Deadline: August 23, 2021
Apply for the Program Officer Position at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Rwanda. The IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas (GL) is the first global standard of best practice for area-based conservation. It is a program of certification for protected and conserved areas – national parks, natural World Heritage sites, community conserved areas, nature reserves and so on – that are effectively managed and fairly governed.
IUCN Rwanda Office (ESARO) is looking for a Program Officer to implement an existing portfolio of GL projects and to further develop a program of work on GL in East Africa.
Duties
Strategic planning and Program development:
- Lead the development of a strategy for the IUCN GL in Rwanda and East African countries in line with, and linked to relevant regional and global strategies;
- Lead the development of a GL program of work in countries in East Africa (and beyond as needed) as required, based on agreed project commitments and donor requirements;
- Promote the IUCN GL program to government and civil society stakeholders in countries across East Africa;
- Actively identify opportunities and support project fundraising efforts for GL in the East Africa region.
Program management and implementation:
- Support ongoing and new project-specific activities in Kenya, Namibia and Zambia in line with the Green List collaboration for the Post 2020 United Nations Biodiversity Framework, and Protected Area Solutions.
- Support program and project-specific activities in additional countries in East Africa as the IUCN GL program expands;
- Undertake regular duty travel as necessary to ensure smooth implementation of programmatic activities;
- Ensure effective training and orientation workshops (virtual and in-person, as circumstances allow), including administrative and logistical support to project implementation including the organization of workshops, meetings and consultations;
- Facilitate establishment of GL processes in partner countries;
- Provide guidance on site-level assessments and engagement;
- Track specific project commitments and ensure the collection, collation, and reporting of all project data and documents, and be responsible for the submission of technical progress reports, as well as all regular reports according to the agreed formats, reporting schedules and deadlines;
- Track broader IUCN GL commitments and progress in East Africa, and provide updates on progress to the IUCN GL Operations Team and Management Committee as required;
- Ensure that project budgets are utilized and monitored in accordance with IUCN ESARO internal controls and donor agreements;
- Manage COMPASS (salesforce.com data management system) access and user needs for experts and evaluators;
- In line with relevant communications strategies, support to communicate project results through the IUCN website, articles, news stories, publications, etc.;
- Provide inputs to other IUCN team activities, such as the work under the BIOPAMA program, and other relevant projects and programs as required.
Monitoring and Evaluation:
- Ensure effective implementation of relevant M & E frameworks and systems, in line with IUCN Guidelines and procedures, as well as those required by specific projects;
- Ensure that all the information related to the implementation of GL projects is adequately filed, organized and updated for easy access;
- Identify and use lessons to inform practice;
- Document and share lessons and experiences, as appropriate.
Eligibility
- Applicant should have a good academic profile (degree in a relevant subject; MSc level preferred, but not essential provided the candidate has strong relevant skills and experience).
- 8+ years nature conservation-related work, including protected area management, or 5+ years in conservation with other relevant related natural resource management experience.
- Fluency in written and spoken English is a must, fluency in French and Portuguese is an added advantage.
Core Competencies
- Transparency: Able to build trust and contribute to informed and responsible decision making by carrying out the work of IUCN in a transparent manner; provides clear guidance to ensure that objectives and desired measurable results are understood by members of the team;
- Inclusiveness: Understands and accepts cultural diversity, and provide a tolerant, positive and supportive working environment that fosters respect for diversity, demonstrates ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds;
- Professionalism: Promote the organization’s interests, objectives and values in a diligent and professional manner;
- Accountability: Takes responsibility of individual and collective actions, promotes the IUCN One Program approach.
Required Experience
- Direct experience working in and on protected / conserved areas or a related field (social engagement and participatory management processes would be a bonus), preferably in the region;
- Excellent understanding of the trends and latest developments, priorities, challenges of and opportunities for protected area management and the different protected area management models, including of national parks, Natural World Heritage sites, community conserved areas and conservancies, nature reserves, PPPs etc., and the direct and indirect links with the wider landscapes;
- At least five years in management and administration of projects in the field of biodiversity conservation, natural resources or environmental management, including management of donor grants and donor relations, technical and financial reporting, monitoring and evaluation;
- Previous experience engaging and working with a wide range of conservation and natural resource management practitioners – from field to senior government manager levels, and other key stakeholders including communities;
- Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team and communicate in a cross-cultural environment;
- Experience in capacity building activities related to biodiversity conservation and protected and conserved area management;
- Strategic planning and programme development experience;
- Fundraising experience including strong proposal writing skills;
- Experience with sustainability standards / certification an advantage;
- Good computer skills, including use of databases and CRM (working knowledge of salesforce.com a bonus);
- Practical field experience in protected area management in the region will be considered an added advantage.
Application
Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The vacancy closes at midnight, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST). Please note that only selected applicants will be personally contacted for interviews.
For more information, visit IUCN Job.
