The Tour du Valat is a private foundation working for the research and conservation of Mediterranean wetlands. Founded in 1954 by Dr Luc Hoffmann and based in the Camargue, it is at the cutting edge of multidisciplinary fields of research, building bridges between science, management and public policies. The main objective for the Tour du Valat is to change the behavior and decisions made by governments and the wider society in the Mediterranean basin to ensure that wetlands are conserved and sustainably managed in the future.
The Tour du Valat has internationally recognized scientific expertise, and provides practical responses to problems regarding the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources. The Tour du Valat’s projects are carried out in the Camargue and around the Mediterranean basin.
The Tour du Valat employs 80 people, including a dozen scientists and as many project leaders. The team supervises about 8 Ph.D. and other students.
The Tour du Valat is seeking an international project leader “Science / Society” to develop collaborations with the civil society, to strengthen its role in international networks and influence policies and sustainable management practices related to Mediterranean wetlands.
Over the last 15 years, the Tour du Valat has developed two partnership mechanisms at the interface between science and society:
- The Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory [1], established in 2009 within the framework of the MedWet [2] Initiative, aimed at developing knowledge for monitoring the status and trends of Mediterranean wetlands to provide an evidence base for influencing governance and management decisions.
- The Mediterranean Alliance for Wetlands, [3] established in 2017, dedicated to structuring and strengthening the capacity of civil society in the Mediterranean basin and advocating for the sustainable management of wetlands, targeting the society in general and decision-makers in particular. This innovative mechanism is still in development and has not yet reached its full potential.
These two complementary mechanisms need to be structured in order to increase their impact in a context of increasing pressure and massive wetland loss.
The Tour du Valat, especially through its Mediterranean Wetland Observatory department, intends to improve its impact on international policy processes related to the sustainable management of wetlands in the Mediterranean basin. Given this objective and after years of improving its monitoring data and indicators, the Tour du Valat intends to strengthen its role in international networks (in particular, the Ramsar Convention, IPBES, Sustainable Development Goals, the Barcelona Convention, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and its Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Waterbirds (AEWA)).
In this context, we are seeking an outgoing and dynamic project leader with a solid scientific background in order to co-develop and implement a strategy for reinforcing our international position.
His/her main tasks will be:
- To consolidate the Mediterranean Alliance for Wetlands and guarantee its development and impact,
- To contribute to the Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory activities in order to change current policies and management strategies;
- More broadly, to contribute to the development of the Tour du Valat strategy for influencing policy and management decisions for the conservation and sustainable use of Mediterranean wetlands in the Mediterranean basin.
- To develop and manage all aspects of projects including project design, funding and partnerships.
The position is supervised by the “Wetlands Observatory” department Coordinator and involves strong cross-cuting involvement with all the activities of the Tour du Valat. In this way, the project leader will benefit from the diversity of ideas and practices available within the team and gather all the necessary support that he/she needs to build and implement his/her activities.
This position will allow the candidate to develop an innovative approach by engaging with NGOs around the Mediterranean basin in the framework of sustainable development actions, and by being directly involved in different international political processes.
The candidate should:
- Have an in-depth understanding of environmental challenges and of the geopolitical context and policy processes in the Mediterranean basin;
- Have a real interest in exploring and understanding the institutional, social and cultural context of the Mediterranean;
- Be able to mobilise groups of partners or actors towards common objectives and their concrete implementation;
- Have excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to address different audiences;
- Demonstrate a strong spirit of initiative and creativity;
- Have an excellent capacity for analysis and synthesis, as well as excellent skills in French and English (oral and written).
He/she should have:
- An initial training at MSc level, PhD or an equivalent diploma;
- Ideally a double expertise in environmental sciences and political sciences, or at least a real interest in these two fields;
- A successful working experience in a relevant field for at least 3 years.
- Competence in project management and leading networks;
- A strong affinity with civil society actors;
- A demonstrated interest in applied research and conservation;
- A capacity to work as a team-player
- Very good self-organization skills;
The following capacities are also sought:
- Knowledge of issues related to wetland conservation;
- Fluency in other Mediterranean languages, including Arabic, Spanish, …
Contract: Open-ended contract with a trial period
Monthly Gross Salary: 2500 – 3150 € according to experience (CCNA convention)
Working location: Tour du Valat, Camargue, France, with frequent international travel, particularly in the Mediterranean basin.
Starting date: 14th September 2020
How to apply:
Send your application to Florence Daubigney (e-mail [4]) (ref: TdV-MWO-2020) by the 6th of July 2020, with:
- A cover letter;
- A resume/CV;
- The names and contact details (with e-mail addresses and phone number) of three references, including a recent employer.
The shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview the week of 20th July 2020. Travelling expenses can be reimbursed at the applicant’s request.
For any questions concerning the application procedure, please contact Florence Daubigney (e-mail [4]).