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Malwathu Estuary Community-based Conservation Expert - “Managing together" Project

Vacancy #:   5873
Unit:   Sri Lanka Programme Coordination
Organisation:   International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Location:   Sri Lanka Country Office, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Reporting to:   Project Manager-“Managing Together" project
Work percentage:   100%
Grade:   A3
Expected start date:   01 January 2023
Type of contract:   Fixed-term (12 months)
Closing date:   22 January 2022
BACKGROUND
This is a local recruitment. Only Sri Lankan nationals, individuals with residence status or the appropriate employment visa for Sri Lanka are eligible to apply

IUCN is a Membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organizations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organizations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. IUCN Sri Lanka’s programs support sustainable natural resource management initiatives of Members and Partners.

IUCN is the responsible party for the implementation of the Ministry of Environment (MoE) led, Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project through UNDP, titled “Managing together: Integrating community-centred, ecosystem-based approaches into forestry, agriculture and tourism sectors” This four-year GEF cycle 6 project aims to establish a holistic landscape approach incorporating biodiversity conservation into planning and implementation in agriculture, tourism, and forestry sectors in the Malwathu Oya River Basin of North-Western Sri Lanka. The project will use IUCN in-country and global experience and has the potential to develop a number of multi-sector models to upscale at national and sub-national levels while sharing experience globally.

To support effective project delivery, project cycle management, and facilitate professional networking with Government, Private Sector and other stakeholder entities, on behalf of MoE and UNDP, IUCN seeks a suitable candidate for the position of Malwathu Estuary Community-based Conservation Expert. H/She will be locally recruited and be responsible for the community level operations in the coastal zone in the Malwathu Oya basin, including the Trial Landscapes. S/he will support the Project Manager daily basis and seek advice from the Senior Technical Advisor, as needed.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Malwathu Estuary Community-based Conservation Expert in close coordination with the Project Manager (PM), the Senior Technical Adviser (STA) and the Learning and Communications Officer (LCO), will oversee, in Trial Landscape 3, the development and implementation of participatory consultation within communities and between communities and local government, the development of village-cluster level land-use plans and technical and material support for livelihood-focused project interventions in natural resource management (Outputs 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5).

Malwathu Estuary Community-based Conservation Expert will be guided by the Project Manager and the Senior Technical Advisor based on the work plans and the activity schedule. The incumbent is expected to liaise closely with the Learning and Project Officer (Communications) and Project Officer (Information for Conservation and Livelihood Enhancement) frequently, at least once a week and as needed.

•Understand the project purpose and the elements in the annual work plan in detail both conceptually and delivery needs
•Coordinate with Project Assistant (Coordination) and other two Conservation Experts to share resources, technical information and to maintain an efficient reporting and co-finance recording system
•Organize and implement public information and involvement programme in the selected Focal Village Clusters in Trial Landscapes, including the programmes with Schools.
•Slowly get to know the local community and its environs and carry out a public consultation to inform people about the landscape design and the FVC land-use plans and answer questions that people have.
•Collect opinions regarding people's understanding of the development and climate challenges and initiatives to improve the process to achieve project objectives
•Design, with local stakeholders, Project staff and consultants, and with the input of relevant organizations a process to engage slowly and patiently over the whole project period as a resident, with individuals and organizations in the community and local government officials (Output 3.2)
•Pay attention to include gender concerns in planning processes and mainstream climate adaptation options.
•Coordinate and oversee the collection of data required for local land-use plans and the development of livelihood-focused interventions (Output 2.3)
•Support consultants during the landscape design process with particular reference to providing socio-economic and biophysical data for the FVCs
•Carry out a slow and steady consultative land-use planning process, building community confidence, engaging traditionally sidelined groups (such as women and the disabled). For possible approaches, see papers such as Felix G. Bello, Neil Carr & Brent Lovelock (2016) Community participation framework for protected area-based tourism planning, Tourism Planning & Development, 13:4, 469-485
•Make contact with and develop links through Project Management with public and private sector partners who are interested in collaborating on livelihood-focused interventions under Output 3.5
•Arrange periodic exchange meetings so that CCEs and members of the FVC teams from different Trial Landscapes can compare progress and conditions
•Provide community-level information to Biodiversity Secretariat, IUCN, and UNDP on demand if such information is required through the Project Manager.
•Help the Project Officer (Coordination) and Project Manager to liaise with other relevant projects in the area implemented by the Government and other entities towards upscaling, leveraging and co-financing.
•Any other duties assigned by the line manager.
REQUIREMENTS
  • Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field with 3 years of working experience; or Diploma with 5 years of relevant working experience;

• At least 2 years of work experience in the field of biodiversity conservation, consensus building with communities and community organizations regarding natural resource management;

• With practical exposure in working with fisher communities and with a good understanding on the context of the coastal and marine sector;

• Fluency in Tamil/Sinhala and knowledge of languages used in the project area; Able to communicate in intermediate English.

• Able to live and work in remote areas.

• Demonstrated communication and facilitation skills in development activities in the coastal zone.

• Demonstrated ability to take the initiative in difficult situations;

• Experience in office applications (MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and web-based management tools and systems; use of multimedia
SALARY
The minimum gross annual salary for this position is LKR 1'127'353. While this is an indicative amount effective as of the current date, changes may occur as per IUCN's compensation practices without prior notice. The same applies to other organisations hosted by IUCN.
APPLICATIONS

Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System, by opening the vacancy announcement and pressing the "Apply" button.

Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The vacancy closes at midnight, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST). Please note that only selected applicants will be personally contacted for interviews.

Other job opportunities are published in the IUCN website: https://www.iucn.org/involved/jobs/


About IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

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