Biodiversity Projects Officer

The Role 

The main focus of this role will be to provide support across Plan Vivo Foundations’ (PVF) new Biodiversity Standard – PV Nature, through the development and integration of new/pipeline projects. The officer will work as part of the PVF operational team (the Secretariat) and the role involves working closely with the Projects Team and the Biodiversity Coordinator (who is the line manager for this role). The role is based in Edinburgh, with the successful applicant able to work from our Edinburgh office and already holding the right to live and work in the UK. The role is full-time, on a 12-month contract, which may be extended, depending on performance and project funding. 

About Plan Vivo

The Plan Vivo Foundation (PVF) is an internationally focused charity, registered in Scotland. Its purpose is to develop and oversee the Plan Vivo Standards (PV Climate and PV Nature) and support Plan Vivo-certified projects worldwide. ‘Plan Vivo’ provides a framework and Standard for community-based payments for ecosystem services, principally in developing countries. Its growing portfolio of 28 operational and over 20 pipeline projects comprise a diverse range of ecosystem restoration and protection projects, as well as livelihoods development initiatives. These empower smallholder farmers and rural communities to reduce and reverse ecosystem degradation, while improving natural resource management to meet basic needs. Plan Vivo certified projects are typically geared around land-use, forestry and blue carbon interventions, with a clear link to water, biodiversity and livelihoods development activities. Plan Vivo’s work leverages both private sector and donor financed activities, working with a growing range of partner organisations to deliver on some of the world’s most pressing global challenges. Plan Vivo engages academia, the private sector, sustainability consultancies, NGOs and civil society actors in order to develop and improve climate mitigation and adaptation solutions. Its work touches on natural climate solutions, net zero targets, zero deforestation supply chains and the Sustainable Development Goals.

PVF’s charitable aims are to: 

• Reduce poverty through engaging rural communities in sustainable land-use projects; 
• Promote environmental protection and improvement through biodiversity conservation and the restoration, protection and management of terrestrial and marine ecosystems; 
• Advance education and build local capacity through the transfer of knowledge, skills and resources to developing countries. 

The Plan Vivo Foundation has the competence and responsibility to: 

• Take all decisions on the registration and status of Plan Vivo projects; 
• Annually review projects and coordinate third-party validation and approve verifiers; 
• Approve project technical specifications and coordinate peer reviews by relevant experts; 
• Issue Plan Vivo Biodiversity Certificates (PVBCs) in respect of ecosystem services generated by projects; 
• Develop the Plan Vivo System and Standard in consultation with stakeholders; 
• Maintain and disseminate clear and up-to-date information about Plan Vivo; and 
• Advocate for pro-poor, participatory approaches to biodiversity management and land use, where Indigenous Peoples, local communities and smallholders are involved in the project design and delivery.

Specific Responsibilities of the role

The following tasks form the core responsibilities of the role. 

Provide technical support to projects: 

• Providing information, guidance and in some instances training, to new projects specifically on the Plan Vivo certification process. This includes relevant regional / country policy.
• Reviewing Project Idea Notes (PINs), Project Design Documents (PDD) and Annual Reports (ARs). 
• Working with the Validation & Verification Manager to coordinate in country validations and verifications. 
• Reviewing and authorising Certificate Issuance, i.e. issuance of Plan Vivo Biodiversity Certificates (PVBCs). 
• Continued project support (guidance on project expansion, new technical specifications, verification, contracts, and other materials). 
• Continued technical guidance for projects aiming to conserve existing high value biodiversity and/or restoration of areas previously degraded. 
• Advise projects and the secretariat on technical matters for project development. 

Provide support to the wider foundation:

• Support the Marketing and Communications Coordinator with any needed website updates or promotional materials.
• Supporting the organisation of, and participate in, events and forums. In some cases, this may include representing Plan Vivo externally. 
• Respond to enquiries and requests for information. 
• Support Programme Coordinators by researching developments in technical guidance and tools, methodologies (including socio-economic and capacity building materials) and regional / country policy as necessary. 

Project Management: 

• Develop relationships with Project Coordinator organisations, where appropriate, keeping abreast of key project developments. 
• Feed into the project tracker, issuance history, aggregate figures, contacts database. 
• Creating and updating project templates and guidance. 

Technical Support: 

• Support the Technical Coordinator in the development of Standard documentation. 
• Develop guidance documents and templates to support projects through the project certification process. 
• Advise projects and the secretariat with matters related to project technical development. 

Please see our website for more information/requirements of the role and for details on how to apply.