The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a leading international forestry research organization committed to conserving forests and improving the livelihoods of people in the tropics. With Headquarters in Bogor, Indonesia and offices in Asia, Africa and South America, CIFOR works in over 30 countries worldwide and has links with researchers in 50 international, regional and national organizations. CIFOR is a member of the CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research).

CIFOR is looking for creative and visionary candidates to join its Research Team as Senior Scientists. The Scientists, who will work closely with other CIFOR research programmes, will help facilitate and identify strategic opportunities in the fields of forests and livelihoods, and/or environmental services. The Scientists will undertake research, develop and maintain functional partnerships, support capacity-building initiatives, and assist in developing and maintaining donor relations. They will be supportive of staff development, and will encourage continuous improvement and learning. Each position reports to the Director of respective Programme.

Senior Scientists – Trade and Investment, (2 positions)

CIFOR is strengthening its work on the impacts of globalized trade and investment on forests, and two of the positions are earmarked for this research domain:

• One scientist (in the Forests and Governance Programme) is expected to develop global and regional scenarios of trade and investment trends that will influence forests and forest-based communities, including those related to forest product industries and biofuels. The ideal candidate will have a PhD in an appropriate discipline, experienced in collaborative research, and have a global track record as a researcher. Expertise in Africa is an added advantage.
• One Scientist (in the Forests and Livelihoods Programme) is expected to conduct research at the landscape level, investigating how major trends in forest-related trade and investment play out on the ground in terms of livelihood strategies and institutional arrangements for managing landuse trade-offs. The ideal candidate will have a PhD in an appropriate discipline, experienced in collaborative research, and have a background in household and other rural survey methods.

Senior Scientist – Forests and Governance Programme (1 position)

CIFOR is expanding its work on rights and responsibilities for local forest management. This work will be in the context of one or more of the following trends: land and forest resource tenure reform, decentralization, REDD. The ideal candidate will have skills related to community organization, collective action and community-based natural resource management. Strong analytical capacities are required to ensure global comparative work, with a strong emphasis on Africa. The candidate is expected to have a record of quality publications in good social science journals, and a PhD in the social sciences.

The Scientists will undertake research, develop and maintain functional partnerships, support capacity-building initiatives, and assist in developing and maintaining donor relations. Each position reports to the Director of respective Programme. Fluency in English is required; proficiency in other languages is desirable.

Senior Scientist – Climate Change, Forests and Governance Programme (1 position). The Scientists will contribute to CIFOR’s Climate Change and Forests Initiative

The ideal candidate will have a PhD in an appropriate discipline, experienced in collaborative research. Have global track record as researcher with knowledge of forest, livelihoods and/or climate change issues. The Scientist will have excellent team leadership, facilitation and organizational skills. The candidate has excellent interpersonal and communication skills, experienced in working with and/or has led multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary research teams. She or he will have a strong publications record, proven fund-raising record and substantial proposal-writing experience. Fluency in English is required; proficiency in other international languages is desirable.

Terms of Employment:

• CIFOR offers an internationally competitive salary and expatriated benefits package including housing, transportation, home leave, education support and comprehensive healthcare.
• The positions are based in Bogor, Indonesia and international travel is required.
• Commencing in 2009.

Application Process:

Applications will be accepted until the suitable candidates are identified. All applications will be acknowledged, however only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview in Bogor, Indonesia. All correspondence will be held in confidence. Letter of interest and CV should be sent to the following address:

Human Resources Department, CIFOR
E-mail: cifor-hr@cgiar.org 

(Please indicate the position in the email subject line)  

CIFOR is an international and equal opportunity organization,
We believe that diversity of our staff contributes to excellence