No Required: 6 for Bale and 2 for Guji-Borana woredas

PROJECT: FSD+ Bale Mountains Eco-region REDD+ phase II Project

REPORTS TO: Filed Level Project Team/Deputy Team Leader

REPORTING TO POSTHOLDER: None

LOCATION: Bale and Guji Borana zones Project intervention woredas

NUMBER REQUIRED: 6 for Bale and 2 for Guji-Borana woredas

DURATION & HOURS: 6 months with probation period of 60 working days with a high probability of extension based on availability of funds

FARM AFRICA

Effective agriculture has the power to change lives. It underpins prosperity, food security and stability the world over. Farm Africa focuses on transforming agriculture and managing natural resources sustainably. We champion a holistic approach that boosts yields, protects the environment and connects smallholder farmers to thriving markets.

We work with different types of farmers in a range of regions. Their local situations vary, but the problems they face are all too familiar: lack of training and technology, inadequate inputs, no finance, vulnerability to climate change and poor links to markets.

We have an ambitious strategy to expand our work over the next five years. We’ll increase our impact. Lift more communities out of poverty. Work with more corporate partners who share our vision. Open up more agricultural markets. Provide more expertise. We’ll make change happen.

BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

Farm Africa and SOS Sahel Ethiopia have been jointly implementing the Bale Mountains Eco-region REDD+ Project since 2012. The first phase of the project has demonstrated a model for institution building for integrated PFM-REDD+ implementation that has been adopted by the national REDD+ programme of the Government of Ethiopia. The current project, the Bale Eco-region REDD+ Project Phase II – funded by The Royal Norwegian Embassy is under implementation – builds on the progresses and achievements made in Phase I, and now at a crucial stage in ensuring the sustainability of Bale REDD+ project initiative through a gradual integration or nesting of it into the jurisdictional Oromia Forested Landscape Program (OFLP). Phase II is also designed with the objective of making Bale REDD+ project to continue becoming the knowledge hub for REDD+ best practices in the country. Phase II applies a process of reviewing and learning potential; further developing forest product enterprises and access to markets to manage the high expectations of local community for carbon finance so as to make it a self-sustaining forest management scheme; continue building the capacity of CBOs and other stakeholders including law enforcement agencies, and strengthen the national REDD+ actors network to make it an effective platform for knowledge and experience sharing and policy debates and others. The project implementation requires collaboration with multiple REDD+ stakeholders in the country, principally MEFCC, Oromia Environment, Forest and Climate Change Authority *OEFCCA), Oromia REDD+ Coordination Unit (ORCU), The WBG, and the national REDD+ secretariat.

More specifically, the Bale Mountains REDD+ phase II project was planned to strengthen the managerial and organizational capacities of 64 PFM/REDD+ CBOs that have been organized within 11 woredas of Bale ecoregion and now planning to scale up/out to additional woredas of the Bale ecoregion and Guji Borana Woredas. The overall project implementation is coordinated by REDD+ coordination unit based in Addis Ababa while the direct activities implementation is carried out by the field team based in Robe, Bale and Guji-Borana field office to be established.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Community Development Facilitator (CDF) will be based in a specific project Woreda and work under the direction and guidance of the Bale and Guji-Borana Field Team Leader/Deputy Team Leader. The Woreda CDF is responsible for the overall implementation of project activities at community level. Specifically, the WCDF forms the link between the project field team and the communities and local government representatives. Major responsibility of the WCDF include: community/institutional capacity building activities, forest resource assessment and support forest CBOs on the proper carbon money utilization and ensuring sustainability of the project initiative through coordinating with woreda government relevant stakeholders and ensuring their active participation in the project implementation.

KEY TASKS AND RESPONISBILITES

Implement project activities at community level

• Work with the project team based at Robe and Goji-Borana field of to be established and government counterparts to achieve the project outputs/outcomes at his/her specific Woreda
• Support Project officers (POs) in identifying training needs, prepare training materials, and deliver training, business plan development and other services to REDD+ CBOs and unions
• Ensure adequate consultation and participation of Woreda and village/community level stakeholders ensuring active participation of women
• With support of the POs, provide expertise and advice for community institutions on gender mainstreaming in REDD+ scheme
• Facilitate community meetings, support CBOs proper carbon money utilization as per the business plan developed by CBOs
• Conduct other duties as required

Support and facilitate community/institutional capacity building activities

• Facilitate periodical capacity assessment of CBOs by collecting data using the Organizational and Managerial Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT)
• Ensure implementation of capacity building plans (including, among others, technical support) in close collaboration with the Project Officers and Woreda Level government pertinent sector offices.

Forest resource assessment and carbon benefit sharing

• Facilitate community discussion on proper carbon many utilizations and actively engage in participatory forest assessments
• In collaboration with the community and other technical staff, prepare reports based on the results of participatory forest assessments
• Responsible for quality control of CBOs periodic reports, following specific guidelines and templates
• In collaboration with other senior project staffs at filed offices and the POs, facilitate the design and implementation of CBO specific forest management plans in agreement with community and local government parties

Play an active role as a member of the Farm Africa Project team

• Act as an active member of the project team by identifying and exploring opportunities to improve project implementation and guarantee its sustainability
• Contribute to the implementation of Farm Africa’s strategy
• Participate in broader Farm Africa meetings with other project staff members, as requested by line manager.
• These essential functions are not to be interpreted as a complete statement of all duties performed. Employees will be required to perform other job related duties as required. All work responsibilities are subject to having performance goals and/or targets established.

Job Requirements

Education, qualifications & other knowledge

• BSC degree in rangeland, forestry, natural resources management or any other relevant discipline
• Good understanding of climate change, REDD+ and natural resources management

Experience

Essential

• Three-year work experience in implementing projects at community level preferably with NGOs
• Experience in the area of community-based institution organizational capacity building
• Experience in participatory forest management/Natural resource management
• Experience with participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools

Desirable

• Work experience in the Bale-Eco Region and Guji-Borana Woredas
• Experience in working with the PRA technics and others

Skills & abilities

Essential

• Basic knowledge verbal and written communication skills in English
• Good skills of report writing
• Fluent speaking of Afaan Oromo language

Desirable

• Willingness to work and travel in difficult locations

Our VALUES

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

Investing in smallholder farming is the number one way to combat poverty in rural Africa. Farm Africa is a leading NGO specialising in growing agriculture, protecting the environment and developing businesses in rural Africa.

EXPERT. Deep expertise and insightful evidence-based solutions are at the heart of everything Farm Africa does.

GROUNDED. Positive change starts with Africa’s people, so our experts work closely with local communities, engaging them in every level of decision-making.

IMPACTFUL. We take a long-term view so we can deliver lasting changes for farmers and their families.

BOLD. We model innovative new approaches and are not afraid to challenge strategies that are failing.