/or demonstrable skills in participatory approaches, farmer engagement and strong experience with the Irish dairy sector.
Experience
· 3-5 years of demonstrated experience in farmer engagement/ advice.
Skills
· Fluent in English and have strong written and verbal communication skills
· Good experience with collaborative IT applications (we use Office365 and Microsoft Teams, as well as Miro, Zoom, Mentimeter etc.)
· Excellent at leading effective meetings
· Proven track record in stakeholder engagement
Qualities, Personal Style, and Approach
· Curious with a learning mindset
· Accountable, pro-active with a drive for problem-solving and capable to make connections between initiatives
· Resilient to uncertainty in an evolving internal and external landscape, respond dynamically to change
· Completer/finisher
· Bring gravitas that helps build trust
