Tajikistan Rangeland/Pastureland Specialist (Dushanbe, Tajikistan)

Management & Engineering Technologies International, Inc.
United States, D.C., Washington
Dec 20, 2024
SKILLS SEARCH Tajikistan Rangeland/Pastureland Specialist Dushanbe, Tajikistan March, 2024 Management and Engineering Technologies, Inc. (METI), a close partner of the US Forest Service (USFS), may require the services of a Tajikistan Country Coordinator to support the development and implementation of the "Strengthening Natural Resource Management Capacity in Tajikistan" program. As a part of the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) programming in Tajikistan, the USFS will collaborate with the Government of Tajikistan (GoT) and other relevant partners to strengthen institutional capacity in a number of areas including but not limited to, natural resource management, combatting land degradation, promoting watershed health and conservation, protecting food security, supporting ecosystem adaptation and resilience, as well as adaptation to natural hazards and disaster risk reduction. Background: The US Forest Service (USFS) is the principal domestic technical agency for forestry and natural resource management in the United States and the largest natural resource research institution in the world. Its 35,000-person workforce possesses a wide range of natural resource management skills, including expertise in forest and rangeland management, protected area management, wildlife management, research and practical applications related to ecological resilience, recreation and tourism development, ecosystem services valuation, and ecosystem restoration, among others. The agency's multiple use mandate requires that it balance conservation with social and economic interests, necessitating a pragmatic approach to natural resource management. Further, the Forest Service works extensively with resource management agencies at both the federal and state level and with communities, tribes, and civil society to coordinate management, seek input, and resolve conflict - the agency is well-versed in the shared management of resources that do not adhere to political and administrative boundaries (i.e., ecosystems and their primary constituents - water, wildlife, soils, and services). The primary purpose for this program is to provide support to USAID/Tajikistan for implementation of the Strengthening Natural Resource Management Capacity activity. This program is funded by USAID/Tajikistan and this partnership will provide an efficient mechanism through which USAID/Tajikistan can engage the unique technical expertise and capabilities of USFS/IP. In collaboration with USAID/Tajikistan, USFS will develop technical cooperation with relevant GoT counterparts on a wide array of focus areas including but not limited to, forest and ecosystem management and strategies for climate adaptation and resilience; strengthening community capacity and promoting public participation and ownership in the natural resources sector; institutional strengthening for educational, academic and/or research institutions in natural resource management and resilience; and empowering women and youth in natural resource management. In so doing, this will support priority United States Government (USG) assistance objectives as established within USAID/Tajikistan's Strategic Framework (SF) Tajikistan's Integrated Country Strategy (ICS), United States Strategy for Central Asia 2019-2025 (C5+1), and USAID/Tajikistan's Feed the Future Program. Programmatic focus areas will be determined by consultations during the course of the USFS initial scoping visits during Year 1 of the program. This program will seek to collaborate closely with relevant GoT agencies which may include the State Forestry Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, the Tajik Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, the Tajik State Committee on Environmental Protection, the Tajik State Agency of Land Reclamation and Irrigation, the Tajik Academy of Sciences, the Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Tajik Hydrometeorology Agency. This program will also seek to collaborate with Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), Community-based Organizations (CBOs), and academia to ensure individual project components are carried out effectively and meet the needs of target beneficiaries. USFS may also explore collaboration with other international donor agencies active in Tajikistan's natural resource sector. USFS Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will provide technical assistance to support relevant GoT agencies, and/or their respective local authorities, in knowledge areas and skills that are critical to strengthening natural resource management. USFS SMEs will provide technical assistance through both remotely based support from the US and in-person technical consultations, trainings, workshops, and Train-the-Trainers activities implemented in Tajikistan. Position Description: Working closely with USFS/IP Program Manager based in Washington, DC, and METI, The Tajikistan Rangeland/Pastureland Specialist will play a central role in liaising with the Tajik Forestry Agency (TFA), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), GoT officials and other sectoral stakeholders in identifying, prioritizing, developing and implementing the technical cooperation activities. The Tajikistan Rangeland/Pastureland Specialist will ensure effective implementation of the technical activities in the program and recommend necessary adjustments as needed. The Tajikistan Rangeland/Pastureland will coordinate closely with USFS team members and provide technical and positional capacity building support in relation to the technical cooperation programs. The Tajikistan Rangeland/Pastureland Specialist will also work with the USFS Tajikistan team to implement program activities with GoT counterparts and other relevant partners in Tajikistan, such as CBOs, civil society organizations (CSOs), international organizations, and NGOs. The Tajikistan Rangeland/Pastureland Specialist would support the program in capacities such as, but not limited to, the following: Identify and coordinate with relevant GoT agencies, including GoT partners, CBOs, CSOs, NGOs, and international organizations to ensure synergies among these efforts and incorporate lessons learned from previous efforts into the program's design; Work together with USFS/IP country-based staff to ensure strong communication and liaise with relevant GoT officials to ensure government counterparts 'priorities are integrated into the program development and implementation. (An example of liaising tasks includes facilitating and integrating comments and feedback from the GoT on drafts of training program curriculum and other related documents developed by USFS technical experts.); Provide assistance on technical components of program development and implementation, in close coordination with USFS/IP country-based staff and the USFS/IP Program Manager; Facilitate program development and work planning processes in close collaboration with USFS/IP country-based staff and DC-based Program Manager, including providing inputs to ensure the design of USFS programming takes into account political and cultural aspects that are unique to the Tajikistan context; Document the key steps involved program implementation, particularly in any Train-the-Trainers processes so that future training-of-the-trainer cycles can draw upon the processes and resources utilized by USFS; Meet with USAID and other relevant US Embassy partners to report on program status; Prepare monthly progress reports, activity reports, and additional reporting as needed; Provide technical training and consultative support to in-country partners Qualifications: The Tajikistan Rangeland/Pastureland Specialist should have the following skills and experience: A minimum of three to five years of experience in project implementation and partnership development in Tajikistan, preferably in rangeland/pastureland management, or related environmental and natural resource sectors; Minimum of Bachelor's degree, preferably in the natural resources field; Demonstrated experience managing multi-stakeholder partnerships, engaging in consultative work planning, and coordinating activities and meetings; Ability to work effectively without day-to-day supervision; Ability to work in a dynamic environment with GoT and US Government agencies, international donors, NGOs, community groups, and other stakeholders; Willingness to learn new approaches and methodologies Deep understanding of Tajikistan culture; Excellent organizational skills; Excellent written and oral communication skills; Excellent interpersonal skills; Experience working with GoT agencies, strongly preferred; Experience implementing U.S. Government funded activities and maintaining compliance with US Government regulations strongly preferred; Required computer proficiencies: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet; and, Language skills: Professional proficiency in spoken and written English, Tajik, and Russian GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE POSITION Issuance Date: 25 March 2024 Application Closing Date: 15 April 2024 Number of Positions: 01 (One) Position Title: Rangeland/Pastureland Specialist Level of Efforts: Full Time Salary: Relevant to the technical skill level of the position but may be adjusted to account for additional experience and skills. Period of Performance: Initially 1 Year; with the possibility of extension Base Location: Dushanbe, Tajikistan Expected Starting Date: 29 April 2024 If the US Forest Service were to secure the services of an individual with these skills, the successful applicant would be hired through Management and Engineering Technologies Inc. Qualified individuals should apply at: https://jobs.localjobnetwork.com/j/78828131 Close of business: April 15, 2024 Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted Due to the high volume of applications, we cannot respond to all applicants and therefore only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.