The Blue Carbon Specialist provides technical and scientific support for conservation initiatives in Indonesia through YKAN’s Coastal Resilience Strategy to help fill critical capacity and knowledge gaps and contribute to larger-scale expansion of Natural Climate Solutions (NCS), specifically in the area of shrimp pond and mangrove restoration. Natural Climate Solutions offer nature-based climate change mitigation through protection, sustainable management, and restoration of forests, wetlands, grasslands, and agricultural lands. The Specialist will work in close collaboration with other staff and partnerships in supporting the guidance, design, and implementation of research, including impact analysis, assessment of co-benefits, and analysis of climate change mitigation potential for nature-based solutions (in particular blue carbon projects). The Specialist provides scientific, technical, and project management support and leadership to priority projects. They will help execute ongoing blue carbon project, design priority projects to test key assumptions, verify progress, and evaluate impacts of specific conservation interventions, while also identifying or developing approaches and tools that can be used more broadly across the organization working areas.  As part of a global learning network, the NCS Prototyping Network, they will connect and regularly engage with similar projects in multiple global geographies to share information and support peer-to-peer learning.

The Blue Carbon Specialist conducts scientific surveys and research, records data, and writes reports in order to administer and coordinate blue carbon projects and NCS research, analysis, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning specific to mangrove impact analysis, conservation and restoration in Indonesia. They lead projects and teams to guide and deliver science, reports, and publications to better understand and quantify climate change mitigation and other co-benefits specifically related to blue carbon. They liaise with and develop strategic partnerships with relevant agencies, academic partners, conservation organizations, and/or the private sector. As a strong project manager, they develop and implement workplans and manage grants, contracts, and project budgets. They contribute to and build science capacity both for team program by actively engaging and contributing to the NCS Prototyping Network.

This may include the following functions:

• Develop and implement NCS research, especially in the context of mangrove conservation and restoration, multi-benefit aquaculture, blue carbon, and other related conservation activities.
• Perform fieldwork including ecosystem, carbon stock, greenhouse gas emissions, and/or co-benefit assessments and monitoring, and work with local communities and partners on data and knowledge collection.
• Lead and support the establishment of monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) frameworks that provides knowledge to develop conservation strategies.
• Develop, collect, and analyze data, and maintain a database library, maps, spatial analysis systems, monitoring reports, and publications.
• Integrate multiple scientific workstreams and teams and ensures overall data quality.
• Actively engage in NCS Prototyping Network and trainings.
• Prepare program materials including presentations, memos, and other communications.
• Provides research and expertise in support of policy analysis, legislative, corporate and/or policy priorities.
• Represent YKAN at meetings and on committees where technical input is required.
• Develop strategic partnerships with relevant agencies, academic partners, conservation organizations, and/or the private sector.
• Facilitate engagement with stakeholders to support establishment of blue carbon projects, including designing, preparing, implementing, and evaluating workshops, meetings, and events.
• May occasionally support proposal development to include science content in priority proposals.
• The Blue Carbon Specialist will be based in Jakarta and report to the Coastal Resilience Senior Manager while also working very closely with additional Indonesia, regional, and global network.

 

• Develop adaptive management work plans, conceptual models, and design conservation strategies.
• Develop, manage, and oversee programs within a conservation area or program.
• Deliver tools, data, field services, and training to staff and partners.
• Design and implement experiments relative to program area.
• Supervise staff on a project basis and coordinate fieldwork and logistical support for research, project development, and monitoring.
• May manage grants, contracts, or request for proposal.
• Ensures program compliance with internal policies and external requirements.
• May work flexible schedule and travel frequently throughout the region. Works independently, working with supervisor as needed.
• May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, in hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned from time to time.