Job Summary

The Agroforestry Senior Officer will play an integral role in supporting the program to strengthen the institutional and regulatory systems for climate-responsive planning and development for adoption of Ever Greening practices, support the improvement and management of land or forest areas contributing to emissions reductions practices, work with community members and other relevant stakeholders to be able to adapt to climate change and related ecosystem risks and work with the value chain team to develop sustainable market and value chains of agroforest products. CRS Tanzania will work with other four partners to implement this program hence the candidate is expected to forge strong collaboration with his/her peer staff from other organizations to make sure that similar approaches and strategies are shared and applied across the program. The program will be focused primarily in the Southern highlands mainly in Mbeya, Njombe and Ruvuma Regions.

• Minimum Qualification: Bachelor
• Experience Level: Executive level
• Experience Length: 5 years

Job Description

Project: TANZANIA EVERGREENING INITIATIVE

Location: MBEYA (WITH EXTENSIVE TRAVEL TO NJOMBE AND RUVUMA)

Reports To: PROGRAM MANAGER II

ABOUT CRS:

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official overseas relief and development organization of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and has served people living in poverty and situations of vulnerability in over 100 countries since 1943. In Tanzania, CRS has served vulnerable communities for over 50 years and implements its programs through partnerships with the Government of Tanzania, International and local organizations and community entities for maximum impact and sustainability.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The anticipated Accelerating and Massively Scaling-up Land and Livelihood Restoration program is a climate change initiative to be funded by G9-2030 donors aimed at supporting climate-vulnerable communities in Tanzania to improve the sustainability and resilience of their ecosystem goods and services and increase household resilience and adaptive capacity. While working with the Government of Tanzania and different stakeholders, the program will take a multi-faceted, evidence-based approach to scaling-up evergreening practices and will develop equitable agroforestry value chains and ecosystem-based businesses to underpin the sustainability of the scaling-up process.

The anticipated program aims at improving livelihoods, food and nutrition security, and resilience to climate change for small scale farmers and/or pastoralist while restoring ecosystem services, particularly through evergreen agriculture, covering four zones in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. These zones include the semi-arid agro-ecological zone of northern and central Tanzania, Southern Zone and Southern Highlands.

This 5-year climate change initiative will be implemented through a coalition of national and international NGOS including CARE, CRS, World Vision and ICRAF in close coordination with the Government of Tanzania.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct Training of Trainers workshops (targeting staff, lead/champion farmers and government extension workers, and an equal or greater number of females), to build the capacity of public, private and community-based rural advisory and extension services
• Establish or enhance household and community-based demonstration sites for contextually appropriate Evergreening best practices
• Facilitate household-to-household visits, farmer field and business schools, citizen science and the support of experienced farmer-disseminators and community-based extension
• Provide through appropriate means tree seed, cuttings, seedlings and/or implements including where appropriate the enhancement or establishment of private and/or community-managed nurseries and woodlots.
• Support the implementation of Evergreening practices through low cost on-farm soil and water conservation practices.
• Empower and promote Evergreening champions within communities, schools, organizations and local government to advocate for and promote the adoption and practice of Evergreening approaches at scale.
• Conduct social behavior change and communication campaigns, community dialogues and sensitization activities to address inter-community and human-wildlife conflict resolution and peacebuilding
• Work with agroforestry team lead, other consortium members, government and private sector stakeholders to develop and adapt agroforestry approaches and strategies which will be applied across the program.
• Work with the value chain team to identify and promote climate-resilient agroforest products value-chains, identify and assess markets for linkages
• Support the scaling of existing, or where contextually appropriate, establishment of new agroforestry value chains through technical and input access support, market and financial service linkages, standards and labelling, improved planting material, processing and storage, etc.
• Facilitate establishment and/ or scaling of existing Natural Resource Based Enterprises (NRBEs) including value chains, with a particular emphasis on enterprises which are likely to deliver rapid benefits.
• Work with the MEAL Manager to conduct national level tree, soil and crop yield baselines with technical support from research institutions and other consortium members
• Build capacity on using appropriate remote sensing tools, agroforestry science, community managed or assisted natural regeneration and field data collection and analysis
• Validate tree cover data of farm and rangeland and relevant community-managed areas, using appropriate remote sensing and field level tools
• Facilitate the documentation of all agroforestry best practices and learnings and share them with the MEAL Manager for wide sharing

Requirements: Education, work experience and skills

• Master’s Degree in Agroforestry, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, or related subjects. Additional relevant experience especially on climate change can substitute for education qualifications.
• Minimum of 5 years experience managing community programs is required, preferably focusing in the area of Landscape Management and Restoration, Climate Smart Agriculture or Evergreening Initiative.
• Experience working in a consortium settings preferably with an international NGO.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with ability to make sound judgment and decisions and offer innovative solutions
• Strong interpersonal skills. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally being strategic in how you approach each relationship and how to influence for desired results.
• Good presentation and facilitation skills
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions and results-oriented
• Willing and able to travel up to 60% in Mbeya, Njombe and Ruvuma.

Excellent Command of Swahili and English languages, in Swahili and English

Disclaimer: These job descriptions are not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the respective position.

CRS’ recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Interested and qualified applicants are requested to submit their applications to CRS Human Resources Manager at [email protected]g by 17h00 EAT on 06 June 2020. Only submissions that meet the following criteria will be reviewed • Subject line must read indicate the position applied for. • CV must be in Word or PDF format and not exceed 4 pages. • Cover letter summarizing qualifications and motivation. Cover letter must be in Word or PDF format and not exceed 1 page. • Kindly note, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted