Manager, Climate Change Adaptation in Farming Systems

One of Conservation International’s institutional priorities is the development of Ecosystem-based adaptation options that help people adapt to climate change by ensuring the continued provision of ecosystem services on which their livelihoods depend. Conservation International is a pioneer in the field of EbA and has recently been awarded an exciting, innovative project ‘Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Smallholder Subsistence and Coffee Farming Communities in Central America’, funded by the German Government. The overall objective of the project is to identify Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) options that will allow farmers to build resilience and resistance to the impacts of climate change in Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala. More specifically, the project aims to: 1) identify climate vulnerabilities and document strategies useful in dealing with climatic variation; 2) assess the  effectiveness of household and community-level EbA interventions, 3) assess institutional support for ecosystem-based adaptation, 4) build capacity to assess and support implementation of ecosystem-based adaptation through agricultural extension systems, and 5) disseminate project results at multiple levels to achieve impacts at both the policy and field implementation scale.

The Manager of Climate Change Adaptation in Farming Systems will have both project management and technical/scientific responsibilities related to this project, and will oversee the day-to-day implementation of this research project. The key responsibilities of the Manager will be to: oversee the daily management of the Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Smallholder Subsistence and Coffee Farming Communities in Central America” project, ensuring close coordination and regular communication among those involved in the project at both CI and CATIE  and other partners; provide support in the organization of scientific, technical and policy workshops and other project events related to smallholder farmers and ecosystem-based adaptation in three countries (Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica); provide oversight and facilitate coordination of project research activities in three countries; contribute to the technical development of the project and specific project research activities; and lead project outreach and dissemination activities. A country manager is being hired by CATIE, and the project and country managers are expected to work as a team in pursuit of the success of the project.

The Manager  will report directly to the Vice President of  Ecosystem Services at CI, who is the overall technical lead on the project. S/he will also be part of the Climate Change Adaptation team within the Ecosystem Services unit and will also work very closely with Principal Investigators and other staff at the Economics and Environment for Development Research Program of CATIE (the Tropical Agricultural and Higher Education Center), who are the main project partner. S/he will also work closely with the CI office in Costa Rica. The Manager position will be based in CATIE’s office in Turrialba, Costa Rica, but the manager will travel frequently to CI’s offices in San Jose to ensure close coordination of CI activities.  The position is a fixed term position and will terminate in June 2017..

In addition to the education and skills listed below, the successful applicant should demonstrate: a) work experience with interdisciplinary teams of economists, social scientists and ecologists, b) ability to coordinate teams remotely, c) ability to deliver results while managing competing priorities under tight deadlines; d) excellent interpersonal skills and e) ability to work well both independently and as a team member. 

Key Responsibilities:

• oversee the daily management of the Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Smallholder Subsistence and Coffee Farming Communities in Central America” project, ensuring close coordination and regular communication among those involved in the project at both CI and CATIE  and other partners, and timely delivery of project activities and reports (25% of time) . This will involve working closely with CI and CATIE project staff and project consultants to ensure activities are completed on schedule; convening regular meetings among project participants; facilitating project communication and information sharing; archiving and sharing all project documents (minutes, presentations, data); ; helping financa staff and principal researchers track project spending ; working with project staff to compile annual reports and preparing information for the donor, as needed.
•  provide support in the organization of scientific, technical and policy workshops and other project events related to smallholder farmers and ecosystem-based adaptation in three countries (Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica) (20% time).This will include helping project partners design, organize  and convene  expert workshops (e.g., on smallholder farmer vulnerability, mapping of past extreme weather events, etc.),  vulnerability assessments on the impacts of climate change on  smallholder farmers and ecosystems,  community workshops  on potential ecosystem-based adaptation options for smallholder farmers,  and other strategic events with local stakeholders and policy makers to get project buy-in and share results. The project manager will also be responsible for writing reports related to these events.
• provide oversight and facilitate coordination of project research activities in three countries (15%), by overseeing the hiring and management of project consultants, assisting in the logistics of field work (household surveys, field measurements), facilitating outreach to key stakeholders and institutions in the region, and ensuring that the research work plan is adhered to; 
• contribute to the technical development of the project and specific project research activities (30%). This could include contributing to targeted literature reviews on aspects related to smallholder farmer vulnerability to climate change, climate change impacts and adaptation policies in Central America; helping identify organizations and institutions that are relevant for EbA in smallholder farming systems, and contributing to an analysis of their  relative roles and effectiveness;  developing and implementing household surveys of farmer vulnerability to climate change; developing and implementing methodologies for measuring the effectiveness of different EbA approaches for reducing farmer vulnerability to climate change.; and
•  lead project outreach and dissemination activities (10%), by helping prepare materials for dissemination (scientific and technical articles development of policy briefs, preparation of power points), developing and delivering presentations in local and international events,  coordinating outreach to decision-makers, and coordinating the design of training courses for staff in key organizations working on adaptation in the region.

Working conditions:

Normal office environment. Driving license required. Ability to travel nationally and internationally at least 20% of the time.

Required:

• Masters degree in climate change, agroecology, natural resource management or ecology
• Knowledge of climate change adaptation and research methods
  Knowledge of climate change impacts on social and ecological systems
• Strong organizational, management and communication skills
• Proven ability to manage dynamic interdisciplinary projects with multiple partners
• Proven ability to engage and collaborate with diverse teams and individuals across various disciplines, cultures, backgrounds to achieve shared goals
• Experience working with interdisciplinary teams of economists, social scientists and ecologists
• Ability to work independently, as well as part of a dynamic team
• Fluency in spoken and written Spanish
• Fluency in spoken and written English

Preferred:

• Knowledge of climate change policy and ecosystem-based adaptation
• Experience with smallholder farming systems and/or communities in Central America
• Knowledge of coffee farming systems and agroforestry systems
• Experience with socio-economic surveys is a plus
• Work experience in any of the three project areas (Costa Rica, Honduras or Guatemala)