International Union for Conservation of Nature Job Vacancy Application Details

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Ghana Project Office, operating under the IUCN West and Central Africa Regional Programme (PACO), is seeking the services of a Technical Assistant to provide support to the Ghana Project Office towards implementation of the Mono-Volta Mangroves Forest Management Project and other IUCN initiatives in Ghana such as the Stabilising Land Use Project (PLUS), the Restoration in Cocoa Supply Chains Project (RESUPPLY), Shared Resources Joint Solutions Project (SRJS), and The Forest Landscape Restoration through a Sustainable Wood Energy Value Chain.
The Mono-Volta Mangroves Project is a four-year project (2019-2022) which aims to achieve integrated protection of Mangrove’s fragile diversity and ecosystems in West Africa and their enhanced resilience to climate change.
The specific objective of the project is to strengthen the management of protected areas and unprotected mangrove sites. The aim is to link governance and production systems with mangrove conservation structures at the territorial level. These links will be created through exchanges between actors in decision-making on the use of spaces and best practices, to set up or strengthen the platforms for dialogue within the landscapes and to make available grants to support management and conservation actions, based on competitive calls for proposals.
IUCN will implement activities in the Mono-Volta landscape (Songor Lagoon and Anlo-Keta Lagoons in Ghana, Roy Mouth in Benin and Mono Delta Biosphere Reserve in Benin and Togo)
The Expected Results of the Project are:Result 1. Socio-economic and sectoral activities in landscapes are coordinated in an integrated way.
Through this result, the action will identify and deepen the opportunities and issues related to the territories of intervention: state of ecosystems, evolution, restoration issues, prospects for the exploitation of natural resources and identification of conflicts of interest and use. The action will facilitate dialogues and diagnostics that characterize conflicts of interest and use, facilitate dialogues around these conflicts of use, and facilitate the production and dissemination of knowledge and management tools. sustainable resource development, restoration of degraded habitats and improve their resilience to climate change.Result 2. Effective protected area management systems are developed and operational.
The management systems covered include local operational devices for protected sites. The action will facilitate the development and implementation of management plans through technical assistance or financial means through small subsidies on competitive calls for proposals.

Result 3. Coastal populations benefit sustainably from Protected Areas (PAs) and are more resilient to climate change
Targeted populations are those that depend on the resources and services provided by mangrove landscapes for their survival and resilience to climate change. The action will facilitate the diagnosis of the channels and then support users in the adoption of best practices and finance investments to improve the valuation of these sectors through small grants on calls for proposals Competitive.
The Technical Assistant shall therefore perform the following roles and responsibilities;

1. General Responsibilities

The Technical Assistant shall be based in Accra and be responsible for provision of technical assistance for implementation of IUCN projects in the Ghana Project Office and the Mono-Volta Mangroves Forest Management Project managed by the Coastal and Marine programme (MACO) based in Dakar, Senegal.

He/she shall be actively engaged in the organisation, monitoring and reporting on field activities in the landscape of the Mangroves project (Mono-Volta Landscape).

2. Specific Tasks Include
The Technical Assistant shall be under the direct supervision of the IUCN Ghana Country Coordinator. In consultation with the Ghana Country Coordinator, and collaboration with the Mangroves project coordinator and relevant project implementing partners in Ghana, Togo and Benin, he/she shall undertake the following tasks:

A. Project Planning, Assessment and Reporting
• Provide technical support in areas of desk-top reviews and studies on subjects of relevance to the Mangroves project and other IUCN initiatives in Ghana
• Assist with the production of project technical reports and ensure that they conform with projects’ internal agreements
• Participate and take notes at project implementation and coordination meetings and finalise meeting reports
• Provide inputs to partners’ technical and financial reports as well as consultancy reports

B. Field Activities
• Work with partners and grantees and participate in planning, implementation and report- writing with regards to identified studies and field activities.
• Assist the Country Coordinator, MACO coordination team, and implementing partners and grantees with mobilising communities at the IUCN project landscapes and provide them with the necessary technical advice/assistance as may be required in order to ensure the implementation of small grants activities.
• Support with the planning and implementation of monitoring visits to the field to monitor partners’ activities and provide logistical and technical support to partners and stakeholders on the ground.

C. Project Management, Administration and Implementation
• Assist in the implementation of project budgets according to annual work plans;
• Assist in the preparation and implementation of workshops, seminars and training activities and provide technical guidance and logistical support to these events at both national and landscape levels
• Assist with drafting of reports for the Mangroves Project, West and Central Africa Regional Office (PACO) and Forest Conservation Programme semi-annual and annual reports and other IUCN Newsletters/ publications.
• Assist with filing of financial reports of the Ghana Project Office and preparation of monthly financial reports for submission to the PACO Finance and Administrative Assistant based in Cameroon.
• Scan all financial justifications/receipts and send to PACO Administrative Assistant
• Be responsive to any other administrative call from the Country Coordinator, MACO Team and Regional Office (PACO).

D. Networking, Relationship building and Communication
• Assist in the production of briefs from project outcomes, lessons and contribute to the dissemination of such communication materials.
• Build cordial relationship with project implementing partners as well as with IUCN staff regionally and globally.
• Perform any other duties as may be prescribed by the Country Coordinator, the IUCN MACO coordination team and IUCN PACO Regional Forest Programme Coordinator, based in Cameroon.

Expected Outputs
• IUCN Ghana Projects workplans well implemented without delays
• Implementing Partners’ activities monitored in Ghana, Bénin and Togo.
• Semi-Annual reports, Newsletters and meetings reports drafted and submitted on time
• Prepare and submit a hand-over note and return all company property and data to IUCN when the contract reaches its term.

Timeframe
This is a full-time vacancy for an initial contract period of 1 year (renewable annually). The successful candidate is expected to report to work five days a week. Hours of engagement shall be from 8:30AM-5:00PM each day.

In the event that the consultant travels out of Accra for official assignments, he/she shall, in addition to the agreed monthly salary, also be entitled to Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) at IUCN’s approved rates.