Solomon Islands – National Coordinator for FGMC activities

The European Forest Institute

is seeking to contract an in-house consultant

to serve as

Solomon Islands – 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 level, with headquarters in Joensuu, Finland. EFI has several 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 the Solomon Islands, EFI supports implementation of the United Kingdom’s (UK) Forest Governance, Markets and Climate Programme (FGMC) through the EFITAP programme, 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 the Solomon Islands that will work with national government agencies, Civil Society Orgnisations and private sector interests on development and implementation of policies, legislation and regulations related in particular to timber utilisation and payments for forest carbon.

EFI is seeking a National Coordinator to help with coordination efforts and to provide support in the Solomon Islands.

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

• Identify and engage with government and non-government stakeholders who have interests in the forest sector, covering policies, laws and regulations, logging and timber processing, resource owners’ rights, and payments for forest carbon and other ecosystem services. (FGMC will provide a preliminary list of stakeholders).

• Conduct stakeholder mapping to, amongst others provide summaries of the areas of interest of each stakeholder and their activities in Solomon Islands.

• Engage with stakeholders and development partners (donors) in order 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 Solomon Islands by FGMC and other UK personnel, including arranging meetings with stakeholder representatives and field trips.

• Maintain contact with the British High Commission in Honiara, 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 Honiara with occasional travel inside the Solomon Islands 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 Honiara, the Solomon Islands 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  February 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, the environment or social sector or a subject relevant to the tasks.  MSc/MA or higher degree is an asset.

• Minimum of three (3) of work experience following graduation in the Solomon Islands.

• Familiarity with land and forest governance issues in the Solomon Islands.

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

• Professional proficiency in written and spoken English and Solomon Islands Pijin and proven writing, reporting, presentational and communication skills.