The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), as a part of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment (USAID/CARPE), may require the services of a Technical Program Manager to help administer its USAID/CARPE-funded program and related donor-funded activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Background

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as one of the world’s least developed countries and part of the world’s second largest rainforest ecosystem, presents a critical challenge and opportunity for biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and climate change mitigation. Since 2007, USFS has worked to support the sustainable management of forests in the DRC as part of USAID/CARPE as well as other regional U.S. government programs. Drawing on a range of expertise covering the many dimensions of forest, resource and land management, USFS works in Central Africa with partners on land use planning and forest zoning, forest inventory and monitoring, fire and rangeland management, community forestry, ecotourism, illegal logging and capacity development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Gabon.

In DRC, one of USFS’s roles is providing technical support to the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD) on community forestry, forest inventory and forest monitoring, land use planning and other technical issues so that the DRC can pursue its development objectives while meeting its commitments to sustainable forest management at local, national, regional, and international levels.

The USFS may seek a full-time Technical Program Manager, based in Kinshasa, to help administer its CARPE/USAID-funded program and related donor-funded activities in coordination with other USFS International Programs management staff.

Position Description

Responsibilities of the Technical Program Manager would include, but are not limited to:

• Implementing, in coordination with other USFS staff, an ambitious annual work program of sustainable forest management activities funded by USAID and other US government agencies.
• Advising the MEDD in coordinating the implementation of technical and administrative programs that contribute substantively to sustainable forest management and climate change mitigation. This work takes many forms, including working with local, national, and international NGOs to coordinate efforts and ensure participation in biodiversity conservation, land use mapping, and forest zoning, encouraging dialogue between community groups and MEDD officials.
• Coordinating with other related USFS technical assistance programming in the Central Africa region to ensure maximum programming impact and effectiveness.
• Providing technical assistance inputs and updates on forestry and land use planning issues to USAID and implementing partners.
• Implementing other related natural resource management technical assistance activities with partner institutions in DRC and coordinated across the Congo Basin.
• Contributing substantively to the preparation and execution of national and regional natural resource management training workshops.
• Working with regional and international partner institutions to maximize the impact of limited resources in a challenging development context.
• Orienting and coordinating the activities of visiting teams of USFS experts, as well as coordinating with ministry counterparts and other technical consultant missions.
• Communicating USFS interests and, where appropriate, those of other USG agencies in national and regional sustainable forest management contexts.
• Identifying other areas where USFS can lend its technical expertise in the areas of land use planning, forest inventory, and capacity development to the sustainable development of a country that is critical to global biodiversity conservation and carbon mitigation.

Qualifications

• At least a master’s degree in conservation biology, environmental sciences, forestry, sustainable development, or related field.
• Ability to represent the US government at meetings and in interactions with international donors, local governments, international NGOs, and civil society.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical coordination and leadership with a broad range of interested parties, across cultures, languages and varying capacity levels in order to catalyze improved conservation outcomes.
• Skills in broad outreach, including building, maintaining, and managing diverse partnerships with government and civil society partners, donor agencies,
• Ability to think critically and synthetically across fields and topics related to natural resource management and sustainable development in the developing country context.
• Demonstrated capacity to plan, organize, and prioritize multiple tasks to ensure their efficient and timely accomplishment.
• Familiarity with conservation and development issues in Africa.
• Knowledge of climate policy and public lands issues preferred.
• Strong ability to work independently in difficult conditions while maintaining productivity.
• Ability to manage budgets and staff.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in French and English.
• Experience working in a developing country is preferred; experience in Central Africa a plus.
• Candidates from the Congo Basin region and, especially, women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Location: The position would be based in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with travel regionally or internationally as needed.

If the US Forest Service were to secure the services of an individual with these technical skills, the successful applicant would be hired through a contractor.

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