Position: SNAPP Benefit Sharing Research Fellow

Reports to: Conservation Impact Technical Advisor

Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Country Program/Sector: Global Conservation Program-Greater Mekong

Position Type: Full-time, fixed term (two years)

Internal liaison: Country Director, WCS Cambodia, KSWS Landscape Technical Advisor, Regional Forest Carbon Technical Advisor

Expected travel: As required by the working group (3 meetings), one-month visiting fellowship at an academic institution, and attendance at SNAPP mentorship opportunities.

Organization Background:

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit organization established in 1895 and based in New York, that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science-based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With a presence in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. In the Greater Mekong WCS has country programs in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam and is managed through a dispersed regional network with a hub in Bangkok.

Position Background:

WCS Cambodia provides technical and financial assistance to the management of Keo Seima Wildlife

Sanctuary (KSWS) REDD+ Project and to the Northern Plains Landscape (NPL) REDD+ project. KSWS was the first large REDD+ project developed in Cambodia, the first to receive a multi-million-dollar carbon sale, and it is the longest running. In the ten years since it started, the project has demonstrated that emissions reductions can be achieved while maintaining a gold rating for benefiting local communities. A key component of the project is the Benefit Sharing Mechanism, through which project revenues are distributed to local communities.

With funding from the Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP), WCS Cambodia will establish a global working group, co-led by The Nature Conservancy and RECOFTC. The working group convenes leading academics, practitioners, Indigenous people’s organisations, and private sector, to synthesise lessons and develop guidelines for development of Benefit Sharing Mechanisms in the voluntary carbon market. The project will last two years.

Job Purpose:

WCS seeks a SNAPP Benefit Sharing Research Fellow to lead the SNAPP project on Benefit Sharing. The fellow will plan and facilitate the working group convenings, lead on development of project outputs including scientific publications, and implement and coordinate field-based testing of project outputs through the working group network. The fellow will synthesise global knowledge and experience on Benefit Sharing Mechanisms to develop practical guidelines and develop a data-collection strategy to pilot and test this guidance at multiple sites. The fellow will be affiliated with one or more academic institutions and will have the opportunity to spend one month visiting one of these institutions. They will have opportunity for further training, networking, and conference attendance through the SNAPP mentorship program. The position has a fixed term of two years and is a technical research function without staff management responsibility

Major Responsibilities:

1. Coordinate and facilitate a global SNAPP working group focused on Benefit Sharing Mechanisms in the voluntary carbon market
2. Develop and implement a process for synthesising global lessons and experiences on Benefit Sharing Mechanisms, including from project developers, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, the private sector, and other stakeholders
3. Gather data and lessons learned from the REDD+ projects implemented by WCS Cambodia to input into the working group
4. Lead on writing and developing project outputs, including guidance documents and scientific publications
5. Develop and coordinate an approach to piloting working group guidance at multiple project sites, including data collection and analysis, including at REDD+ projects in Cambodia

Minimum Requirements and Job Skills:

• A postgraduate degree in an environmental or social science discipline
• At least 5 years’ experience conducting social research, with a track record of producing high quality research.
• Excellent data management and analysis skills, including qualitative, quantitative and/or statistical analyses.
• Ability to communicate clearly and confidently, including experience delivering presentations and trainings
• Excellent English writing skills, including academic papers and research reports.

Preferred requirements:

• Experience connecting or applying research results to design or implementation of environmental policy.
• Understanding of current debates and issues in the Nature-based Solutions and Voluntary Carbon Markets
• Experience working with Indigenous peoples and local communities
• Ability to work sensitively across cultures and contexts

WCS is an equal opportunity employer, and the organization complies with all employment and labor laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and engaging a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share that same value. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate for employment based on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, caste, genetic information or any other covered status or characteristic protected by laws and regulations/and similar categories.

It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based upon a person’s membership in one of these protected categories in areas such as recruitment, selection, job assignment, supervision, training, promotions, job grading, transfers, termination, compensation, benefits, educational opportunities, WCS sponsored recreational activities and facilities.

The organization complies with the spirit and intent of relevant local laws and WCS’s employment policies.