IMPORTANT: This Advertiser has requested that applicants MUST be National Residents / Valid Work Permit-holders. Other applicants need not apply.
The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. Based in New York City, with offices throughout the United States and worldwide, the Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers.
Rainforest Alliance and partner organizations Fundación Natura in Colombia, and Conservación y Desarrollo in Ecuador are working jointly to execute the USAID-funded project Initiative for Conservation in the Andean Amazon (ICAA) to address priority threats and opportunities in private lands, extractive reserves, buffer zones of protected areas, and indigenous lands in the Western Amazon of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. The consortium will use sustainable markets and certification for timber and wood products, Brazil nuts, coffee, cocoa, and tourism to conserve biodiversity and natural resources in this region, and has identified organizations that serve hundreds of farmers, foresters, lodge owners, or multiple communities as beneficiaries in select, biodiversity-rich target sites.
Position Summary:
The Technical Field Coordinator will be responsible for working with private and community-based organizations to provide direct field support regarding the implementation of sustainable tourism Best Management Practices. These private and community-based organizations include providers of lodging, meals, and tour operators.
Responsibilties:
- In conjunction with the Manager, Sustainable Tourism, develop, utilize and monitor the approved budget and work plan for the Iniciativa para la Conservación en la Amazonía Andina (ICAA) Project within the implementation of the Sustainable Tourism Program;
- Maintain and improve the indicators of the monitoring and evaluation system, in order to maintain an appropriate measurement of economical, environmental and social impacts of the project;
- Apply best practices verifications for sustainable tourism in private and communal operations participating in Sustainable Tourism Best Management Practices;
- Promote alliances with local promoters/sustainable tourism organizations for growing the Sustainable Tourism Program in the region;
- Provide technical assistance in specific areas related to the implementation of Best Management Practices, as well as continuous follow up with the operations, aimed at assuring the implementation of the sustainability principles and of a continuous improvement process in the communal and private operations involved in the program inside the ICAA project;
- Organize, facilitate and execute the different training events, trainings and technical assistance to the communities that participate in the program inside the ICAA project;
- Prepare and coordinate logistics for training workshops, sharing information with the project’s participants using the Best Management Practices methodology;
- Oversee the specialized technical assistance in Best Management Practices provided by the consultants' work;
- Support the implementation of the marketing and communication strategies through different activities like tourism fairs, familiarization trips, press trips, among others;
- Identify and participate in discussions which would include sustainability principles in local and regional policies;
- Support the preparation of monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual field activity reports;
- Support the development of proposals for counterpart funds that complement the project’s activities;
- Other tasks as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in Tourism Administration, Natural Resources Managementor a related field; Advanced degree preferred;
- 5-7 years of experience in Sustainable Tourism and Best Management Practices assistance;
- At least 3 years experience in community tourism and ecotourism areas;
- Strong communication skills in both English and Spanish required;
- Knowledge of training methodologies;
- Prior experience working with communities of the Amazon and Andean regions;
- Experience in the preparation of reports on established formats;
- Knowledge of the working area and of the social actors of the region;
- Experience working with USAID funded projects in Latin America;
- Experience working in social development projects;
- Working Familiarity with accreditation or certification systems a plus;
- Solid management and analytical skills;
- Strong MS Office use and computer skills (Word, Excel, Power Point) ;
- Excellent organizational skills, ability to work independently as well as in a team environment, assess priorities and multi-task with strong attention to detail; and
- Ability and willingness to travel 80 percent of the time.
Salary:
Commensurate with experience.
Notes:
Only candidates authorized to work in Ecuador will be considered for this role.
