Saturday, April 2, 2011

Land Tenure Specialist, China Region at Landesa

Land Tenure Specialist – China region (Position is based in Beijing, China)

Organization Summary
Grounded in the knowledge that having legal rights to land is a foundation for prosperity and opportunity, Landesa partners with governments and local organizations to ensure that the world’s poorest families have secure rights over the land they till. Founded as the Rural Development Institute in 1967, Landesa has helped more than 100 million poor families gain legal control over their land. With secure land rights, these families can eat better, earn more, educate their children, practice conservation, and achieve dignity for generations.


Basic Description of the Position
The Landesa (formerly RDI) Land Tenure Specialist should be committed to helping to make large-scale, positive changes in the lives of poor and vulnerable people. Within a context of developing countries around the world and in particular China, the Land Tenure Specialist provides legal, policy, and implementation expertise on rural land tenure security, access to land, land redistribution, land rights formalization, land markets, land administration (land titling and registration), land management, resolution of land disputes and related fields including natural resource tenure and issues surrounding common property. The Land Tenure Specialist conducts social science research (both from the desk and in the field), and both prepares and presents analytical reviews, research and briefing papers, advisory memos on land tenure policy and law, training modules, presentations, and other products. As a part of these activities, the Land Tenure Specialist manages the related assignments, programs, projects, and tasks, and also pursues private donor funding, fee-for-service opportunities, and public sector grants. The Land Tenure Specialist may also be asked to perform other management and administrative tasks.

Core Duties:
Perform legal and social science research, analysis, and synthesis of topics and issues related to Landesa’s work in China.
Undertake fieldwork (rapid rural appraisal, key informant interviews, public meetings, workshops, surveys, and the like) in China to gather information about current land tenure conditions and the prospects for reform.
Make legal, policy, program and project recommendations that are practical, useful, and realistic, given country realities and resources.
Contribute to the development of plans for implementation of selected recommendations.
Collect progress and performance data, assess progress and results, carry out or monitor evaluations/assessments of activities as needed; identify problem areas, and take corrective steps as needed to achieve program and project objectives.
Manage programs or projects in conformance with Landesa procedures on budgeting, human resource allocation and work planning, cost monitoring and control, monitoring travel schedules, and product preparation and delivery.
Collaborate with foreign government officials, other counterpart country nationals, and international aid agencies in the work.
Manage relations and collaborate with fee-for-service clients and public sector grantors.
Contribute to the expansion and/or development of the Landesa China programs and projects.
Contribute to internal learning objectives by sharing research methods and findings with other RDI staff, including making presentations.
Prepare and present public education and awareness presentations consistent with Landesa’s educational strategic objectives. 
Assist the Communications and Development department in preparing and presenting funding, educational and communication material.

Required Qualifications
Place of Performance: Beijing China. Applicants must be Chinese Nationals authorized to work in China.
Travel Requirements: Up to 80 days per year.
Education: Preferably with a law degree from an accredited law school or otherwise a graduate or professional degree in a related field such as economics, development studies, sociology, geography, anthropology, etc. – particularly in relation to land, agriculture, or natural resources. An undergraduate degree in area studies, economics, geography, political science, sociology, or other field related to international development would be beneficial. Work experience may not be substituted for the degree requirement. 
Experience: A minimum of 6 years of public or private sector professional work experience engaging in policy research on rural/poverty related agendas and/or engaging in implementation-related projects in China. Prior work experience with international or national development institutions is considered highly beneficial. 
Substantive Skills: Research, analysis, synthesis, reasoning, and writing abilities that have been developed to a level that permits the Land Tenure Specialist to take leadership on Landesa programs and projects.
Substantive Knowledge: Familiarity with legal, economic, sociological, agricultural, political, institutional, geographic, and anthropological concepts and information to an extent sufficient to permit the Land Tenure Specialist to participate in and manage Landesa programs and projects.
Management Skills: Ability to develop concrete work plans and manage tasks, teams, people, funds, products, and other elements so that work is performed according to agreed budgets, schedules, delivery requirements, and staffing plans, and that resources are used efficiently.
Administrative Skills: Ability to manage documents and correspondence, track and report on project labor, and carry out other administrative tasks efficiently, routinely, and in conformance to RDI standards and procedures.
Interpersonal Skills: Ability to work collaboratively with a range of people at all levels, including those from host country governmental and non-governmental organizations, and other counterparts, clients, donors, and grantors. Ability to demonstrate cross-cultural sensitivity, tact, and poise. Landesa works to nourish an organizational culture of collegiality, mutual respect and gender equality and recruits candidates who uphold these values.
Teamwork Skills: Ability to lead and work as a member of teams, including consensus building, communications, and leadership skills.
Communications Skills: Exceptional ability to communicate in writing and orally in Mandarin and English. Needed communications skills include an ability to make and use distinctions as to types, frequency, tenor, and levels of communications, depending upon the circumstances and audience.
Foreign Languages: Fluency in written and spoken Mandarin and English is required.
Technical Skills: Ability to use Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.


To Apply:
To apply, please submit cover letter, salary expectations and CV (in both Chinese and English) by April 22, 2011 to jobs@landesa.org with the title in the subject line. Landesa is an Equal Opportunity employer.

No comments:

Post a Comment