Programme Officer, BIOPAMA Action Component at International Union for Conservation of Nature

JOB DESCRIPTION

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Programme Officer, BIOPAMA Action Component will be responsible for the day-to-day administration, coordination and supervision of the BIOPAMA Action Component for Eastern and Southern Africa. S/he will work closely with the BIOPAMA Regional Coordinator, the BIOPAMA Global Action Component team, as well as the regional and global BIOPAMA Finance Officers to ensure efficient and affective grant-making in the region. The Action Component Officer will be responsible for working with the RRH team and specifically the RRH Policy Officer and national agencies to ensure alignment of funded projects with national- and site-level priority actions required. S/he will support and advertise calls for proposals (as relevant), manage all potential grantee liaison and organize relevant capacity building activities. S/he will work closely with the BIOPAMA finance team to contract grantees and ensure reporting is in line with donor requirements. S/he will manage all reporting, internal and external, related to the Action Component and will support the promotion and capitalization of the granted projects.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

• Management of Grant portfolio;
• Implement all processes required at regional and national levels for grants management in accordance with the BIOPAMA AC guidelines and the grantee contracts;
• Manage the review of technical and financial reports from grantees, and verify completion of products, deliverables, and short-term impacts by grantees in order to review the efficiency and efficacy of project implementation;
• As necessary, provide direct technical support for capacity building, particularly of local-level civil society organizations and mentor applicants and grantees through aspects of grant management, from the initial proposal design and submission process, to assisting with project monitoring and evaluation;
• Monitor performance through communication with grantees and through site visits where appropriate;
• Liaise regularly with other members of the Action Component team (finance, administration, communications) to ensure effective coordination and smooth implementation of the AC;
• In liaison with the Regional BIOPAMA Coordinator and global colleagues, ensure integration and compliance with the IUCN Environmental and Social Management System and the BIOPAMA AC Operational Manual;
• Contribute to information sharing, lessons learning and documentation of Action Component project and programme experiences
• In liaison with the Regional BIOPAMA Coordinator and global colleagues, promote BIOPAMA AC funded projects' results and success stories and ensure all grantees communicate effectively about their projects;
• Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement;
• Assist in building and maintaining strong relationships with IUCN partners, donors, project participants and wider stakeholders and develop the Action Component network.

More specifically;

• Liaise and coordinate closely and regularly with the other grant-making projects active in the ESARO region, including the BIOPAMA Action Component and the SADC TFCA Financing Facility, sharing relevant information to avoid duplication and increase efficiency e.g. updates on calls for proposals, the project pipeline, joint visibility and communications opportunities, grantee due diligence processes, etc.
• Ensure that the relevant EU delegations, the regional ACP secretariat and IUCN commissions and membership are kept suitably engaged and informed;
• Ensure close synergies between the grants programme and RCMRD's roles in BIOPAMA particularly in regard to management effectiveness assessments and activities that will improve the quality of baseline protected and conserved area information and ensure that relevant information derived from grant projects is accessible to the Regional Resource Hub at RCMRD;
• Support the Regional BIOPAMA Coordinator as required through engagement on regional network groups, task forces and committees; representing IUCN and BIOPAMA at assigned relevant regional fora, meetings and workshops at national and regional levels; contribution to IUCN ESARO programme planning forums, advisory committees and, project reviews.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning;

• Support the development and implementation of Monitoring and Evaluation systems and support accountability and programme learning processes. More specifically: Lead on the data collection process for grants in Eastern and Southern Africa to feed into the BIOPAMA AC monitoring and evaluation framework and other tracking tools;
• Support the collation of impact data and capturing of lessons learnt towards the development of various communication outputs
• Support the development of a communication strategy to promote learning from grant implementation and communicate impact of investment;
• Work effectively with the BIOPAMA global team to deliver regional BIOPAMA communication products and communicate results;
• Prepare inputs for reports related to the implementation of the Action Component in Eastern and Southern Africa, contributing to the overall BIOPAMA reports;

Programme growth;

• Contributing to processes that guide the growth of the ESARO Programme and development of the Thematic Programmatic portfolios. More specifically: Contribute to the development of the biodiversity conservation programme in IUCN ESARO, building on the BIOPAMA-funded project portfolio in the region;
• Promote collaboration between IUCN's thematic portfolios and provide inputs from the BIOPAMA AC learning and direction;
• Assist in identifying opportunities for partnerships and project development, and support IUCN conservation fundraising efforts, in consultation with the Regional Head, Biodiversity Conservation, and the BIOPAMA Regional Coordinator, including to ensure the continuation of grant-making in support of protected and conserved areas;

Other responsibilities;

• Perform other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

REQUIREMENTS

 POSITION REQUIREMENTS: Education;

• A postgraduate qualification in a relevant field such as conservation biology, natural resource management, environmental management, or an ecology or natural science related discipline. A certificate or diploma in an ecology related discipline accompanied by 5 years' relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the University Degree requirement.

Work Experience;

• At least 5 years' experience in biodiversity conservation and/or protected areas management, ideally involving terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, at national and/or regional levels, in Eastern and/or Southern Africa;
• Experience in the management of grant-making facilities in Eastern and Southern Africa; experience with European Commission projects would be an added advantage
• Experience in communicating and collaborating with management agencies, local communities, academic institutions and local, national and regional stakeholders to achieve agreed collective outcomes;
• Experience in interacting confidently with diverse stakeholders including with government officials and local communities;
• Hands-on experience with report writing;
• Proven experience in project administration;
• Demonstrated experience in capacity building and working as a facilitator or trainer in a multi-cultural setting

Language Proficiency;

• Fluency in English, both written and verbal;
• A working knowledge of French and / or Portuguese and / or Swahili is an advantage.