Caring for the Earth (C4E) Lead – Asia
Job ID 1601
Hiring Manager(s): Neena Joshi ([email protected]) Internal/External: Internal Only
Description
Heifer International is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identify, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.
Job Purpose
As an expert in Caring for the Earth (C4E) initiatives for Heifer International’s Asia Program, the primary role is to strengthen programs in Asia (currently in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, and Nepal) by embedding regenerative agriculture, farmer centric approach, ecosystem-based adaptation, nature-based solutions, climate-smart agriculture and livestock practices, and sustainable food system transformation to enhance climate resilience and ecosystem health. This work not only aims to build thriving, resilient smallholder farmers in agriculture and livestock-based livelihoods but also addresses critical challenges in areas like market access, investment opportunities, policy frameworks, and technological innovations. These elements are essential for enabling smallholders to overcome barriers, secure sustainable incomes, and adapt to environmental changes. By mobilizing technical expertise in agroforestry, soil regenerative practices, watershed management, and ecosystem services regeneration, the role will drive impactful environmental and climate initiatives aligned with organizational goals (Program Model) and national, regional and global climate priorities.
Key Responsibilities
Key Areas | Descriptions |
Program Design and Implementation of C4E Strategy (25%) | Strategically design and implement regional C4E strategy in programs that incorporate caring for the earth interventions, such as soil regenerative practices, climate resilient agriculture and livestock, farmer field schools, ecosystem-based adaptation, nature-based Solutions into Heifer’s programs in Asia. The objective is to enhance ecosystem resilience, aligning with organizational goals and national climate priorities as well as regional and global strategies when relevant. |
Learning to strengthen C4E initiatives (25%) | Lead and organize research and innovation to strengthen Caring for the Earth initiatives in country programs. Conduct landscape assessments, carbon assessments in program geographies, and co-develop tailored strategies, building on Heifer's C4E Strategy, regenerative agriculture framework, carbon strategy, and farmer-centric approach. Engage with country teams to pilot and generate learnings on climate-smart agriculture and livestock practices, and food system transformation, focusing on innovations such as drought and flood resilience and soil carbon monitoring to address gaps in national climate strategies and support sustainable practices. Oversee and support learning initiatives like farmer field schools, regenerative agriculture, carbon credit programs, and sustainable value chains to enable smallholders to monetize environmental benefits, improve market access, and support climate mitigation goals. Develop thematic products on the Caring for the Earth initiative that will help country programs and the Asia program to position themselves in thematic, areas such as Climate Finance, Renewable Energy, Soil Regeneration, Agroforestry, Carbon Markets, Outcome Financing, Green Funds or Conservations. |
Knowledge Transfer and Capacity Building (25%) | Support in facilitating training and technical assistance to staff, partners, and smallholder farmers on climate-smart techniques, regenerative practices, and biodiversity conservation to enhance resilience and reduce environmental impact. Develop training modules and facilitate workshops, leveraging Heifer's program and its potential to build thriving and resilient smallholder farmers. Champion in demonstrating proven models, Impacts and findings from Heifer program in internal and external relevant forums in Asia and globally to establish Heifer’s contribution in reducing the impact of Climate change to build thriving and resilient smallholder farmers through transformed food system. |
Business Development and Visibility (25%) | Support the Business Development team in Asia to embed Heifer programs into national NDC priorities and policy dialogues with stakeholders. Foster partnerships with governments and NGOs, to position Heifer for funding in areas such as soil regenerative practices, climate-resilient agriculture and livestock, sustainable export market, circular economy, ecosystem-based adaptation, and Nature-based Solutions. Develop partnerships for landscape-scale projects and leverage conditional NDC elements to enhance adaptation investments and carbon finance for smallholders in cooperative models. Align programs with national climate policies, advocate for innovations through partnerships with governments and stakeholders, and explore collaborations for landscape-scale projects to advance adaptation and carbon finance for smallholder communities. |
Qualifications and Experience
- Education: Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Environmental Science, Climate Change, Sustainable Development, or a related field.
- Experience: Minimum of 10 years of experience in designing and implementing environment and climate-focused interventions, knowledge management and learning, business development. Experience working with smallholder farmers in Asia is preferred.
- Skills:
- Good knowledge of climate resilience, agroforestry, nature-based solutions, Ecosystem based adaptation, landscape approach.
- Strong research and analytical skills for developing evidence-based interventions.
- Proven ability to train diverse stakeholders and build capacity in Heifer program team.
- Experience in policy advocacy and alignment with national climate frameworks (e.g., NDCs).
- Excellent partnership-building and resource mobilization skills.
- Competencies: Strategic thinking, cultural sensitivity, gender-inclusive approaches, and ability to work in diverse, multilingual, multidisciplinary teams.
Note: This is a regional position, can be based in any 4 countries of Asia, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia or Nepal. Please apply by no later than December 05, 2025.