Eco-Tourism Project Officer
The Social Promotion of the Culture Foundation (FPSC) is a private, non-profit organisation, which since 1987 has worked to support human development and the promotion of culture. Through its programmes and projects FPSC tries to promote human, social and economic development that recognises and strengthens the dignity of the people it works with and respectful of the cultural identity of the peoples and social groups it supports. Its philosophy is expressed through its operational model of a “small, agile and independent organization”, which allows FPSC to strengthen and capitalize on its realized work and to respond to the future challenges of raising the capacity of management, optimizing the use of resources and maintaining cost economy.
FPSC is recruiting Eco-Tourism project officer to support the implementation of its ‘Ngoc Son – Ngo Luong project”
Back ground
The Ng?c S?n–Ng? Luông Nature Reserve located in the South-West of Hoà Bình province provides a critical forest corridor between Cúc Ph??ng National Park and Pù Luông limestone range. This area supports limestone forest in this transition zone between the mountainous north-west region and the Red River delta. The larger landscape, which the Ng?c S?n–Ng? Luông Nature Reserve forms part of, is a large area of natural forest supporting high biological diversity including rare and threatened species list in the Red Book of Vietnam. Contrasting with the richness of the biodiversity, local people living within and around the nature reserve are poor.
From 2007, FPSC and Forest Protection Department (FPD) of Hoa Binh province are implementing the Ngoc Son – Ngo Luong project. The project aims to support the conservation of biodiversity in the nature reserve by improving livelihoods of local communities through ecotourism and other sustainable, natural resource based development options. Moreover, the project expects to improve the capacity building and the management plan of the FPD’s management board in the nature reserve. This project is funded by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID).
Terms of Reference
Duty Station: It is a Hanoi based job but it requires regular travel to the project area in Ngoc Son – Ngo Luong Nature Reserve – Tan Lac and Lac Son district.
Duration: 12 months (This duration might be extended)
Direct Supervisor: Project Manager and Project Management Unit (PMU)
Duties and responsibilities
The main purpose of this position is to support and follow all elements of project implementation regarding Eco-Tourism, to liaise among project team (including Commune Facilitators and PMU), local people, local authorities, Forest Protection Department officials, tour operators and tourists participating in the project, and other relevant institutions and individuals to ensure and facilitate the effective and efficient implementation of project activities, especially everything related to Eco-tourism..
The Eco-Tourism project officer will have the following duties and responsibilities
Main Duties:
1. To follow up the mechanism established by the PMU to implement, supervise and evaluate the CBET (Commune Based Eco Tourism) activities implemented by the project.
2. To support the CBET system arrangements: Steering Committee, Service Groups, Funds and Agreements among stakeholders.
3. To manage daily work with tour operators and authorities.
4. To support the improvement of stakeholders skills, as home-stays owners and other.
5. To establish links and relationships with key individuals and institutions to create a supportive network and framework in which the CBET and other activities of the project will be done in the coming time.
6. To look for markets opportunities for the CBET products (such as trekking routes, home stays etc) of the Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve. To develop Marketing tools: brochures, maps, events.
7. To monitor the implementation of the CBET activities, evaluation, budget control and taking the indicator’s measures under the supervision of the PMU.
8. To make the activities’ report and monthly progress report on the CBET activities done in English and Vietnamese version;
9. To assist the project implementation team and partner with the development of work plans and associated budgets for the implementation not only the CBET activities but also the rest of project activities.
10. To assist in preparations for and facilitation of stakeholder meetings and Steering Committee meetings.
11. To act as assistance to the Project Co-Director.
12. To accompany the Project Co-Director and other project team members and consultants in the field to act as translator and advisor during meetings.
13. To assist the Project Co-Director and the Provincial Project Director with any task related to the implementation of the project that may be reasonably requested by them;
14. To translate documents and act as translator during meetings;
15. To provide the Project Co-Director and the Provincial Project Director with information on regulations, decisions and legal decrees relevant to project activities and approaches.
Requirements
- Degree qualification in a relevant subject (Tourism, Eco Tourism, CBET – Commune Based Eco Tourism);
- More than 3 years relevant and practical field working experience in CBET; especially in relation to protected area management and community-based forest management;
- Dynamic and highly motivated, able to manage complex sets of tasks, and function independently;
- Good practical experience of Participatory Rural Appraisal and other local-level participatory methods of assessment and monitory;
- Strong communicator, understand and believe in participatory processes, and will work well with a range of stakeholders from home stay owners and community members to provincial officials and private tour operatrors.
- Very good spoken and written English and fluent Vietnamese;
A one page covering letter should specify the position being applied for and highlight why the candidate feels they are the right person for the job. A CV detailing professional experience and relevant qualifications should be provided, and three references.
Interested candidates should respond by email to the Project Co-Director, Mr Jaime Armenteros at [email protected]. The position being applied for should be indicated in the subject line.
Applications must be received by 15th October, 2010.
FPSC regrets that due to the large number of expected applications, only applicants being called for interview will be responded to.