Senior Researcher – Forestry e Land (Terra Firma)

Terra Firma has recently partnered with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) to implement the China-Africa Forest Governance Project, a research and advocacy project aimed at improving governance in the forestry sector in Mozambique and improving China-Mozambique cooperation in favour of sustainable investments in land use. The key focus of the project is on (i) improving the visibility and understanding of Chinese engagement in Mozambique, (ii) building capacity and dialogue around current legislative compliance in Mozambique China value chains, and (iii) creating and taking opportunities to implement change.

The company now wishes to recruit a Senior Researcher to join the team which will work on this project. The duration of the project is two years; it is expected that the activities related to the China-Africa Forest Governance Project will occupy about 60% of the Senior Researcher’s time over this period. S/he will therefore be expected to provide research and analytical inputs across a number of other on-going research projects and in the development of proposals for potential future activities. These may include projects within Mozambique and in other countries of the region.

Responsibilities and Tasks

The Senior Researcher will be supported by the management and research team of Terra Firma, but will be expected to take on a leading role in the China-Africa Forest Governance Project and to conduct the following specific activities:

Responsibility #1 – Research Coordination

• Terra Firma is responsible for building a knowledge platform and information network on Chinese investment in the Mozambican forest sector;
• The Senior Researcher will take primary responsibility for coordinating the necessary research activities, which focus on the following areas;
• Establishing the Chinese timber value chain and producing a typology of Chinese investment;
• Developing a comprehensive spatial database on all forest rights that have been acquired by Chinese operators;
• Compiling an inventory of management plans and establishing a forest management baseline;
• Compiling data on Chinese capital in the forest sector;
• Developing a database of communities directly affected by Chinese operations;
• Compiling data on logs, lumber and forest products exported to China;
• Conducting a political economy analysis of the forest sector for Mozambique and China;
• Support to the production of an updated and comprehensive assessment of forest and other relevant legislation and analysis of the impact of the recent reforms of the legal framework.

Responsibility #2 – Engagement with Multi-Stakeholder Forestry Programme Forum

• The IUCN Mozambique office is seeking to establish a Multi-Stakeholder Forestry Programme Forum in Mozambique;
• The objective of this component will be to establish a multi-sectorial forum to encourage dialogue and improved governance of the national forest resources;
• The Senior Researcher will be expected to engage in this Forum and to present the results of research activities undertaken by Terra Firma as part of the overall project;
• S/he will also be expected to engage with any other relevant networks, meetings and working groups at national and provincial level and will also be responsible for drafting research reports, policy briefs and for developing evidence based and policy advocacy materials.

Responsibility #3 – Participation in field assessments

• The overall objective of the field assessment is to assess specific governance and management issues in a number of specific locations that involve the Chinese value chain;
• It aims to measure the impact of governance and management practices on local affected communities; that is, communities living on or in the vicinity of the forest extraction area;
• The Senior Researcher will participate, in conjunction with other team members from Terra Firma and its partners, in the field assessments and in the production of a comprehensive report.

The position requires the following minimum attributes:

• Master level degree in a relevant area, such as environment, public administration, political sciences, governance, rural development studies, agriculture, geography, social science, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience;
• A minimum of 10 years’ experience of engaging in research and/or advocacy activities as part of a private, public or academic institution;
• Fluent spoken and written English and Portuguese language skills.