Research Project Coordinator - Internal/External at The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

Position: Research Project Coordinator - Internal/External

Job Time: Full-Time

Job Type: Contract

Place of Work: Addis Ababa, Addis Abeba - Ethiopia

Salary: Monthly Base Salary Birr 130,890

Posted date: 1 month ago

Deadline: Submition date is over

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry (ICRAF) Ethiopia Country Office seeks to recruit a Research Project Coordinator for its activities in Ethiopia to provide support, conduct and coordinate CIFOR-ICRAF’s research in value chain development to improve the livelihood and forest industries in general and the integration of non-timber forest products for improving the livelihood of Ethiopia’s smallholders and wood industries to enhance export of the wood products. The overall objective is to support the efforts of the Ethiopian Forestry Development work towards achieving its stated livelihood improvement and wood products import substitution thereby conservation and landscape restoration at national and global commitments. The job will provide support to the implementation of forestry projects by coordinating the planning and execution of day-to-day project activities related to forest management, agroforestry, and tree-based forest landscape restoration.

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry (ICRAF) is a non-profit, scientific institution that researches the most pressing challenges of forest and landscape management around the world. CIFOR-ICRAF envisions a more equitable world where forestry and landscapes enhance the environment and well-being of all. Its aim to improve human well-being, protect the environment, and increase equity is based on innovative research that helps inform decision-makers and develop partners’ capacity. To do so CIFOR-ICRAF actively engages in dialogue with all stakeholders to inform policies and practices that affect forests and people. Before its merger with ICRAF, CIFOR has been operating in Ethiopia since 2005 and is expanding its activities to better support its national partners, notably the Ethiopian Forestry Development (EFD). It has been actively working with EFD in the co-design and implementation of various forestry projects in Ethiopia.

CIFOR-ICRAF

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinate the efforts of CIFOR-ICRAF in the identification of innovations in forest products processing and marketing relevant to Ethiopia;
• Coordinate and assist efforts of CIFOR-ICRAF to work with relevant institutions and generate data needed for objective estimation of the contribution of the forestry sector to the national GDP and for the valuation of products and services obtained from Ethiopia’s forests;
• Assist the engagement of the private sector in the development of large-scale industrial plantations;
• Coordinate activities related to forest-based enterprises and wood processing industries to substitute imports and create green jobs;
• Support efforts of forest products value chain and marketing analysis;
• Coordinate the forest-based livelihood opportunities for improving the livelihood of Ethiopia’s smallholders;
• Facilitate capacity-building efforts of CIFOR-ICRAF for its national partners through organizing seminars, training workshops, and policy dialogue meetings;
• Contribute to resource mobilization efforts through the write-up of bankable proposals;
• Contribute to the fulfillment, in a timely and accurate fashion, of project deliverables;
• Lead major scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, and produced quality technical reports;
• Coordinate and facilitate efforts of situational analysis in the processing and marketing of wood and other forest products in Ethiopia given formulating project ideas for developing concept notes;
• Support the dissemination of project results through among others preparing briefs and making presentations in workshops and policy dialogue meetings;
• Coordinate efforts of CIFOR-ICRAF to support EFD:
• In identifying challenges for identifying and engaging key stakeholders in forestry;
• In identifying additional incentives for attracting engagement of the private sector and communities in forest establishment and development;
• In identifying and accessing land for investment in forestry by the private sector, communities, or organized groups (youths for example);
• In developing/legalizing, and enforcing qualities and standards of forest products;
• In developing markets and value chains of forest and tree products, including enhancing the role of forest-based coops;
• In promoting domestic and international trade in forest products and services, including analysis, and forecasting of the supply and demand of products and prices over time;
• In managing engagement of the private sector and communities in carbon trade and PES;
• In developing manuals and guidelines in forest products processing and marketing.
• Coordinate and assist efforts of CIFOR-ICRAF to:
• Establish a center of excellence in forest knowledge management at Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources;
• Identifying challenges smallholder forest managers, wood and forest products processors and traders face in accessing technology, finance, and insurance services;
• Document efforts thus far made and challenges to be addressed for sustainable production of woody biomass, and improve the efficiency of processing and utilization of wood products (charcoal, pellets, etc.);
• Identify challenges (i) to promote cluster-based tree growing by smallholders; (ii) for the private sector to engage in forestry (notably in commercial plantations, in wood and forest-based industries); (iii) for the landless youth and women to engage in the rehabilitation and sustainable use of degraded lands; (iv) for the expansion of out-growers and other forms of partnership schemes in developing commercial plantations; (v) that constrain the expansion and growth of forest-based enterprises and wood processing industries to substitute imports and create green jobs; and (vi) that actors engaged in the processing and marketing of NTFPs (bamboo, gums and resins, spices, aromatic and medicinal plants, etc.);
• Identify livelihood diversification options for forest-dependent communities that simultaneously and positively contribute to better conservation and livelihood outcomes;
• Support small-scale forest products processing and marketing initiatives;
• Establish policy platforms for policy dialogues, by initially establishing a national platform of GO-NGOs in the forestry sector;
• Organize training and awareness-raising events for federal and regional stakeholders;
• Review existing forest sector legal instruments given identifying gaps and supporting EFD to develop appropriate directives, guidelines, and manuals;
• Any other relevant duties assigned to him/her by the supervisor.

Minimum Requirements:

Education

MSc degree or PhD degree in tropical forest management with preferred thesis research area wood processing industries in Ethiopia and economic impact analysis of the forestry sector to the national economy based on national input-output data, and with MSc in Natural resources economics.

Experience:

• Master’s degree with nine years or PhD degree with two years of experience in forest industries competitiveness and innovation, forest products standards development, forest products trade analysis, and on forests and local livelihoods.
• Experience working with CIFOR-ICRAF projects and understanding of operations of CGIAR organizations

Skills:

• Up-to-date and detailed knowledge of forest industries of Ethiopia and forest product standards and wood product trade
• Knowledge of competitiveness and innovation activities in wood processing industries in Ethiopia
• Experience working with forestry research, education, and development institutions in Ethiopia
• Deep understanding of opportunities and challenges in promoting forest industries and improving product standards in Ethiopia
• Good team player with excellent interpersonal, social, and organizational skills
• Strong, analytical, writing, communication, and presentation skills

Duty Station: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Job Grade: HG 16

Monthly Base Salary: Birr 130,890 (Negotiable depending on the salary history of the candidate).

Terms of appointment: This is a National Staff (NS) position, initial appointment is fixed term for two years with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon individual performance and the availability of funding. The ILRI remuneration package for nationally recruited staff in Ethiopia includes very competitive salaries and benefits such as life and medical insurance, offshore pension plans, etc. The ILRI campus is set in a secure, attractive campus in Addis Ababa. Dining and sports facilities are located on-site.