Strategic communication

Peru Advocacy Coordinator: Forest Peoples Program – Deadline 23 December

By 09/12/2019

Peru Advocacy Coordination: Forest Peoples Program

Deadline: 23 December, 2019, 5pm Peru time
Interviews: mid-January, in Lima
Location: Lima, Peru (plus some remote working)
Term: 12 month employment contract with potential for renewal
Salary: $18,000-$24,000/year (full time) depending on qualifications and experience
Start date: February or March 2020

Are you interested in playing a pivotal role helping indigenous peoples in the Peruvian Amazon protect and steward large swathes of the Amazon forest and hold forest destroyers to account?

Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) is an international human rights organisation that stands in solidarity with indigenous peoples, tribal groups and forest dependent communities. We work to secure the future they want, and counter top-down development and unaccountable private sector actors affecting their livelihoods and forest territories. Our work is built on long-term relationships with communities and social movements in tropical forest countries and is guided by the core principle of indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination. FPP strives to create political space for forest peoples to secure their rights, control their lands and decide their own futures.

We are looking for someone who can join our active Peru country team working at the intersect between community self-determined development, finance, law and human rights currently with Shipibo, Kichwa and Wampis indigenous peoples. As competition over land in the Peruvian Amazon grows, and agribusiness, extractive industries and other sectors have increasing impacts on the rights of indigenous and forest-dependent peoples, indigenous peoples are mobilising in response to counter these threats through their own initiatives complemented by the use of a range of tools including strategic litigation, targeted advocacy and mapping and monitoring. FPP is seeking a dynamic and committed person to coordinate our team’s policy and advocacy work in Peru alongside civil society and to strengthen the efforts of indigenous peoples to secure and care for their forest homes.

The role

You will be a key player in FPP’s Peru country team working out of Lima helping to shape, coordinate and articulate the efforts of our indigenous and community partners currently in San Martin, Amazonas and Ucayali in conjunction with national and international legal and advocacy actions with our partners including the Institute of Legal Defense (IDL) and with FPP colleagues. At the same time you will strengthen collaboration and engagement with relevant government agencies and allied NGOs and indigenous peoples organisations working on these issues.

Duties and Key Responsibilities

  • Coordinate our advocacy strategy in Peru including day to day organisation, planning and support for implementation of all project activities in Peru led by partners in Lima, San Martin, Ucayali and Amazonas.
  • Lead our engagement and advocacy strategy with Peruvian government agencies, Peruvian CSOs and IPOs
  • Representation of FPP in relevant meetings and policy spaces in Peru as and when required
  • Regular field trips to support planning, coordination and implementation of activities with our project partners to San Martin, Ucayali and Amazonas/Loreto (approximately 6-8 short trips/year)
  • Coordinate narrative reporting to FPP’s Peru country lead of all country level activities including legal actions
  • Assist FPP’s finance team to support local partners and coordinators with financial reporting where necessary
  • Compile media releases and articles for FPP website and independent providers in conjunction with the FPP communications team
  • Support future programme development
  • Compile short briefings and reports as and where needed (no more than one report per year)

Skills and Experience

  • Experience in working with indigenous and forest-dependent peoples’ organisations and communities is highly desirable
  • Track record of working on complex advocacy issues with linkage to grassroots struggles
  • Experience of basic project management including financial and narrative reporting desirable
  • Proven skills in networking with other organisations working on similar issues
  • Knowledge of Peruvian law and policy on forests and indigenous peoples and an understanding of the different actors working on these issues in Peru ca
  • Ability to work effectively as part of a multi-cultural, dispersed team of FPP staff and partners to achieve shared objectives
  • Good writing skills and capacity to compile written articles, policy analyses and reports (Spanish essential)
  • Good written and spoken English desirable
  • Competence in spoken and written English for the purposes of coordination with FPP colleagues in the UK
  • Strong alignment with FPP’s core values and principles
  • Ability and willingness to spend time in Amazon region and with forest communities

Terms

  • Salary in the range of $18,000-$24,000 /year (full time) depending on qualifications and experience
  • Start date: Feb or March 2020 with availability for interviews in Lima in mid January
  • 12 month employment contract with potential for renewal
  • Location preference is in Lima working out of IDL’s office (Remote working for some of the days may be considered)
  • Benefits include 20 days leave per year (pro rata), plus all Peruvian public holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year when the UK office is closed.

To apply for this post please send your CV and covering letter by email to info@forestpeoples.org with your name and Peru advocacy coordinator in the subject line.

Closing date for applications: Monday 23rd December, 5pm Peru time