Senior Scientist, Management of Planted Forests

at CIFOR

The Senior Scientist will facilitate and identify strategic opportunities for research with impacts on the management of planted forests for multiple goods and services, to further realise their potential contribution to contemporary sustainable development objectives at scales from local to global, and from smallholder to landscape scales. The Senior Scientist will develop, where appropriate, international comparative research, with a focus on realising policy impacts that contribute to CIFOR’s mission and the CGIAR’s goals. The Senior Scientist might also co-lead CIFOR’s new research initiative in planted forests, and will foster collaboration and work closely with partner organisations with complementary objectives. The Senior Scientist will be supervised by the Director of Forests and Environment Research and will work closely with colleagues in all CIFOR Research Teams.

Duties and responsibilities

• Science
• Provide scientific guidance and ensures that the concepts and methods of the research carried out are appropriate and meet the highest scientific standards, reflecting up-to-date scientific methods and concepts.
• Work in close collaboration with CRP6 component coordinators/leaders within CIFOR to define and implement research activities in emerging areas of research.
• Write and supervise publications and other scientific communications related to research activities.
• Disseminate science through POLEX, blogs and other popular forums.

Capacity building

• Lead and supervise the capacity building initiatives of the projects.
• Supervise students and mentor junior scientists in the projects.

Partnership

• As directed by the Director of Research in Forests and Environment, represent CIFOR, when appropriate, in national, regional, and global forums related to forest governance.
• Develop and maintain constructive partnerships with all stakeholders.

Policy-science dialogue

• Lead, coordinate and/or contribute to the policy-science dialogue of relevant projects.
• Lead, coordinate and/or contribute to outcomes and impacts of relevant projects.
• Lead, coordinate and/or contribute to communication targeted at policy makers (including workshops, website and policy briefs) of relevant projects.

Fund raising

• Lead the search for additional funding for relevant projects.

Management

• Plan and monitor research activities of the relevant projects, including their financial aspects, as necessary.
• Supervise and mentor staff, when appropriate.
• Lead, coordinate and/or contribute reporting to donors.

Details of duties, assignments and objectives will be further discussed and laid out in the staff’s annual performance contract.

Requirements

• PhD in forestry or related discipline (e.g., ecology, natural resource management, natural resource economics).
• At least seven years of relevant experience in collaborative research.
• Strong publications record, especially in peer reviewed publications.
• Track record in resource mobilisation/fund raising and in proposal development/writing.
• Fluent in spoken and written English. Ability in one or more international language(s) is an advantage.
• Experience in working with multiple partners and working in developing countries are preferred.

Personal attributes and competencies

• Management experience and organisational skills in project management.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, experienced in working with multicultural and multidisciplinary research teams.
• Excellent facilitation and teambuilding capacity.
• Values the sharing of information and continuous improvement in a cooperative atmosphere of constructive evaluation and learning.

We are looking for people who share our mission and our commitment to professionalism, innovation, impact and collaboration.

Terms and conditions
Competitive remuneration in US dollars commensurate with skills and experience.
The appointment will be for a period of three years, including a one year probation, with a possibility of extension contingent upon performance, continued relevance of the position and available resources.
The duty station will be at the CIFOR Headquarters in Bogor, Indonesia.

Application process
We will be processing applications until a suitable candidate is identified.
We will acknowledge all applications, but we will contact only short-listed candidates.

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

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

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