Agricultural Economic Consultant - CIFOR, Bogor

Closing Date: Saturday, 15 October 2011 

The Center for International Forestry Research advances human wellbeing, environmental conservation and equity by conducting research to inform policies and practices that affect forests in developing countries. We are one of 15 centres within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Our headquarters are in Bogor, Indonesia, and we have offices in Asia, Africa and South America.

CIFOR is looking for a Agricultural Economic Consultant

CIFOR is has received funding from the Program for Forests within the World Bank for a project documenting the impacts of forest management regimes on non-timber sectors (particularly agriculture, non-timber forest products, water and energy) in Lao PDR, Honduras and Burkina Faso. This study falls within CIFOR's Climate Change Adaptation Research Domain, and incorporates three methodological approaches: modeling of ecosystem services under climate change scenarios, comparative institutional analyses of forest management governance structures and processes, and comparative economic analysis of forest management approaches.

We are looking for a part-time consultant to design and provide oversight for the economic analysis of different forest management approaches. The consultant will report to the project manager, and will be required to work closely with staff, consultants and partners in the three case study countries as well as those at HQ (in Bogor). Due to the diversity of case studies involved, and the different types of data available to us in each country, this task will require innovative design capabilities. This study will deliver actionable policy recommendations to key national policy makers in the respective countries. The project has started recently and will be completed by December 2012.

Specific responsibilities to include:

• To develop an analytical framework for a comparative economic analysis of forest management impacts on a selection of very different non-timber sectors.
  
  
• To contribute to, coordinate, and provide professional oversight and mentoring in data collection, data processing, and data analysis to staff members, partners and consultants in respective countries.
  
  
• To oversee field-based staff contributions to, and collaborate with country coordinators and the project manager in developing of country reports and policy briefs.
  
  
• To collaborate with country project leaders and the project manager in developing country reports and policy briefs.
  
  
• To collaborate with country project leaders and the project manager in developing a synthesis report. Depending on the consultant's qualifications, availability and interest, there may be the possibility of leading that actual economic analysis in one or more countries.
  
  
• To collaborate with field and HQ-based staff in the production of scientific publications based on these economic analyses.
  
  Requirements Education, experience and technical skills
  
• Master's degree minimum, Ph.D. preferred in agricultural economics , forest economics , natural resource economics or related field.
  
  
• Solid theoretical and practical understanding of economic analytical methods
• Ability to integrate quantitative and qualitative research approaches and data sources
• Professional level of written and oral fluency in English
• Advantageous: Spoken and/or written knowledge of French, Spanish and/or Lao.
  
  
• Advantageous: Experience in data collection and collaboration with partners in developing countries.
  
  
• Optional: If the candidate has the linguistic qualifications and is interested, there may be a possibility for the candidate to lead the economic analysis of the case studies in Lao PDR.
  
  Personal attributes and competencies
  
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to effectively and positively interact with people in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment.
  
  
• Takes initiative and capable of working independently as well as in a team environment.
  
  
• Values the sharing of information and continuous improvement in a cooperative atmosphere of constructive evaluation and learning.
  
  Terms and conditions
  
• CIFOR offers a competitive remuneration commensurate with skills and experience
• The successful candidate will be hired as a consultant under a part-time contract, representing 5 months of work spread over the course of a year
• Duty station: the consultant may work from home, or (preferably) be based at CIFOR HQ (in Bogor, Indonesia), however reliable access to internet and phone communications will be critical, and some travel may be necessary
• Preferred start date: November 15th, 2011.
  
  Please send your letter of interest and CV, including contact information for three referees, to:
  
  Human Resources Department, CIFOR cifor-hr-jobs@cgiar.org Please indicate the position title and its reference number in the email subject line
  To learn more about CIFOR, please visit our website at http://www.cifor.cgiar.org.