Biodiversity Conservation Specialists

The BirdLife Africa Secretariat are seeking the services of two Biodiversity Conservation Specialists to conduct a Mid Term Evaluation for the Project: ‘Instituting Effective Monitoring of Protected Areas (Important Bird Areas) as a contribution to reducing the rate of biodiversity loss in Africa’ Europe Aid/ENV/2007/132-278.

The right candidate should be educated to at least a Masters Degree academic level, preferably in Biodiversity Conservation or environment related area.

S/he should have a good track record and a substantial number of years’ experience in the area relevant to the assignment:

• Professional experience and expertise in programme evaluations, i.e. midterm reviews and final evaluations in the field of environment/biodiversity conservation;
• Experience in EC programme design, identification, project cycle management;
• Familiarity with EC financial regulations and procedures for EC external funded projects;
• Familiarity with biodiversity monitoring, management of protected areas and the CBD Programme of Work;
• A good understanding of the countries: Kenya, Botswana, Uganda, Burkina Faso and Tunisia and appreciation of the African political and cultural landscape;
• Good communication and writing skills in both English and French languages.
• Excellent time management skills

Characteristics of the Consultancy

The consultant/team will be supervised by the Regional Project Manager- Africa IBA Monitoring Project, based in Nairobi, Kenya. The consultant(s) will work closely with the BirdLife Africa Partnership Secretariat Project Team and will have the Regional Project Manager as primary contact within the BirdLife Africa Partnership Secretariat.

Duration of consultancy

The consultant/team will be offered a fixed-rate  contract for 32 working days spread over the months of January 2009 to March 2009.  The indicative starting date for the assignment is 19^th of January 2009. An Inception Meeting will take place on the first day of the Inception Phase in Nairobi, Kenya. A maximum total of 64 working days at 32 days for each expert is envisaged, starting on 19^th of January 2009 until 27^th of March 2009.

To apply, the prospective applicants should submit:

• CV, outlining their relevant professional experience
• Cover Letter, stating their interest in and qualifications for the consultancy
• Honorarium expectations (daily fee)
• Two references

Kindly send your application to Ms Thandiwe Chikomo, Regional Project Manager- Africa IBA Monitoring Project, BirdLife Africa Secretariat, P.O. Box 3502 00100. Applications may be submitted electronically to Thandiwe.Chikomo@birdlife.or.ke.  Canvassing will result in automatic disqualification of potential candidates.

Deadline for application is 13^th November 2008

For more detailed information on specific requirements of the project, please read the online Project Brief and ToR .