Job Title: Sustainable NTFP Specialist
Project: USAID Sustainable Forest Management Project
Reports to: Deputy Chief of Party cum Enterprise Development Director
Location: Hanoi
Date: April 2021
DAI Organization and Values
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Overview of the Position:
The Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management Activity (SFMA) will work with the Government of Vietnam (GVN) to reduce carbon emissions associated with deforestation, the degradation of natural forests, and poor plantation management. SFMA 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.
SFMA will work in seven provinces and focus on five activities:
- Strengthening community forest management.
- Promoting conservation-friendly enterprises.
- Improving law enforcement to tackle environmental crimes.
- Enhancing the management of production forests; and
- Mobilizing domestic resources.
This position will contribute to meeting SFMA Objective 2 to “Increase conservation-friendly enterprises in forest-dependent communities” and, Objective 4 to “Improve production forest management practices”.
The Specialist will concentrate on defining and development of viable non-timber forest products (NTFP) value chains while ensuring that the supply is from legal and sustainable sources, strengthening the value chain participants up to selling NTFP products to local and domestic markets, aiming overall to diversify and increase smallholder income through the sustainably management of target NTFPs.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Serve as SFMA Project’s resident expert on Non-Timber Forest Products value chain development and guidance on SFMA support and implementation.
- Identify and propose prioritization of viable NTFP value chains with high potential for sustainable development to guide SFMA support in participating provinces considering criteria of financial viability, competitiveness, potential for scaling up/ economies of scale, benefit sharing impact, potential to strengthen the timber value chain, green-house reduction potential, level of participation interest by producers, operational efficiencies and other;
- Coordinate with GVN institutions and participating producers to foster the development of sustainable management plans for NTFPs to be promoted by SFMA, aiming to ensure environmental sustainability and long-term ecological and economic viability of NTFPs being harvested, that management systems are designed and implemented according to each class of NTFP.
- Conduct cost benefit analysis for each NTFP to promote to ensure economic sustainability, this in consultation with other SFM Objectives, staff and partners and service providers.
- Analyze for NTFPs its market demand, unmet consumer demand and understand key end-market needs and ability by local producer in response to market demand.
- Develop practical field manual incorporating specific performance indicators and verifiers and to monitor each target NTFP class being promoted covering best sustainable management practices including but not limited to a) Basic scientific / practical knowledge by NTFP to promote; b) Species selection to be promoted; c) Minimum diameter or age to start and finish sustainable harvesting; c) Growth rate, regeneration, wild life dispersers; d) Quantity of extraction without affective long-term vigor of base resource; e) Frequency of harvest; f) Timing/ seasonality/ precipitation for harvesting to be explicitly timed and designed to reduce stress during reproductive periods and minimize impacts upon reproductive capacity; g) Density/ abundance to define the sustainable percentage of individuals harvested from the population being harvested; h) Harvesting techniques: best harvesting practices; i) Frequency of visual appraisals pre and post harvesting.
- Coordinate assistance and capture lessons learned from previous and existing projects and initiatives in NTFPs.
- Identify inequalities among value chain actors for each NTFP and propose solutions.
- Contribute to carbon pricing studies and recommendations related to NTFPs.
- Analyze linkages between NTFPs, PFES, timber value chains and behavior change in forest users from communities and producers.
- Develop user friendly tools and training materials on NTFPs.
- Provide training on NTFPs to Project staff and participants.
- Produce reports as required by SFMA.
- Others related.
Qualifications:
- Masters or engineering degree in natural resource management or related field and preferably with emphasis on NTFPs at the community, small-producer levels.
- At least 5 years of experience in related to NTFP activities related to natural forests and afforestation activities.
- Proficient in report writing, MS suite.
- Proficiency in English, both spoken and written level 4 out of 5. Native fluency in Vietnamese
How to apply and requested documents
Interested candidates are requested to submit:
- A CV in English
- A cover letter in English indicating why they are suitable for this position
- Scanned copy of related degrees
Send email to our recruitment office at [email protected] [1]. Please quote the position title in the subject line: “Application for Sustainable NTFP Specialist”
Deadline for application: 5.00pm (Hanoi time), April 27, 2021
To learn more about DAI, please visit our website www.dai.com [2].
DAI is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a commitment to diversity. DAI does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, parental status, veteran status, or other non-merit factor.