This vacancy is being re-advertised. Applicants who have previously submitted applications will be automatically considered.
Position: Great Lakes Programme Director
Location: Partnership Africa Canada, Ottawa
Deadline for applications: Monday January 11, 2016
Interviews: Friday January 22, 2016 in Ottawa
Starting date: As soon as possible
Salary: $81,267 (This figure includes fringe benefits)
Partnership
Africa Canada (PAC) has been working on the question of responsible
natural resource governance in Africa for over 15 years, combining a
search for innovative solutions with their successful implementation.
PAC has taken a multistakeholder approach, working with governments, the
private sector, civil society partners and international and regional
bodies to promote responsible natural resource governance and
sustainable development. This has led to the creation of strong
legislative and regulatory frameworks to prevent conflict and support
economic growth and development. In undertaking this work, PAC has
collaborated closely with civil society organizations across Africa, and
several national and regional coalitions have developed as a direct
result of PAC’s support.
Building Responsible Mineral Supply Chains: from mine to market
The
violent exploitation of natural resources has been a persistent problem
in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. From rubber in the colonial period
to tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold today, resource extraction has
fueled or sustained conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in
neighbouring states. The electronic, aerospace, automotive and jewelry
industries and many others rely on minerals mined in the Great Lakes
Region in the making of their products. In 2010, PAC drew on its
expertise with conflict diamonds and proposed a regional certification
mechanism for conflict minerals to the states of the Great Lakes Region
(ICGLR), which was rapidly adopted. PAC was also involved in the
drafting of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply
Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High Risk Areas. PAC
continues today to engage with the governments of the region to assist
them with the implementation of due diligence and certification.
Gold
is considered the most persistent and high value ‘conflict mineral’
today, with more than half of the artisanal gold mines in eastern DRC
having been under illegal rebel or army control. Almost the entire gold
production of these mines - 98% according to the United Nations - is
smuggled out of the country, implying enormous tax losses to the
Congolese government. Efforts to include the artisanal and small-scale
gold sector in responsible sourcing mechanisms are therefore critical to
preventing further marginalization of artisanal miners and heightened
risks of conflict financing and illegal smuggling. Via its Just Gold
programme, PAC is piloting the creation of fully traceable conflict-free
mineral supply chains for artisanal gold from mine site to refiner.
Miners agree to sell their gold through identified legal sales chains
and to have their production and sales tracked in exchange for access to
technical assistance. Formalization of the artisanal sector and
community beneficiation including women’s economic empowerment,
environmental considerations and sustainability are central to these
efforts. Lessons learned from the pilots are also being used at local,
national, regional and international levels to address drivers of
transnational smuggling including illegal or excessive taxation and weak
customs procedures in importing countries.
Supporting Civil Society in the Great Lakes Region
PAC
has worked closely with the regional civil society platform, COSOC-GL,
since its creation in 2011. Its membership spans several provinces in
eastern DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. The platform is dedicated to
curbing the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Great Lakes
Region. It does this by advocating for the full adoption and
implementation of mineral certification and due diligence by the
region’s governments and private sector. Since 2011, it has developed
the capacity of its members to monitor mineral supply chain due
diligence, and provides a forum where organizations can share knowledge,
experiences and lessons learned.
In
order to bring the concerns of local mining communities directly to
decision-makers and to more influential civil society actors (including
to COSOC-GL), community-based organizations (CBOs) in PAC’s Just Gold
project sites will be provided with rights-based leadership training to
identify and better promote their needs and interests. A stronger and
broader regional civil society platform, as well as the increased
capacity of CBOs in Just Gold project sites, will lead to improved
monitoring and reporting on certification and due diligence efforts,
which in turn will lead to more responsibly-sourced minerals.
Understanding gender and artisanal and small scale-mining (ASM)
The
volume of mining activity globally and on the African continent is
increasing while mining-related regulations are undergoing significant
change as a result of government and donor interest, and consumer demand
for ‘conflict-free’ minerals and electronics. Women are present in high
numbers in artisanal mining zones, yet little is known about their
livelihood practices and the impacts of increased mining activity and
heightened regulation. PAC and several partners have begun studying
women’s economic roles and livelihood practices in artisanal and
small-scale mining of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold; four minerals
that are in high demand and subject to an increasing range of
international and national regulation. The research focuses on three
countries at the heart of mineral production in central Africa, and
which are at different stages of implementing sweeping reforms targeting
ASM and gender equality: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and
Rwanda. The next phase of PAC’s work on gender will include the
development and implementation of a range of strategies to promote
women’s security and economic empowerment in the artisanal sector at
Just Gold project sites and throughout the region.
Great Lakes Programme Director
This
is a senior position and PAC is looking for a person with considerable
experience who can assume from the outset a wide range of
responsibilities. The Great Lakes Programme Director will carry out the
following tasks in close collaboration with other PAC staff and
technical experts in Canada and internationally:
- Manage PAC’s Great Lakes programme – its projects, staff and contractors, and budgets.
- Liaise with representatives of civil society, governments and the private sector to ensure support for PAC's Great Lakes programme and its objectives.
- Work closely with the ICGLR, its member states and other international organizations.
- Lead PAC's policy and advocacy efforts to break the links between armed conflict and the trade in high-value minerals from the Great Lakes region.
- Lead PAC’s policy and advocacy efforts to integrate gender across all aspects of PAC’s Great Lakes programme.
- Develop research and project activities related to the Great Lakes programme.
- Undertake media relations and public speaking activities.
- Maintain donor relations, including preparing funding proposals and narrative reports.
Candidates
are asked to demonstrate clearly in their applications how they meet
the requirements of the position. The successful candidate should
ideally have the following qualifications, experience and skills:
- A university degree (masters or equivalent work experience) in a relevant field.
- A minimum of five years of relevant work experience including project management, preferably in Africa.
- A good understanding of issues surrounding human rights and conflict in Africa, transparency and accountability in the extractive sector, and corporate social responsibility.
- Experience working in a policy and campaigning capacity at a national and/or an international level.
- Experience in monitoring and evaluation (e.g. baseline studies; identification of indicators, etc.).
- Experience in public representation, including with the media.
- Written and spoken English and French: fluency preferred.
- Ability to manage a complex workload and respect deadlines with minimal supervision.
- Ability to work in a team.
- Ability to travel internationally, possibly frequently, including in difficult environments.
PAC’s headquarters is located in Ottawa. Applicants must either be Canadian citizens, or have permanent residency in Canada.
To Apply
Send the following information by email to jobs@pacweb.org
A cover letter explaining your interest in the position addressed to Partnership Africa Canada
The
deadline for applications is Monday January 11, 2016. Interviews will
take place on Friday January 22, 2016. The successful candidate will be
asked to begin work as soon as possible.
loading...
