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Regional Protected Areas and Biodiversity Programme Coordinator

Vacancy #:   5244
Unit:   Protected Areas Programme PACO Regional
Organisation:   International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Location:   West and Central Africa Regional Office, Dakar, Senegal
Reporting to:   Regional Director - IUCN West and Central Africa
Work percentage:   100%
Grade:   M1
Expected start date:   15 February 2023
Type of contract:   Fixed-term (12 months with possibility of renewal)
Closing date:   31 May 2020 (extended)
BACKGROUND
Regional Protected Areas Programme Coordinator
for Central and West Africa


Our mission: “To influence, encourage & assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity & diversity of nature & to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable & ecologically sustainable.”

IUCN is a world leader in developing knowledge and understanding for effective conservation action. A unique worldwide partnership, IUCN brings together states, government agencies & NGO members, & some 10,000 scientists & experts from 181 countries in a global web of networks to provide a neutral forum for dialogue & action on environment & sustainable development issues.

Following an organisation-wide decentralisation process, IUCN regional offices in Central Africa and in West Africa have been merged into a single new office: the Regional Office for Central and West Africa. IUCN Central and west Africa Region currently has over 100 staff members working in its offices in Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Niger, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Gabon, Congo DR, Congo. The IUCN Regional Office for Central and West Africa is located in Dakar, Senegal.

The IUCN Regional Protected Areas Programme (RPAP) Coordinator report directly to the Regional Programme Coordinator and functionally to the Head of IUCN’s Global Protected Areas Programme. He/she will serve as both a senior member of the Regional Programme committee that delivers the technical program of IUCN in Central and West Africa and the IUCN global Protected Areas team that helps set strategic direction and define priorities for IUCN’s broader engagement on Protected Areas.

The RPAP Coordinator will develop, resource, and manage IUCN’s Protected Areas programme activities in the region in close collaboration with other relevant IUCN programmes, members, commissions and partners. He/She is responsible for the overall management of RPAP activities, to ensuring that they are coherent and consistent with IUCN’s “one programme” approach, build on and align with IUCN’s Protected Area conservation framework and add value to regionally and nationally defined priorities.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Coordinator
IUCN Regional Protected Areas Programme (RPAP) for Central and West Africa, PACO

The RPAP specific duties are:

- Take a lead role in the development of the Regional Protected Areas Programme through providing vision and guidance in developing a well-defined strategic focus in the short, medium and long term, ensuring:
. effective and institutionally aligned programming and project implementation,
. systematic monitoring and evaluation of on-going programmatic activities and;
. coherent and consistent communication of lessons learnt to key decision-makers within the region.

- Provide technical advice, guidance and support on Protected Areas to Project Offices and/or Country Offices and act as the focal point for protected areas related activities particularly with members, commissions, partners and other IUCN component programmes as required;

- Work closely with IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) to develop an integrated protected areas programme in the region;

- Work closely with other IUCN Commissions, Country offices, Project Offices and other thematic programmes to develop and maintain an appropriate project portfolio and funding for implementation of the Regional Programme;

- Work with colleagues in the region and headquarter on Protected Areas issues to ensure that they function as an integrated team, that there is coherence and consistency in the policy statements, and a high quality of technical and policy advice is given to field programmes and projects;

- Coordinate the development, analysis and dissemination of Protected Areas policy relevant to the Region and other networks in the most effective way;

- Oversee the development and implementation of any relevant Protected Areas initiatives in the region and provide where needed, guidance and support to the development and implementation of other IUCN Cross Cutting Initiatives;

- Ensure that IUCN is adequately represented in relevant regional, international fora and negotiations on Protected Areas management in Central and West Africa;

- Develop and maintain appropriate collaboration and partnerships with relevant organizations on Protected Areas related issues of mutual interest and in particular ensure meaningful engagement of local IUCN members in the implementation of the RPAP.

- Lead fundraising for the Regional Protected Areas Programme through development of proposals, maintaining good relationships with donor and funding agencies so as to ensure the financial viability of the Programme;

- Oversee the development and implementation of annual budgets and work plans and provide a timely progress report of the programme financial and technical activities in accordance with IUCN’s practices;

- Participate in joint planning, assessment and communication activities of the Regional Programme committee and facilitate the development of joint programmes with members and partners.

- Capitalization and dissemination in the region of lessons learnt from our programmes and projects as well as those learnt from partners and colleagues;

- Supervise staff and lead capacity development on issues related to Protected Areas in component programmes;

- Facilitate group discussions on relevant protected areas emerging issues to position IUCN as a reference in the region;
REQUIREMENTS
  • The successful candidate will have demonstrated their ability to:
- Candidates should possess an advanced degree in natural science related to Protected Areas conservation or related fields and at least 10 years of relevant work experience


• Experience with project and programme development and management

• Relevant working experience on issues related to Protected Areas conservation

• Demonstrated fundraising, budgeting and programme planning ability

• Demonstrated outstanding skills in network development and network administration and ability to achieve results through networking in cross-cultural situations

• Lead and inspire multicultural and multidisciplinary teams

• Exposure to and knowledge of major Protected Areas issues, both policy and field related

• proven writing ability

• Demonstrated spoken and written fluency in French and English

• Advanced computer processing skills

• DUTY STATION: The successful candidate will be based in Dakar-Senegal, with frequent travel across Central and West Africa. The position reports to the Regional Programme Coordinator for Central and West Africa, with an additional reporting line to the Head of IUCN’s Global Programme on Protected Areas
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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