Job Opportunity : Wildlife-TRAPS Project Officer

LOCATION:   Yaoundé, Cameroon
REPORTS TO:  Wildlife-TRAPS Project Leader
DURATION: Full time position for 1 year (possibility for extension depending on funding)
GRADE/SALARY:  P1
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS:  16th February 2014

BACKGROUND
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild animals and plants is not a threat to the conservation of nature.  We actively monitor and investigate wildlife trade and provide information to diverse audiences worldwide as a basis for effective conservation policies and programmes. TRAFFIC is a strategic alliance of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is an international network, organised into eight regional programmes.
TRAFFIC has recently been successful in securing a grant from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement the ‘Wildlife Trafficking, Response, Assessment, Priority Setting’ (Wildlife-TRAPS) initiative. This three year initiative will tackle the illegal trade of terrestrial and marine wildlife between Africa and Asia. Wildlife TRAPS will focus on achieving a high impact with a tightly focused group of species products (i.e. including ivory and rhino horn) traded between Central and East & Southern Africa and East and South East Asia.
Activities will be delivered through a three Phase ‘Framework Approach’: Phase I will focus on ‘Assessment and Priority Setting’; activities will include scoping studies, desk based research, semi-structured interviews and stakeholder mapping. Phase II will focus on ‘Collaborative Action Planning’ with Wildlife TRAPS stakeholders.  Based on the results of the assessments and priorities identified in Phase I, Phase II activities will involve the development of targeted trans-regional action plans through a series of workshops comprising of African and Asian stakeholders.  Developed action plans will focus on improving enforcement and intelligence sharing between the two continents and enabling governments to fulfil their commitments towards existing regional frameworks, declarations and initiatives developed to combat illegal wildlife trade. Phase III will consist of the implementation of developed actions plans and monitoring the performance and impact of programmatic activities.
CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES
•    Responsible for ensuring the timely and effective implementation of Wildlife TRAPS activities in Central, East and West Africa and capturing the impact and learning that arise from these activities.
•    Organising and supporting the delivery of activities and interventions under Phase II and III of the project, i.e.: Collaborative Action Planning Workshops (as described above), trans-continental exchange visits, participation in relevant conferences and consensus building meetings,
•    Helping to establish and maintain relationships and support dialogue amongst an ‘international community’ of Wildlife TRAPS stakeholders and collaborators including both private and public sectors;
•    Helping to manage relationships with relevant USAID missions and to ensure the Wildlife TRAPS initiative integrates productively with other USAID funded initiatives and programmes operating both within and between Africa and Asia.
•    Supporting a rigorous evaluation process for activities and interventions delivered through Phase III of the project in particular; capturing and communicating the findings from this in order to amplify Wildlife TRAPS impact where feasible and appropriate.
•    Supporting project management processes, including maintaining appropriate records and preparing financial and technical reporting information as required.
•    Supporting the Project Leader in ensuring this high profile project delivers a lasting impact.
SPECIFIC DUTIES
•    Responsible for ensuring Wildlife-TRAPS workplan activities are successfully implemented and results secured, and that delivery is effectively coordinated with project counterparts in Africa/Asia and others across the TRAFFIC network.
•    Assess governments’ actions and practical steps towards satisfying commitments to various regional frameworks, declarations and initiatives such as: Sub-regional action plan for strengthening the implementation of wildlife national laws (PAPECALF) of the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC), Marrakesh Declaration, Congo Forest Basin Partnership (CBFP), approved emergency measures of the African Elephant Summit and regional Wildlife Enforcement Networks (WENS),
•    Establish where there are needs and opportunities for Asian counterparts to assist African countries to curb illegal wildlife trade.
•    Develop activities  to inform and increase understanding amongst government, inter-government, private sector and civil society representatives around how trans-continental wildlife trafficking can be relevant to institutions dealing with broader issues; including for example, the wider trade agenda, good governance and corruption and food security.
•    Provide technical assistance, data analysis, scientific information and research support to the Wildlife TRAPS Project on illegal wildlife trade in the Central, West and East Africa regions, including formulation of recommendations for TRAFFIC, WWF and IUCN,
•    Prepare and submit fundraising concepts and proposals to help leverage the additional resources that will be required in order to ensure the successful delivery of all Phases of Wildlife TRAPS.
•    Prepare policy briefing papers in order to help address illegal wildlife trade issues relevant to trans-continental trade between Africa and Asia in line with the findings arising from delivery of the Wildlife-TRAPS initiative.
•    Provide thoughtful input into the production of quarterly/annual reports and work plans and other documents.
REQUIREMENTS
•    A university degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., biology, political science, social science, international relations, law or economics).
•    At least 7 years’ experience in wildlife conservation and sustainable development issues, preferably with an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) or Inter-Governmental Organization (IGO).
•    Strong working knowledge of political and policy making processes within Central/West and East Africa
•    National and or regional/international policy advocacy experience including high level political negotiations preferably within a Central/West and East Africa context.
•    Relevant and proven experience in project cycle management, i.e. coordinating larger projects, incl. overseeing consultants and managing project budgets and reporting.
•    Experience in implementing USAID-funded projects a strong advantage.
•    Strong research and analytical skills, and an ability to articulate complex issues clearly
•    Strong networking skills and communication skills and ability to work in different cultural contexts.
•    Fluency in spoken and written French and English, with skills in Mandarin an advantage.
•    A willingness and ability to travel widely and frequently and to work under pressure.
•    Familiarity with standard word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and data base software, and with electronic communication technology.
APPLICATIONS
Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System, by opening the vacancy announcement and pressing the “Apply” button: https://hrms.iucn.org/iresy/index.cfm?event=vac.show&vacId=747 Please state where you first saw the role advertised in your cover letter.
Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The vacancy closes at midnight on 16th February 2014, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST).

Please note that this role will be hosted on an IUCN employment contract and seconded to TRAFFIC.

For further information visit http://www.traffic.org