Position: Senior Program Officer – Governance and Equity, SEGA (Scaling-up equitable governance of protected and conserved areas Project) 

Deadline for application: 15 August 2024

RECOFTC is an international nonprofit organization working towards a future where resilient communities with respected rights thrive in forest landscapes that they manage sustainably and equitably. We take a long-term, landscape-based and inclusive approach in supporting local communities to secure their land and resource rights, stop deforestation, find alternative livelihoods and foster gender equality. We have more than 37 years of experience working with people and forests and have built trusting relationships with partners at all levels. As a trusted, honest broker, we occupy a distinct position as an international organization that supports, informs and brings together governments, communities, businesses, academia and civil society organizations. Our innovations, knowledge and initiatives enable countries to foster good forest governance, mitigate and adapt to climate change and achieve the UN Global Goals.

RECOFTC operates in the Asia-Pacific region, with country program offices in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam.

RECOFTC is currently seeking a Senior Program Officer – Governance and Equity for the Center for People and Forests in Nepal for its Scaling-up Equitable Governance in Area-Based Conservation (SEGA) project. The position is open to external candidates who are Nepal nationals. The selected candidate will be offered a 24-month contract with possibility of extension, contingent on project funding availability and satisfactory performance.

About Center for People and Forest - RECOFTC Nepal

The Center for People and Forest (also known as RECOFTC Nepal), a registered not-for-profit company in Nepal, is a localized entity of RECOFTC.

About the Project

RECOFTC Nepal is implementing a four-year project "Scaling-up Equitable Governance in AreaBased Conservation" (SEGA) across 12 sites in Nepal, starting July 2024. SEGA is a multicountry initiative, involving Bolivia, Kenya, Madagascar, Nepal, and Tanzania. It is funded by the Darwin Initiative and led by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). The project aims to foster equitable governance of protected and conserved areas in alignment with the Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30x30 target. By concentrating on key sites, SEGA seeks to scale up stakeholder-led actions that promote equitable governance, thereby enhancing both social and conservation outcomes.

Tasks and duties

The Senior Program Officer – Governance and Equity is a member of the Center for People and Forests and will work under the direct supervision of the Deputy Director of the Center for People and Forests-RECOFTC Nepal. The Senior Program Officer is responsible for providing technical inputs and ensuring effective implementation of SEGA. This role involves comprehensive planning, execution, support for monitoring, evaluation, learning (MEL), and reporting. The Officer is also responsible for establishing and maintaining excellent relations and coordination among government stakeholders at SEGA sites to ensure they are well and appropriately informed and that the project achieves excellent acceptance and support from government agencies, community-based organizations, civil society and the private sector.

Specific tasks and duties include:

Management and delivery (30%)

• Management and coordination of the project at site level to ensure that agreed activities are implemented and outputs delivered as planned or adapted where necessary to address any problems encountered and/or to increase impact
• Support to organize coordination meetings once a month with staff involved in project implementation, and face-to-face progress review meetings at the mid-point (September) and end (March) of each fiscal year
• Support the Deputy Director in managing the project budget to ensure that overall expenditure is in line with the budget, and any proposed adjustments are discussed and agreed upon
• Assist the Deputy Director in strategic decision-making processes related to overall technical interventions and integrating learning from on-going interventions
• Monitor field level Governance activities to be on time, target and budget, and propose recommendations for improvements
• Support cross-learning and sharing of information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach targets
• Support and ensure internal compliance related to goods and services procurement, safeguarding and human resources policies are adhered to
• Communicate expectations, promote accountability and provide constructive feedback to partners on the implementation of project activities

Planning and implementation (40%)

• Assist the Deputy Director in planning, reviewing, and modifying project activities as needed to ensure effective implementation
• Support the assessment, design and authorization of all governance interventions in the project sites
• Provide technical support to site-level partners that may be needed for planning and implementing activities
• Conduct capacity needs assessment, and facilitate events related to studies, workshops, training and orientation programs and formal/informal interactions
• Ensure gender equity and social inclusion is integrated into program planning and implementation
• Contribute to program implementation in aspects of project inception, project review and reflection, baseline and evaluation to ensure program quality as necessary
• Produce various guidelines related to field implementation of project activities
• Facilitate sharing of experience and learning between community organizations and staff of NGOs and government to improve Site-level governance Assessment (SAGE) - based assessment and action at sites including facilitation of a national level community of practice

Monitoring and reporting (20%) 

• Keep track of donor reporting requirements of the project and finalize donor reports in  coordination with the knowledge management and communication officer 
• Support the finance unit to compile and submit narrative and financial reports to IIED every  six months following the progress review meetings 
• Support the communication team to develop and implement a communication strategy to  encourage others to use SAGE and more generally build knowledge and understanding of  the importance of equitable governance in area-based conservation 
• Review and validate success stories for structure and content, ensuring the use of the  approved format 
• Work with the MEL officer to integrate strong monitoring and evaluation practices into  documentation and its dissemination 
• Communicate experience and results in coordination with the communication team from  target sites to community organizations and staff of NGOs and government working at other  sites to stimulate their interests in using SAGE tool. 

Networking and strategic support (10%) 

• Develop and manage relationships with relevant governments, site-level partners and other  key stakeholders 
• Represent the project at relevant conferences, workshops and meetings at national, regional  and global levels to link the work of this project to others and learn from other projects 
• Engage with relevant national-level platforms and processes of government agencies, NGOs  and donors for developing policy, strategies and plans (e.g. NBSAP) to help build enabling  conditions to deliver more equitable governance of protected and other conserved areas 
• Support the Deputy Director in identifying opportunities and additional activities that could  strengthen the project  
• Perform other activities as assigned by the supervisor 

Qualifications and experience 

The Senior Program Officer – Governance and Equity should have the following essential  qualifications and experience: 

Essential 

• A bachelor’s degree in law, or master’s degree in law, governance, conservation,  management, international development or related field 
• Minimum of five years of similar experience in program and project design, development and  delivery after completion of bachelor’s degree, or three years of relevant experience after  completion of master’s degree 
• Good knowledge and understanding of conservation, governance, equity, empowerment,  natural resource management, Indigenous People and local communities’ rights and  livelihood programs 
• Knowledge and experience of program strategy development, goal setting and program  implementation, and monitoring and documentation 
• Strong conceptual thinking and analytical skills 
• Familiarity with international development goals and country strategies  • Good facilitation skills with local communities to national forums 
• Good analytical and writing skills in English and Nepali languages 
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to interact with people at all levels in a multicultural and  multidisciplinary environment
• Good knowledge and proven skills in using MS word programs (Microsoft Word, Excel and  PowerPoint) and Adobe Acrobat  
• Good understanding of gender equality and social inclusion and multi-cultural diversity  • Must be a Nepali national 

Desirable 

• At least three to five years’ substantial experience in governance, environmental law,  conservation natural resource management, related project design, implementation and  quality assurance 

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 
• Nurture commitment, responsibility and ownership 
• Collaborate with partners and stakeholders 
• Commit to sustainability 
• Cultivate participation, gender equality and social inclusion  
• Prioritize well-being