RESEARCH CONSULTANT

Project: Capacity building and research consultancy to support climate finance skills in Zambia

Location:	Zambia
Period of contract:	42 days to be completed by 31 March 2025
Type of contract:	Consultancy
Budget:	Up to £12,600 (GBP)
Submission Deadline:	16 August 2024

Background

Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) is a £38m UK Aid-funded project which aims to support investment in sustainable energy and transport systems to meet development priorities in the Global South. CCG brings together some of the UK’s leading universities including UCL, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College and the Open University, with the Centre for Global Equality, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sustain 2030, and Climate Parliament. It is directed from the Centre for Sustainable Transitions: Energy, Environment, and Resilience, at Loughborough University. Our team includes experts in practical, applicable research in sustainable development and related topics.

Our strategy is one of partnership, collaboration and empowerment. This means that we work with countries, empowering them to make their own decisions on energy policy and the infrastructure projects for which they wish to attract climate finance investment. In our model, we always work with a university partner in-country and establish a local team of CCG co-ordinators. We empower countries by developing skills in energy modelling and analysis locally, to sustain this for the future. Our research is demand-led and practically orientated to help provide solutions to the economic and environmental challenges faced by developing countries.

The Zambia CCG Network began in October 2022 as CCG’s third partner country network, with the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies of the University of Zambia (UNZA) leading as the institutional partner in the country. Through the Zambia country network, CCG collaborates with key policymakers in Zambia, along with leading domestic researchers from Zambian academic institutions.

In Zambia, we aim to empower the Government of the Republic of Zambia to devise and implement inclusive, low-emission, resilient economic policy. To reach this goal, we conduct a range of research and collaboration outputs, including co-creation workshops and capacity building events.

Purpose of the consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy assignment is to support with research and capacity building activities using CCG-supported climate finance modelling tools (such as FinPlan and MinFin), while also supporting the roll-out of CCG’s “Data-to-Deal” framework within the Zambia CCG Network. The successful, Zambia-based, candidate will work with CCG researchers to tailor the research and training activities to the Zambian policy context. The candidate will support partnership efforts with stakeholders based in government, academia and the private sector to promote the embedding of outputs. The consultant will work closely with analysts working within two separate, but well-aligned, FCDO-funded programmes, Cities and Infrastructure for Growth Zambia (CIGZambia) and Green Cities and Infrastructure Programme (GCIP), to ensure that project activities and outputs are adding value.

Main tasks and activities

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

• Co-deliver with CCG researchers ~four capacity building training sessions on CCG’s climate finance modelling tools and Data-to-Deal framework, including workshop logistic support and training session design and delivery.
• Co-deliver stakeholder engagement and partnership building activities to ensure suitable government, academia, and private sector stakeholders to support project impact.
• Provide research and analysis to co-develop an overarching finance strategy for the Zambia Integrated Resource Plan and other national planning documents.
• Work closely with the CIGZambia and GCIP teams to align project deliverables.
• Support with data collection for project research activities.

Ideal candidate profile

1. Have 8+ years of professional experience across the Zambian energy and climate finance sectors and be based in Zambia
2. A comprehensive background in energy sector financing, the energy transition, and the climate finance sector
3. Experience in basic financial modelling and analysis
4. Have a strong network of contacts within the energy and climate finance sector in Zambia (across academia, government, and private sector)
5. Have experience in delivering professional training on energy- or climate-related topics

Expected tasks

1. Organisation and delivery of four training workshops
2. Co-delivery of a report outlining a finance strategy for the Zambia Integrated Resource Plan
3. Consistent engagements with relevant stakeholders to enable project impact

Reporting relationship

The consultant will work with CCG’s Country Partnerships and International Partnerships teams.

Contractual arrangements

One consultant will be engaged for this assignment. A contract will be signed between The Centre for Global Equality and the individual consultant. Prior to signing this contract, the successful candidate will be required to carry out due diligence unless this has previously been fulfilled.

Duration of the assignment

The assignment covers a total of up to 42 payable working days. This includes up to 20 full days for training workshop delivery. Contractual/professional fees will be made upon acceptance of the outlined deliverables as per the agreed upon timeline (see below) once an invoice has been received.

Deliverable Timeline

Deliverable	Deadline	Payment upon completion (% of total project value)
Contract signing	1st of September 2024	30%
Delivery of finance strategy for the Integrated Resource Plan	10th of November 2024	20%
Completion of all workshops	31st of March 2025	50%

Work arrangements

The consultant must be based in Zambia and is expected to be able to carry out the assignment from their own office and must use their own equipment and resources to deliver the tasks set out.

Application submission process

Please submit the following application materials by 16 August:

• CV
• A quotation for up to 42 working days
• Covering letter outlining how your expertise meets the requirements of this assignment

Note: we will prioritise candidates that demonstrate good Value for Money in their quotation

Please send your application materials to kirsty.mackinlay@centreforglobalequality.org