Project Manager, Cambodia University Capacity Building Project, Asia-Pacific

Project Manager, Cambodia University Capacity Building Project, Asia Pacific
Fauna & Flora International

Salary: USD 30,000 – USD 33,000 per annum
Start Date: 1^st December 2012 or as soon as possible thereafter
Duration of contract: Three-year fixed-term contract, with potential to extend subject to funding availability
Location: The position is based at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), Cambodia and at the FFI Cambodia Programme Office, Phnom Penh with occasional national and international travel

Founded in 1903, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is the world’s longest-established international conservation organisation.  Our vision is to create a sustainable future for the planet where biodiversity is conserved by the people living closest to
it.  We aim to do this through the conservation of threatened species and ecosystems worldwide, choosing solutions
that are sustainable, based on sound science and take account of human needs. We operate primarily in developing countries where there is little capacity to conserve endangered and threatened habitats and species.  We have become a trusted entity in the world of conservation.  Today FFI is active in over 40 countries.

The FFI Asia Pacific Programme has Country Programme Offices in Hanoi, Jakarta, Phnom Penh, Manila and Nanning.  Working closely with local partners, the Asia Pacific Programme currently includes a broad range of species and landscape targeted conservation initiatives in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.  Around 70 projects are being implemented in the region by a team of over 250 staff, consultants, volunteers and partner organisations with an annual regional budget of approximately USD 10 million. 

Cambodia supports a rich variety of wildlife and habitats, including Asian elephants, Siamese crocodiles, giant ibises, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and pristine rainforests. FFI has been working to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in Cambodia since 1996, and established a programme office in Phnom Penh in 2000.

Achievements of the Cambodian programme include: conducting the first benchmark surveys of tigers, elephants, Siamese crocodiles and other wildlife in northern, eastern and southwest Cambodia; contributing to the creation of two major protected
areas in the Cardamom Mountains; establishing three community-based wetland sanctuaries; training protected area managers in two wildlife sanctuaries; assisting development of national legislation; developing tool kits for addressing human-elephant conflict; establishing Cambodia’s first Masters of Science course and national reference collections; publishing
Cambodia’s first scientific journal,  a national field guide to amphibians, and national guidelines for sustainable
development in protected areas.

The University Capacity Building Project (UCBP) was founded in 2005 and is one of FFI’s flagship projects in Cambodia. Following decades of under-investment and dismantling of the science and education sectors during the Pol Pot era, the nation’s ability to manage its natural wealth is severely hampered by a lack of skilled people and reliable information. FFI is working with the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation at the Royal University of Phnom Penh to arm a new generation of
Cambodian scientists with essential skills, knowledge and experience in conservation biology and sustainable development. Major sponsors have included the Darwin Initiative, MacArthur Foundation, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the UCBP presently undertakes activities in four areas:

• Deliveryof a two-year Masters course in Biodiversity Conservatio http://www.rupp.edu.kh/master/biodiversity/
   
• Development of original lines of conservation-orientated researc http://www.rupp.edu.kh/master/biodiversity/?page=cbc

• Publication of the Cambodian Journal of Natural History www.fauna-flora.org/publications/cambodian-journal-of-natural-history/

• Development of zoological and botanical reference collection http://www.rupp.edu.kh/master/biodiversity/?page=cbc

FFI wishes to recruit a post-doctoral Project Manager to manage and provide training on the University Capacity Building Project, and to support development of conservation research in Cambodia. This position is dependent upon confirmation of funding in early November 2012. The main objectives of this project are to:

1.  Deliver the Masters of Science in Biodiversity Conservation and vocational courses to Cambodian nationals;
2. Undertake and support collaborative monitoring and applied research schemes by Cambodian scientists;
3. Develop the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation and its associated natural history museums; 
4. Publish and disseminate species identification guides, best practice literature and the Cambodian Journal of Natural History; and
5. Improve collaboration and information sharing between government organisations, NGOs and international universities.

The Project Manager will work closely with the Research Advisor, Royal University of Phnom Penh staff, students, and contracted trainers and research associates to ensure the delivery of this and other projects against agreed work plans and
donor requirements. The project is being implemented in partnership with the Royal University of Phnom Penh, which has been working with FFI since 2005, and in conjunction with a wide range of national and international organisations. The Project Manager will also work in collaboration with the Cambodia Country Programme Manager and other national and regional FFI staff. As a member of FFI’s senior team in Phnom Penh, the Project Manager will also be expected to contribute to FFI’s wider efforts to support conservation and sustainable development in Cambodia.

For further details and to apply please visit: www.fauna-flora.org/ourvacancies.php

The closing date for applications is Sunday 30^th September 2012.  No agencies please.

FFI values diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity