Papua New Guinea – National Coordinator for FGMC activities

The European Forest Institute

is seeking to contract an in-house consultant

to serve as

Papua New Guinea – National Coordinator for FGMC activities

The European Forest Institute (EFI) is an international organisation with 30 member countries and around 130 member organisations. EFI undertakes policy support and forest research at pan-European and global levels. EFI is headquartered in Joensuu, Finland and has offices across Europe in Barcelona, Bonn and Rome, and under its International Partnerships Facility, a project office in Kuala Lumpur.

The International Partnerships Facility (IPF) of EFI is a global centre of knowledge and expertise that supports policy and governance reforms to safeguard the world’s forests. It promotes sustainable forest and land use to help protect and restore forests and maximise their role in green economic growth, climate change mitigation and poverty alleviation. It also fosters legal, deforestation-free and sustainable commodity production and trade.

In Papua New Guinea (PNG), EFI supports implementation of the UK’s Forest Governance, Markets and Climate Programme (FGMC) through EFI’s Technical Assistance Programme (EFITAP), which provides rapid response technical assistance to FGMC partner countries.

The FGMC programme will support developing countries to strengthen their forest governance, in particular through multistakeholder engagement in establishing, implementing and monitoring rules and associated rights and benefits pertaining to use of forest products and services. FGMC is preparing a cooperation programme in PNG, and as a first step is already supporting initial activities together with the Papua New Guinea Forest Authority (PNGFA) and forest sector stakeholders.

To support FGMC to progress in PNG, EFI is seeking a National Coordinator to assist coordination, development and implementation of its ongoing and future activities.

The National Coordinator will work closely with stakeholders in the PNG (including government agencies, civil society, industry, communities), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), FGMC Programme personnel, and EFI. He/she will undertake the following tasks in support of the FGMC Programme including:

• Support to ongoing activities led by PNGFA including Forest Sector Economic Modelling and the Timber Legality Standard and related stakeholder interactions.

• Support to the development and inception of the future FGMC programme and its activities in PNG.

• Identify and engage with government and non-state actors in PNG as needed to assist initiation and progress of the FGMC programme and its activities.

• Identify and engage with stakeholders and development partners (at donor and project levels) to gather information and follow their activities in the sector.

• Report regularly to FGMC and EFI on key developments through regular bi-weekly Teams meetings, other ad hoc meetings, emails and written reports as needed.

• Inform FGMC and EFI of events, such as meetings, consultations and workshops relevant to the programme, attend those events as required, and report outcomes to FGMC.

• Prepare itineraries for visits to PNG by FGMC and other UK personnel, including arranging meetings with stakeholder representatives and field trips.

• Maintain contact with the British High Commission in Port Moresby, as directed by FGMC, and report on key developments and issues relevant to the forest sector.

Duty station and travel

The National Coordinator will be based in Port Moresby with occasional travel inside PNG and to the UK, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) and Europe.

Conditions of engagement

The National Coordinator must ensure that he/she has the right to live and work in PNG from the commencement date of the contract. 

The National Coordinator is expected to work ‘full-time’ (complete working weeks) over the contract period which will be for one-year with possibility for extension.

The National Coordinator will work from their home office and be provided with appropriate equipment and supplies to conduct their work. 

The National Coordinator will be paid an hourly rate, which includes all personal costs necessary for implementing the tasks (e.g. organising appropriate health insurance).

It is expected that the National Coordinator’s services will start on or around 1st March 2025.

Application process

Interested candidates are requested to send (in English) a CV including copies of academic degree certificates/diplomas with a motivation letter by 6th January 2025 23:59 CET, using our online application form.

For more information about the position, please contact Tim Dawson at the IPF: tim.dawson@efi.int.

Information about in-house consultant conditions of engagement is available by request from Ms. Niina Verkerk, email: niina.verkerk@efi.int

All applications will be treated confidentially.

• University degree related to forestry, environment or social sector or a subject relevant to the tasks.  MSc/MA or higher degree is an asset.

• Minimum of ten (10) years of work experience following graduation in PNG.

• Familiarity with land and forest governance issues in PNG.

• Ability to work on sensitive issues with different stakeholders (governments, industry, NGOs and communities) in PNG.

• Professional proficiency in written and spoken English and Tok Pisin, and proven writing, reporting, presentational and communication skills.