Thailand: Programme Officer, Water and Wetlands

Jul 6, 2017 | International Union for Conservation of Nature
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IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN works on biodiversity, energy, human livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting scientific research, managing field projects all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world.

The Natural Resources Group is involved in a growing number of wetlands-related projects within Asia. Some of the key initiatives are:

1. The “Mekong WET” project on climate change adaptation in the Lower Mekong Basin. Funded by the German Government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), “Mekong WET” seeks to build climate resilience by harnessing the benefits of wetlands in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam. In particular, the project aims to:

• Conduct climate change vulnerability assessments and develop management plans in ten existing or potential new Ramsar sites in the Mekong Basin, with a focus on climate change adaptation and resilience building;
• Improve regional collaboration on trans-boundary wetlands management.
• Build the knowledge, skills and expertise of wetland management staff and community representatives on climate change adaptation in wetland socio-ecological systems.

2. The SDC supported project, Community-Led Coastal Management in the Gulf of Mottama in Myanmar. This project seeks to ensure that vulnerable women and men in targeted coastal areas of the Gulf of Mottama have improved livelihood security through effective fisheries value chain development, livelihoods diversification and equitable and sustainable management of resources. A diverse field team drawn from four partner organizations (HELVETAS, NAG, IUCN and BANCA) is responsible for its successful execution under the lead of stakeholders from different sectors. IUCN is responsible for ensuring that “the special habitats of the GoM are sustainably and equitably managed on the basis of scientific evidence through integrated local, regional and national institutions/management bodies”. To achieve this, IUCN is supporting and guiding local partners through workshops, consultations, trainings, and research to draft a management plan for the sustainable use of the coastal resources of the Gulf of Mottama, including the recently designated Ramsar site.

3. The Indo-Burma Ramsar Regional Initiative (IBRRI) in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam. The IBRRI was endorsed in June 2016 as one of 19 Ramsar Regional Initiatives globally. It has been designed to support the coordinated implementation of the Ramsar Strategic Plan in the five participating countries and to help improve the visibility and implementation of the Ramsar Convention through trans-boundary dialogues, capacity building, promotion of scientific and technical cooperation on wetland-related issues of common concern at the regional level, and the involvement of relevant national and regional stakeholders. To ensure oversight and transparency in the management of IBRRI, the initiative has established a governance structure with representatives from both government and non?governmental organisations and with IUCN acting as secretariat.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

In order to ensure that the growing portfolio of projects is effectively managed and coordinated, it will be important for NRG to enhance its staff capacity to address wetland-related issues. Additional technical capacity would also enable NRG to develop new initiatives, to strengthen its partnership with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, and to expand its work in this critical sector. Thus, under the supervision of the Senior Programme Officer, Water and Wetlands, the Programme Officer, Water and Wetlands is expected to perform, inter alia, the following roles and responsibilities:

• Act as the Project Manager for Mekong WET: In coordination with the country teams and technical lead, manage all aspects of the project cycle including planning and development of activities, report preparation, monitoring and reporting, and budget management, among others
• Act as the Principal IUCN Project Officer for the Gulf of Mottama project and ensure the effective implementation, monitoring and reporting of activities indicated under IUCN’s annual plan of operation including representing IUCN at project planning meetings;
• Provide support to the secretariat for IBRRI and ensure that all activities such as meetings of the Steering Committee, workshops, trainings and field visits are implemented according to plan;
• Provide technical support to IUCN ARO and the IUCN Country Offices in implementing existing water and wetland-related projects;
• Provide support to NRG and the IUCN Country Offices in designing and developing new water and wetland-related project proposals with particular focus on securing additional funding for the Indo-Burma Ramsar Regional Initiative;
• Liaise with key stakeholders in the relevant countries as needed and represent IUCN at national, regional and international levels, as needed;
• Perform other duties as may be assigned.

• Master's Degree (or higher) in wetlands management, integrated water resources management, environmental sciences, natural resource management, or a related field;
• Minimum five years of experience in related positions (natural resource management, wetlands conservation, IWRM, Ramsar site management);
• Comprehensive knowledge of the Ramsar Convention and Ramsar Secretariat processes and in-depth understanding of water and wetland management issues in Asia;
• Familiarity with institutional networks in the Asian region (including government agencies, CSOs, the private sector and the donor community);
• Previous experience of collaborating with Ramsar authorities in the Mekong Region would be an advantage;
• Proven experience of project proposal development and project management;
• Knowledge of climate change vulnerability in wetlands as well as an understanding of climate change adaptation principles and approaches in wetland ecosystems;
• Strong writing skills and a capacity to draft reports independently and to disseminate project outputs to a broad audience in the region;
• Fluency in both spoken and written English. Knowledge of an additional language from the Asia region would be an advantage;
• Proficient in using office applications (MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint) and other web-based management systems.

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: http://www.iucn.org/involved/jobs/