Junior Projects Officer: 6-month internship

The Plan Vivo Foundation (PVF) is an internationally focused charity, registered in Scotland. Its purpose is to develop and oversee the Plan Vivo Standard and support Plan Vivo-certified projects worldwide. ‘Plan Vivo’ is a framework and Standard for community-based payments for ecosystem services, principally in developing countries. Its growing portfolio of 24 operational and over 20 pipeline projects comprises a diverse range of ecosystem restoration and protection projects, as well as livelihoods development initiatives. These empower smallholder farmers and rural communities to reduce and reverse ecosystem degradation, while improving natural resource management to meet basic needs. Plan Vivo certified projects are typically geared around land-use, forestry and blue carbon interventions, with a clear link to water, biodiversity and livelihoods development activities. Plan Vivo’s work leverages both private sector and donor financed activities, working with a growing range of partner organisations to deliver on some of the world’s most pressing global challenges. Plan Vivo engages academia, the private sector, sustainability consultancies, NGOs and civil society actors in order to develop and improve climate mitigation and adaptation solutions. Its work touches on natural climate solutions, net zero targets, zero deforestation supply chains and the Sustainable Development Goals.  
 

About the Role:

The Plan Vivo Foundation (PVF) is seeking a highly motivated individual with a keen interest in the nexus of climate change and international development. This role will be a Junior Projects Officer role, offered initially on the basis of a full-time internship for 6 months, with the potential to develop into a permanent Projects Officer staff role after that, dependent on performance and funding availability. The main focus of role will be to provide support across PVF’s existing portfolio of projects, as well as supporting the development and integration of new/pipeline projects. The successful candidate will work as part of the PVF operational team (the Secretariat), based in Edinburgh and will report to the Programme Manager. The role involves working closely with PVF project coordinators and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). There may be some remote working required but the majority of the role will be office based, in line with any COVID19 related travel/working restrictions.
 

Key Responsibilities:

The following tasks form the core responsibilities of the role: 

Provide Project Support to the Programme Manager and Projects Officer

• Providing information and guidance to new projects.
• Reviewing Project Idea Notes (PINs) and Annual Reports (ARs).
• Coordinating validations (identifying reviewers, providing Terms of Reference (ToR), reviewing outputs).
• Supporting peer reviews of technical specifications - identifying appropriate reviewers, providing ToR, collating responses and agreeing action points (with TAC).
• Supporting Certificate Issuance.
• Continued project support (guidance on project expansion, new tech specs, verification, contracts, materials). 

 
Research & ongoing development of Plan Vivo Standard

• Researching developments in technical guidance and tools, methodologies (including socioeconomic and biodiversity monitoring methodologies).
• Consulting stakeholders on developments to the system and standard. 

 
Marketing and Communications

• Support the updating the website, uploading content.
• Helping coordinate development of promotional materials, e.g. new brochure.
• Participating in events and forums.
• Support the organisation of events, e.g. annual stakeholder meeting.
• Responding to enquiries and requests for information. 

 
Project Management

• Develop relationships with Project Coordinator organisations, where appropriate, keeping abreast of key project developments.
• Feed into the project tracker, issuance history, aggregate figures, contacts database.
• Creating and updating project templates and guidance.
• Inputting into summary project documentation for BOT meetings (every 8 weeks). 

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Essential:

• Fluency in spoken and written English.
• Advanced degree in a relevant field, such as environmental sciences, international development, business administration, economics, physical sciences, etc.
• Keen interest in and awareness of, environmental, climate and international development issues.
• Proven organisational, project and time management skills, with an ability to prioritise and juggle multiple assignments.
• Ability to work cohesively as part of a team but also independently and proactively, taking the initiative.
• Well organized, high level of accuracy, and meticulous attention to detail.
• Cross-cultural sensitivity and ease operating in different socio-cultural contexts.
• Identification with Plan Vivo’s core values of transparency, equity, and respect.
• Numerate and comfortable interpreting and evaluating quantitative and technical data, as well as general computer/IT skills. 

Desirable:

• Proficiency in spoken and written Spanish, French, Bahasa or other relevant language.
• Experience of working in developing countries and/or with INGOs and CBOs.
• Knowledge of the voluntary and compliance carbon markets, climate change policy, and the land use and forestry sector.
• Involvement in designing or researching payment for ecosystems services (PES) projects and programmes.
• Experience in /knowledge of designing/implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, projects or action plans. 

To find out more about this role, please click here. 

How to Apply:

To apply for this position, please email a full CV (2 pages) and short motivation letter (2 pages), detailing (1) why you feel you are suitable for the role and (2) why you are keen to join the Plan Vivo Foundation team, to info@planvivofoundation.org no later than 17:00 (BST time) on Friday 14th August 2020.  

We will contact applicants shortlisted for interview the following week (i.e. August 17-21) with the aim of a start date in September, exact date tbc.