Part-time Project Officer – Conservation and Human Rights

Do you want to join a multi-disciplinary team working to highlight the issues being faced by indigenous and forest peoples across the world? Forest Peoples Programme is a human rights organisation that stands in solidarity with indigenous and forest peoples. Our work is built on long-term relationships with local communities and we create political space for forest peoples to secure their rights, control their lands and decide their own futures.

We are looking for a motivated and collaborative new member of our conservation and human rights team to assist and support our work on supporting indigenous peoples and local communities in their self-determined conservation efforts, and to address human rights violations linked to conservation actions.

Across FPP, at the grassroots we are supporting indigenous and local communities to protect their lands and resources so that they are free to govern, sustainably use and manage them using their own practices and traditional knowledge. This includes empowerment around community-based monitoring and information systems for their territories; support for local practices on sustainable use and conservation of natural resources and adaptation to climate change impacts; and for initiatives to strengthen traditional knowledge, governance, indigenous languages and sustainable livelihoods. This role sits within a team initiating a new Project supporting the development of guidance and training materials for indigenous peoples and local communities in assessing and selecting conservation policy pathways that can support local self-determination.

Within this Project and beyond, we provide accompaniment, training, and support to partners and a wider indigenous network of organisations involved in conservation policy arenas, to raise awareness among policy-makers and the general public, and influence setting and implementation of relevant policies, laws, and programmes. We co-organise events and support production of knowledge products and materials, for instance to highlight the important contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities to global conservation and sustainability goals, and the value of indigenous knowledge.

We are looking for someone who has research and work interests in indigenous-led and community-led conservation initiatives and actions. The role works in close coordination with the wider Environmental Governance Programme and under the management of a Senior Policy Advisor within that programme. This post is guided by FPP’s core principle of peoples’ right to self-determination.

1. Contribute to development and tracking of the project team’s work plan and calendar with key dates, deliverables and actions.

2. Co-convene and support team meetings, including agenda drafting, note-taking, and monitoring of follow-up points.

3. Support the Project Lead with communication with grant partners, e.g. sharing relevant information and news; developing partnership agreements and getting signatures and transactions in place; supporting partners to develop their workplans, budgets, narrative and financial reports.

4. Assist with the compilation and drafting of overall work plans and reporting to the donor.

5. Support and track outputs against an established Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, working with partners to assemble and systematise information.

6. Assist in planning, preparation and organising of project-related events, workshops or meetings, working closely with FPP’s admin/logistics and finance teams.

7. Possibly accompany the project team on international trips and meetings to lend a hand where needed.

8. Support fundraising efforts to continue and expand this work.

9. Participate in FPP meetings and staff sharings, as required.

1. Ability to work effectively as part of a multi-cultural, dispersed team of FPP staff and partners to achieve shared objectives.

2. Proven communications and writing skills, with sensitivity for other cultural norms.

3. Ability to deal with sometimes hectic and stressful peak periods around key events or launches of publications.

4. Experience in working directly with indigenous and forest-dependent peoples’ organisations and communities is highly desirable.

5. Ability and willingness to travel.

6. Proven skills in analysing and condensing down large volumes of information into concise summary documents/reports in English (this role is primarily in English).

7. Experience with project administration (including budgets) and logistics work, and supporting meetings.

8. Knowledge of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is highly desirable.

9. Strong alignment with FPP’s values and principles.

10. Fluency in, or good knowledge of, Spanish or French is desirable.

o 25 days leave per year pro rata, plus all public holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year when the office is closed