IUFRO HoSC Open Call

 

Dear IFSA family,

 

Would you like to become involved in IFSA external activities? A new opportunity is here.

The official position for the Head of the IUFRO Sub-Commission is open for the term 2023/2024!

 

We are in search of an enthusiastic and self-motivated Head of Sub-Commission who will serve IFSA in the Partners Commission. Applicants should be a member of an IFSA Local Committee. 

 

Background

IUFRO, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, is a non-profit, non-governmental international network of forest scientists, which promotes global cooperation in forest-related research. IUFRO unites more than 15.000 scientists in almost 700 Member Organizations in over 110 countries making it the global network of forest science cooperation.

 

The Head of IUFRO Sub-Commission is a creative role that coordinates the partnership between IFSA and IUFRO. Since IUFRO is considered IFSA’s most important professional partner organization, the position of HoIUFROSC as the link between the two organizations is exceptionally valuable. Although they cannot make decisions on behalf of IFSA, the Head of Sub-Commission is the driver of the enhancement and strengthening of this partnership. In summary, the Head of the IUFRO Sub-Commission can be seen as a communicator of information and the creator of the partnership between the IFSA Board and IUFRO, between IUFRO and the IFSA Board, and between IUFRO and the broader IFSA membership.

 

Duties and responsibilities

  • Work closely with the Head of PAC and other Sub-Commissions within PAC (and IPC whenever appropriate), the Councilor of External Affairs, the President, and other IFSA-IUFRO interface links, namely the IFSA-IUFRO Task Force on Forest Education.
  • Maintaining regular contact with other positions inside IFSA to work on IUFRO-related topics 
  • Organizing IFSA delegations to IUFRO events, including collecting and processing applications.
  • Coordinating with the IFSA/IUFRO Joint Task Force on Forestry Education
    • Assist, where possible, with the planning of events, drafting organizational documents, attend conference calls to be up to date
    • as example, for the JTF’s work and better understanding, see GOFE website: https://foresteducation.wordpress.com/
  • Preparing a systematic calendar of the main events of the partner organization and sharing it with the Councilor for External Affairs and the Head of PAC (including the date of the event and deadlines for application)
  • IUFRO Board meeting: each year at a different location in the world the IUFRO Board meeting takes place where the IUFRO Board summarizes the past year and makes decisions on the coming one. Per MoU, IFSA has observer status. As part of this, the IFSA President and the Head of Sub-Commission are invited to the Board meeting. It is advisable that at least one of the two is able to participate.
  • Working with both parties to find suitable arrangements for collaborative activities: Conferences, seminars, workshops. IUFRO always stresses how important this partnership is for them so they are also keen to get IFSA students involved in their activities whenever possible. However, the initiative is key to converting their great willingness to include IFSA into actual participation. 
  • Draft and publish a call for nominations for the IUFRO Student Award and promote it through different channels of social media, website, newsletter, and E-mail forwarders (https://www.iufro.org/discover/awards/)
  • Forwarding/Promoting relevant articles and publications of IUFRO and Member Organizations, including IUFRO News and Spotlight, through the different IFSA communication channels
  • The term 2023/2024 is preceded by the IUFRO WC in Stockholm, it will be HoSC IUFRO to take the lead on the preparations for the IFSA delegation and its representation during the event.

 

Recommendation

The HoSC IUFRO should introduce themselves to IUFRO at the beginning of the term so they know the face of the E-mail address. The best possible to do this would be the Board meeting and/or, in a congress year, the world congress. If the HoSC IUFRO is not able to attend either one, a short article about oneself should be sent to IUFRO for publishing on the website or through the newsletter.

 

Skills and knowledge

The following skills and knowledge are required for this role:

  • Good knowledge of IUFRO and their activities
  • Strong English competency in both verbal and written form
  • Leadership and collaboration skills
  • Strong communication skills, including report/article writing abilities
  • Good understanding of the international forest research collaboration landscape 
  • Interest in international cooperation on forest research and forest education

Estimated workload

  • Usually, 2-5 hours per week, leading up to bigger events (e.g. IUFRO world congress every 4-5 years) can be 2-3 hours per day

 

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for an IFSA Official position, you first need to ensure that you comply with the requirements.

There is no deadline for the application, as this is a rolling open call. This means that applications will be considered as they are received, and if we receive an application that we consider to be the best fit for the position, we will appoint that applicant. It is in your interest to apply as soon as possible.

Requirements

In order to apply for an official position, you MUST comply with the requirements:

  • You need to be a member of an IFSA Local Committee and either be an active student or have graduated no longer than one year ago.
  • Proficiency in English, as it is the official language of IFSA and, therefore, the only means of communication between Officials.
  • Good internet connection: given the fact that all the work as an Official is done remotely (especially because of the travel restrictions imposed by COVID-19), a good internet connection is crucial to effectively accomplish your tasks.
  • Access to a Computer or tablet.

Motivation letter

The motivation letter should cover all the following points and be no longer than 800 words. Note that these points correspond to the criteria that are used to evaluate the motivation letter.

  • What is your background?
    • Introduction: name, age, country, university, current studies
    • LC of membership
  • What is your previous experience in IFSA at the international level (participation and/or organization of IFSA international meetings, IFSA partner events, commissioner of official position)?
  • What is your previous experience in IFSA at the regional and local level (participation and/or organization of regional events, activity in your own LC, position held in your own LC)? [Only relevant for Regional Representatives or applicants without international experience]
  • Why are you interested in applying for this position?
  • What is your understanding of the position you are running for?
    • Role of the position
    • Tasks of the position
    • Functioning of the position within the Department/Commission
  • What are your overall plans for the IFSA term?
  • Consideration of required skills
  • Optional Work plan for the term

Video

Record a video (max. 2 minutes) where you introduce yourself and present the main points from the motivation letter.

Some tips for the video:

  • If the video is longer than 2 minutes, just shorten it by talking about the key points from your letter; the other points are covered by the letter;
  • Ensure good lighting
  • Make sure the sound is clear and has good volume, so the video is easy to understand (no background noise/music)

IFSA Membership verification

The IFSA membership needs to be verified in order to apply for an official position.

You should use the following system:

  • LC Verification letter. A verification letter from your Local Committee (LC) signed by the President of your LC, verifying that you are a member of the LC in PDF format. If you are the President of your LC, ask the Vice President to sign it. The headed letter of your LC must be used for the letter. Here you can find a template for the verification letter.

Application procedure

In order to apply, you need to fill out this form: https://forms.gle/ZsAxwyhX7QRYbrjq7

The application form includes:

  • Personal information
  • The motivation letter in PDF format (max 800 words).
  • A video (max 2 minutes)
  • IFSA membership verification

There is no deadline for the application as this is a rolling open call.

Applications that do not follow this procedure (e.g., late, incomplete, or not sent through the form) will not be considered.

In case of technical issues with application submission, please send an email to opencall@ifsa.net specifying the problem that you are encountering.

Both successful and unsuccessful applications will receive an answer within ten days after the deadline. In this timeframe, candidates may be contacted for an online interview.

Good luck with your application,

The IFSA Board