Fire Management Program Officer

FIRE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM OFFICER

LOCATION     Punta Gorda Town/Golden Stream, Toledo, Belize

DURATION:   6 Months (starting Jan 2016)

SALARY          This is an unpaid (volunteer) position¹

FURTHER DETAILS: See below, visit the Ya'axché website and download the application pack/volunteer manual: http://yaaxche.org/files/FIREappack.pdf

 1.0 JOB DESCRIPTION

 1.1 CONTEXT

 Ya’axché Conservation Trust is a community-oriented NGO that couples conservation with sustainable development to advance integrated landscape management in southern Belize.   The focal geographic area for Ya’axché’s activities, the Maya Golden Landscape (MGL), extends from the Maya Mountains to the Port Honduras Marine Reserve in the Caribbean Sea and forms part of the largest remaining contiguous areas of broadleaf forest in Central America. Within the MGL Ya’axché directly manages the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve (GSCP, 15,000 acres), Maya Mountain North Forest Reserve (36,000 acres)  and the Bladen Nature Reserve (BNR, 100,000 acres), the latter two of which are co-managed between Ya’axché and the Belize Forest Department.  In addition to managing protected areas, Ya’axché puts an equivalent focus on the livelihoods of the surrounding communities through sustainable livelihood initiatives and implementation of best practices.

 1.2 OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES

 The Fire Management Program Officer will work as part of the Protected Area Management Program and will be directly supervised by the Sustainable Landuse Officer.  However, it must also be noted that this interdisciplinary role will also involve a great deal of work alongside the Community Outreach and Livelihoods Program. The Fire Management Program Officer is responsible for managing Ya’axché fire management activities that focus on improving fire knowledge, reducing forest loss through fire, and improving farm fire management practices in the MGL. He/she is to work towards improved fire governance, organise training, develop community information material, monitor fire impacts and manage fire equipment.

 1.3 SPECIFIC DUTIES

1.  Work with fire management stakeholders (government, Community Leadership Associations, other NGO’s, Private Sector) to improve governance of fire management.
2. Work with development team to develop funding proposals for fire management projects.
3. Work with various stakeholders to organise and assist in the delivery of fire management training
4. Monitor fire projects and identify opportunities or actions to improve fire management
5. Assist in the organisation of resources and logistics for fire management (fire equipment, weather monitoring etc.).
6. Work with GIS officer to monitor fire occurrence and impacts through March – June dry season.

 1 The volunteer must be able to cover all costs for the full six month period including international airfare, all in country travel, insurance, and any costs associated with obtaining visas and/or work permits (please refer to the Volunteer Manual for further information).  2 Please refer to the Volunteer Manual for further information on office & field station hours of operation.

 2.0 EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

 Essential

• Project management experience
• Experience in conservation, community development, or natural resource management
• Experience in working with a range of different stakeholders, including government, community and/or NGO.
• Experience and/or understanding of natural resource legislation and policy development.
• Experience working both independently and as part of a team.

 Desirable

• Experience in wildland fire/forest fire management.
• Understanding of best practice fire management governance, tools and strategies.
• Knowledge of conservation and community development issues in developing countries.
• Experience of working for conservation, resource management and development NGO's in developing countries.

 3.0 TECHNICAL SKILLS

Essential

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Excellent written communication and verbal communication skills including report writing, project proposals and presentations (samples may be requested)

Desirable

• Experience in the use of GIS software (QGIS, ArcGIS etc.)

 4.0 PERSONAL SKILLS

 Essential

• Excellent written and spoken English
• The ability to work with and liaise with a wide variety of individuals (including a multi-cultural in-house team) by using tact, diplomacy and flexibility.
• Cultural sensitivity towards Belizeans in general and the indigenous communities of the Maya Golden Landscape in particular.
• An ability to think strategically and understand how own work fits in with wider organisational objectives
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills, with the ability to organise and conduct meetings.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently with minimal supervision

• Excellent planning, time management and organizational skills to produce high quality work within agreed timeframes.

 5.0    BENEFITS AND EXPENSES

 5.1 VOLUNTEER BENEFITS

 This is a voluntary, unpaid position. However the volunteer will receive benefits including:

• An incredibly valuable opportunity to build experience for career in conservation
• Free, basic, shared housing at Golden Stream Corridor Preserve field station (see Volunteer Guide for more details)
• Opportunity to work closely with dynamic, multi-cultural staff
• Appreciation for your dedication and hard work
• Adventure in a country with pristine ecosystems, vibrant culture and world-class snorkelling and SCUBA
• In-depth, interactive cultural experience unattainable by tourists

 5.2 VOLUNTEER EXPENSES

 There are no program fees charged for this experience, but the volunteer is expected to arrange and pay for:

• Transportation to Punta Gorda, Belize, including airfare.
• Food, personal expenses, in-country travel, rent (if living in Punta Gorda instead of the field center)
• Passport, visa, sufficient personal medical insurance

 Additional information is available in the Volunteer Guide including a break-down of the realistic cost of living in Belize. If you have any further questions we are happy to provide information on request.

 For further details download the application pack and volunteer manual: http://yaaxche.org/files/FIREappack.pdf