Project Officer

The Project Officer will be a remote/home worker for the majority of the contract, although
some time (approximately 1-2 weeks) will be spent in Kenya. Occasional work days in Edinburgh
will be required; the frequency of these are flexible dependent on the candidate’s location.
The successful candidate should be based in the UK for at least 26 weeks of any calendar year. The role can be 0.8FTE or full time depending on the successful candidate’s preference.

Project overview

The Vanga seagrass project will incorporate seagrass protection into the certification of the
Vanga Blue Forest project under Plan Vivo’s ‘PV Nature’ biodiversity offsetting
certification. This will formalise existing seagrass protection negotiated with the community. It will be a collaboration between ACES, Vanga Blue Forest CBO, Edinburgh Napier University and Kenya Marine and Fisheries
Research Institute (KMFRI). This will be one of the first projects to be certified under the PV
Nature standard, and one of the first seagrass projects to be certified under any standard
worldwide. It therefore has the potential to set a precedent for how seagrass can be protected
under certified frameworks without a reliance on carbon financing.

Purpose of the job

The successful candidate will work with the Director, and with the guidance of the Board of
Trustees, to successfully deliver the Kenya seagrass project.

You will work with the community group in Kenya to guide the development of the project to
achieve certification, working with project and external partners including KMFRI, Vanga Blue
Forest CBO and Plan Vivo Foundation where appropriate. Where appropriate and necessary you will
contribute to project development overseas, including communication with local community
members to aid understanding of biodiversity certification. You will lead on the development of
the project Idea Note (PIN) and Project Design Documents (PDD) for the project, with input from
colleagues and partners; this will include leading on communicating technical elements of the
biodiversity standard to project partners. You will contribute to reporting to and liaising
with funders to communicate project progress. You will lead on communication outputs from the
project, including to funders, donors, potential clients, project partners and other project
developers/NGOs. You may be asked to present the project at events including conferences or
webinars.

Who we are looking for

This role will be part of a small team. You will be working under the guidance of the Director,
with strategic direction from the Board of Trustees and input from project partners. Given
this, the ideal candidate is someone who is able to work independently and who is
self-motivated, who is able to use their initiative and judgement. We are looking for a
candidate with the confidence and ability to work effectively with people from a variety of
cultural backgrounds, and to work and live in these cultural settings for periods of time.
Strong communication skills when communicating with and to diverse audiences is essential. The
ideal candidate will be focused on achieving objectives within specified timeframes, with the
flexibility to adapt to and manage changing circumstances. An ability to understand and
communicate complex technical information is essential.

We are looking for a candidate with a background and strong interest in a scientific field,
preferably marine and coastal protection and restoration, and a good understanding of blue
carbon ecosystems and the benefits that they provide to the environment and people. You will
have strong writing skills and the ability to identify and understand technical information.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

As part of your role your responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Lead on the development of the Project Idea Note and Project Design Document to be
  submitted to the Plan Vivo Foundation, this will be one of the first of its kind to be
  developed under Plan Vivo’s new ‘PV Nature’ standard for seagrass in Kenya
• Undertake travel to Kenya to support project development (approx.. 2 weeks total travel
  time necessary)
• Contribute, where necessary and appropriate, to project development activities in-country
• Act as lead for technical aspects of the projects including data analysis, restoration
  planning and production of scientific outputs, in collaboration with scientific and technical
  partners
• Liaise with Plan Vivo to ensure compliance with the standard(s)
• Contributing to reports to funders, including providing progress updates, consistent with
  deadlines
• Lead on developing and sharing communication materials for online use to disseminate
  project activities to various audiences
• Present projects as required at conferences, webinars and other platforms

How to apply

To apply, please submit a CV and a cover letter of 1-2 pages to [email protected]. Please tell us how your skills and
experience relate to the Job Spec and make you a suitable candidate for this role. Please send
this to us by midnight on 24th March 2024. Interviews will be held in early to mid April, and we hope that the
successful candidate can start with us in early May.

We look forward to hearing from you!