Biodiversity and Oil Palm Project Manager

A position is available, starting as soon as possible, as the Project Manager of the Zoological Society of London’s Biodiversity & Oil Palm Project in Indonesia.

Recognising that oil palm expansion is set to continue in Indonesia, this project was initiated in 2009 with the aim of finding practical solutions to mitigating the impact of palm oil production on biodiversity, primarily through working to assist in more effective implementation of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil certification scheme. This has involved developing practical guidance for identifying and managing High Conservation Value species and habitats, establishing a website to improve access to scientific research and resources to assist in this task, and convening an international symposium to review the science and practice of realising sustainable palm oil and catalyse the actions needed by each sector to achieve this. We have also been working to identify and overcome policy related barriers that currently hinder efforts to reduce the impact of palm oil production on biodiversity in Indonesia. In order to achieve this, ZSL works closely with the RSPO through participation in the Biodiversity & High Conservation Working Group, as well as a range of palm oil stakeholders.

The next phase of the project, which is set to run until November 2012, will build on this work by engaging with producers, the RSPO and both the international and Indonesian HCV Resource Networks to develop and field test a practical system for HCV monitoring. At present, there is currently limited guidance or tools available to assist producers to implement scientifically sound monitoring protocols, yet this is critical to inform adaptive management and gain a greater insight into the impact of efforts by RSPO member producers to conserve biodiversity within oil palm.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the management of the Biodiversity and Oil Palm Project and the further expansion of this work in Indonesia. This will include continuing to work with our private sector partners to develop and field test monitoring and management interventions, liaising with the RSPO and HCV networks and other key stakeholders to have the project’s recommendations adopted and implemented.

The post will be based in Bogor, Indonesia but will be expected to spend at least 50% of their time on oil palm plantation field sites in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Some further travel within Asia may be required.

The post holder should have a postgraduate qualification, either a PhD or and MsC, with relevant experience in forestry, conservation science, natural resource management or a related discipline, project management experience and experience in implementing biodiversity research in the field. Experience of working with the private sector is desirable, preferably with the agricultural commodities sector, as is membership of IEEM (Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management), and chartered environmentalist[p1] . A working knowledge of certification schemes and agricultural commodities production, ideally oil palm, is highly desirable. The successful candidate should have experience of living and working in developing countries, preferably in South East Asia, a good understanding of oil palm and tropical forest issues, excellent communication skills, fluency in both spoken and written English and ideally Bahasa Indonesia.

A job description is available on our website, www.zsl.org/jobs.

We can offer a base salary of £22,000 to £24,481 p.a., plus benefits including, annual return flight from Europe to Indonesia, visa, and insurance under ZSL’s group travel insurance policy.

To apply please send your CV and covering letter to hr@zsl.org.

Deadline for applications is Friday 7^th October

Interviews will be called w/c 10^th October