Community Capacity Building Lead - PNG Biodiversity

Job Description

Cardno is seeking a Community Capacity Building Lead for the USAID Papua New Guinea Biodiversity Program.

The USAID Papua New Guinea (PNG) Biodiversity Program is a five-year conservation program based in Port Moresby. The program aims to strengthen the management of environmental resources in PNG to promote conservation of the country’s exceptional biodiversity and enhance the resilience of its people. The biodiversity program will reduce significant threats to priority biodiversity hotspots in PNG by supporting communities to manage their customary lands and waters, working at both national and local levels to develop the capacities needed to provide communities with the legal, technical, and financial resources required to achieve the sustainable management of natural resources. The program seeks a Community Capacity Building Lead to create and implement training exercises and capacity building modules to grow local awareness of sustainable resource management practices and to ensure that local organizations have the capacity to continue these practices after the program ends. The Community Capacity Building Lead is a local position and therefore ineligible for USAID allowances.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate capacity development across all implementing partners and ensure effective site level engagements for improved conservation capacity development outcomes;
• Lead coordination across all implementation activities for community outreach and engagement;
• Facilitate relationships among communities, NGOs, private sector partners, and government agencies to build and sustain capacity and momentum;
• Coordinate communications related to development training modules;
• Lead or support training exercises and programs at implementation sites;
• Travel regularly to project sites and ensure that lessons learned from implementation of capacity development programs are captured in a way that provide lessons for future projects and can be clearly reported to USAID;
• Work with the biodiversity program’s grants manager to align grants with effective and appropriate capacity development engagements at all levels;
• Work closely with all implementing partners and especially grant recipients to ensure optimal use of program funding to strengthen CBO/NGO capacity;
• Design and support activities that improve community, local and provincial awareness on biodiversity policies and laws as they relate to community empowerment and action;
• Work with site-based staff and communities to develop conservation programming, including conservation enterprises;
• Develop of new sustainable livelihoods/conservation enterprises in the program’s areas of work;
• Report capacity building successes, includes working with the monitoring, evaluation, and learning team efforts to capture and report program to USAID;
• Coordinate with the program’s gender specialist to ensure that capacity development activities across the program effectively integrate gender at the site level;
• Work with the grant’s manager to identify potential grant recipients, assess their capacity to manage grants, review their plans for capacity development, and assist in identifying capacity development training that potential recipients need to be able to effectively receive grants under the program; and
• Work with other team members to effectively capture capacity development successes and report to GoPNG, USAID, and other partners on a regular basis.

Qualifications:
REQUIRED MINIMUM EDUCATION: MSc/MA (or equivalent) in relevant field
REQUIRED MINIMUM EXPERIENCE: 7+ years of experience working with PNG government and civil society stakeholders on environment and conservation projects.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Experience working with community stakeholders to reduce the primary drivers and threats to biodiversity;
• Familiarity with and implementation of gender focused approaches;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and adherence to cultural sensitivity and diplomacy;
• Ability to work with stakeholders and potential community-level conflicts to achieve community-consensus centered agreements and link these to capacity development programs;
• Experience working with USAID or other donor-supported programs on community capacity development;
• Proficiency with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook required;
• Excellent conceptual, oral and written communication skills;
• Proficiency in the English language required.

Equal Opportunity Statement: Cardno has a long standing policy of Equal Opportunity in employment. Our practice is to fill positions by selecting applicants who can perform the work in a competent and professional manner. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or veteran status. At any time, if you need an accommodation during the application process, please contact Human Resources at jobs@cardno.com.
Cardno is a professional infrastructure and environmental services company, with specialist expertise in the development and improvement of physical and social infrastructure for communities around the world. Cardno’s team includes leading professionals who plan, design, manage and deliver sustainable projects and community programs. Cardno is an international company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange [ASX:CDD].
Visit our website at www.cardno.com/internationaldevelopment - to learn more about Cardno Emerging Markets USA, Ltd.

Applicants must submit their CV and Cover Letter, including “PNG and Job Title” on the subject line of the email. CV and cover letter should be sent to the following email address: recruit@cardno.com.

About the Organization

Cardno Emerging Markets USA, Ltd., is part of Cardno’s Emerging Markets Division with international development assistance companies in Brisbane, Brussels, Jakarta, Melbourne, Nairobi, Oxford, Port Moresby, and Washington, DC. Cardno Emerging Markets USA, Ltd. was formerly Emerging Markets Group, Ltd. and brings nearly a 30-year history serving the objectives of bilateral and multilateral donors and private clients. The Emerging Markets Division brings together a broad range of experience and talent; a rich history of innovation, passion and commitment to international development and an established reputation for high quality demand and client driven services. Cardno’s Emerging Markets Division manages more than $750 million in current contracts and grants, brings together over 90 years of collective experience, and engages over 3,700 professionals in more than 100 countries. Cardno’s Emerging Markets Division currently implements over 130 projects globally.