WRI Indonesia is looking for Consultant, Regional Officer for Peatland Independent Monitoring Initiatives

Program Overview

According to the Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia emitted approximately 800 million-1,1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2eq) emissions due to huge forests and land fires in 2015. These fires are largely caused by extensive peat soil drainage and excessive peat conversion to other land uses, mainly to palm oil plantations. Peatland in Indonesia is a unique ecosystem with high biodiversity and economic value. Peatland has various functions including hydrological functions or water storage and management, carbon storage function that relate with climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation function. However, peatland is a vulnerable to degradation, subsidence, and fire, particularly when peatland is being drained. For example, Indonesian National Determined Contribution (NDC) document shows that major part of Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emission comes from land use and land cover change (LULCC) and peat fires. Massive forest and peat fires in 2015 contribute to country and public loss of approximately IDR 221 trillion.

In response to the devastating forest and land fires of 2015, President Joko Widodo established the Peat Restoration Agency (BRG) through Presidential Regulation No. 1/2016 in order to coordinate and accelerate the recovery of peatlands by restoring 2 million hectares of it by 2020.  This work entails, for example, mapping fire-prone provinces, raising peatland water tables, revegetating degraded peatland, creating alternative livelihoods for local communities, and investigating alternative crops for peatland.


The initiative to establish an independent monitoring platform for peatland restoration stems from shared concerns about government performance and the fulfillment of government pledges or commitments related to the restoration of peatland ecosystems. Restoration activities should also involve civil society and the private sector. It is therefore necessary to have an inclusive and accountable joint platform whereby the public can monitor the performance of the government and where the parties can work together in restoring peatlands.

WRI Indonesia participates in an independent monitoring initiative called Pantau Gambut (PG), an online platform that provides knowledge and learning about peatland to enable a meaningful public participation in peatland restoration. The objective of the platform is to monitor the restoration commitments from both public and private sector in achieving the restoration targets. This platform provides the factual portray of the progress of peatland restoration and protection programs in Indonesia which visualize several key themes such as: forest fire on peat, restoration infrastructures and the implementation of moratorium on peatland opening.


WRI Indonesia requires a Regional Officer to support Pantau Gambut to strengthen local stakeholder engagement and project activities coordination in provincial level. WRI Indonesia works with various local stakeholder including local CSOs, universities, and communities across Sumatera, Kalimantan, and Papua to increase public participation in peatland restoration monitoring. This position will report directly to Energy Access Senior Analyst and work in close coordination with WRI Indonesia regional team.


Job Responsibilities

Stakeholders Engagement & Coordinating Regional Activities (70%)

·         Represent the team for engagement process with local stakeholders. Candidate should be a passionate advocate of the independent restoration monitoring platform and take an active role in any strategic discussion with the team.

·         Facilitate coordination with local network, including CSOs partners and WRI Indonesia regional team, to plan and conduct regional activities, such as field research, site visit, discussion forum, media briefing, university roadshow, stakeholders meeting.

·         Lead and supervise all the coordination from the team to the local partners and stakeholders.

·         Map out and build communication with regional stakeholders that can be approach for project collaboration

·         Maintain regular two-way communication with partners and other key stakeholders to capture strategic updates on peatland issue on the ground.

·         Regularly assess and report to the team on partners’ progress, achievements, challenges in implementing the planned activities, as well as their perspective of the initiative itself. Candidate need to maintain objectivity of each assessment and be proactive in pursuing effective coordination with the team to develop follow-up actions.

·         Supervise local partners’ activities and budget to support research and campaign plan as approved by the team.

·         Participate in team’s strategic discussions and actively contribute inputs based on observation on the ground.

·         Support administrative tasks as required.

Research (30%)

·         Active participation in research planning discussion with the team and/or regional stakeholders. Research topics include, but not limited to restoration implementation progress, law enforcement, peatland commodities, and local community participation.

·         Active participation in field data collection, analysis, and writing process as necessary.


Deliverables

1.     Monthly short report that include activities overview conducted on each month including constraints experience, next month plan, any recommendation for improvement

2.     Research activities properly conducted according to the workplan.

3.     Successfully involved local stakeholders (CSOs, media, government, local communities) on project activities implementation

4.     Research findings, result study or other communication materials are properly disseminated to targeted audience.


Job Qualifications

·         Bachelor’s Degree in forestry, social science, international relation, or other relevant majors. Master’s degree is preferred.

·         At least 3 years’ full-time work experience in forestry, peatland, sustainable development, or a related field.

·         Excellent knowledge and experience in collaborating with CSOs, local communities, and local government.

·         Strong communication and networking skills.

·         Organized and detail-oriented.

·         Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc), web-based communications (e.g., Skype, GoToMeeting, etc.).

·         Comfortable working in a fast-paced, multi-cultural workplace.

·         Adaptable and flexible to shifting opportunities, priorities and needs.

·         Should be able to deal with high levels of ambiguity and work with team members to find practical solutions. 

·         Flexible individual who can work independently, with little direction and supervision.

·         Able to travel across targeted provinces.


Period of Work

The works are expected to be conducted from 1 March 2020 – 31 December 2020. There is a possibility of extension, subject to individual performance, project needs, and budget availability.


Must have authorization to work in Indonesia to be eligible for this position.

Final candidates might be required to take a writing test and to produce two writing samples when needed.

Consultant rate: Consultant rate is commensurate with experience and skills

Qualified applicants should apply online through WRI career portal in order to be formally considered. 

Application close: 1700 (Jakarta Time), 5 March 2020. We will close the advert earlier when best candidates are identified at earlier dates. 

This is a locally engaged position; Indonesian nationals are encouraged to apply.


WRI Overview

World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade in order to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. We are passionate. We value our diversity of interests, skills and backgrounds. We have a flexible work environment. And we share a common goal to catalyze change that will improve the lives of people. Our shared ideals are at the core of our approach. They include: integrity, innovation, urgency, independence and respect. The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges, and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.


We have been growing rapidly: our staff has doubled in size over the past 5 years and our operating budget is now $100 million. Founded in 1982, WRI has a global staff of 800+ people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions. 


WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices.


WRI Indonesia is national entity (Yayasan) associated with the World Resources Institute (WRI), a global environmental research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. WRI work with various stakeholders in the natural resources sector to support policy and management that are both profitable and sustainable. WRI work with leaders in more than 50 countries for more than 30 years, with offices in Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States.


Launched in early 2014, WRI Indonesia builds on WRI’s 10-year history in the country and strengthens our impact on the ground. In the short-to-medium term, WRI Indonesia aims to expand its presence and portfolio to include projects in the climate, energy, as well as city and transportation programs.


The World Resources Institute (http://www.wri.org) is an environmental and development research and policy organization that creates solutions to protect the Earth and improve people’s lives. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, it is WRI’s policy to recruit, hire, and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, protected veteran status, or disability. WRI’s global agenda requires a staff that is diverse – with respect to race, gender, cultural, and international background. Diverse perspectives and experience enhance the way WRI selects and approaches issues, as well as the creativity and applicability of WRI's policy research and analysis. WRI, therefore, encourages applications from U.S. minorities, persons from other countries (especially developing nations), and from women of all backgrounds.