Company Profile

The Coastal Sustainable Landscapes Project (CSLP) is six-year program supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Feed the Future Initiative and managed by the US Forest Service’s International Programs. Working with local communities and the Government of Ghana, the CSLP is part of the country’s ongoing efforts to mitigate threats to landscape conservation. More specifically, the CSLP is working to improve carbon sequestration, forest management, and livelihood diversification in the six coastal districts and municipalities of the Western Region. The overall long-term impact of the project is to promote low emissions development in Ghana’s Western Region by strengthening community-based natural resource management and monitoring.  The project is focused on the coastal landscape, including mangroves and other wetlands, forests and agricultural areas, both on and off reserve, managed under a diversity of land tenure regimes.

Job Description

The US Forest Service (USFS), International Programs and Management and Engineering Technologies International, Inc. (METI), as a part of the US Agency for International Development’s bilateral programs in Ghana, seeks a full-time Project Director to lead the implementation of the Coastal Sustainable Landscapes Project in the Western Region.

The USFS Office of International Programs promotes sustainable natural resource management, biodiversity conservation and disaster management internationally. By linking the skills of the field-based staff of the USFS with partners overseas, the agency can address the world’s most critical forestry issues and concerns, as well as improve capacities to respond to major disasters. The USFS regularly engages the agency's wide range of expertise in over 90 countries, for programs on sustainable forest management, climate change, combatting illegal logging, fire management, improved systems for responding to disasters, and other topics.

Position Description:

The Project Director will manage the USFS CSLP project and take a lead role in the development, implementation, and monitoring of all project activities and partnerships including:

Program Management and Representation

• Provide strategic direction for biodiversity conservation, climate change, environmental governance, and food security efforts;
• Provide reporting and program implementation information on a regular basis to USFS/IP Washington, USAID/Ghana, and other partners;
• Finalize, implement and provide oversight of work plans, budgets, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks;
• Manage and oversee execution of financial transactions and record keeping of locally procured goods and services;
• Hire and supervise project staff, consultants, and visitors needed to implement program activities in Ghana;
• Provide technical and logistical support to short-term USFS/IP detailers on technical assistance missions to the project implementation areas;
• Represent USFS to CSLP stakeholders and other current and potential local partners; and,
• Explore potential further USFS support to USAID and other USG related efforts in Ghana.

Technical Activities

• Work, coordinate, and communicate closely with host country government agencies, project partners, other related USAID projects, and USAID/Ghana to facilitate increased collaboration, information sharing, and management related to sound coastal forest landscape conservation; 
• Organize technical assistance missions for USFS/IP and USAID experts in support of project goals and provide technical and logistical support to short-term USFS/IP detailers on technical assistance missions within Ghana;
• Provide support for a network of local partners to engage in research, information dissemination, policy improvements and capacity building of local communities/organizations in natural resource best management practices; and,
• Collaborate with partners in the development and implementation of the Performance Management Plan as well as any Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan for environmental compliance and monitoring of program activities.

The successful applicant will be hired through a contractor.

Required Skills or Experience

• Minimum five years’ experience managing USAID programs in Africa
• Professional proficiency in English
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated leadership, management, supervision, and communication skills
• Masters/Ph.D. and/or significant experience in forestry, climate change, natural resources, agriculture, conservation biology, environmental sciences, or related field
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical coordination and leadership with a broad range of interested parties, across cultures, languages and varying capacity levels in order to catalyze improved natural resource management and livelihood outcomes
• Proven ability in broad outreach, including building, maintaining, and managing diverse partnerships ranging from international donor agencies to local civil society groups