The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world’s leading conservation membership union established over 70 years ago, and composed of over 1,400 member- organizations of both government and civil society organizations with the input of more than 18,000 experts.
IUCN’s mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. Through its Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA) and related global programmes, IUCN is seeking to strengthen its presence in Saudi Arabia on initiatives that align with IUCN’s mission and priorities.
IUCN ROWA is currently implementing a new project entitled “Strategy and the execution plan of ecosystem restoration and Agroforestry for Alula” located Northwestern part of Saudi Arabia. The main objective of the project is to ensure the good and successful implementation of ecosystem restoration projects in line with RCU’s overall vision, mission, and strategic objectives. Among other outputs, the project will conduct analyses of the current situation, make use of the available data and outputs from the executed and current projects, and implement additional baseline ecological surveys in targeted areas to identify the priority areas for the protection of important flora and priority degraded rangeland and ecosystems areas for rehabilitation and ecological restoration.
Furthermore, detailed analyses of the economic valuation of ecosystem services and the cost of ecosystem degradation and restoration in AlUla will be implemented. The ecosystem restoration and afforestation KPIs in AlUla will be developed and to be linked to Vision 2030, Saudi Green Initiative, and RCU strategic objectives and KPIs. Moreover, strategic guidelines and principles, an action plan, and a governance and funding model for ecological restoration and afforestation will be prepared during the project lifecycle.
The project will be implemented by IUCN’s regional office for West Asia over the course of 13 months.
The objective of this position is the overall coordination and support for the effective implementation of the project activities that include for instance, and not limited to, assisting in organizing events, meetings, workshops, fieldwork, and experts’ delivery, in addition, to assist in supporting the project’s technical experts and assist developing their Terms of References in addition to technical procedure reports.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

IUCN – ROWA is seeking the support of project management professionals for the effective and successful coordination of the project with the donor and all relevant stakeholders and the delivery of specific field activities. The position entails regular interactions with peers from regional partners, national administrations, and regional organizations on complex issues. The project coordinator will be working under the direct supervision of the project manager/ Drylands, Livelihoods, and Gender program and will be based in the Jordan-IUCN ROWA office with frequent travel to Saudi Arabia in Amman (The Royal Commission for AlUla, RCU), Jordan, and the contract duration will be for one year.


Below is a description of the scope of work intended for the project coordinator:

Under the supervision of the project manager / Drylands, Livelihoods and Gender programme at IUCN ROWA, the project coordinator will have the following specific duties and responsibilities:

• The project coordinator will play a key role in assisting and supporting the project manager to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the project activities, in full compliance with IUCN policies, associated procedures, guidelines and standards, and the donor requirements as per the project contract.

More specifically, the incumbent will be responsible for carrying out the following specific tasks:

Project implementation:
• Coordinate the implementation of the project activities in accordance with the project documents and agreed on work plans.
• develop the necessary terms of reference for the projects’ experts/ consultants including individual and consulting firms as needed for conducting the project activities.
• Draft consultant contracts and process and follow up with their payments in coordination with the project manager, finance department, and procurement officer.
• Draft technical progress reports and assist the project manager in tracking and reviewing financial reports and contracts.
• In collaboration with all relevant departments, track the expert’s contracts and keep the experts and project manager updated.

Coordination and Communication:
• Coordinate with project experts and consultants to deliver the required studies and analysis.
• Assist and Coordinate the field activities of the project to deliver the project outputs.
• Support the project manager and component leads in reviewing the produced reports related to the project.
• Coordinate with IUCN ROWA’s other units and functions including; communication, procurement, finance, etc. for the successful implementation of the project.
• Assist in coordinating/ facilitating the projects’ associated events, workshops, meetings logistics and training.
• Conduct field visits to project sites and coordinate and facilitate fieldwork for project experts.
• Assist with maintaining strong relationships with relevant IUCN partners, maintaining communications and efficient collaboration with project beneficiaries.
• Ensure that IUCN knowledge products and tools are provided to IUCN ROWA’s communication officer as needed, with the required support, in collaboration with the donor.
• Follow up on and update the monthly, Quartley and bi-yearly work plans to provide support to IUCN project management in coordination with the donor
• Ensure that the project information and required reports and indicators are updated in IUCN’s project portal.
• assist and support any other activities within the scope of drylands, livelihoods and gender programs, if needed and requested by the project manager.


QUALIFICATIONS:

• BSc degree in environmental sciences, environmental management, rangelands management and sciences, or any other related fields. An MSc degree is preferred, particularly in the field of natural resources management.
• Extensive and practical knowledge of main environmental agreements and environmental policies.
• At least 5 years experience with project coordination.
• Experience in communicating and collaborating with management agencies, academic institutions and local, national and regional stakeholders to achieve agreed collective outcomes.
• Ability to compile large amounts of information succinctly into a coherent document for government officials.
• Excellent facilitation and coordination skills, the ability for managing the timely and effective delivery of both quantity and quality work on time.
• Strong communication and presentation skills and an ability to prepare appropriate and timely reports to a wide range of audiences and cultures.
• Time management skills including an ability to work effectively under pressure and to meet deadlines.
• Excellent skills in English both writing and speaking (Arabic language is essential).
• Proven ability to liaise and work with a range of stakeholders including government agencies, the private sector, and local community, and in support of regional and national institutions.
• A team player who is able to contribute effectively to collaborative issues, and to demonstrate innovation and leadership, as appropriate.
• A good understanding of IUCN’s mission and a general attitude of being of service to others.

The above job description contains the main duties and responsibilities for this position. However, in a relatively small organization such as IUCN, staff members are expected to show flexibility in their approach to work and be willing to undertake other tasks that are reasonably allocated to them but which are not part of their regular job description. Where any task becomes a regular part of an employee's responsibilities, the job description will be changed in consultation with the employee and the Human Resources Management Group.