Climate Change Communications Coordinator (Ref. 1316)

Bogor, Indonesia

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) advances human well-being, environmental conservation and equity by conducting research to inform policies and practices that affect forests in developing countries. We are one of 15 centers within the CGIAR Consortium Research Centers. Our headquarters are in Bogor, Indonesia, and we have offices in Asia, Africa and South America.

CIFOR is looking for a Climate Change Communications Coordinator

Overview

The Climate Change Communications Coordinator will lead a well-funded global initiative to raise awareness about the crucial role that forests play in mitigating and adapting to climate change. The Coordinator will implement a global communication strategy that delivers the results from the Global Comparative Study of REDD+ (GCS-REDD+) to stakeholders worldwide. REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. The UN-backed mechanism could see significant funding flow from rich countries to developing ones to safeguard their forests. GCS-REDD+ is funded by Norway, Australia, the European Union and other donors and it operates across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

GCS-REDD+ is carried out under five modules, one of which is knowledge sharing. The GCS-REDD+ Communications Coordinator will lead Module 5, a cutting edge communications and knowledge sharing program that operates in five languages with the goal of creating uptake pathways for GCS-REDD+ research findings to maximize outcomes and impact. The Coordinator will collaborate with CIFOR’s communication teams operating globally. This internationally recruited position will require substantial global travel. The candidate will report to CIFOR’s Senior Manager of Communications.

The ideal candidate should have a passion for science communications, with broad experience and familiarity with emerging social media tools and trends. The candidate should be a strong writer, and take pleasure in taking complex research findings and making them understandable and accessible for a broad audience, especially policymakers. The successful candidate should be experienced in managing a complex, geographically diverse communication project.

Duties and Responsibilities

Key tasks:

• Update, expand and oversee implementation of a communications strategy to deliver climate change research findings to key stakeholders worldwide at international, national and sub national levels.
• Work closely with CIFOR’s communications units: This comprises of a large Outreach team with officers and consultants in Asia, Africa and Latin America; a Multimedia unit, which overseas CIFOR’s many web platforms and publications; and a Data and Information group, which coordinates data-sharing and CIFOR’s publication repository.
• Be responsible for the management and expansion of the forests and climate change website (www.forestsclimatechange.org), and ensure optimal use of a diverse range of social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, SlideShare, YouTube, Flickr) to maximize outcomes.
• Liaise regularly with GCS-REDD+ scientists and be familiar with their research outputs.
• Develop outreach strategies for GCS-REDD+ scientists publications to ensure they inform a broad targeted audience and maximize outcomes.
• Write articles about research findings for CIFOR’s Forests News blog, as well as other outlets.
• Write donor reports.
• Play a key role in the organization of international climate change events.

Requirements

Education, experience, technical skills and competencies

• Masters degree in journalism, communications, or a related discipline.
• At least 8 years experience in science communications and/or top-tier science journalism.
• Experience as a project manager and in coordinating a team.
• Proven strong writer.
• Experience in event coordination, is an advantage.
• Fluency in English.
• Working knowledge of Indonesian, French, Spanish and/or Portuguese, is an advantage.

Personal attributes and competencies

• Be self motivated, outgoing and welcome the opportunity to work with significant autonomy.
• Have the ability to work independently, multitask and strategize at a macro level.
• Be a team player and have outstanding interpersonal communications skills.
• Desire to learn and excel in a high-performance team environment.
• Strong client service approach.

Terms and conditions

• This is an internationally recruited position. CIFOR offers attractive and globally competitive compensation and benefits, commensurate with skills and experience.
• The contract will be for 2 years with the possibility of extension contingent upon performance, continued relevance of this project and position and available resources.
• The position will be based in Bogor, Indonesia.

Applications process

• The application deadline is 25 May 2013.
• Screening of applications will start immediately afterward, and will continue until the selected candidate is identified.
• We will acknowledge all applications; however, we will contact only short-listed candidates.

Please send your letter of interest and CV, including contact information for three referees to:

Human Resources Department, CIFOR
cifor-hr-jobs@cgiar.org

Please indicate the position and its reference number in the email subject line.

CIFOR is an equal opportunity employer.
Staff diversity contributes to excellence.