Water and Natural Resources Governance Officer At Counterpart International

The Climate Change Adaptation Project in the Dominican Republic. The program seeks to build long-term, locally-led resilience to climate change by promoting sustainable livelihoods and water security, which should result in significant environmental gains in the Dajabón watershed, beyond the province and in Haiti. By engaging communities, leveraging private financing and public resources, enabling data-driven decision-making, and creating diverse partnerships based on inclusion and market-based approaches, the Climate Change Adaptation Project will accelerate social outcomes , economic and environmental sustainable.

To meet the technical requirements of the project, a Water and Natural Resources Governance Officer is being sought who will be responsible for co-directing activities related to water management and water security in the project, with a focus on reforestation and support to the councils and communities of the hydrographic basin. This encompasses the management of projects and initiatives that promote sustainable water governance, and climate-smart agriculture, supporting reforestation plans and other activities in the basin. The Water and Natural Resources Governance Officer position will be based in Dajabón and/or Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. This position will report to the Technical Director.

Responsibilities

• Support the Technical Director in the definition and daily execution of project activities; the development of plans, schedules, budgets and deliverables; and grant management.
• Responsible for the accuracy of project schedules, tasks, milestones, resource requirements, costs, risks, and execution of any assigned activities.
• Provide technical support, training and capacity building support to river basin councils, communities and other stakeholders on water security, reforestation techniques, climate-smart agricultural practices, and river basin management.
• Collect, analyze and interpret data on water resources, reforestation efforts, watershed health and ecosystem services.
• Prepare reports and evaluations to track project progress, results and impact indicators.
• Build and strengthen alliances with governments at the national and municipal levels, civil society organizations, community organizations and private sector entities.
• Coordinate and supervise activities led by project partners.
• Coordinate and liaise with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the National Institute of Water Resources and other relevant government agencies of the Dominican Republic.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to foster synergy, leverage resources and promote collective action for water security and natural resource management in the Dajabón basin along the Masacre River.
• Collaborate with local communities and river basin councils to promote participatory decision-making and community-led initiatives.
• Facilitate dialogue, awareness campaigns and capacity building activities to empower communities in sustainable resource management and promote reforestation and climate resilient activities.
• Collaborate with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager to track and evaluate activities based on the project framework, indicators and monitoring tools to evaluate the effectiveness, results and sustainability of the project.
• Stay up to date on emerging studies, research, innovations and best practices on water security, reforestation, climate-smart agriculture, and watershed management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Postgraduate Degree in Environmental Sciences, Water Resources Management, Natural Resources Management or other related careers.
• At least 4-5 years of professional experience in natural resource management, environmental conservation, or climate resilience programming.
• Demonstrated technical experience and professional interest in environmental governance issues and one or more of the following areas: water, water resources management, reforestation and/or climate change.
• In-depth knowledge of the environmental technical and political context in the Dominican Republic.
• Proficient in project management tools, data analysis software (e.g. GIS, statistical packages), and Microsoft Office suite.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and facilitation skills to engage diverse groups and navigate complex political environments.
• Ability to work with diverse populations.
• Knowledge of USAID donor compliance requirements, grant management principles preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and work ethic.
• Ability to work with multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in Spanish, preferably proficient in English.