Project Assistant (Spanish) - Climate & Forest Programme

Project Assistant (Spanish) - Climate & Forest Programme 

ClientEarth is a non-profit environmental law, science and policy organisation with offices inLondon,Brussels, andWarsaw. We provide dedicated public-interest legal capacity, working with environmental NGOs and other stakeholders and acting as legal advocates for environmental objectives. We work at a policy and legislative level to lobby for strong laws and policies that protect the environment, and we pursue litigation that supports our strategic objectives. Our work is axed on the development and execution of clear strategies and productive partnerships to ensure our actions to protect the human right to a clean and healthy environment have maximum impact.

We have an exciting and challenging opportunity for reliable, self-motivated individual who thrives in a team environment to join our Climate & Forest Team inLondon.

Job specifications

The Project Assistant will support the implementation of projects undertaken by lawyers working on Forest Rights and Governance issues in Central andLatin Americaas well as the Climate & Forest Programme's project to enforce the EU Timber Regulation.  The Assistant will be an integral member of our project teams and provide administrative and research support, assisting with communications and reporting, conducting research, and coordinating logistics for strategic events. The Assistant will work under the supervision of the Forest Rights and Governance – Latin America Lead, but also with the guidance and support of the admin, finance and development teams of the organisation.

The successful candidate will be highly organised, confident, and positive with excellent written and verbal skills in both English and Spanish. As the first point of contact for our callers and visitors, you’ll need a professional, friendly and pleasant manner to represent the organisation. You will also need to be comfortable working closely with senior staff, and with colleagues throughout Europeand in Latin America.

You will need to demonstrate outstanding organisational skills necessary to fulfil current administration requirements for the project. You’ll need to be able to handle a number of competing priorities and work with efficiency. Some prior experience of administrative work or demonstrated organisational skills and abilities will be needed.

Essential qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; preferably in natural resource management or political sciences with environmental expertise.
• At least 2 years of relevant professional experience.
• Fluency in Spanish and English (essential).

Other qualifications, experience, and skills to be considered in the selection process, as well as a summary project description and key responsibilities of the Project Assistant, are set out below.

Project Description

The Project Assistant will support the programmes of ClientEarth's Climate & Forest Programme, in particular in relation to our Forest Rights and Governance work inCentral Americaand the broader Latin American region and in relation to our work to enforce the EU Timber Regulation.

Through our Rights and Governance activities, we are working with civil society and governmental actors, particularly in the focus countries of Honduras and Guatemala, to secure the rights of forest peoples and other local communities to forest lands and resources, and to ensure their effective participation in FLEGT and REDD processes, with the ultimate goal of improving forest governance in these countries. FLEGT refers to the EU's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Action Plan, the EU's response to the problem of deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries. REDD refers to 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation', the forest component of the United Nations Climate Change Negotiations (UNFCCC). The Programme Assistant will provide general support to the programme lawyers engaged in this work, in line with the key responsibilities outlined below. 

The EU Timber Regulation is one of the key measures to result from the European Union’s Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan. The Timber Regulation responds to the fact that, as a key consumer market for timber and timber products, the EU has a responsibility – and importantly, the ability – to positively influence the way that timber is harvested. It seeks to prevent illegally harvested timber from accessing the EU market, most directly by making it illegal to place illegally harvested timber on the EU market. Among other activities, ClientEarth will be providing guidance materials and organising regional workshops for civil society actors in the key regions ofCentral America,South America, Central andWest Africa,SouthEast Asia, andRussiato educate civil society in these regions as to how they can engage to promote and ensure the effective enforcement of the regulation.  The Programme Assistant will be engaged in this aspect of our EU Timber Regulation work in support of the EUTR Project Lead and EUTR Stakeholder Outreach lawyers, particularly in relation to Central andSouth Americaand also possiblyRussiaandSouthEast Asia.

Key responsibilities

Communications

• Compile information for and write reports, including contributing to development of periodic internal reports and of donor reports for external audiences.
• Assist preparation of publications, address request forms for external materials and coordinate with the Communications team to maintain project web-page up-to-date, as well as to disseminate timely updates via blogs, press releases and social media outlets.
• Assist in preparation of informative and visually-engaging PowerPoint presentations for different audiences.
• Assist with the translation of documents.
• Liaise with external partners, organizations and individuals as required by the projects.

Research

• Conduct research and prepare concise internal briefs on various topics to include, e.g., approaches to stakeholder engagement; approaches to capacity building; the political economy of focus countries; regional and national initiatives and developments; and others.
• Monitor relevant climate change and forest-related events at regional and national levels.

Administration & Event and Travel Coordination

• Prepare, process and monitor payment requests, invoices and related materials according to existing procedures.
• Compile and/or maintain internal databases up-to-date.
• Coordinate travel and logistics for workshops, meetings and trainings.
• Administer delegate travel and accommodation, including expenses reimbursements and per diems where necessary.
• Coordinate meetings with partners and clients, and prepare meeting summaries/minutes;
• Execute mailing/shipping of materials.
• Maintain physical and electronic records of the project’s files (e.g. reports, publications, correspondence, etc).

General Support

• Provide general support and guidance to staff and external audiences by providing prompt, informative communications to general queries on the project.
• Edit, format and proofread project publications.
• Carry out other duties as assigned.

Key skills

• Strong organizational skills and efficient management of multiple tasks and priorities.
• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills, with ability to foster positive working relationships with diverse internal and external individuals.
• Excellent writing, editing and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to execute work independently.
• Strong computer skills (Microsoft suite – Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and databases).
• Ability and willingness to travel, nationally and/or internationally, including approximately five  journeys per year, each approximately one week in duration, to Central and South America, and potentially to SouthEast Asia or Russia.

Other requirements

• Knowledge of, and commitment to, climate change and forestry issues (desirable).
• Experience in a not-for-profit and international environment.

To apply

Please send us your CV and a cover letter explaining your interest in joining ClientEarth and the contribution you believe you could make to the organisation.

If you wish to apply for several positions, please send us a separate email including your CV and a specific cover letter for each position you wish to be considered for.

Please include ‘Climate & Forest Programme – Project Assistant (Spanish)’ in the email subject line, and identify the documents you are sending by including ‘[your name] Project Assistant (Spanish) cover letter’ and ‘[your name] CV’ in the file name.

Please address your application to James Thornton, Chief Executive, ClientEarth, The Hothouse, 274 Richmond road, London E8 3QW and send it by mail to jobs@clientearth.org.

Recruitment is open now and you should send your application as soon as possible. Applications are scheduled to close on17 May 2012. Interviews are intended to take place in the week commencing 21 May 2012.

The position is based in ClientEarth’sLondonoffice. It is programmed for 1 year and is renewable.

ClientEarth offers a competitive salary consistent with the experience and performance levels expected of the successful candidate.

If you have any questions about the roles advertised or recruitment process, please contact Julie Langevin (jlangevin@clientearth.org)