National Community Forestry Coordinator, USAID Sustainable Forestry Management Project

Vacancy Announcement

Position: National Community Forestry Coordinator, USAID Sustainable Forestry Management Project, RECOFTC appointment

Application deadline: 16 December 2022

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, the 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 applications for the position of National Community Forestry Coordinator as part of the RECOFTC Viet Nam team and the USAID Sustainable Forest Management Project (the Project). The successful applicant will be based in Hanoi. The contract duration is for 12 months with the possibility to extend based upon performance and project’s budget availability.

Project background

Forests are important to the global carbon cycle, carbon sequestration and carbon storage. Although Viet Nam is experiencing increases in overall forest cover, there has been a reduction in both total hectares of natural forests and forest quality. USAID Viet Nam has initiated and is implementing the USAID Sustainable Forest Management Project (the Project) to contribute to reducing land-based carbon emissions and to increasing forest carbon sequestration in Viet Nam through reduction of deforestation, natural forest degradation and poor timber plantation management practices. The project is being implemented from 2020 to 2025, in seven provinces in Viet Nam: Lao Cai, Son La, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Tri and Quang Nam.

The goals of the project are:

• Avoid carbon emissions from natural forest conversion
• Increase carbon sequestration through better management of plantation forests
• Improve quality, diversity and productivity of natural production forest.

The project will implement a green prosperity approach that strengthens local communities’ ability to protect their natural resource base and reduce emissions while building a strong foundation for sustainable livelihoods and equitable economic growth. Engagement with the private sector and improved co-management by communities, local authorities, and the national government are at the core of the project’s activities.

The project will focus on five main objectives:

1. Improve and expand community forest management
2. Increase conservation-friendly enterprises in forest-dependent communities
3. Increase functionality of law enforcement system for forest crimes
4. Improve production forest management practices
5. Mobilize domestic resources for forest management and protection

Task and Duties

As part of the project team, the National Community Forestry Coordinator will be supporting the Community Forest Management (CFM) Director in technical coordination duties, focusing mainly on building capacities on CFM related subjects for at least 5,650 people trained during the life of the project. In addition, the Coordinator will also be responsible for coordinating various technical inputs to reach at least 145,000 hectares of improved forest management through establishment and implementation of CFM models at the roject sites as well as improving policies on CFM at national and sub-national level.  

The National Community Forestry Coordinator will report to the CFM Director of the Project and will work closely with other members of the Project team and program support team at the RECOFTC Viet Nam and main offices.

Specific tasks and duties include:

• Provide technical support and the coordination for the project team focused on community forestry development and associated topics related to the community forest management context of Viet Nam. Important topics may include non-timber forest products, climate change mitigation and adaptation, gender equality and social inclusion, forest carbon, landscape restoration, forest governance, community-based enterprise development and ecotourism
• Serve as technical lead to the CFM coordinators in the seven provinces concentrating on CFM field implementation in accordance with the approved CFM manual and utilizing CFM implementation modalities, based on RECOFTC guidance and approved project annual work plans and budget. Assist the CFM Director in achieving the performance indicator targets based on the project annual work plans and budget
• Design and backstop capacity development and training on CFM activities for the project covering areas of community forestry, sustainable forest management with communities, gender equity and social inclusion as well as landscape restoration and land use planning as approved in the project annual work plans
• Provide support to national CFM network and subgroups at the provincial level as approved in the Project’s annual work plans, including networking with different stakeholders to enhance policies on CFM, community forest monitoring, ecotourism in CFM sites and co-management.
• Assist the CFM Director in recruitment, supervision and quality control of deliverables of short-term consultants mobilized by RECOFTC’s administration team according to the project approved annual work plans
• Provide support to the project’s cross-cutting team and RECOFTC Viet Nam team to integrate gender equality and social inclusion across activities under the project; and provide CFM performance indicator data and reports to the  monitoring, evaluation and learning team team and communications team
• Perform relevant tasks as assigned by CFM Director and the project Chief of Party

Qualifications and experience

The National Community Forestry Coordinator will have the following qualifications and experience:

Essential

• University degree or equivalent in forestry, environmental studies, development studies, social science or related fields
• At least eight years of experience in managing development projects in the field of community forestry, climate change mitigation and adaptation, landscape restoration and management and related fields
• Sound knowledge of project management methodologies and tools
• English proficiency and computer literacy
• Good report writing and presentation skills in Vietnamese and English
• Strong experience in organizing multi-stakeholder meetings, workshops and training facilitation
• Effective multi-tasking and time management
• Ability to coordinate with other team members and effectively manage tasks and time
• Proven ability to write in a clear and concise manner in Vietnamese and English and to communicate effectively
• Experience in developing donor reports and editing consultancy reports in both Vietnamese and in English
• Good understanding of ODA-funded project implementation and private sector engagement context in Viet Nam and in the region
• Strong teamwork and networking skills
• Willingness to travel frequently within the country and the region, and work in multi-stakeholder and cross-cultural environments
• Vietnamese national only

Desirable

• Familiarity with USAID Vietnam and the workstyle of USAID projects
• Openness to work across his/her own main function and ability to adapt and take initiative to improve the work quality
• Ability to mentor and share for supporting team members and partners' capacity to grow within the area of responsibility
• Multi-tasking and ability to organize several tasks to meet deadlines
• Understanding and willingness to promote gender equality and social inclusion (GESI)
• Hands-on experience and able to work independently with minimum supervision
• Interpersonal communication skills, individually and in groups with an ability to work as an active member of teams. This implies flexibility and open-mindedness
• Initiative and ability to make informed independent judgments which is consistent with an overall team approach
• Ability to work in a variety of cultural and institutional contexts

RECOFTC’s core values

At RECOFTC, our core values are the foundation of our culture and guide all our work. In addition to job specific skills and experience, the applicant should possess the following characteristics, attitudes and skills:

• Embrace innovation
• Adapt to, and learn from, challenges
• Collaborate with partners and stakeholders
• Nurture commitment, responsibility and ownership
• Prioritize sustainability
• Cultivate participation, social inclusion and gender equity

How to apply

Interested candidates are requested to submit a CV 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.

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.