VACANCY: Communications Specialist/Science Writer

If you can take over and develop a programme of scientific communication for an international research and development centre, then you are the person we are looking for. Working with an expert communications team, this position offers an exciting opportunity to collaborate with preeminent scientists in the area of agroforestry to make the impact of their work known throughout the world. The position is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and may require occasional travel to international locations.

You will guide our communications work in the following ways:

Identify high-interest stories from the work of the World Agroforestry Centre and its collaborators, write stories in a range of styles and disseminate them through suitable channels.
Manage the news content of the Centre’s website and contribute to social media activities, especially in actively running the institutional blog.
Assist the research programmes and regions to develop and implement communication plans to complement their research activities.

VACANCY: Asia Program Assistant -Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative

Asia Program Assistant - Indonesia

Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative

Job Description

General Purpose

The Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative (ELTI), a joint program of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES) and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), seeks a talented and energetic Assistant for its Asia Program. ELTI contributes to the conservation and restoration of forest ecosystems and biodiversity in tropical regions of Latin America and Asia. ELTI achieves this by providing policy makers, individuals in technical positions, community representatives, indigenous leaders, and other key actors from relevant sectors of society with the knowledge, tools, skills, motivation, and contacts to advance the protection and adequate management of these systems.

The Assistant will be based in Bogor or Jakarta, Indonesia, but will be required to travel to field sites within the region, as well as to and from Yale University. The Assistant will be supervised by the Training Program Coordinator for Asia and work closely with the Leadership Program Coordinator.

Essential Duties of Position

Support the Training Program Coordinator with course content and curricular development.
Prepare all necessary equipment, materials and supplies for courses/events.
Scope and ensure safety and quality of transportation modes, accommodation and other services hired during events.
Maintain control of all equipment, material and supplies during courses/events and tend to course related logistics needs, including those of participants. Manage post-course logistics.
Prepare and/or deliver short talks about relevant environmental issues and/or lead field trips.
Support Training Program Coordinators to evaluate individual or group work projects and produce course/events proceedings and reports.
Support the Leadership Program Coordinator with identifying and recruiting candidates for the program, as well as providing follow-up on their progress.
Support the Leadership Program Coordinator by filtering requests for ELTI support and providing follow-up support to Leaders, including visiting their field sites and projects.
Other actions that may be required for the successful execution of ELTI's training events, i.e. maintain contact list of partners, resource people and training alumni; attend relevant meetings, workshops, and conferences that may widen the network of contacts and/or help in curricular or program development.
Manage training program accounting.

Education and Training

Bachelor's degree in natural resources, environmental studies or related field, and three years related work experience or equivalent combination. Masters degree preferable.
Knowledge of environmental and biodiversity conservation issues in Asia.
Experience in event planning and logistics management.
Information technology knowledge preferable.
Field experience and familiarity with Asia. Prior experience living and working overseas preferable.

Skills and Abilities

Fluency in English and Indonesian is required.
Detail-oriented and highly organized.
Ability to work effectively under pressure and meet deadlines.
Ability to work cooperatively with internal staff and external parties.
Ability to work independently with limited direct supervision.

For more information about ELTI, please visit our website at http://environment.yale.edu/elti/. To apply for this position, please send a copy of your CV and a cover letter explaining how you fulfill the education and training requirements for this position to david.neidel@yale.edu by October 16, 2011.

FAO, UNDP seeks candidates for several project positions

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) are seeking to fill several project positions with the UN-REDD Programme, ranging from young professionals to a senior position as Programme Coordinator (UN-REDD Country implementation).

Check out the Vacancies page at www.un-redd.org for more details on the following positions:

Programme Coordinator (FAO)
(UN-REDD Country Implementation)
GRADE LEVEL: P-5
DUTY STATION: Rome

Forestry Officer- REDD+ (FAO)
GRADE LEVEL: P-3 (4 posts available)
DUTY STATION: First 6-12 months in Rome; afterwards outposted to a Region or Country Programme

Forestry Officer- REDD+ (FAO)
GRADE LEVEL: P-2 (2 posts available)
DUTY STATION: First 6-12 months in Rome; afterwards outposted to a Region or Country Programme

Governance and Anti-Corruption Advisor for REDD+ (UNDP)
GRADE LEVEL: National Consultant
DUTY STATION: Kinshasa

Additional FAO vacancies (some in Rome, some field based) will be posted on-line within the next couple of days/weeks.

EMPLOYMENT: ILC Communications Specialist Consultant

The International Land Coalition (ILC) is a global alliance of civil society and intergovernmental organisations working together to promote secure and equitable access to and control over land for poor women and men through advocacy, dialogue, knowledge sharing and capacity building. ILC currently has a vacancy for the position of Communications Specialist Consultant.

The Communications Specialist will lead the design and implementation of the communications strategy in line with the Strategic Framework. He or she will provide overall direction and support to ILC and its members in order to effectively communicate key messages and results to target audiences. His/her function also involves support to internal communication between Secretariat and members and among members. Main areas of responsibility include: strategic communications and planning; internal information flow; publications and materials development; management of websites, social media, and multimedia tools; media relations; and communications capacity building.

More information.

Deadline: August 22, 2011

EMPLOYMENT: Post-Doctoral Social Anthropologist, CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food

Working closely with the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) Volta Basin Leader, the Post-Doctoral Social Anthropologist will provide social science perspectives, methodologies and analysis to the coordination and change project of the Volta Basin Development Challenge (VBDC) Program.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Design and conduct social process research in the context of the VBDC in Burkina Faso and Ghana and provide social science perspectives and analysis to the VBDC projects
Evaluate the whole spectrum of research and change processes within the BDC for up/out scaling
Analyze progress along VBDC outcome pathways to test the hypotheses on which they are built so as to provide regular corrective feedback to VBDC projects to enhance the achievement of the overall basin research goal.
Ensure that the monitoring, documentation and hypothesis testing highlighted above is carried out as part of VBDC's M&E and adaptive management system
Link up with the Coordination and Change projects in Limpopo and Nile basins for possible comparative analysis (i.e. by conducting ethnographic investigation of the activities in partnership with the VBDC projects) and contribute to the CPWF Learning to innovate (L2i) Topic Working Group
Document and publish results of these processes in international peer-reviewed journals and at other suitable fora and outlets

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES REQUIRED

A Doctoral level degree in social anthropology, sociology, development studies or a related discipline and significant experience in, and conceptual understanding of innovation processes and related research elements, with a special focus on sub Saharan Africa.
At least 2 years of progressively responsible experience especially in an international program with research experience in water/land or natural resources management in developing countries;
Good understanding of issues related to: food and water research for development,
Good understanding of innovation processes and link to food security, livelihood and the environment
Formal training or practical experience in social-anthropological tools and approaches for innovation research is essential
Familiarity with social science issues and methods related to agricultural water use in developing countries; competence in the application of social statistical methods.
Strong analytical skills and ability to document complex analyses in a simple actionable manner.
Proven track record of publications in international peer-reviewed journals.
Fluency in English and French languages

Additional skill required:

Knowledge of existing bureaucratic structures, legal regulations, and inter-sectoral relationships of relevant ministries and government agencies in Burkina Faso and Ghana
Experience living and working in developing countries, especially Africa

Interested candidates should submit application (in English) to the address below by August 15.

CPWF-Volta
Executive Directorate
Volta Basin Authority (VBA)
10 BP 13621 Ouagadougou 10
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

More information on the VBDC program.

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