Candidates from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania with substantial experience with data mobilization and project management sought to assist Biodiversity Information for Development programme.

Deadline: 12 July 2024

The GBIF Secretariat is seeking applications from individual candidates interested in providing in-region contract support for projects in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands.

Candidates must reside within GBIF’s Africa, Oceania, and Latin America and the Caribbean regions, where they will assist project grantees engaged in data mobilization and use under the Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) programme. The selected contractors will form distributed teams charged with strengthening the communities of practitioners in their region.

Planning for BID’s next phase is underway and expected to begin in the third quarter of 2024. Pending the anticipated renewal of funding from the European Union, GBIF may place selected candidates on a reserve list prior to their starting work later in 2024. The reserve list for these contracts will be valid until 31 August 2026 and may be extended at the discretion of the GBIF Secretariat.

The BID programme aims to improve access and availability to biodiversity data and information for decision-makers in developing countries, enabling the effective implementation of multilateral agreements such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Recognizing the challenge of implementing data mobilization projects successfully, the BID programme emphasizes the role of capacity enhancement in helping funded projects achieve their goals.

The engagement of regional contractors complements the ongoing efforts of node managers, regional representatives, and volunteer trainers and mentors by:

• Providing distributed help-desk assistance, training and mentoring
• Ensuring the exchange of best practices and expert guidance between the BID project teams and GBIF’s global, regional and thematic communities of practice
• Leading regional outreach to individuals and institutions, particularly in countries not yet participating in the GBIF network
• Cultivating long-term engagement of team members from BID projects in the GBIF network

Application procedure

Applications must be submitted in English through the GBIF Grants Portal by 12 July 2024 at 23:59 CEST (UTC+2), When completing an application form on the GBIF Grants Portal, a candidate must upload their full CV and describe how they meet the requirements.

For applications from countries or organizations that already participate in GBIF, you must inform the GBIF Head of Delegation or Node Manager of your application. In addition, you are strongly encouraged to include a letter of support, stating at a minimum that the Head of Delegation or Node Manager is aware of the application and that it appears to fall within the scope of the call.

Questions on the application procedure may be directed to bid@gbif.org .

Source: GBIF News