Chief of Party: DRC Community Forests 33 views0 applications

This is an exciting opportunity for a candidate to lead an important project supporting community forest development and the rights of local and indigenous communities in the world’s second largest tropical forest. With a strong commitment to social and environmental justice, you are a self-starter, highly organised and able to operate effectively across different cultural contexts. You will embrace a varied role that could involve field missions to remote forest areas one week and engaging in high-level policy dialogue with international institutions the next.

Based in Kinshasa, you will have the overall responsibility of coordinating project activities on the ground, liaising with partners on a daily basis and leading on policy aspects of the project whilst being the main point of contact for the donor, the USAID CARPE office in Kinshasa.

The DRC Chief of Party will be responsible for the following tasks, under the overall supervision of the Head of Programmes:

1. Project management

• Oversee the implementation of the project on the ground in line with strategy, agreed budgets, logframe, work plans and procedures in coordination with the DRC CF Project Coordinator.

• Manage the relationship with USAID (CARPE team, based in Kinshasa) under the donor’s principle of “substantial involvement”, maintaining regular communications with the donor and keeping them regularly informed and involved in the execution of the project.

• Under the lead of the DRC CF Project Coordinator, contribute to ensuring harmonisation of activities, work plans and strategies with match-funded components of the project, ensuring that all actions follow the same logframe and pursue the same objectives.

• Lead on the policy and advocacy aspects of the project, including by attending relevant meetings and engaging a range of stakeholders in Kinshasa and at the provincial level (government officials, international institutions, donors, civil society, etc.).

• Maintain a good understanding of national laws and a good overview of national policy and legal developments ensuring that the project strategy is aligned with them.

• Support the Head of Programmes to ensure the project policy strategy is in line with the overall RFUK Programmes Strategy.

• Under the lead of the DRC CF Project Coordinator, provide inputs to ensure the narrative and financial reporting of the project is delivered to a high standard.

• Under the lead of the DRC CF Project Coordinator and in coordination with other members of the team, contribute to the implementation of the project Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan and participate in external project evaluations.

• Ensure good coordination with other members of the Programmes Team as well as regularly communicating and sharing information with them and the wider organisation.

• Continuously monitor the security situation in DRC, referring to local information and the relevant security advice agencies and sources and ensure compliance with RFUK’s security policies and procedures.

• Supervise the work of consultants, researchers, interns and volunteers as appropriate.

2. Support to local partners

• Maintain permanent liaison with NGO partners involved in the project to implement and monitor the project activities.

• Carry out up to two monitoring trips per year to each target province (Equateur, Maniema, Nord Kivu).

• In coordination with the CF Project Coordinator, lead in the provision of extensive support, guidance and mentoring – both on the content of the project (strategy, activities etc.) and in matters of general organisational management (e.g. following up on due diligence recommendations) – to partner organisations and their staff responsible for the implementation of the project.

• In coordination with the Project team in London, ensure good financial management and compliance with any other requirements of project management, including specific safeguards and policies, in particular by local partners.

• In conjunction with the Project team and Head of Programmes, supervise the development of due diligence of partners involved in the project, as appropriate, and ensure follow-up of its recommendations as necessary.

• In coordination with the team in London, support partners in the implementation of safeguarding processes and supporting related training, supervision, and facilitating mentoring from the safeguarding officer and other members of the team as appropriate.

• Support implementing partners in the development of relevant communications tools and strategy.

• If appropriate, identify and develop other potential local partners in the country.

3. Other

• Represent the organisation in relevant local, national and international fora, on relevant policy issues.

• In conjunction with other members of staff, produce to publication standard the content for programme and policy materials and publications, for example leaflets, briefings, reports and online content.

• Contribute to the development of RFUK’s organisational knowledge base, such as by providing contacts for the central database, or technical briefs, resources and tools on issues such as security and project related themes.

• Identify funding opportunities and contribute to the preparation of funding proposals relevant for the development of the RFUK Programmes strategy.

• Contribute to the development and implementation of the Programmes strategy, and especially of its Community Forests component.

• Participate in RFUK’s strategic development, including attending internal meetings, strategy away days, etc.

• Perform other tasks as may from time to time be requested by the Head of Programmes and the Executive Director.

Founded in 1989, the mission of the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) is to support indigenous peoples and traditional populations of the world’s rainforest in their efforts to protect their environment and fulfil their rights to land, life and livelihood. Our approach differs from that of other organisations in that we are committed to both human rights and environmental protection.