Project Technical Adviser, RECOFTC Thailand
Summary
Oversee a 24-month biodiversity conservation project in Thailand, coordinating government partners, NGOs, and local communities to strengthen forest landscape management and reduce human-wildlife conflict.
RECOFTC is an international nonprofit organization working towards a future where resilient communities with respected rights thrive in forest landscapes that they manage sustainably and equitably. We take a long-term, landscape-based and inclusive approach in supporting local communities to secure their land and resource rights, stop deforestation, find alternative livelihoods and foster gender equality. We have almost 40 years of experience working with people and forests and have built trusting relationships with partners at all levels. As a trusted, honest broker, we occupy a distinct position as an international organization that supports, informs and brings together governments, communities, businesses, academia and civil society organizations. Our innovations, knowledge and initiatives enable countries to foster good forest governance, mitigate and adapt to climate change and achieve the UN Global Goals.
We operate in the Asia-Pacific region, with country offices in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam.
In Thailand, RECOFTC works closely with government agencies, communities and partners to advance biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest landscape management, including through the Integrated Forest Landscape Management for Strengthening the North-eastern and Eastern Forest Corridors (IFLMS-NE&E) project. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) serving as the GEF implementing agency. RECOFTC holds overall executing and technical responsibility for the project as the operational partner, with FAO providing oversight and technical support, and the Royal Forest Department (RFD) serving as the lead government partner agency.
The project focuses on four forest complexes along Thailand's eastern border: Phu Phan, Phanom Dongrak–Pha Tam, Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai and the eastern forest, which together span 6.5 million hectares of globally significant wildlife habitat, home to species such as the Asian elephant, the Indo-Chinese tiger and the Great Hornbill. These landscapes are under growing threat from forest degradation, land-use change and habitat encroachment and fragmentation, which increasingly expose wildlife to human activity. The Government of Thailand has recognized that protecting these habitats requires a landscape approach, since the effectiveness of protected areas depends heavily on what happens in the surrounding lands and waters, shaped by the actions of communities, private landowners and government agencies.
The project’s primary goal is to strengthen biodiversity conservation across these four complexes by improving forest landscape management. This involves strengthening government policy, institutional arrangements and capacities for conservation within and between protected areas, mainstreaming biodiversity objectives into the management of forests, agricultural land and plantations, and reducing human-wildlife conflict. The project also contributes to broader national policies and laws on land degradation, gender equity, rural development and climate change.
Delivery of the project draws on a wide network of partners at the national, provincial and local levels, including government departments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and academic institutions. More than 30 stakeholder groups are engaged across the four target forest complexes, including provincial government departments, local authorities, local administrative organizations, forest plantation owners, community forest users, local communities and academic institutions.
RECOFTC is currently seeking a Project Technical Adviser for the IFLMS-NE&E project, based at the RECOFTC Thailand Office in Bangkok. The selected candidate will be offered a 24-month contract with the possibility of extension, contingent on funding availability and satisfactory performance. Any offer of employment resulting from this vacancy is contingent upon confirmation of project funding.
- Lead overall project management to ensure effective delivery of results in line with the project proposal, to a high-quality standard
- Develop and update the project work plan in consultation with the PSC and project partners
- Manage the PMU staff, ensuring timely recruitment and performance reviews in line with RECOFTC policy, while supervising the team and promoting effective teamwork and internal communication
- Manage the project budget to ensure effective and efficient spending, including compliance with organizational policies, procedures and donor requirements
- Prepare and submit progress and financial reports and develop annual work plans and budgets, ensuring project indicators remain up to date
- Supervise the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer in developing the project baseline and MEL work plan, ensuring timely delivery of MEL activities, including the mid-term review and final evaluation
- Ensure the project’s plans and strategies (social and environmental safeguards, gender strategy, stakeholders engagement strategy, etc.) are implemented in line with the project proposal and logframe
- Ensure strong coordination with project partners, co-financing agencies and other ongoing GEF projects in Thailand
- Supervise the Communications Officer in developing a communication strategy that ensures the project’s visibility aligns with GEF, FAO and RECOFTC guidelines
- Ensure the project’s technical work draws on the best available tools and expertise, including from Thailand, RECOFTC, FAO and other sources
- Ensure quality review of all technical deliverables, including delivery against GEF core indicators and the project results framework, particularly on biodiversity conservation and natural resources management
- Prepare and deliver training on relevant topics as prioritized in the annual work plan and review and guide training and technical materials prepared by other technical experts
- Prepare policy guidance notes and presentations for key project events, and present project results in relevant policy forums
- Lead expert consultations and guide the team’s approach to technical issues such as forest corridor connectivity, human-wildlife conflict and sustainable forest management
- Represent the project and RECOFTC in external meetings, events and forums as needed, communicating project achievements and lessons learned to diverse audiences
- Serve as PSC Secretariat, facilitating PSC meetings and leading communication with the RFD and FAO to keep all parties updated and secure support as needed
- Postgraduate degree in Forestry, Natural Resources Management, Environment, Agriculture or a related discipline
- At least 10 years of senior-level experience on donor-funded projects and programmes
- Demonstrated extensive experience and technical expertise in biodiversity conservation and related fields
- Substantial experience working with government agencies, the UN or other development sector actors
- Ability to interact tactfully and effectively with multiple institutional actors across diverse sectors and levels, communicating messages and promoting dialogue
- Ability to manage teams and consultants, promoting teamwork and team development
- Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
- Strong computer literacy, particularly with Microsoft Office
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Thai and English
- Thai nationality
- Extensive knowledge of environment, socio-economic development, climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity and ecosystems, or natural resource management in Thailand and internationally
- Experience with and understanding of principles and approaches for integrating environmental and social considerations in smallholder-dominated landscapes
- Established relationships with relevant stakeholders, particularly the Royal Forest Department and other government line agencies
- Strong facilitation skills for complex multistakeholder workshops and meetings
- Embrace innovation
- Adapt to and learn from challenges
- Nurture commitment, responsibility and ownership
- Collaborate with partners and stakeholders
- Commit to sustainability
- Cultivate participation, gender equality and social inclusion
- Prioritize well-being
- At RECOFTC, we uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency and responsibility in all our operations. Our policies and guidelines are designed to ensure a safe, inclusive, sustainable and ethical environment for our staff, partners, consultants and the communities we serve.
- All staff, consultants and contractors engaged by RECOFTC are required to comply with RECOFTC’s policies and procedures while performing their roles with RECOFTC.