GHG Accounting Specialist

Organizational Setting: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through its Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems. The independent Office of Evaluation (OED) conducts evaluations of FAO’s strategies, programmes, and projects at global, regional, and national levels. OED evaluates projects addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation, including those funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector.

Reporting Lines: The GHG Accounting Specialist will report directly to the OED Director and the OED Better Environment Coordinator, working closely with the OED GCF Coordinator, Lead Evaluators, and Evaluation Managers. The role involves liaison with FAO technical divisions, GHG tool developers, and external evaluation consultants.

Responsibilities

• Technical Advisory and Methodological Guidance:
  • Provide guidance to OED staff and consultants on the selection, application, and interpretation of GHG accounting tools (EX-ACT, IPCC Inventory Software, NEXT) across project phases.
  • Conduct comparative analyses of GHG measurement approaches, advising on harmonization of inputs, emission factors, and scenario assumptions.
  • Identify methodological divergences, calculation errors, or data gaps in project-level GHG assessments and recommend corrective actions.
  • Stay updated on GHG accounting tools, IPCC Guideline revisions, and donor expectations for reporting under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF).
• Quality Review of GHG Estimates:
  • Review and validate GHG estimates (ex-ante, mid-term, ex-post) in FAO projects, ensuring consistency with IPCC Guidelines.
  • Verify completeness, accuracy, transparency, and comparability of GHG accounting for AFOLU categories and carbon pools.
  • Assess appropriateness of tier levels and land representation, flagging cases where simplified approaches may affect results.
  • Apply cross-validation practices, re-running or spot-checking estimates using secondary tools and data sources.
  • Identify non-AFOLU components (e.g., Energy, Waste) and advise on their inclusion in GHG accounting.
• Transparency and Documentation:
  • Support development of standardized guidance for methodological choices, including assumptions, data sources, and comparison notes.
  • Maintain a decision log for methodological choices to improve auditability and consistency.
  • Document and explain differences between OED’s re-estimated GHG figures and original project estimates.
• Capacity Development and Helpdesk Support:
  • Provide technical training to OED staff and consultants on EX-ACT, IPCC Inventory Software, NEXT, and OED’s methodological standards.
  • Serve as an internal helpdesk resource for technical queries during evaluations.
  • Develop training materials, methodological annexes, and guidance notes for consistent tool application.
  • Collaborate with evaluation teams to integrate GHG-related indicators into survey instruments.
• Strategic Support to OED Climate and Environment Evaluations:
  • Advise on criteria for projects requiring IPCC Inventory Software alignment with National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (NGHGIs) and the ETF.
  • Support engagement with national partners and NGHGI teams to align project data with national reporting needs.
  • Contribute to system-wide evaluation initiatives and methodological guidance for climate-related evaluations.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (or bachelor’s degree with two additional years of experience) in environmental science, climate change, natural resource management, forestry, agronomy, agricultural economics, or a related discipline.
• At least seven years of professional experience in GHG accounting, carbon flux estimation, or climate change mitigation assessment, with a focus on the AFOLU sector.
• Demonstrated experience with at least two of the following tools: EX-ACT, IPCC Inventory Software, or NEXT.
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English; knowledge of French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, or Russian is desirable.

Skills

• In-depth knowledge of IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2006, 2013 Wetlands Supplement, 2019 Refinement), including tier levels, carbon pools, and AFOLU methodologies.
• Ability to assess methodological quality, completeness, transparency, and comparability of GHG estimates against IPCC principles.
• Experience with scenario analysis for climate mitigation projects, including baseline development and mitigation potential estimation.
• Familiarity with GCF and GEF requirements for GHG accounting and reporting.
• Understanding of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement and its implications for project-level reporting.
• Ability to communicate complex methodological findings to non-specialist audiences.
• Experience in monitoring, evaluation, or quality assurance within development or multilateral organizations is an advantage.
• Work experience in multiple country or regional contexts, particularly in AFOLU-heavy regions (e.g., Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South/Southeast Asia), is desirable.

Selection Criteria

• Hands-on experience applying EX-ACT, IPCC Inventory Software, NEXT, and/or GLEAM to real project or country-level datasets in the AFOLU sector, including rangeland emissions.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and document methodological divergences across GHG tools and advise on harmonization.
• Proven experience developing methodological guidance, training materials, or quality assurance frameworks for GHG accounting in multilateral contexts.
• Understanding of the relationship between project-level GHG estimates and national inventory reporting under the UNFCCC/Paris Agreement.

Duration: Up to 11 months (renewable subject to performance and availability of funds). Location: Home-Based.