Biodiversity & PA Management Expert and Project Monitoring & Evaluation – GNP-NIMBA-DIECKE

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a union of Members made up of governments and civil society organizations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organizations with the knowledge and tools necessary to ensure that human progress, economic development and nature conservation are achieved in harmony. Established in 1948, IUCN has grown over the years to become the largest and most diverse environmental network in the world. It has the experience, resources and weight of its 1300 member organisations and the skills of more than 13,000 experts. Today, it is an international authority on the state of nature and natural resources in the world and on measures to preserve them. Our experts are divided into six Commissions, dedicated to species conservation, environmental law, protected areas, economic and social policies, ecosystem management, and education and communication.

In order to strengthen its interventions, IUCN in collaboration with APDRA Piscicultures Paysannes and implementing partners, have initiated the project "Integrated and Inclusive Management of the Transboundary Landscape of the Nimba-Diécké Mountains for Community Resilience and Natural Heritage Conservation (GINP-Nimba-Diécké)" funded by the European Union. The project operates in the transboundary landscape of the Nimba – Diécké Mountains (Republic of Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia) with the ultimate objective of sustainably strengthening the conservation and ecological connectivity of the Protected Areas and transboundary conservation of the Nimba-Diécké landscape, through a concerted management of natural and land resources, while improving the living conditions of local populations, especially women and young people.

In order to ensure the implementation of the funding agreement with the European Union, IUCN wishes to recruit a Biodiversity & PA Management and Monitoring and Evaluation Expert to contribute under the supervision of the Coordinator, to the implementation of the project in the three countries.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the direct supervision of the Project Coordinator and in close collaboration with the Head of the Guinea Office, the Expert in Biodiversity, PA Management and Monitoring and Evaluations will provide specialized technical expertise for the implementation of conservation, environmental governance and monitoring and evaluation activities in the targeted landscapes of the three countries (Guinea, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire). He/she will ensure the technical quality of interventions, compliance with environmental standards and the consideration of social and gender dimensions in the implementation of activities.

In terms of biodiversity

The biodiversity expert will be responsible for supporting the coordinator in ensuring technical coordination with implementing partners, research institutes and service providers mobilized on conservation and environmental governance issues, and in ensuring the realization of habitat mapping, ecological studies and species monitoring. He/She will also ensure quality control of the consideration of biodiversity conservation in local planning, and contribute to the promotion of participatory and inclusive governance of landscapes and natural resources, integrating gender and youth dimensions.

In terms of monitoring and evaluation of the project

In collaboration with the IUCN Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, the Project Expert will be responsible for ensuring the efficient and effective implementation of the activities and the effective achievement of the project objectives. He/she will therefore be responsible for the establishment of a solid M&E system, its operational implementation, guiding the most complete documentation of the technical and budgetary performance of the project and facilitating the capitalization, identification and formulation of a new project based on the available M&E data

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

In terms of biodiversity

• Provide technical support to the design and implementation of sustainable land management, ecosystem restoration and protected area management actions as well as local and regional governance;

• Ensure that the status and delimitation of PAs are strengthened on the basis of the popularization of texts and the clarification of boundaries with communities;

• Oversee the IMET assessment process of protected areas;

• Support the identification and improvement of value chains by country of intervention;

• Support the process of harmonization of information systems, planning, ecological monitoring and biomonitoring of APS;

• Implement and apply ecological monitoring protocols adapted to the specificities of the areas of intervention (monitoring of fauna, flora, habitats and restoration indicators).

In terms of monitoring and evaluation

• Ensure project planning and operational budgeting

• Develop and implement a system for collecting and analyzing data on project performance indicators

• Ensure that the evaluations provided for in the project monitoring/evaluation plan are carried out on time and ensure that the recommendations are implemented

• Contribute to the drafting of periodic technical and financial reports (monthly, quarterly, annual) as well as specific reports for the European Union.

• Capitalize on and document good practices, technical innovations and lessons learned to promote their replicability;

• Produce dissemination articles, policy briefs, based on the achievements and lessons learned of the project.