COMPASS PROGRAM BANGLADESH
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

‘Forestry and Natural Resource Management Coordination Specialist'

A. BACKGROUND:

USAID Bangladesh and United States Forest Service International Program (USFS/IP) recently entered into an inter-agency partnership, with funding from USAID Bangladesh, in which USFS/IP will implement the 'Community Partnerships to Strengthen Sustainable Development' (Compass) program. Compass will address natural resource management challenges in Bangladesh through establishing a youth conservation corps, strengthening community capacity and promoting public participation, providing direct technical support to Bangladesh Forest Department, and strengthening the capacity of academic and research institutions in natural resource management and resilience. USAID intends to fund Compass for five years, subject to the availability of funding. The Compass Program is seeking a qualified and experienced professional to be the full-time ‘Forestry and Natural Resource Management Coordination Specialist' based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Forestry and NRM Coordination Specialist will be a key member of the Compass program and will provide expert leadership and programmatic coordination with all stakeholders in the planning and effective implementation of forestry and natural resource management related activities involved in the technical cooperation under the Compass Program. 
 
The US Forest Service mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. Through the combination of direct land management, working collaboratively with states, tribes, and private landowners, and providing technical capacity building and education efforts the Agency is involved in the management of 80% of the forested land in the United States.

As a division of the Office of the Chief of U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Forest Service Office of International Programs (USFS/IP) works in over 90 countries, to promote sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation internationally. By linking the skills of the field-based staff of the U.S. Forest Service with partners overseas, the agency can address the world’s most critical forestry issues and concerns. USFS/IP collaborates with local and international non-governmental organizations, universities, and host country governments. We also collaborate with other U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of State. Internationally, programs focus on building institutional relationships between our agency and our in-country partners, enabling continuous collaboration over the long-term.

In collaboration with USAID Bangladesh, USFS/IP has been working in Bangladesh since 2009 and has developed longstanding partnerships in Bangladesh by providing need-based capacity building technical assistance in support of national-level capacity for forest management and monitoring. The Compass program will build on this work and expand to new thematic areas and geographic regions.

B. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE POSITION

Position Description

The Forestry and NRM Coordination Specialist will play a central role in liaising with the Bangladesh Forest Department, high-level GoB officials and other sectoral stakeholders in identifying, prioritizing, developing and implementing the technical cooperation activities. The Forestry and NRM Coordination Specialist will ensure effective implementation of the technical activities in the Compass workplan and recommend necessary adjustments as needed. The Forestry and NRM Coordination Specialist will coordinate closely with Compass team members and provide technical and positional capacity building support in relation to the technical cooperation programs.   

The ‘Forestry and NRM Coordination Specialist’ will support the program with duties and responsibilities including, but not be limited to, the following:   

• Provide liaison, logistical, and administrative support for effective implementation of Compass activities involving the Bangladesh Forest Department, GoB officials, and other relevant sectoral stakeholders;
• Coordinate in-country technical visits by international personnel, workshops and trainings, including but not limited to, arranging meetings, identifying workshop/training participants, preparing and sending invitations, arranging venues, arranging participant travel, and other logistics;
• Facilitate the implementation of all technical cooperation activities with BFD, GoB officials, and other relevant sectoral stakeholders;
• Provide ongoing professional representation of the Compass and ensure the Compass priorities and interests are maintained;
• Contribute to ongoing USFS work planning processes, including providing recommendations and inputs to the design of Compass activities with the BFD, GoB officials, and other relevant sectoral stakeholders;
• Provide reporting including monthly progress reports and activity reports, including information indicators and activities on relevant activities;
• Maintain close communications with BFD and other relevant counterparts in Bangladesh to ensure that USG technical assistance is meeting needs and expectations;
• Conduct consultations with relevant stakeholders including: academic institutions, NGOs, and government entities in Bangladesh in order to inform future USFS work;
• Provide regular and comprehensive reporting to Compass Program Leadership on all developments and communications with stakeholders;
• Take direction from Compass Program Leadership and effectively facilitate programmatic and coordination decisions with necessary stakeholders;
• Work closely with MEL and Communications teams to assess impact of partnerships, trainings, and capacity building activities;
• Coordinate with other team members to provide expert guidance related to administrative process and supervise the support admin and operations program staff as necessary;
• Carry out any other related responsibilities as assigned by the office.

C. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION:

To be considered for the position, a candidate must meet the minimum qualifications listed below:

Education

A Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, with higher degree desired, in Forestry, Environmental Science, or Natural Resource Management field or related discipline.

Experience

At least 7 years of work experience in relevant positions, with 3-5 years in a supervisory or managerial role. Prior experience working with USAID or USG programs/projects is highly preferred. Proven experience in providing expert leadership in forestry, environmental science, or natural resource management field in the programs/projects of non-government or donor agencies is required.

Skills/Competencies

• Demonstrated understanding of forestry, environmental science, or natural resource management concepts, issues, history, and stakeholders in Bangladesh;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively without day to day supervision;
• Proven ability to develop regular comprehensive report out and communication to the Compass Program Leadership Team;
• Demonstrated ability to develop strong networks within the forestry and natural resources sectors in Bangladesh;
• Ability to collaborate effectively with other Compass Program Technical Staff;
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment with GOB and USG agencies, international donors, NGOs, community groups, and other stakeholders;
• Prior experience working with GoB and USG partners;
• Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills;
• Language skills: English- fluent spoken, written. Bangla- fluent spoken, written;
• Demonstrated experience of working with multi-cultural team and providing leadership with professional judgment in cross-cultural and multi-level organizational context. Strong leadership traits, able to work independently, with minimum supervision or guidance;
• Excellent inter-personal skills, proven teamwork capacity with demonstrated track-record of working with diverse team and habit of practicing result-oriented approach in solving critical and sensitive financial and institutional issues with diplomatic and delicate manner;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Ability and interest in learning new tools to make evidence-based operational decisions;
• Proven ability to provide on-job capacity building trainings to other team members;
• High proficiency in relevant computer applications e.g. MS-Word, MS-Excel, MS- PowerPoint, and basic internet skills are required.

Language Ability

The incumbent must be proficient in spoken and written English at Level IV (fluent) and must likewise be fully fluent in spoken and written Bangla. English language skill will be tested.

D. BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES:

The benefits and allowances for this position would be in line with Compass provisions and guidelines, commensurate with the experience, qualification and previous track-record of the successful applicant. 

E. INSTRUCTION FOR APPLICATION SUBMISSION:

Interested applicants are requested to properly fill in the application form available at this link: https://forms.gle/fFH1YjbUm2r967Bu8. Applicant must have an active Gmail account to complete the application. In the application form, the interested applicants must provide accurate information to all required fields and attach the following documents listed below:

1. A Cover Letter illustrating applicant's qualifications to meet the requirements for this position. Please use the following naming convention for your file: FirstName_LastName_CoverLetter. The cover letter must be attached either in MS word or in PDF file format.
2. A Curriculum Vitae (CV) with full contact details, specific description of educational background, career experiences, and achievements. Please use the following naming convention for your file: FirstName_LastName_CV. The CV must be attached either in MS word or in PDF file format.

Please note that the interested applicants must submit the applications on or before 11.59 PM 23 December, 2019.

The successful applicant will be hired through a local hiring mechanism or through an international contracting mechanism to be employed on the Compass program, as per organizational policy. Applicant will not be hired by, nor an employee of, the US Forest Service.  Only shortlisted candidates will be called for further assessment. The applicants who are not shortlisted will not be notified. All qualified candidates will be considered regardless of age, race, color, sex, creed, national origin, lawful political affiliation, non-disqualifying handicap, marital status, sexual orientation, affiliation with an employee organization, or other non-merit factor.