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Technical Officer - Water and Climate Wetlands

For the water and climate programmes, we are looking for a commited and experienced Technical Officer - Water and Climate


Overall purpose of the job
Wetlands International has an exciting and rapidly developing portfolio of projects that seek to highlight the importance of wetlands to ensuring truly sustainable water resource management and related climate change adaptation solutions for people and biodiversity. These projects seek to ensure that ecosystems are seen as sustainable development opportunities and are maintained through balanced water, land and ecosystem management solutions from local to basin scale. Key issues that we are tackling include sustainable water allocation; major water infrastructure design and operation; role of wetlands as natural infrastructure especially in relation to water regulation and disaster risk management; the water-food-energy nexus; integrated river basin management.

The role will provide technical leadership and support to the delivery and development of programmes focused on water resources management and climate change adaptation with emphasis on developing countries. The position will be supported by a number of projects including two major DGIS funded MFS2 programmes (Ecosystem Alliance and Partners for Resilience) and several EU research projects focusing on climate change and water issues.


Main duties
In the fields of ecosystem-based water resource management and climate change adaptation:
• Provide technical support and guidance to international lobby and advocacy work including ‘mainstreaming’ ecosystem-based approaches in the water and other sectors
• Identify / lead / support the development of major new initiatives together with Wetlands International office network and partner organisations
• Provide technical advice and guidance to support the implementation of projects and programmes
• Coordinate multiple projects to collectively achieve outcomes and impacts
• Facilitate and contribute to Linking & Learning within Wetlands International’s network and between projects
• Write and publish papers on basis of regional and global outcomes and results as a means to help the organization disseminate information and to develop its position and reputation
• Stimulate processes of new partnership development and maintain existing partnerships in line with organizational, programme and project needs and priorities.
• Represent and promote Wetlands International with external partners and networks, through attendance at meetings and fora at various levels (local, national and international)


Profile
The enthusiastic appointee will be demonstrably committed to developing understanding of and promoting sustainable water management that sustains ecosystems and their related species and human livelihoods.
Furthermore they will regard this as an essential component of genuinely sustainable climate change adaptation solutions.
They will be convinced that supporting and maintaining wetland ecosystems requires innovative approaches to tackling water resource management and climate change issues from a landscape to local scale.
They will have a strong technical background and the ambition to develop and show both personal and institutional leadership in this field.
They will have practical experience in applying relevant disciplines in the field such as eco-hydrology, applied ecology, ecosystem valuation, wetland management and restoration and community and rural development, underpinned by an academic understanding.
The candidate will have experience in the development of complex projects with multiple partnersdrawn from public, private and civil society sectors .
S/he is a flexible and focus-oriented multi-tasker with experience working internationally and especially in non-governmental organisations.
She / he can cope with work related pressure and is willing to engage in international travel. It is essential that the Technical Officer can both work with minimum of supervision as well be a constructive member of a team.


Essential skills and experience
• Expertise in the application of ecosystem-based water resources management and climate adaptation
• Track record of working with developing country and especially African based organizations
• Experience in working in multi region, multi partner projects/programs
• Experience in networking and representation
• Track record in project development and proposal writing
• Good communications skills including writing and presentational
• Excellent command of English and French, both written and spoken.


Preferred skills and experience
• Demonstrated working experience in international organizations and an inter--cultural environment.
• Demonstrated working experience in the not-for profit sector.
• Demonstrated good coordination and communication skills.
• Writing peer-review publications


Specifics
This is a position for 36 hours per week, based in the Ede office, The Netherlands.
Scale 10 – 11 (Full time salary indication approx. € 2700.= - € 3900.= per month).
The position requires international travel.


Procedure
For applying to this vacancy, please send us a resume and an application letter indicating your motivation to hr@wetlands.org before 2 March 2012 . Please indicate our reference TO-WC-2012 in the subject line of your e-mail.
For more information, send an email to hr@wetlands.org.