Program Support Officer

Position Title: Program Support Officer (PSO)
                       Forest habitat rehabilitation and management (national)
Location: Hanoi duty station, with high field work-loads
Timeframe: Full-time. Starting 01 Nov 2016 to 30 Dec 2018
Probation period: Yes, one month from onset of contract activities
Evaluations: Annual participatory evaluation (each Nov/ Dec)
Direction: PRCF Vietnam Chief Technical Officer/ Country Manager

Position Objectives

The objective of this position is to support the People Resources and Conservation Foundation (PRCF) Vietnam Country Program in forest habitat rehabilitation and related alternative livelihoods development in the landscape of the Eastern Black-crested Gibbon (Cao Bang province and Francois’ Langur (Tuyen Quang province).

Direct Line Management

The Project Support Officer (PSO) will report directly to the PRCF Vietnam Chief Technical Officer/ Country Manager and liaise with the Site Field Coordinator (SFC). Additional direction may be provided into the implementation of field activities. On issues relating to financial management, the PSO will follow directives from both the PRCF Financial Officer and Vietnam Accountant.

Principal Tasks
• Support implementation of field activities related to forest restoration and co-management/collaborative management initiatives at PRCF working sites in Cao Bang and Tuyen Quang
provinces, in liaison with partner organizations, local management authorities, and communities
• Assist with the preparation of project(s) work plans, as instructed by the supervisor, and implement activities related defined in the workplans and corresponding Activity Proposals (APs).
• Assist in the conduction of project activity monitoring against set workplans and the project)s) overall logical framework
• Encourage and coordinate involvement of local people in project(s) activities, as determined in the project logical framework and related workplans
• Coordinate and support consultant, donor and PRCF staff visit to project(s) field sites as needed and instructed by the supervisor
• Prepare participatory training and awareness raising materials as needed to support project field activities.
• Conduct local partner and stakeholder liaison and management as needed and instructed by the supervisor

Specific activities

1. Support implementation of field activities at the Cao Vit Gibbon Conservation Area and proposed Community-based Francois’ Langur Species and Habitat Conservation Area, and associated buffer zones

The PSO will assist to coordinate, plan and implement project activities related to gibbon and langur habitat restoration and management, and related biodiversity conservation.

Activities include: logistical support/ planning, technical field surveys, field conservation activities, supervision of field activity monitoring, organization of workshops/ meetings, and collaborative management activities.

A key role for the PSO will be to assist in preparation of quarterly (project) and monthly (personal) workplans either independently or in consultation with partner organizations. These plans will be implemented in collaboration with partner organizations and communities according to mutually acceptable timeframes.

2. Liaise with local communities, government partners and NGO Partner/stakeholders The PSO will collaborate/ liaise with the Site Field Coordinator for working and reporting to local
government officials, Commune Peoples Committees, District Forest Protection Department, Cao Vit Gibbon Conservation Area Management Board staff, District Agriculture and Rural Development Office and other, where necessary.

PRCF works in partnership with a number of partner and stakeholder NGOs, particularly Fauna & Flora International (FFI). The PSO will support field site coordination of activity implementation and reporting with/ for these organizations.

Local communities are a key partner all PRCF projects, and the PSO will be required to frequently engage with local people in buffer zone villages and manage their work scheduling and payments when required.

3. Preparation of Training and awareness materials

The Project works with ethnic minority peoples who often have both low understanding of conservation issues and low levels of literacy. The PSO will be required to prepare materials that use a common formula of “minimum technical words and more step-by-step pictures” to demonstrate the technical content and to explain complex issues/ themes.

4. Working in PRCF and Partner Teams

a) PRCF Teams. The PSO’s involvement in this project is as a member of a team, with each member having distinctive roles and responsibilities and all coordinating amongst themselves to attain the most effective working relationships and performance outputs.

b) Partnership Teams. PRCF follows a policy of working in collaboration and partnership with other conservation and community based organizations. The PSO is therefore required to occasionally work in multi-organization teams at the site for example with the Cao Vit Gibbon Conservation Area Management Board staff and staff from FFI. However, the PSO will always (while contracted) be under direction/supervision of PRCF staff.

5. Reporting and work planning

The PSO will produce all reporting to the PRCF in English:

(a) Combined monthly personal work plan (one page) and personal progress reports (one page), with annexes as needed due on 25th of the month and in line with Quarterly workplans
(b) Monthly monitoring reports on delegated field activities (submitted to Field Site Coordinator)
(c) Technical reports for individual Project interventions and activities as requested
(d) Minutes of project meetings
(e) Evaluation of consultant outputs in relation to their contractual agreements with PRCF
(f) Occasional reports to partner organizations (in either Vietnamese or English).

6. Coordinate and support consultant, donor and PRCF staff visit to field sites

The PSO will be required to coordinate and support activities related to consultant, donor and PRCF staff visits to field sites. This will include preparation of work plans and associated budgets, scheduling and arrangement of activities in collaboration with partner organizations, local counterparts, organization of food, accommodation and travel arrangements and other Further, management of activity budgets in accordance with PRCF accounting procedures will be required.

7. Additional tasks

From time to time, the PSO will be required to support PRCF Vietnam activities to strengthen its position, consolidation, and expansion. Such activities will be requested directly by the PRCF Vietnam Chief Technical Officer/ Country Manager and be in line with the technical capacities of the PSO incumbent.

8. Skills and experience

• Higher qualification (masters or above) in relevant subject, such as natural resource management, forestry, conservation management, biology, or similar.
• At least five years of experience working with an international organization in a similar position, with similar responsibilities to the above.
• Strong coordination skills, particularly for activities where local communities are involved.
• Ability to be based in te field, or travel often to the dield and remain field-based for extended periods of time, in Cao Bang province, and to often travel to remote locations, often on foot.
• Strong capacity to communicate with and form strong relationships with a range of project stakeholders, from local community members to national government partners.
• Excellent organization, coordination, and time-management skills.
• Good written and spoken English with strong computer skills

Applications should be sent to:

No. 65A Alley 310/63

Nghi Tam Road, Tay Ho District, Hanoi, Vietnam

Or

[email protected]

Deadline for application: 30 September 2016.

Job Details
Organisation Name: 
People Resource and Conservation Foundation
Location: 
Hanoi
Application Deadline: 
Fri, 2016-09-30