Programme Officer - Conservation Action at International Union for Conservation of Nature

JOB DESCRIPTION

• The primary task of the Programme Officer will be to contribute to the effective implementation of the SOS Lemurs (Phase II) initiative in Madagascar. This position will also contribute to delivering other species-related initiatives, project development, and liaison with IUCN Programmes, Members, commissions, and partners.

SPECIFIC DUTIES

• Ensure the efficient implementation of the SOS Lemurs (Phase II) initiative and other initiatives with the same geographic scope;
• Be responsible for the day-to-day management of the grants following IUCN SOS standardised procedures and in coordination with the Grants Coordinator;
• Support the development of operational guidelines and templates and contribute to preparing the documentation for calls for proposals to be published on the IUCN Grants Portal;
• Assist in reviewing applications received by the SOS Secretariat, including review of applications’ eligibility under SOS criteria and supporting the SOS Technical Advisory Group's review of applications;
• Liaise with grantees;
• Monitor grants and organise and conduct project monitoring missions, as well as prepare mission reports in coordination with the Grants Coordinator;
• Review progress and final reports submitted by grantees and prepare project evaluation reports;
• Lead on the data collection process for SOS Lemurs (Phase II) grants to feed into the SOS monitoring and evaluation framework and other tracking tools;
• Support the collation of impact data and the capture of lessons learned towards the development of various communication outputs;
• Support the organisational development and capacity-building activities of SOS Lemurs;
• Support policy interventions at national, regional and international level and make linkages between the IUCN Save Our Species on-the-ground work and relevant policies at these levels;
• Ensure timely and quality communication of the SOS Lemurs (Phase II) initiative through IUCN’s regional and global communications channels;
• Support the organisation of workshops and webinars;
• Keep the IUCN Eastern and Southern Regional Office and other programmes implemented in the Western Indian Region updated on SOS Lemurs projects and beneficiaries in order 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.
• Contribute to drafting yearly progress reports to the donor;
• Regularly liaise with relevant donors (i.e French Development Agency, EU Delegation, KfW, etc.) in the country, providing regular updates on the status of relevant SOS Lemurs projects;
• Assist in identifying opportunities for partnerships and project development, and support IUCN SOS fundraising efforts;
• Support the development of proposals for the Species Conservation Action team.
• Represent IUCN at relevant international events;
• Contribute towards knowledge management for conservation in conjunction with the Center for Science and Data;
• Carry out other relevant tasks at the request of and in agreement with the line manager.

REQUIREMENTS

• MSc degree (or higher) in biodiversity conservation, species/habitat management, environmental sciences or other relevant discipline;
• Minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in the field of biodiversity conservation, preferably involving on-the-ground conservation activities;
• Knowledge of and experience with the main biodiversity conservation challenges in Madagascar;
• Experience in grant-making or project management, with strong project management skills at multiple levels, including planning, implementation, reporting, and monitoring;
• Experience in developing and implementing activities aimed at building the capacity of civil society organisations;
• Fundraising experience is an asset;
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation is an asset;
• capacity to produce high-quality briefs and reports;
• Good knowledge of IUCN standards and knowledge tools for species conservation is an asset;
• Fluency in Malagasy, excellent spoken and written English and French;
• Computer literacy in MS Office packages;
• Excellent organizational and networking skills;
• Solution-oriented approach: demonstrates a ‘thinking outside the box’ attitude;
• Demonstrated ability for critical thinking, analysis and strategic planning;
• Proven ability to bring ideas from concept through realization and implementation;
• Outstanding writing and editing skills; strong attention to detail;
• Strong interpersonal and presentation skills;
• Ability to cope with varied workload and flexible working hours;
• Capacity to work effectively under time pressure and extended hours;
• Willingness to travel sometimes at short notice;
• Team-oriented attitude and ability to work independently;
• Proven ability to work with multi-disciplinary groups, including governments, experts, civil society and local communities;
• Respond well to remote supervision;
• A demonstrated high-level ability to work in a multi-cultural, international organisation, applying high standards of respect, tolerance, and support as required.