The Tour du Valat is hiring a task officer to strengthen the Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory

The Tour du Valat is a research institute for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands based in the Camargue, under the status of a private foundation recognized as a public utility. Founded in 1954 by Dr Luc Hoffmann, it is at the forefront of multidisciplinary research, building bridges between science, management and public policy, and developing management plans. It has adopted an ambitious mission: “Mediterranean wetlands are preserved, restored and enhanced by a community of stakeholders mobilized in the service of biodiversity and human societies”. The Tour du Valat has developed an internationally recognized scientific expertise; it provides practical answers to the problems of conservation and sustainable management of natural resources. For more information: https://tourduvalat.org/en/

The Tour du Valat is hiring a task officer to strengthen the Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory

Context

Mediterranean wetlands are among the richest ecosystems in the region, but also the most severely impacted by global changes and these anthropogenic pressures will continue to increase in the coming decades. In this context, the Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory (MWO) was created in 2008, as a long-term and wide scale monitoring tool, with mainly two objective: (1) to convey synthetic and comprehensive scientific knowledge to decision-makers in Mediterranean countries on the conservation status of wetlands and the progress made to preserve them; and (2) to promote more ambitious policies in favour of wetlands. The MWO was established under the Ramsar Convention, within the framework of the MedWet Regional Initiative for Mediterranean Wetlands and is managed by Tour du Valat.

Among the tools used to implement this monitoring, the MWO relies on a set of indicators that are regularly computed and updated in collaboration with its different scientific and technical partners. These monitoring indicators are used to feed the MWO’s products, including the reports “The Mediterranean Wetlands Outlooks” (see here for the 1^st edition in 2012 and here for the 2^nd in 2018). These reports play a central role in the MWO’s communication and advocacy strategy. They provide an overview of the scientific information resulting from the calculation of the monitoring indicators, usually presented as figures and key messages for decision-makers and society in general (media, NGOs and the general public). In order to optimize their media impact, these reports are generally released at the occasion of major international events dealing with wetland conservation, such as the Ramsar COPs for instance (organized every 3 years and the next one will take place in 2025). Finally, the other product that will also become a flagship tool of the MWO is a geoportal on Mediterranean wetlands. This new tool is under development and will allow to gather and centralize all main georeferenced data on the status and trends of Mediterranean wetlands, harmonize them at the regional scale and facilitate their dissemination through an online, scalable and user-friendly platform.

To meet these objectives, the MWO team is being strengthened by the position of task officer. Under the supervision of the MWO coordinator, he/she will have to help in the design, development and dissemination of the MWO’s various products and contribute to mobilizing institutional, scientific and civil society partners in all Mediterranean countries.

 Missions

• Co-design and prepare, under the supervision of the coordinator, the scientific and technical products of the MWO, including the 3^rd report on the status and trends of Mediterranean wetlands (planned for June-July 2025);
• Contribute to the discussion on updating the MWO indicators in light of recent international targets on biodiversity and wetlands;
• Support the downscaling process of the MWO indicators at national levels (when possible) of the 27+1 MedWet countries;
• Help manage MWO databases, especially georeferenced ones;
• Contribute to the dissemination of the scientific knowledge developed within the MWO, through the Mediterranean Wetlands Geoportal, as well as other tools developed by partners (e.g. the Mediterranean Observatory of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Blue Plan);
• Support the coordinator and the whole MWO team in the implementation of the different funded projects, as well as the dissemination and exploitation of their main outputs;
• Support the coordinator in strengthening the synergies between the MWO and MedWet, in particular by reviving the partnership with the Scientific and Technical Network;
• Support the MWO team in seeking new funding opportunities.

Profile and skills

Required

• Master 2 or Engineering degree in environmental sciences (ecology, geography, natural resource management, land/coastal management, etc.);
• Experience in project management related to environmental issues;
• Experience in using indicators for monitoring ecosystems (status, trends and pressures);
• GIS and spatial database management tools;
• Ability to work in an international partnership environment;
• Good teamwork skills, especially with external partners;
• Fluent French and good English skills are essential;
• Good writing skills in both French and English;
• Autonomy, initiative and good analytical and synthesis skills.

Desirable

• Basic knowledge on statistical tools for data analysis;
• Ability to organize and facilitate meetings/workshops with multiple international partners;
• Experience in the Mediterranean;
• One or more other Mediterranean languages.

Supervision

The task officer will be placed within the “Science-Society Interfaces” team and under the supervision of the MWO coordinator, Mr. Anis Guelmami.

Type of contract: Permanent contract, with a trial period of three months.

Remuneration: Group F or G according to the ECLAT collective agreement, i.e. 2300 € to 2700 € gross per month, depending on professional experience.

Starting date: The position is available as soon as possible.

Place of work: Tour du Valat, Le Sambuc, 13200 Arles with the possibility of home office 2 days/week.

How to apply

Send applications to Florence Daubigney [email protected] (Reference to be indicated “TdV-2023-MWO”) before March 31^st, 2023, including:

• A cover letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Two contacts of referents

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Florence Daubigney [email protected].