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
Contractors' role
The regional support contractors provide direct technical assistance and guidance to grantees and stakeholders involved in the BID programme within their respective regions.
GBIF's regional sub-committees serve as key platforms for communication, coordination and collaboration between GBIF Participant nodes. The regional support contractors will collaborate with both nodes and the elected regional representatives to strengthen regional coordination in GBIF. The contractors also complement the volunteer mentors, who remain an essential component of GBIF's capacity enhancement activities.
The regional support teams will focus specifically on outreach and engagement at both the individual and institutional levels by:
- Supporting the growth of regional biodiversity data availability to aid science and decision-making
- Strengthening regional capacity and skills development in biodiversity data mobilization and use
- Increasing institutional collaboration and regional engagement in the GBIF network
The aim is to create regional teams of dedicated individuals to enhance the work of the GBIF Secretariat and the network through their presence in and knowledge of the target regions.
A regional support coordinator will guide the work of the regional support contractors alongside GBIF Participant nodes in the region with oversight from the Secretariat. Candidates who wish to be considered for the full-time contract position must respond to the call for applications for a regional support coordinator.
Scope of work under the contract
The contracted individuals will support the BID coordination team at the Secretariat with responsibility for delivering:
- Regular group meetings with the project teams, the data publishing community, and interested observers to support the development of regional communities of practice
- Help-desk assistance and primary technical assistance for regional data mobilization and data quality issues, in coordination with the relevant GBIF Participant nodes, the regional coordinator and the Secretariat
- Technical administration and user support for a regional cloud-hosted Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT)
- Project mentoring focused on technical support for implementing the project teams' data mobilization plans
- Support in capacity enhancement workshops and the development of GBIF training materials, including translation
- Support in organizing on-site BID regional meetings
- Help in sharing news and events relating to the BID programme activities and ensuring the visibility of regional achievements
- Encouragement of long-term engagement of individuals and institutions from the region in the GBIF network
- Recommendations on the future development of the community of practice, including the identification of key capacity needs and training opportunities
- In coordination with the regional support coordinator, the Secretariat, regional representatives, and relevant nodes, support for regional engagement in updating and maintaining relevant entries in the Global Registry of Scientific Collections (GRSciColl)
- Support, recruit and assign mentors and biodiversity open data ambassadors to strengthen the community of practice, in coordination with the regional support coordinator, the Secretariat, regional representatives, and relevant nodes
- Bi-monthly status reports summarizing activities undertaken personally and by the community, and participation in regular planning meetings with the regional support coordinator, other regional contractors, and the Secretariat, as relevant.
Eligible applicants and location
GBIF will issue contracts to individual applicants, who must reside in a country, island or territory within the region they propose to support in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, or Oceania. We may ask candidates who have other employment for a letter of support from their other employer.
For applicants located in a GBIF Participant country or organization
Applicants residing in areas with a GBIF Participant country or organization must inform the relevant head of delegation (HOD) or node manager of their application. They are encouraged to include a letter of support from these representatives to strengthen their application during the review process. Applicants may find the contact information for these on the Participant tab of any country page or from the Participant list.
Skills and competencies
Required skills
Written and oral fluency in English is required, as it is the working language of the GBIF Secretariat. The ideal contractor will have substantial experience in a similar role, strong skills in mobilizing and publishing data through GBIF, and a solid working knowledge of:
- The content, structure and components of the GBIF data infrastructure
- The GBIF Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT)
- Relevant standards for data exchange (Darwin Core Archive and EML)
- Familiarity with the GBIF network
- Strong communication skills and the ability to provide clear guidance, especially, on technical issues related to data publishing
- The ability to work independently and as part of a multicultural distributed team
Desirable skills
The following skills will also be beneficial:
- Fluency in French, Spanish and/or Portuguese (written and oral) is highly desirable, with additional language skills considered an advantage
- Project management skills, such as having successfully delivered funded projects
- Experience in training or mentoring
- Experience in setting up and/or updating an IPT
- Experience with data processing and working with large databases
- Basic understanding of JSON web services and their use
- Knowledge of R or Python and APIs
Schedule and time commitments
We expect the contracted work to be for 50 per cent of full-time equivalent (FTE) over the contract period. The majority of the working hours allocated to the contract should fall within the regular working hours of the target region, and some of the working hours should overlap with the working hours of the GBIF Secretariat in Denmark.
The FTE rate for a 12-month contractor period based on 40 hours a week is €45,000 (euros) for the contract period.
The contracts will run for an initial period of two (2) years with the possibility of renewal to continue providing similar services as described in the Scope of Work, based on a positive performance review. We anticipate that contracts will start in 2024.
The deadline for submission of applications is 12 July 2024 at 23:59 CEST (UTC+2).
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.
About the GBIF Grants Portal
We highly recommend that applicants create an account in the GBIF Grants Portal as early as possible, as the account verification process can take up to two working days.
Note that if you already have an account in the GBIF Grants Portal, you should use your existing login information. You should not create a new account to apply to this call.
If you need to create an account in the GBIF Grants Portal and you are not currently affiliated with an organization:
- Go to the GBIF Grants Portal and click on "create an account now".
- Choose "yes" when asked if you represent or are affiliated with an organization or an institution.
- Complete the form indicating your primary contact information.
- In the Organization Information section, indicate the following under organization's name: 'Your first name-your last name-Consultant' and then replicate the information provided in the "Primary Contact Information" section of the form.
Selection process
A selection committee will involve GBIF Secretariat staff and members of the Participant Node Managers Committee.
The applications will be screened to ensure that they meet general eligibility criteria. Those that pass these tests will be scored against the following selection criteria:
- Demonstration of required and desirable skills
- Previous relevant experience
- Appreciation of the task
- Potential for lasting impact on the capacity within the region
In addition, candidates will be invited to demonstrate their data mobilization and communication skills through a practical exercise.
The selection committee will then evaluate the applications based on scoring. The committee may also take the following criteria into account to ensure that the final selection includes a balance in:
- Geographic spread of applicants within a region
- Language skills within a region
- Complementary skill set within a region, e.g. balance of technical and project management skills
Short-listed candidates will be invited to interview in August 2024.
Following the interviews, the selection committee will submit the list of suitable candidates to the GBIF Secretariat, which will decide on appointments and establish a reserve list for additional contractor positions that may become available later. Applicants shall note that inclusion on the reserve list does not guarantee the offer of a contract, which will be based on budget considerations.
If the work will be carried out alongside another role, we may require written confirmation from the applicant's other employer that they are aware of the additional hours committed under this contract.
The reserve list will be valid until 31 August 2025 and may be extended at the discretion of the GBIF Secretariat.
Eligible countries and areas for contractor's residence
Africa
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cabo Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Congo, Democratic Republic of
- Congo, Republic of
- Cote d'Ivoire
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- French Southern Territories
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Reunion
- Rwanda
- Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tanzania, United Republic of
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Western Sahara
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Latin America and the Caribbean
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
- Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Caribbean Netherlands)
- Brazil
- Cayman Islands
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Curaçao
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
- French Guyana
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Martinique
- Mexico
- Montserrat
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Puerto Rico
- Saint Barthelemy
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Martin
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sint Maarten
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Uruguay
- Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
- Virgin Islands, British
- Virgin Islands, U.S.
Oceania
- American Samoa
- Australia
- Cook Islands
- Fiji
- French Polynesia
- Guam
- Kiribati
- Marshall Islands
- Micronesia, Federated States of
- Nauru
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Niue
- Norfolk Island
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Pitcairn Islands
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- United States Minor Outlying Islands
- Vanuatu
- Wallis and Futuna