National Consultant, Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) Technical Consultant for Empowering Local Entities and Communities to Take Rapid Action (ELECTRA)

Background

Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) have emerged as a global priority for addressing climate change, environmental degradation, and disaster risk. Officially recognized at COP26 in Glasgow (2021), NbS focus on actions that protect, sustainably manage, and restore ecosystems to tackle societal challenges while enhancing human well-being and biodiversity. Over the past five decades, climate-related disasters have increased fivefold, highlighting the urgent need to integrate NbS into national and local adaptation plans. Institutions such as the UN University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the European Commission, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have emphasized NbS as cost-effective, scalable, and long-term approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening resilience, and sustaining livelihoods.

Indonesian Red Cross (Palang Merah Indonesia/PMI) in collaboration with American Red Cross is implementing the Empowering Local Entities and Communities to Take Rapid Action (ELECTRA) Project (2025–2027) aims to strengthen community resilience and disaster preparedness by integrating Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) into village-level development plans through legally endorsed Village Regulations (Peraturan Desa), in alignment with Indonesia’s Village Law. This project is expected as a contribution effort for managing risks in coastal and watershed areas that are both ecologically fragile and economically as well as an effort to achieving the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030), the Paris Agreement, and the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The project is implemented in Manggarai District (7 villages) with specific outcome to (i) Strengthen Community-Based Action Teams (CBATs); (ii) Promote community engagement through NbS, Protection-Gender-Inclusion (PGI), Behavior Change Communication (BCC), and Integrated Risk Management (IRM); and (iii) Address key challenges related to environmental protection, limited community participation, and village funding mechanisms.

Job Purpose

To deliver specialized technical assistance in designing, implementing, and documenting NbS aimed at enhancing climate adaptation and reducing disaster risks across seven communities in Manggarai District, East Nusa Tenggara Province with below specific objectives:

• Assess ecosystem services, vulnerabilities, and environmental risks across target location.
• Design and provide technical guidance for NbS interventions that integrate DRR, livelihoods, and climate adaptation.
• Develop guidelines, SOPs, and monitoring frameworks to support effective NbS implementation.
• Strengthen the capacity of partner and stakeholder capacity in design NbS and application of NbS approach.
• Document best practices, lessons learned, and policy recommendations to support the scaling up of NbS initiatives in Indonesia.

Desired outcomes

In close coordination with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and the American Red Cross (AmRC), the Consultant will design, implement, and monitor NbS interventions that aligned with project goals and national priorities.

a. Baseline and Technical Assessment
• Conduct environmental and ecosystem profile (current conditions, map existing natural features, and Identification of ecosystem services currently provided), referring to enhance vulnerability and capacity assessments (EVCA) results.
• Technical Feasibility Assessment to analyse hazards, exposure, and ecosystem degradation that affect community resilience.
• Stakeholder Mapping and Institutional Analysis.
b. NbS Design and Planning
• Develop context-specific NbS intervention plans, recommendations, and Technical Roadmap.
• Provide technical guidance for community-driven NbS interventions, stakeholder engagement & co-design outputs.
c. Financing for NbS
• Identify emerging sources of funding and financing approaches and potential funds to support the NbS and aligning the potential funding mechanism with existing investment at the local level.
d. Capacity Building
• Design and deliver training sessions for local governments, PMI personnel, and community-based organizations on NbS principles, maintenance, and monitoring.
• Develop practical field manuals and participatory training modules.
e. Implementation Support
• Provide on-site technical assistance during implementation to ensure environmental and social safeguards are effectively applied.
• Facilitate cross-sector coordination among relevant stakeholders to foster ownership and sustainability.
f. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Knowledge Sharing
• Develop NbS-specific indicators and a monitoring and evaluation framework.
• Collect and analyse baseline data for future comparison through community-friendly monitoring mechanisms.
g. Support for Local Environmental Regulations
• Provide technical input to assist the development of village-level environmental regulations and protection policies.
• Ensure policy coherence with frameworks from KLHK, BNPB, and BAPPENAS.
• Ensure compliance with Indonesia’s Village Law, national environmental standards, and PMI’s localization and governance commitments.
h. Policy Advocacy and Replication
• Support advocacy efforts to integrate successful NbS models into local (village, district and provincial) and national planning processes.
• Facilitate policy dialogues and promote institutional adoption of NbS within development and spatial planning frameworks.
• Document and promote scalable best practices for replication in other districts.
i. Strategic Planning and National Contributions
• Develop a baseline and projection for PMI’s contributions to the SDGs and NDCs through NbS in alignment with PMI’s Climate Strategy, EW4ALL, and national climate adaptation priorities.

Administrative & Logistical Support

The Consultant will use their own equipment and software. Approved expenses (e.g., travel, lodging, and logistics) will be reimbursed per policy and financial guidelines.

Support to be provided to the consultant

The consultant will be provided with support through a hybrid arrangement combining:

• Remote support.
• Coordination meetings in Jakarta; and
• Field missions to Manggarai District, East Nusa Tenggara.

Schedule for payment of fees

The consultant will be paid on a deliverable schedule based on the receipt of invoices. Relevant travel and operational expenses will be included along with receipts for reimbursement.

• 15% of consultancy fees will be paid after submission of an Inception Report
• 40% of consultancy fees will be paid after assessment Report and NbS Design Report
• 25% of consultancy fees will be paid after submission of Training & Monitoring Framework
• 20% of consultancy fees will be paid after Final Report in English

Time Allocation, for budget purposes

The consultancy will be conducted over 19 months (February 2026 – October 2027)

Management of consultancy

The Consultant must adhere to the ethical standards of the IFRC-Code of Conduct, Child Protection Policy, Environmental and Social Safeguards, and all anti-fraud and anti-corruption measures of the American Red Cross and PMI.

Experience

• Master’s degree or higher in Environmental Science, Landscape Architecture, Ecology, Climate Change Adaptation, Natural Resource Management, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in ecosystem-based approaches, DRR, or climate adaptation.
• Demonstrated experience in pilot project design and coordination of field work.
• Excellent analytical skills and proven record of preparing similar project design studies and reports.
• Proven record in designing and implementing NbS or Eco-DRR projects.
• Experience collaborating with government agencies, NGOs, and communities in Indonesia.
• Strong skills in technical writing, GIS mapping, and data analysis.
• Familiarity with IUCN Global Standard for NbS and UNEP NbS guidelines.
• Demonstrated capacity-building and training facilitation experience.
• Excellent organizational, multitasking, and coordination skills.
• Fluency in Bahasa Indonesia and English (spoken and written).

Application Instructions

Please contact Admin.Indonesia@redross.org to request full TOR (Term of Reference) of 7 pages and submit your proposal application in English no later than 9 January 2026 to admin.indonesia@redcross.org, with the subject line: “NbS Technical Consultant – Indonesia”

Only short-listed proposal will be notified and contacted for further step of the process. Applications received after the deadline or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Application package:

1. Cover letter outlining relevant experience and proposed approach.
2. CV(s) of proposed consultant(s) (max 5 pages per person).
3. Description of proposed team composition (if applicable).
4. Examples of previous relevant work.
5. Quality assurance and monitoring approach (including watershed/coastal monitoring).
6. Financial proposal with daily consultancy rate and estimated expenses.
7. Two reference letters and samples of related previous work.