Technical Officer for the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Observatory within the East African Community Secretariat, Dar es Salaam

Vacancy:1028

Unit:Tanzania Country Office

Organization:International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Location:Tanzania Country Office, Dar es Salaam

Reporting to:Senior Programme Officer Conservation Areas and Species Diversity

Work percentage:100%

Function group:P1

Expected start date:01 May 2015

Type of contract:Fixed-term (10 months)

Closing date:26 March 2015

BACKGROUND

This position will be based at the East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania. Position is open to members of the Eastern Africa Community (EAC) or those with the right to work in Tanzania on local terms and conditions of employment.

The Biodiversity and Protected Area Management Programme (BIOPAMA) is an EU-funded project through the 10th European Development Fund that is aimed at improving the long-term conservation of biodiversity in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands region and enhancing the capacity of existing institutions and networks involved in biodiversity conservation and protected area management. BIOPAMA has been implemented since March 2012 in close collaboration between the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (EC-JRC) and the German Agency for International Collaboration (GIZ). By improving access to and availability of relevant data and information on biodiversity, climate, natural resource management, governance and socioeconomic issues, the BIOPAMA programme aims to enhance the management of protected areas (terrestrial and marine) and national systems of protected areas. A Regional Observatory and a Reference Information System (RIS) will be established in the Eastern African region to enable the provision of relevant data and information to assist in improved planning and decision-making as well as exchanging knowledge

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

In conjunction with the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, IUCN is seeking to employ a Technical Officer to support the implementation of the BIOPAMA Observatory for East Africa, to be seconded to the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The appointment will be until the end of the BIOPAMA project on 28 February 2016 initially, with the possibility of extension depending on performance and available funding.

The Technical Officer will undertake his or her daily activities in direct supervision of the Principal Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) at the EAC Secretariat, with a functional reporting line to the IUCN BIOPAMA Coordinator. A Workplan will be developed and agreed with IUCN and the EAC to guide the activities of the Technical Officer. The Technical Officer will work closely with, and is supported by, the IUCN BIOPAMA East and Southern Africa (ESA) Coordinator, Technical Advisor as well as the team at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Italy, who are primarily undertaking the systems development of the Regional Reference Information System.

The Technical Officer will be required to enhance the operations of the Regional Observatory through the effective management of the Regional Reference Information System (RRIS). In particular, the incumbent must provide maximum support to the key users. This will be achieved through 1) ensuring that the RRIS is always up to date with the latest information, 2) providing the necessary end-user support to ensure that the information is used in decision- and policy making and 3) delivering on specific products identified in the Workplan.

SPECIFIC DUTIES

• Build a network of data users and data providers.
• Identify and actively collect and collate relevant data for publishing through the EAC RRIS.
• Review the quality of all incoming data according to agreed data standards, including scientific reference and attribution.
• Ensure that the latest biodiversity and related data as well as news and events are published timeously on the EAC RRIS.
• Support end users in using the available information, data and tools in decision and policy making processes.
• Undertake user requirements workshops to understand the end-user needs for the RRIS.
• Provide training to end users on using the RRIS.
• Support training initiatives on data collection, data standards, GIS mapping and analysis.
• Draft monthly reports on data collection & collation, usage and support calls.
• Promote the RRIS at relevant events in the region

REQUIREMENTS

• Postgraduate degree (preferably a Masters) in environmental management, geographic sciences, natural resource management, conservation, Geographic Information Systems or an ecology or natural science related discipline coupled with formal training in Geographic Information Systems
• At least 2 years' experience in GIS, with working knowledge of data standards, metadata, database design, cartography and spatial analysis.
• Ability to engage with a diverse audience of end-users through communication and training
• Ability to proactively collect data from prospective data providers
• Ability to gather user needs & implement feasible requirements
• Ability to provide training to users
• Build trusting relationships with data providers and users
• Be self-motivated
• Have the desire to learn and develop professionally over the two year period

APPLICATIONS

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).

Other job opportunities are published in the IUCN website: http://www.iucn.org/involved/jobs/

About IUCN

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, climate change, 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.

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