Mentorship programme

Call of Interest for Climate Services Specialists and Field-Based Practitioners

Open until 30th May 2025

  • Are you a scientist working on climate data and services in an African climate service agency or in academic institutions? Or are you a middle-to-senior level field-based practitioner working on climate adaptation and nature-based solution with public or private sector actors (government, NGOs, CBOs, etc) around UNESCO designated sites (Biosphere reserves, World Heritage sites or Geoparks)?
  • Are you based in any of the following countries: Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya, and Madagascar?
  • Interested in enhancing your knowledge, skills and tools in climate science, climate services, and/or nature-based solutions (NBS), disaster risk reduction (DRR), biodiversity conservation, indigenous knowledge and local knowledge (ILK) and other similar fields?

ALBATROSS is looking for 30 mentees- 6 per country.

Find the APPLICATION and CONSENT forms below.

The rationale of the mentorship programme

This mentorship programme is meant to facilitate and enhance the transfer of knowledge, tools, skills, expertise, and insights between the hands-on and experienced ALBATROSS partner experts (mentors) and scientists and field-based practitioners from the 5 countries the project is implemented (mentees). Each mentee will set their own objectives -based on technical expertise of ALBATROSS project consortium mentors (1 from Europe, 1 from Africa).

There will be 2 categories of mentees:

CATEGORY 1: Researchers in Climate Data and Services. Scientists and professionals working with meteorological agencies, regional climate centers, or research institutions, eager to learn from ALBATROSS partners, particularly in areas such as interpreting and obtaining data from available climate services, including the Copernicus database, and making use of ALBATROSS project outputs and products.

CATEGORY 2: Field-Based Practitioners. Practitioners engaged with UNESCO-designated sites, such as Biosphere Reserves, World Heritage Sites, or Geoparks who are eager to apply climate services, nature-based solutions, indigenous and local knowledge, in their field of work, especially in natural resources management, biodiversity conservation, disaster risk reduction amongst others.

The mentorship programme will be designed to provide a dual benefit, for both the mentees and the ALBATROSS project partners, by promoting learning, innovation, development, nurturing talent, and leveraging on latest knowledge on climate science and nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation.

All mentees will have access to ALBATROSS tools and products and participate in relevant training activities conducted in their respective countries and those done online.

For mentees working with climate service agencies (CATEGORY 1) there will be potential to explore further support and collaboration with ALBATROSS institutions both in Europe and Africa dealing in climate services for further in-depth and tailored trainings at institutional level and future collaboration and partnerships.

For field-based practitioners mentees (CATEGORY 2), the knowledge gained will help them execute their field work more efficiently and effectively and there will be potential for them to develop bankable proposals and plans, that could help in better management of ecosystems either within or around UNESCO designated sites.

It’s envisaged that at the end of the programme, participants will have acquired new knowledge, skills and tools that they will apply back in their areas of work and the project will equally benefit from the mentee’s local and technical insights.

Eligibility for applicants.

  1. Scientists and/or Mid to Senior level field-based practitioners working (full or part time) with either;
    • Meteorological agencies and regional climate centres
    • University or research institutions
    • National or local level agencies (public, private -NGOs, CBOs etc ), working in or around UNESCO designated sites https://www.unesco.org/en/lists-designations in the one or more of the following areas: climate services, natural resources management, biodiversity conservation, nature-based solutions, environmental management, forestry, disaster risk reduction.
  2. Based in one of the 5 following countries: Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya and Madagascar.
  3. Demonstrate experience in any of the following fields – climate data and services, nature-based solutions (NBS), natural resources management, disaster risk reduction (DRR), biodiversity conservation, indigenous knowledge and local knowledge (ILK) or other similar fields.
  4. Applicants should have a good command of English language.
  5. Working in and/or conversant with any of the seven focus areas for the projectct will be an added advantage. Focus areas: Kigamboni District, Tanzania; Umzimvubu Catchment, South Africa; Tamatave District, Madagascar; Morondava District, Madagascar; Turkana County, Kenya; Keta Basin, Ghana; Kumasi, Ghana.
  6. Conversant with their respective countries UNESCO designated sites (Biosphere Reserves, World Heritage Sites, or Geoparks etc), will be an added advantage.
  7. The selected applicants must be available and follow the mentorship programme for 18 months
  8. After the Mentees have been notified of their selection, they will be required to get consent/approval from their employers to participate in the mentorship program.

Project support

  • The mentees will have privileged access to ALBATROSS project toolbox and services and possibility to travel to one or more of the science-policy dialogues/workshops and the final conference.
  • The mentees will be facilitated to attend relevant project co-creation workshops, training, policy dialogue etc in their respective countries. Transport, accommodation costs and a reasonable per diem to be covered by the ALBATROSS project.
  • Project will provide mentee with great visibility through the project website and ALBATROSS dissemination activities.
  • Please note that the project does not foresee salaries for mentees.

If you have any doubt about your eligibility, please contact us directly before submitting your application at: nairobi.recruitment@unesco.org 

 Application procedure

If interested, please download the APPLICATION and CONSENT forms, fill, sign and send them to UNESCO -via email to nairobi.recruitment@unesco.org in English. Attach any additional/supplementary materials in pdf format or provide weblinks you consider relevant regarding your application.

The application process is paper-free. The deadline for submission is 30th May 2025.

Assessment/evaluation process.

The Assessment panel will rate all the eligible proposals against a scorecard based on the following criteria:

  • Relevance – innovative climate services, nature-based solution, natural resources management, biodiversity conservation, climate smart agriculture etc
  • Applicability- Potential for the mentee to apply what they would have learnt, e.g in development of standard products like climate forecast and predictions, development of actionable or bankable NBS and DRR plans
  • Project outcomes- contribute to development of project practical tools, such as, policy briefs, guidelines, training modules and strategies that will inform and influence policy and practice in Sub-Sahara Africa countries.
  • Scalability – to other local or regional African contexts

A total of 30 mentees will be selected -on average 6 per country.

 DEADLINE

  • The deadline for submission is 30th May 2025.

Download the APPLICATION and CONSENT forms below, fill, sign and send them to UNESCO -via email to nairobi.recruitment@unesco.org

Mentorship Application Form

Mentorship Participation Consent and Privacy Statement