ThaiNGO

As an international cooperation enterprise with worldwide operations, the German government-owned Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH operates on behalf of German ministries, the governments of other countries and international clients to provide tailor-made, cost-efficient and effective services for sustainable development. With over 60 years of experience implementing projects in Thailand, GIZ provides policy and technical advice on various topics and sectors relating to Thailand’s reform process, including: climate policy, sustainable economic development, and sustainable agriculture. We are looking for a GCF Senior Field Manager and ISRL (GEF) Senior Field Coach to support GIZ’s work on Thai Rice: Strengthening Climate-Smart Rice Farming and Sustainable Rice Landscapes.

Senior Field Manager and ISRL Senior Field Coach

For GCF and other projects

Thai Rice: Strengthening Climate-Smart Rice Farming and Sustainable Rice Landscapes

(Agriculture Cluster)

Rice is Thailand’s most important food crop, accounting for roughly half of agricultural land and employing 18 million smallholder farmers. Rice farmers are among the poorest occupational groups in Thailand. They are extremely vulnerable to climate change: rice farming is a water-intensive and temperature-sensitive activity conducted in a climate that is becoming increasingly characterized by longer dry spells and higher temperatures. At the same time, rice farming is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Smallholder farmers have limited capacity to adapt, given their small farm sizes and low incomes, and their limited access to technical assistance, markets and credit.

The “Thai Rice: Strengthening Climate-Smart Rice Farming” project aims to promote low-emission and climate-resilient rice farming. It aims to benefit more than 250,000 smallholder farmers – strengthening their yields, livelihoods, food security, and ability to cope with climate risks. It also has potential to mitigate 2.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

The “Inclusive Sustainable Rice Landscapes Project (ISRL) – GEF 7” works on a comprehensive landscape based approach on Rice on and off farm level with National Institutions and Policy as well as 2 provinces Chiangrai and Ubon Ratchathani, and aims to reach 45,000 smallholder farmers with an approach to transfer experience to other provinces in a later stage of the project.

Other commissions and projects, like Climate Resilient Potato in cooperation with PepsiCo. (Thai Rice GCF, ISRL and Potato/ Rice Crop Rotation projects are all implemented under the DeveloPPP framework with significant Co-financing from the multilateral funds GCF and GEF and as such a continuation and significant upscaling of previous DeveloPPP commissioned projects.

Job highlights:

• Job with purpose: Work for a paradigm shift in Thai rice landscape farming to achieve ambitious climate targets
• Pioneering topics: Enable efficiency and compliance for ambitious impact
• Dynamic team: Join an international and dedicated team

The GCF Senior Field Manager and ISRL Senior Field Coach will carry out the following tasks.

Responsibilities

1. Project coordination and management:

• Lead and manage operational plan and steer executions of all field-based project activities in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces, ensuring activities align with project goals and timelines.
• Design training plan of the field teams to achieve the requirement of GCF/ISRL Funding, private partners and support the training program of public partners to achieve project indicators.
• Oversee the setup, maintenance, and success of training program, demonstration plots and rice landscape model, farmer field days, and other promotional events
• Lead data collections and monitoring efforts to track and evaluate effectiveness of field activities, adoption of practices and outcomes
• Identify challenges and areas for improvement in field operations
• Coordinate with / support local governmental (ie, RD, DoAE, BAAC, etc.), private partners based on need and request
• Maintain regular progress update with team leads and ensure all relevant administrative tasks, including logistics and procurement, are in place.
• Ensure compliance project management, field administrative and financial tasks in coordination with Office and Finance Manager in BangkoSupport procurement for office equipment, office supplies and other required assets, as well as oversee field office’s asset management and maintenance.

2. Knowledge management and Coaching:

•  Support a field manager in developing on-ground training strategies to improve project implementation
• Provide on-ground technical coaching to farmers, field staff and local partners in implementing climate-smart farming practices and rice landscape model
• Develop training materials and resources to support knowledge transfer for internal and external audiences
• Coach and mentor field staff to strengthen their technical capabilities and ensure quality implementation of project activities

3. Communication:

• Build and maintain strong relationship with local authorities, farmer groups, and stakeholders
• Liaise with partners to develop relevant communication materials and outreach activities
• Assist with research activities and studies which benefit the project
• Support coordination with other GIZ projects in Thailand and in the region
• Represent the project in stakeholder meetings, workshops, and public events to ensure visibility and foster collaboration

Qualifications:

• Thai nationality only
• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field, e.g. Agriculture, Environmental Science, Business Administration, Public Administration or related fields
• 10 years of professional working experience in a similar position or related field
• Substantial experience working with local government, community engagement or capacity building
• Previous experience in regenerative agriculture projects or working with smallholder farmers (particularly in rice, crop rotation and diversed farming) is highly preferred
• Experience in climate change adaptation and resilience-building programs
• Demonstrated skills in communication and interpersonal skills
• Fluent in spoken and written Thai; proficiency in English is an advantage
• Good working knowledge of MS Office package (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and Microsoft Teams
• Willingness to travel in accordance with project requirements

Personal attributes and competencies:

• Self-motivated, flexible and resourceful
• Good organizational and conceptualization skill
• Hands-on mentality and detail-oriented work ethics
• Ability to work independently and in a team
• Ability to work under time pressure and meet deadlines with strong attention to consistency, details, and quality
• Interest and desire to work in a cross-cultural context, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable agriculture value chains.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to coordinate with diverse partners and stakeholders

Duty station and timeframe:

The position will be based in Chiang Mai to implement the work in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai and will report to the Project Director in GIZ Thailand. This will be a fixed-term contract, starting as soon as possible and running until 31 December 2025, with possibility of extension.

Please carefully read this announcement and submit a CV AND a cover letter in English to aroonratt.soontonbura@giz.de. 

The deadline for applications is 31 May 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

GIZ Thailand is an equal opportunity employer and actively encourages gender diversity within the company and operations.

GIZ Office Thailand

193/63 Lake Rajada Office Complex, New Ratchadapisek Road, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110

https://www.giz.de/en/html/index.html

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