Senior Program Officer, Forest Landscape Facilitator

The Center is currently seeking a qualified candidate to work as Senior Program Officer, Forest Landscape Facilitator to support and implement its new Strategic Plan 2018 – 2023 particularly focusing on the Strategic Goal of “Landscape Collaboration in Climate Change”. This goal seeks to have the rights of local people in forest landscapes protected and exercised through collaborative management and dialogue. Local people will manage forests integrated together with other sectors within their landscape to meet climate change mitigation commitments and increase landscape resilience as part of their livelihood strategies.

The successful applicant will be based at the regional office in Bangkok, Thailand. The contract duration is for 24 months with a possibility of extension subject to the satisfactory performance and funding availability. The position requires frequent travelling.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Program Officer works as a key member of the Program Coordination and Technical Services (PCTS) Unit, and is directly responsible to the PCTS Director, and will also be accountable to other program and project staff, clients, partners, collaborators and funding agencies.

 S/he will be mainly responsible for:

• The design, implementation, management, and monitoring of Landscape Collaboration in a Climate Change program together with the Center’s regional and national staff under the supervision of the PCTS Director. Ensure that the design of this program helps maximizing synergies with the other three strategic goals (Governance, Institutions and Conflict Transformation; Private Sector Engagement and Enterprising Communities; and Social Inclusion, Gender Equity and public Action);
• Coordinating the  landscape visioning, economic analysis, multi-stakeholder facilitation and  related capacity development on people-centered and forest related climate mitigation and/or adaptation in relation to integrated landscape management (based upon the principles and processes defined by The Forest Dialogue’s Land Use Dialogues and ASEAN’s new Multi-Sectoral Climate Change Framework);
• Strengthening strategic networks with organizations dealing with people centered and forestry related climate and finance initiatives in Asia and the Pacific region;
• Providing technical support on landscape management and climate finance to the Center’s country and regional program teams for new project proposal development, project implementation, reporting, donor relationship, and monitoring in close coordination with relevant staff, managers and key partners;
• Providing supervision and appropriate mentorships of program or project staff under the program;

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

The Senior Program Officer, Forest Landscape Facilitator’s main duties will be as follows:

Program Development:

• Design and develop the Landscape Collaboration in Climate Change program in close coordination with other relevant staff to meet its expected targets;
• Identify strategic financial opportunities for the Center’s work in piloting, research and analysis, training, Land Use Dialogues (LUDs), learning networks and strategic communication focused on multi-sectoral collaboration to address climate change within forested landscapes;
• Lead and assist the development of project proposals on people centered and forestry related landscape climate change mitigation and/or adaptation;

Program Coordination and Delivery:

• Identify key focus for strategic analysis in the area of climate finance, people centered and forestry related climate change mitigation and/or adaptation at local, national and regional levels;
• Coordinate and mainstream the role of forest communities in the mitigation and/or adaptation of climate change in supporting priorities identified in Center’s focal countries and beyond;
• Coordinate strategic analysis of climate change and finance opportunities to support integrated landscape management where community forestry and smallholder initiatives especially community-based, smallholder forest management as well as community based forest landscape restoration initiatives play vital roles;
• Provide technical support and inputs to the Center’s Knowledge Management on Landscape Collaboration and Climate Change;
• Along with the Center’s Knowledge Management and Strategic Communication team, develop and effectively communicate landscape collaboration key messages to target audiences, based on learning from LUDs, program/projects, research, case studies, and best practices using appropriate and effective communication tools;
• Represent the Center at relevant events (e.g. global and international dialogues, conferences, workshops) to advocate for local people’s rights in any relevant climate change interventions such REDD+, nature-based mitigation strategies, climate finance, and beyond;
• Work closely with the team in the development of training curricula and programs and the delivery of capacity development activities such as trainings, mentoring, action learning, Land Use Dialogues, and learning networks;
• Lead the preparation of progress reports, including financial reports, for assigned projects;
• Work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team to synergize the thematic activities with the Center’s overall program plan;
• Support the Center’s seven country offices to harvest program outcomes under the “Landscape Collaboration in Climate Change” Strategic Goal;

Partnerships and Networking:

• Develop, maintain and establish relationships with strategic partners; keeping abreast of their strategies and using it for program development;
• Support and maintain ongoing networks in the Center’s focal countries and beyond and facilitating their active participation and exchange with national, regional and global landscape finance platforms and networks (such as AVPN, Landscape Finance Lab, and UNDP’s Global Programme on Nature for Development);
• Work closely with the Center’s Partnership and Business Development officers and key partners (global partners such as FFF, CIFOR, The Forest Dialogue, WOCAN, and IIED, regional partners such as ASEAN, MLRG and national partners such as FECOFUN, HIMAWANTI in Nepal) to update and explore any opportunities for new project development within any of the Center’s key landscapes;

Others

• Perform any other tasks that may be assigned by the PCTS Director.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

The Senior Program Officer: Landscape Facilitator will have the following essential qualifications and experience:

Essential:

• Master degree in natural resource economics, finance, or related fields with a minimum of 8 years’ work experience in project development and implementation under the topic of landscape integrated management and climate change mitigation and adaptation. PhD in those fields is an asset
• Demonstrated experience in economic analysis in natural resource management, REDD+, Climate Finance, PES schemes, Climate Change Adaptation Measures and political economy of deforestation and forest degradation
• Experience in multi-stakeholder processes, climate change finance policy dialogues and networking
• Proven analytical skills and an innovative thinker who actively contributes to team development.
• Reasonable record of publications
• Ability to work in multi-tasking in a variety of cultural and institutional contexts
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and fluent in English

Desirable:

• Previous work experience in international organizations in the Asia-Pacific region is strongly desirable.
• Ability to communicate in one or more languages of the Center’s focal countries (China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar) is an asset
• Familiarity with principles of social inclusion and gender equity

General:

In addition to job specific skills and experience, all of the Center’s staff should possess the following characteristics (including attitudes and skills):

• Initiative and ability to embrace social inclusion and gender equity principles and willingness to make decisions based upon principled fairness, openness and transparency
• Interpersonal communication skills, individually and in-groups, with an ability to work as an active member of multicultural and multi-disciplinary teams. This implies flexibility, leadership and open-mindedness
• Initiative and ability to make informed independent judgments but commitment to team work
• Ability to work in a variety of cultural and institutional contexts