Project Manager for Sustainable Landscapes Activities (ECODIT)

Job Description

Project: USAID Green Annamites
Office: ECODIT, 5th Green Plaza, Da Nang, Vietnam
Positions: Project Manager for Sustainable Landscapes Activities (PMSLA)
Duty station: Da Nang, Tam Ky or Hue, Vietnam
Work area: The PMSLI will work in Quang Nam and TT Hue provinces, and occasionally will be expected to travel to other locations in Vietnam,.
Starting date: November 2019
Probation: period 2 months

ECODIT is seeking applications from interested candidates to fill its new position “Project Manager for Sustainable Landscapes Initiatives” for its USAID Green Annamites Project implemented in Quang Nam (QN) and Thua Thien Hue (TTH) provinces in Central Vietnam.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The purpose of the Green Annamites Project (the Project) is to assist Vietnam’s transition to climate-smart, low emission, and resilient development that protects people, landscapes, and biodiversity in Vietnam’s priority forested provinces. The project’s overall period of performance is September 26, 2016 to December 16, 2020, subject to the availability of funding, and includes three main tasks:

Increase application of low emission land use: conserve the existing carbon sink; stop emission from small scale deforestation and degradation, and unsustainable agricultural practices; and increase carbon sequestration from restoration of degraded landscapes. A key component of Green Annamites’ intervention strategy is the focus on livelihood improvement and value chains, aiming at generating sustainable revenue streams for communities living in forested areas and in or around protected areas.
Strengthen biodiversity conservation: mitigate threats to the globally significant biodiversity in central Vietnam, including poaching and activities that destroy habitats for wildlife and cause habitat fragmentation (e.g., deforestation, forest degradation, and conversion of natural forest into plantation)
Increase resilience for vulnerable communities: ensure that results of activities supported under the two other components are not affected by climate change impacts. In addition, under this task the Program conducts standalone activities to build resilience for vulnerable communities. Much of these activities reflect findings and recommendations from the climate vulnerability assessment findings.

Key program results include improving the livelihoods of 20,000 forest dependent people; improving biodiversity of over 400,000 hectares of natural forest, mobilizing at least $20 million in public and private resources for sustainable livelihoods and forest conservation; and avoiding and/or removing the equivalent of at least 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

WORK BACKGROUND

Now that the Project is entering into its last year of implementation, the Project will have a stronger focus on implementation on the ground. The Project has allocated most of its available funding to implementing partners (IPs) in both provinces and stronger support is being placed in making sure that those IPs will achieve timely the expected results with the required quality. Under the direct supervision of the COP, the PMSLA will work closely with the assign IPs and other Project team members, to ensure sound implementation of the Project’s sustainable landscapes activities.

The PMSLA reports to the Chief of Party (COP) or his/her designee. S/he will be a project manager for sustainable landscapes awards under Task 1, and some cross cutting awards under Task 2. As the Project Manager, S/he is expected to supervise IPs, including consultants, subcontractors and grantees to ensure that project’s outputs meet the highest applicable professional standards of quality and comply with contractual requirements. The PMSLA will also work closely with other Project team members to document experiences and lessons learned, in support of the Project’s knowledge management and communication plans. S/he will perform and support other tasks requested by the COP.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall supervision of the Project’s COP, the PMSLA’s key roles and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Lead the implementation, reporting and management of the assigned awards under Task 1 and some cross cutting awards under Task 2, to promote sustainable management of forest, agriculture and other lands, working closely with IPs, cooperatives and provincial government counterparts.
Ensure the provision of timely and on-the ground support to the GA assigned implementing partners under his/her responsibility and when requested provide support to other IPs.
Work closely with the COP and other Project team members as needed to prepare deliverables, develop work plans, and foster a rapid and smooth implementation of work plan activities, for the assigned awards under his/her management. The PMSLA is responsible to keep the projected disbursement rate on track, for all the activities under his/her management.
Provide technical support to implementing partners in the preparation of business plans, market development and access to finance. This includes the support on preparation of training materials, facilitation of technical workshops and stakeholder consultations when needed.
Assist the COP and other Project members to anticipate, identify and address risks, issues and gaps in the implementation of activities, in a timely and compliant fashion and report these to the COP.
Proactively participate in the M&E process the sustainable landscapes activities and support the preparation of communication and knowledge sharing products highlighting Project’s impacts on sustainable landscapes as well as provide inputs to quarterly/annual reports. This includes field records, communication materials, success stories, short videos, photos and interviews with beneficiaries and local partners and provide inputs for the successful implementation of the Project’s gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) action plan.
Provide technical inputs to progress reports, quarterly and annual reports; and
Perform other tasks or activities as may be requested by the COP.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Master’s level degree in sustainable development, community development, landscape management, natural resources management, environmental economics, or other related fields.
Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in activities in the forestry or land use sectors, with at least 6 years in private sector engagement, value chain development, and/or related fields.
At least 5 years of experience working with the cooperative sector, on its creation, development and business planning and its implementation.
At least 5 years of experience with increased responsibility as project manager for different organizations, including donor-funded initiatives.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills in English and Vietnamese, with excellent capacity to proactively interact with communities, including indigenous communities.
Experience working with governmental institutions, USAID funded programs and NGOs is an advantage.

Interested candidates should send application including: