Consultancy to Develop Pilot Participatory Forest Monitoring System Integrated with Payment for Forest Environmental Services and Build Capacity on Fire Monitoring for Stakeholders

Vacancy Announcement

Position: Consultancy, RECOFTC Viet Nam, Hanoi

Application deadline: 20 July 2021

At RECOFTC, we believe in a future where people live equitably and sustainably in and beside healthy, resilient forests. We take a long-term, landscape-based and inclusive approach to supporting local communities to secure their land and resource rights, stop deforestation, find alternative livelihoods and foster gender equity. We are the only non-profit organization of our kind in Asia and the Pacific. We have more than 30 years of experience working with people and forests, and have built trusting relationships with partners at all levels. Our influence and partnerships extend from multilateral institutions to governments, private sector and local communities. Our innovations, knowledge and initiatives enable countries to foster good forest governance, mitigate and adapt to climate change, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

RECOFTC is inviting candidates for a Consultancy to apply as a team to develop a pilot participatory forest monitoring system integrated with Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) and build capacity on fire monitoring for stakeholders in Quy Chau and Que Phong Districts in Nghe An Province. The Consultant Team will work within the framework of the project FLOURISH, shorthand of “Production-driven forest landscape restoration under REDD+ through private sector–community partnerships as Asian regional learning exchange”. 

The successful applicants will sign a consulting contract with RECOFTC Viet Nam. The expected contract duration is for three months, from July to September 2021.

Responsibilities

FLOURISH is an innovative four-year forest landscape restoration (FLR) initiative that uses market forces combined with community forestry to combat climate change, restore degraded forests and improve the well-being of forest communities. It is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Energy (BMU) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI). 

Under the supervision of the FLOURISH Program Coordinator and with direction and approval of RECOFTC Viet Nam Director, the Consultant Team will develop a Participatory forest monitoring system (FMS) integrated into the Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) and pilot it in Quy Chau and Que Phong Districts in Nghe An Province.

The Consultant Team will consist of:

• One forestry specialist as a team leader who is in charge of the overall task
• One software developer as a team member who is in charge of developing the open-source FMS GIS application.

The Consultant Team collaborates with the FLOURISH Project Field Coordinator and RECOFTC National Community Forestry Coordinator under the direction and approval of RECOFTC Viet Nam Director. The Consultant Team will develop a flexible plan to conduct required tasks under the consultancy that considers the COVID-19 imposed travel restrictions. The consultant will:

• Collect secondary data, maps and satellite images
• Develop a participatory forest monitoring system (FMS)
• Develop a forest monitoring system user guideline
• Develop a forest fire monitoring system using the MODIS satellite imagery guideline
• Deliver training courses for local forestry staff and forest rangers on fire monitoring using MODIS imagery
• Provide training on how to use FMS  for a selected community, local communities and local forestry staff
• Deliver a training course for Nghe An Forest Protection and Development Fund’s key staff (NAFF), on managing, operating, extracting data, reporting, maintaining the FMS and handover the FMS to NAFF

How to apply

Interested candidates are requested to submit a CV of all team members and a cover letter indicating why they are suitable for this position along with salary requirements and current contact details of three referees, including recent supervisors to [email protected]. Please quote the position title in the subject line of the email. Only short-listed candidates will be notified. RECOFTC has a competitive compensation package. Offers are based on salary history, relevant experience and qualifications of the selected candidate.

To learn more about RECOFTC, please visit our website www.recoftc.org

Applicants shall not be discriminated against based on ethnicity, religion, age, nationality, physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, colour, marital status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by RECOFTC’s values and code of conduct. Reasonable accommodation may be made so that qualified disabled applicants can partake in the application process. Women are strongly encouraged to apply. Please inform RECOFTC’s Human Resources in writing of any special needs at the time of application.

RECOFTC is an equal opportunity employer and the successful candidate will be selected based on merit.

RECOFTC retains the right to offer this position at a job grade relevant to the qualifications and experience of the selected candidate.