Belgium

We are looking for an experienced, bilingual (French and English) consultant to provide an assessment of EU policies and processes including funding that support the development and implementation of community forests.

Invitation to tender for new project: Bringing community forestry to the next level in the Congo Basin

1. Title of Project

International support to Community Forestry in the Congo Basin: Lessons Learned, Gaps, and the Road Ahead.

2. Background and rationale

A handful of countries in the developing world have supported the development of community forests which are forested lands held collectively by local communities. These forests are very often governed by customary rights, rules, and institutions that vary and change according to local circumstances. Many forest communities clear small areas of forest for subsistence agriculture or husbandry, but let the forest and its ecosystem regenerate.

But national legislation in many countries’ does not recognise communities’ customary rights to their forests, and governments are often reluctant to support the development of viable and inclusive community forestry models. This leaves forest communities vulnerable to external pressure on their land.

In Central Africa, community forestry is a relatively new concept. In Cameroon, the concept has been implemented for two decades with mixed results. Other countries in the region including Gabon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Republic of Congo are starting seeing implementation of community based management models on a pilot scale. By working with communities to strengthen their forest rights, decision makers can help to achieve numerous governance, development and climate benefits.

Fern and its local partners in the Congo Basin work with civil society organisations, local communities, policy makers and donors to strengthen community forest rights and promote community based forest management. In the context of the CoNGOs project (NGOs collaborating for equitable and sustainable community livelihoods in Congo Basin forests), Fern aims to achieve improved governance and practice in equitable and sustainable community forestry livelihoods including through:

▪ Legal recognition for communities’ customary tenure rights;
▪ Building the capacity of forest communities to claim their rights and improve sustainable forest management models; and
▪ Promoting community forestry in the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) FLEGT VPA and REDD+ processes.

A number of donors are supporting the development of community forestry in the Congo Basin by aiding national governments to reform their land and/or forest sector, encouraging development initiatives to strengthen local livelihoods, and funding climate actions that involve community participation in forest restoration and protection.

However, this support has not yet been systematically recorded and assessed in the Congo Basin as a whole at the exception of Cameroon. The paper will therefore shed light on EU policies and processes that contribute to the development of community forestry in the Congo Basin, and assess how relevant successful they have been so far.

Ultimately, the paper aims to convince the EU to step up its support to community forestry as a tool that can contribute to achieving the SDGs, improve forest governance and attaint climate objectives

3. Aim of the study

The main purpose of the study is to provide an assessment of EU policies and processes including funding that support the development and implementation of community forests.

The specific objectives of the paper are to:

1. Provide a brief context on the state of play of community forestry including definitions and legal and institutional framework in the targeted countries.
2. Describe the main policies and processes, and funding for supporting community forestry in the Congo Basin.
3. Provide an assessment of how effective these policies and processes have been including challenges and best practices (case studies).
4. Provide concrete recommendations on how these policies and processes can be strengthened and additional support needed from the EU to make viable and inclusive community forestry a reality in the Congo Basin.

The intended audience for the paper are:

▪ EU Commission officials
▪ EU Member State officials
▪ EU based NGOs working on community rights and forest governance issues
▪ International institutions supporting forests programmes including AFD, CAFI, FCPF, and UNDP
▪ CSOs in VPA partner countries
▪ Governments in VPA countries

2. Report content/outline:

The study will include the following contextual elements:
→ Regional governance and political context
→ State of play of community forestry in the Congo Basin and its potential: the region is too diverse for a “one size fits all” approach
→ The legal frameworks: gaps, loopholes and best practices

The study will also include the following information:
→ EU and international policy context and its impact on policy coherence and donor coordination.
→ Other actors involved such as international NGOs, academia, etc.
→ Quantitative (if possible including funding magnitude, number of communities concerned, and size of forest area), and qualitative analysis of relevant policies and processes that support community forestry (FLEGT-VPA, REDD+, Nationally Determined Contributions, CAFI, SDGs, Bonn challenge…).

Proposed structure

1. Executive summary - 1 page
2. Recommendations to EU donors and civil society organisations on strengthening support to community forestry in the Congo Basin – 1 page
3. Methodology- 0.5 page
4. State of play of community forestry in the Congo Basin – 4 pages
5. Overview of relevant EU policies, processes and funding instruments– 3 pages
6. Assessment of these EU policies, processes and funding instruments – 3 pages
7. Case studies – 3 pages
8. Appendices

3. Those involved in the project

The project will be overseen by Fern members of the CoNGOs project. An editorial group comprised of Fern campaigners and communications staff, and Fern’s partners in the targeted countries will input the paper including providing contributions and feedback. The Communications Manager will supervise an external editor who will review the paper.

4. Methodology

The methodology for the research will include a desk review (including a review of relevant academic literature, relevant Fern and other NGO publications and programme materials, and material from other institutions such as Chatham House, FAO, UNDP, WRI, RFUK, Client Earth, CIFOR, CIRAD and the UN), as well as key informant interviews with EU Commission officials, EU Member States officials, Fern staff in Brussels and relevant donor organisations and local partners and civil society organisations in the countries covered by the study.

The consultant will write the study and work with Fern partner organisations in targeted countries who will be in charge of interviewing civil society/forest community representatives, and government officials and donor agencies supporting forests and community forests programmes.

5. Timeline

20 days of full time work carried out over an 8 week period. The draft report will be available by September 2018.

The final report will be published in November 2018.

Deliverables:

• A draft work plan outlining timeline, refined methodology, clarification of conceptual framework, list of definitions to be used, list of key resources, and refinement of research questions.
• A refined structure for the study as well as list of key informants.
• An inception report, outlining preliminary findings of desk review of available data and analysis.
• Draft study (20-25 pages) and an overall summary (2 pages) providing answers to the specific objectives of the paper, as well as presenting several concrete recommended actions for the EU donors and civil society organisations to advance community forestry in the Congo Basin. The study can be written in French of English but we have a preference for French.
• Submission of the final study to Fern staff.
• A short PowerPoint presentation of the findings

C. PERSON SPECIFICATION

We are looking for someone who is organised, efficient, flexible, and can work effectively in a small team. The successful candidate should be a good team worker, pragmatic and a good planner. This role seeks someone who can be supportive and assertive in an equal measure.

 

Essential:

• At least three years’ experience of relevant financial and administrative management 
• Fluency in French and English 
• Experience of dealing with partner organisations including those with low capacity around financial matters
• Knowledge of applications and reporting requirements of funders, notably the European Commission 
• Excellent computer skills (Word, Excel, Internet)
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and competing demands 
• A ‘support minded’ attitude 
• An interest in environmental and social issues.

Desirable:

• Experience of working for an NGO 
• Fundraising experience 
• Knowledge of (Winbooks) accounting software 
• Knowledge of Belgian regulations (legal, fiscal, social).

D. HOW TO APPLY

Applications should be made in English and comprise:

I. CV

II. a covering letter explaining why you are interested in this job, including what attracts you to Fern and what you could bring to Fern

III. a short explanation (less than a page) of the steps you would take to deal with a partner organisation who is not adhering to their Partnership Agreement and approved budget.

 

Applications without a properly prepared covering letter will not be considered.

 

Only selected candidates will be contacted in w/c 10th September.

Deadline for applications: 12pm (CEST) Sunday 9th September 2018

Interview date will be: Thursday 20th September 2018

 

Send applications to: julie@fern.org

If you'd like to discuss the job, contact Raphael Koenig: Raphael@fern.org

 

Fern values a diverse work force and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

Fern is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) created in 1995. Our mission is to achieve greater environmental and social justice, focusing on forests and forest peoples’ rights in the policies and practices of the European Union. We do this by co-ordinating NGO networks and by working with partners to achieve change.

We believe that to be effective it is essential to understand and address the social dimension of environmental conflicts; that strong coalitions are more likely to achieve lasting change; and that presenting ways forward is more effective than highlighting problems. We are committed to tackling gender injustice and supporting women’s rights.

We have no director and strive to make decisions by consensus. Details of our current work areas and campaigns can be found at www.fern.org. We currently have 18 staff working from two offices, in Brussels (Belgium) and Moreton-in-Marsh (UK), and work with Partner organisations in Ghana, Liberia, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Vietnam, Laos and the UK. The partner organisations are in most cases small NGOs, with varying financial and administrative capacities.

We are looking for a Partner and General Finance Officer to provide strong and professional support to the organisation. The post will be full time, with an indicative split of three days per week working on partner finance related matters and two days providing general financial and admin support to the organisation. There will, however, be flexibility required based on demand and workload. 

A. KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY AND ASSOCIATED TASKS

1. Partner Financial Management 
The Partner Finance Officer takes a lead role on all financial aspects of the relationship with Fern’s partners. This includes leading on resolving issues, working creatively to ensure that Fern’s obligations to its donors are met and coordinating the work of colleagues when this is needed to ensure proper reporting. Specific tasks include: 

• Liaising with partners around funding proposals
• Preparation and monitoring of partner contracts, budgets and fund transfers.
• Receiving and checking partner financial reports and associated documentation and ensuring they are in line with Fern and donor guidelines
• Where partner reports are deficient, either following up with partners or finding an alternative solution. On occasion, this may involve doing tasks directly
• Visiting partners in country to support with reporting and helping partners to build their financial management capacity
• Liaising with campaigners around partner financial activity and collaborating with them around common partner support activities
• Developing guidelines, procedures, tools, presentations, and templates to support partners in achieving quality financial reporting
• Supporting the Finance Manager in the preparation of financial reports to donors
• Providing support to Fern and partners, before during and after audit visits.

2. General financial and admin management: (With colleagues)

• Supporting planned and ad-hoc financial management tasks for the organisation
• Maintaining an overview of financial activity on Fern’s large grants
• Processing and booking payments and partner’s reports into accounting software and filing paper documents
• Assisting with cash-flow forecasting, particularly in relation to partners’ spend
• Processing payments, ensuring all are properly authorised, coded and documented
• Preparing reports and downloading data from the accounting software; supporting colleagues to understand and interpret the information, and responding to their queries
• Applying the correct exchange rates to accounting entries
• Liaising with suppliers, staff and others to resolve queries
• Ensuring legal duties regarding Fern’s statutes in Belgium are completed in a timely manner.

3. Contributing to Fern’s Finance and Administration Team (FAT): (Jointly with FAT colleagues)

• Participating in quarterly meetings and weekly calls 
• Establishing objectives and drafting the quarterly work plans
• Regularly reviewing and updating the House Rules and Procedures
• Developing job descriptions and participating in recruitment.

B. OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Travel. As Fern is an international organisation with partners in Africa and Asia, travel will be a necessary part of this role. Occasional travel between the Belgian and UK office may also be required. 
• Flexibility. Fern is a small campaigning organisation, and some flexibility will be required in working hours, for example in the case of preparing urgent funding proposals, budgets etc.

 

• Diplôme de Baccalauréat ou équivalent par expérience
• FR ou NL niveau langue maternelle + bonne connaissance de l’autre langue NL-FR + ANGL
• Connaissance de MS Office (programme CRM et software financier sont un atout)

 

• Compétences spécifiques:
  • Envie d’apprendre et d’acquérir de l’expérience
  • Exécuter les tâches de manière autonome
  • Faire preuve de rigueur et précision
  • S’impliquer dans l’équipe et l’organisation

Plan International Belgique vous offre

• Un engagement immédiat pour un stage de 6 mois dans une convention d’immersion professionnelle (CIP) - 780€ net/mois + remboursement des frais de transport
• Un environnement de travail dynamique au centre de Bruxelles, à côté de la Gare Centrale, accessible par tous types de transports en commun
• La possibilité de vous engager au profit des droits de l’enfant et de l’égalité pour les filles

Vous êtes intéressé.e ?

• Envoyez votre CV et lettre de motivation avant le 31 août 2018 à job@planinternational.be avec la référence ‘CIP Donor Support assistant 2018’.

Plan International Belgique est une ONG belge indépendante membre de Plan International qui défend l’égalité pour les filles et les droits des enfants dans le monde.

Depuis 1983, nous accompagnons les enfants et les jeunes vers l’autonomie et leur permettons de changer leur avenir.

Nous donnons les mêmes chances aux filles qu'aux garçons : apprendre à l'école et obtenir un emploi décent, diriger les changements de leur société, décider de leur vie et de leur corps et s'épanouir à l'abri de la violence, de la naissance à l'âge adulte.

Nous agissons dans les pays les plus vulnérables et en cas de catastrophe naturelle ou de conflit.

Venez acquérir une expérience variée en soutenant l’équipe ‘Donor Support’ de Plan International Belgique dans le cadre de ses activités de suivi des services aux donateurs.

Description de la fonction

• Acquérir de l’expérience dans la gestion de la correspondance (Parrains/Marraines/Filleul.e.s Plan) : enregistrement et suivi des courriers
• Assurer la gestion du courrier quotidien de l’ensemble de l’organisation
• Participer à la gestion des inscriptions et désinscriptions des différents intervenants (Parrains/Marraines, Filleul.e.s, Sponsors projets)
• Effectuer la mise à jour des données afin de garantir un suivi efficace des informations recueillies (CRM)
• Participation au suivi et au traitement des enquêtes de satisfaction
• Faire le suivi de la gestion du stock
• Assurer le suivi des appels entrants et de la boîte mail ‘info’ – rôle de back up

• Vous avez au moins un bachelor en marketing, en sciences commerciales ou similaire
• Vous avez au moins 2 ans d’expérience professionnelle en récolte de fonds, Marketing, comme account manager... Une experience dans le Face to Face est un sérieux atout
• Vous êtes capable de prioriser, vous adapter dans un contexte en constante évolution, vous avez l’esprit d’équipe
• Vous êtes flexible, prêt(e) à vous rendre occasionnellement sur le terrain auprès des équipes de recruteurs
• Vous savez réaliser un briefing engageant à partir de contenus abstraits
• Vous aimez coacher, donner des présentations et vous savez comment convaincre en utilisant des arguments solides.
• Vous savez analyser et monitorer des données chiffrées
• Vous vous exprimez parfaitement en Néerlandais et vous maîtrisez assez bien l’Anglais et le Français.
• Vous êtes passionné(e) par la sauvegarde de la nature

Contexte 

Le WWF Belgium compte 100.000 membres et récolte 8 millions d’euros par an auprès des particuliers. Rassembler une grande communauté de supporters est l’une des grandes priorités du WWF en Belgique. Actuellement, les principaux canaux de récolte de fonds sont les programmes de face-to-face et les campagnes de direct mailing tandis que le fundraising digital est en plein développement.

En rejoignant l’équipe en tant que Responsable projet /Chargé récolte de fonds, vous occuperez un poste multi-disciplinaire, vous gérerez des projets au sein d'une équipe dynamique avec laquelle vous définirez les messages, priorités et objectifs de récolte de fonds. Dans ce poste, vous pouvez faire la différence!

Finalité 

Le Responsable projet /Chargé récolte de fonds a pour objectif d’augmenter le nombre de supporters financiers par l’acquisition de nouveaux donateurs via le recrutement "Face to Face" (Porte à porte, recrutement de rue et dans les magasins). Il ou elle coordonnera les partenaires externes ainsi que leurs actions sur le terrain.

 Responsabilités principales

- Coordonner et développer les actions de récolte de fonds avec les partenaires spécialisés

Exemples de tâches: 

• proposer de nouvelles orientations pour l’acquisition de nouveaux donateurs
• développer de nouveaux concepts , en ligne avec la stratégie de récolte de fonds
• définir le concept des actions, les moyens et les ressources nécessaires
• planifier les actions et demander les autorisations aux communes
• procéder aux briefings & donner des présentations aux partenaires
• implémenter, monitorer et ajuster les actions en collaboration avec les partenaires
• S’assurer du respect du budget initialement défini dans la réalisation des actions
• Veiller à ce que les actions soient relayées sur les canaux de communication du WWF

 

- Monitorer les résultats des actions et adapter les plans de manière à atteindre les objectifs financiers

Exemples de tâches: 

• mesurer les indicateurs et monitorer les résultats, identifier les zones d’amélioration et adapter les plans d’action
• présenter les résultats

Nous offrons: 

• Un contrat à temps plein à durée indéterminée
• Un salaire attractif pour le secteur, incluant des chèques-repas, une assurance groupe, une assurance hospitalisation, un abonnement gsm, le remboursement à 100% des frais de transports publics…
• Un environnement de travail agréable, au coeur de Bruxelles, et facilement accessible en transports en commun.
• Un équilibre vie privée - vie professionnelle grâce aux possibilités de télétravail et d’horaires flexibles
• L’opportunité de contribuer à la mission du WWF et de partager nos valeurs

Intéressé(e)?

 Cliquez sur le lien de candidature ci-dessous et envoyez nous votre lettre de motivation et votre cv.

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