JOB OPENING AT LOCAL CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION

March 4, 2005, Luis Bourillon, COBI, Guaymas, Mexico Position Available Working in Ecotourism:

COBI is a Mexican non-profit organization that supports public participation for the conservation and management of marine and coastal biodiversity and community development

JOB OPPORTUNITY:

Comunidad y Biodiversidad, A.C. (COBI), a leading NGO in environmental conservation, management, and community development in Northwest Mexico is seeking for candidates for the following position:

Position: Ecotourism Coordinator.

Program: Promotion of tourism incentives and development of community-based ecotourism as tools for sustainable development in Northwest Mexico.

Location: Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.

Salary: Based on professional profile and experience.

Begin in: April, 2005.

Type of position: Permanent.

Description of the position:

The Ecotourism Coordinator will be in charge of the management of the organization’s ecotourism program. He/she will be responsible of making the program grow and to implement a wide array of eco and sustainable tourism projects in different levels. The coordinator will develop and maintain a financial and strengthening scheme for the program with a long term vision and will carry out management and lobbying tasks with different institutions and interest groups. He/she will develop briefings, documents and reports, as well as fund raising proposals to national and international donors, as well as undertaking a strategic planning process for the project to adequate it to the current conservation and development needs of the Gulf of California region (including the pacific coast of the Baja California Peninsula). The Ecotourism coordinator will be in charge of maintaining the current positioning of the organization as leaders in planning and development of eco and sustainable tourism as conservation and community development strategies in the region. Among his/her responsibilities for the short term, the implementation of two projects for the creation of community-based ecotourism ventures, as well as the promotion of sustainable tourism certification schemes as market incentives and conservation tools, will be a priority. The ecotourism coordinator will report directly to the Executive Director of the organization.

Responsibilities:

• Implementation of two community-based ecotourism ventures in two communities of the Gulf of California.

• Fundraising and growth of funding sources.

• Create and maintain institutional and strategic alliances and joint-ventures with productive sectors (especially tourism), governments, other NGOs, academy and other groups of interest.

• Active participation in joint regional strategic planning efforts for the promotion of sustainable tourism. Our mission is the conservation of marine biodiversity and community development in Northwest Mexico.

• Represent the organization in forums, conferences, workshops and other relevant work meetings relative to eco and sustainable tourism in the region. Requirements:

• Professionals with first degrees in: Tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Tourism Management, Natural Resources Management, Environmental Management, or similar.

• Preferably with postgraduate studies in Environmental and/or Natural Resources Management, Environmental Conservation, Environmental Studies and/or Planning, Sustainable Tourism or similar.

• Minimum of two years of experience on the implementation of eco and sustainable tourism projects, deep understanding and knowledge of the trends of global tourism and its market implications, and at least basic knowledge of the Mexican tourism sector trends.

• Ability to liaise with persons from different institutions and sectors of societies.

• Disposition to travel on a constant basis within the Gulf of California region and to work in different rural and fishing communities.

• Field experience.

• Excellent presentation and communication skills, facility to speak in public, and to make presentation to different types of audiences.

• Facility to work as part of a multidisciplinary team and individually as part of the planning and management process of projects that demand goals achievement with time pressure.

• Creativity, dynamism and pro-activity on the daily duties, as well as ability to adapt to sudden changes and unexpected situations.

• Proven sensibility and compromise to work for the benefit of the natural environment and marginalized community groups in the region.

• Ability to communicate in English and Spanish (85% minimum).

• Availability to reside in the City of Guaymas, in the state of Sonora, Northwest Mexico starting in April 2005.

Please send an application including the following information:

1. One page letter of purpose to MSc. Carlos Teuffer, Ecotourism Coordinator, Comunidad y Biodiversidad, A.C.

2. Resume (Under no circumstance more than two pages).

3. Name and contact details of two academic or professional references (family contacts are not accepted). Please send your applications only via e-mail to cobi_ecoturismo@yahoo.com no later than March 17th, 2005. No applications will be received by other means. Any of the application requirements missing will mean that the application would not be considered and will be discarded.

Selection process:

Applications will be assessed in March 18th – 21st. Candidates will be contacted to arrange a telephone interview before March 31st. Personal interviews will be the last stage of the selection process and the time and place for these will be arranged with the candidates.

No telephone calls will be received before the interview appointments of the selection process.

We thank you for your interest in our organization.

Comunidad y Biodiversidad, A.C., Ecotourism Coordination, Bahia Bacochibampo s/n, Fraccionamiento Lomas de Cortes, Guaymas, 85450, Sonora, Mexico, www.cobi.org.mx.

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