Job opening:

Assistant Policy Advisor - Forests, Land and Climate

Global Witness, Washington DC office

Job Description and Person Specifications

Assistant Policy Advisor - Forests, Land and Climate

Based in Global Witness DC Office

Reporting to Senior Policy Advisor – Forests, Land and Climate

Competitive salary and benefits

Purpose of the post

Global Witness carries out investigative field work, policy development and direct advocacy with governments and international financial institutions around natural resource governance issues and related conflict, human rights abuse and environmental degradation. The Washington DC-based Assistant Policy Advisor on Forests, Land, and Climate will help the U.S. office of Global Witness expose how poor governance of forests and land in developing countries, including corruption, mismanagement and vested interests,  contributes to the degradation of forests and other ecosystems, the loss of rural livelihoods, increased conflict and human rights violations, and climate change. The Assistant Policy Advisor will assist the Global Public Goods team in carrying out desk- and field-based research on forest and land issues in developing countries and translating findings into policy asks and advocacy targeted at decision makers in national producer and consumer governments and multi-lateral institutions.

Key responsibilities

• Organizing and participating in advocacy meetings with U.S. government agencies, Congress, NGOs, and multi-lateral institutions such as the World Bank, with increasing autonomy over time
• Carrying out desk-based research on forest and land-use issues in developing countries and writing advocacy materials such as briefings and reports that present our work and policy asks to decision-makers
• Contributing to the development of research and campaigning strategies, including help with specific investigations as needed
• Logistical and administrative support to the Senior Policy Advisor in the U.S. and to visiting members of the Global Public Goods team and GW partners visiting from overseas as needed – e.g. arranging events, meetings and travel, helping to organize production and distribution of reports and other written materials and communications, managing contact and file databases
• Monitoring and reporting on relevant events in Washington and participating in external meetings on the behalf of Global Witness
• Facilitating communication and coordination between the U.S. and UK offices of Global Witness and other tasks to support the Global Public Goods team and the U.S. office as required

Person specifications

Essential:

• Strong research and writing skills, attention to detail and accuracy, ability to produce written material for a range of audiences and under tight deadlines
• Some experience working on governance, development and/or human rights issues in developing countries
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, ability to work independently and with a team, to coordinate work with colleagues remotely, to participate effectively in advocacy meetings and other events with policy-makers and the NGO community in Washington
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills
• Willingness to travel internationally, including in areas with significant security risks.

Desirable:

• Excellent and proven advocacy skills, including experience carrying out direct advocacy with governments, particularly in the U.S., and international financial institutions, and multi-lateral organizations
• Good working understanding of the function of U.S. government agencies, U.S. Congress, and Washington-based IFIs such as the World Bank and IMF
• Spanish and/or French language skills
• Understanding of current national and international forest and climate change mechanisms and processes, particularly REDD
• Field experience working on natural resource and with local civil society groups in developing countries, preferably in Latin America and/or Africa
• Media experience, particularly with the U.S. media

To download the application pack, visit this page.

Send applications to: recruitment-US(at)globalwitness.org

Application deadline: 18 November 2011