The Territorios Forestales Sostenibles (TEFOS) Programme is a demand-driven investment, funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in Colombia (£64 million), structured under the UK-COL Partnership for Sustainable Growth. The programme kicked off activities in April 2021 under the following components:  

1. Multipurpose cadastre in deforestation hotspots: through the World Bank and Fondo Acción, the UK is funding a programme to update the cadastre information for deforestation hotspot municipalities in Guaviare and Meta, and two national parks. The implementation is being led by IGAC. This component aims to strengthen capacities within Colombia’s environmental authorities on how to use the cadastre data and how to improve interoperability between different sets of data. Moreover, the TEFOS programme supports instruments such as Conservation Agreements in two National Parks.
2. Strengthening environmental rule of law to tackle illegal drivers of deforestation: through UNODC, the UK is providing technical assistance to 15 relevant national institutions to build their capacity to investigate the illegal drivers of deforestation. To do this, the UK supports better coordination mechanisms between Government entities, provides training and capacity building for national and local institutions, and provides support on data access.
3. Supporting sustainable livelihoods: in the first half of 2024 a third component started, in order to support sustainable alternative livelihoods in one deforestation hotspot.

Across all pillars of the programme, TEFOS requires daily support to guide comms activities, implement a GESI strategy, manage governance meetings, procurement, budget management and regular progress reporting. 

This position is an exciting opportunity to be involved in the largest Forest programme funded by the UK in Colombia. The successful candidate will play a key role in supporting the Forest and Land Use Team, the Programme Manager and the programme’s Senior Responsible Owner in effective delivery of the programme. The programme attracts senior interest both in the UK Embassy in Colombia and in the UK’s International Forest Unit and in the DG Americas, so it is important that the programme adheres to the highest standards of delivery. 

The TEFOS Programme Delivery Officer will support the TEFOS Programme Team in daily programme management tasks such as procurement, budgeting, finance, compliance with FCDO requirements and regular monitoring of key outcomes. The Delivery Officer oversees strategic engagement with key decision-makers and regular engagements with the MEL partner to secure articulation and complementarity with the wider UK Forest & Land Use portfolio and with other international cooperation programmes relevant for the region.  

The role will report to the TEFOS Programme Manager in the British Embassy, working closely with Political, Security, Economic, Prosperity and International Trade colleagues across the Embassy, as well as liaising with other relevant colleagues within the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, the UK’s International Forests Unit, and the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.  

This position is an Executive Officer grade (EO) advertised in the first instance for 6 months. From that point it will be extended until March 31, 2026, and then a fixed-term basis for one (1) year subject to confirmation of future funding and based on the candidate’s performance. It is expected that the position could be extended. 

Roles and responsibilities:

TEFOS Programme Management (85%):

• To support the TEFOS Programme coordinator in programme management and overview activities performed by the World Bank, UNODC, NIRAS on cadastre, environmental rule of law and sustainable alternative livelihoods. This involves supporting Embassy participation in events, workshops meetings and committees (operative and directive), preparing briefs, presentations and reviewing regular reports.
• To support the contractual, budget, and financial management of TEFOS Pillar 3 on sustainable alternative livelihoods. The pillar is currently under the inception phase and once officially launched will require a robust engagement strategy with Colombian government stakeholders, especially the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. The first year of implementation will demand constant overviewing during the implementation phase activities and monitoring of the delivery partner’s work plan.
• To support the Programme Team integrating the delivery of Pillar 1 (Cadastre), Pilar 2 (Environmental Rule of Law) and Pilar 3 (Sustainable alternative livelihoods) to deliver the Programme’s comprehensive outcomes in selected geographies and promoting strong cooperation between relevant Colombian institutional stakeholders.
• To lead administrative and monitoring tasks related with a TEFOS secondee embedded in the Ministry of Environment.
• To support regular engagement with the Monitoring and Evaluation Learning Partner in discussions about the Theory of Change, indicators and logframe. Support financial and budgetary management of the MEL contract.
• To support the development of TEFOS Communications and Gender & Social Inclusion Strategies according to ICF and FDCO guidelines.
• To support in managerial and budgetary tasks during TEFOS delivery. This encompasses leading on contractual management and grant agreement oversight.

Collaboration with other teams and programmes (10%):

• To support TEFOS articulation with other UK funded programmes such as REM-Vision Amazonia, Biocarbono Orinoquia, Partnerships for Forests and other F&LU activities financed by other HMG funds (i.e. UKPACT).
• Working closely with political, climate & biodiversity policy, prosperity, trade colleagues, to maximise articulation opportunities for TEFOS with other HMG initiatives.
• To support engagement with other donors and international cooperation programmes working in the TEFOS selected municipalities, aiming at promoting synergies during the planning and implementation phases.
• To manage Ministerial and official visits from the UK related to the TEFOS Programme. This includes supporting logistics, visits and engagements in close collaboration with the Programme Team.

Management/Corporate (5%):

• To play an active part in the corporate life of the Embassy, including where relevant as a member of Embassy committees (Crisis, L&D) to maximise the overall well-being of staff.
• To manage administrative tasks as required within the Economic, Climate & Science Team, and to actively participate in meetings and briefings of relevance to the role.
• To carry out other tasks as required by Embassy senior management.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure): 

N/A

• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field, for instance, Public Policy, Public Administration, International Relations, Climate and Environment Science etc., or equivalent professional experience.
• A minimum of two years of experience working in a strong, collaborative team environment for an organisation in a relevant field, for example, working for/with national or regional government, international organisations or agencies, specifically in climate change, forests, land use, sustainable alternative livelihoods, land tenure and environmental crime.
• Experience in programme and budget management on environmental and climate issues.
• Well-developed organisational, policy and influencing skills, especially in forest and land use issues.
• Experience of managing diverse and senior level relationships.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of people both orally and in writing; good judgement to inform decisions and provide advice.
• Ability to research, organise and analyse facts and data, and the ability to turn them into compelling presentations.
• Sound judgement and ability to determine work priorities, work methods and budget allocations.

Language requirements:

Language: Fluent written and spoken English and Spanish
Level of language required: minimum level required C2 (under the CEFRL or equivalent)