Forestry and Environmental Management Specialist Job: USAID Kenya

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Kenya wishes to hire a Forestry and Environmental Management Specialist to manage and advise on the following aspects of its Environment/Natural Resource Management (Envir/NRM) portfolio.

The position is based in Nairobi and is open to all qualified Kenyan citizens.

FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION:

Theposition is a member of the Envir/NRM Team, located in USAID/Kenya's Agriculture, Business & Environment Office (ABEO).

Principal responsibilities:

1) provide professional advice to USAID's Envir/NRM program on forestry and environmental management;

2) serve as USAID/Kenya's principal advisor on Government of Kenya (GoK) programs, policies, and laws related to forestry and environmental management;

3) manage USAID technical programs in forestry and environmental management; and

4) serve as an assistant mission environmental officer in the implementation of USAID's environmental procedures.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Any application that does not meet the minimum requirements stated below will not be evaluated.

Only short listed applicants will be contacted.

If you have not been contacted within one month from the closing date of this advertisement, please consider your application unsuccessful.

Education: Master's degree in forestry or other field related to environmental science or management (ecology, environmental studies, environmental policy/law, etc.).

Prior Work Experience (40%): At least 10 years of combined experience in the five (5) fields of forestry and environmental management indicated as follows:

1) Eight (8) years experience in forestry project/program implementation with a focus in one or more of the following technical areas:

a) forest inventory, mensuration, silviculture, nursery management;

b) timber sale administration and contract/concession management;

c) forest ecology, reforestation, and water catchment management;

d) forest engineering;

e) farm forestry, agro-forestry, forestry extension;

f) forest policy, law, and regulatory frameworks.

2) Three (3) years experience developing and/or implementing environmental laws and regulations; demonstrated expertise in environmental screening, impact assessment and/or environmental audit; and a working knowledge of Kenya's environmental policy and legal framework and in-depth understanding of Kenya's procedures for environmental impact assessment.

3) Four (4) years working with rural communities in participatory NRM and advancing community-based governance structures;

4) Three (31 years experience in field-based, NRM surveys and/or inventories; and

4) Good grounding in and understanding of the bio-physical aspects of climate change and climate science and experience in adaptation, mitigation and/or screening for climate change.

NB: Must have served as a project or a program manger for at least four (4) of the 10 years in one or more of the technical areas noted above.

Knowledge (30%): Thorough understanding of forestry and environmental management issues and technical approaches in Kenya/East Africa. Understanding of climate change science and of land management practices that mitigate and/or reduce vulnerability to climate change. Knowledge of Kenya's environmental regulatory framework and of procedures for developing environmental impact studies and/or audits. Practical, demonstrated knowledge of project manager functions; e.g., project design and technical evaluation; managing project procurement and implementation documents; review & approval of work plans; implementation monitoring, managing contractor/grantee performance and ensuring project outputs contribute to tangible impact in light of strategies and objectives.

Skills and Abilities (30%): Demonstrated ability in strategic planning, program development, project management, and budgeting. Ability to conceptualize, design and analyze forestry and environmental management activities. Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain key contacts in the forestry and environmental management sectors with organizations and individuals (GoK, NGOs, communities, academic, development partners {bi-lateral & multilateral}. Verified skills upgrading and/or additional education/training beyond the first graduate degree will gain additional consideration.

Note: Applicants must provide at least four (4) references (two within last two years and all within last 5 years) with e-mail and mobile telephone contacts.

Applicants should submit an application letter, a resume or curriculum vitae, and copies of all relevant certificates to the following address:

Executive Office/Human Resources
Re: Forestry and Environmental Management Specialist
P.O. Box 629, Village Market 00621, Nairobi, Kenya

Closing date for receipt of applications is COB January 15, 2009.

People who read this post also read :