Dear IFSA World,

We are pleased to announce that several positions have become vacant following the General Assembly. We hereby extend a call to enthusiastic and self-motivated individuals to apply and serve during the 2025/26 term, beginning at end of October 2025 and continuing until the conclusion of their respective tenure as outlined in the job descriptions.

Introduction

IFSA Officials volunteer to contribute to the IFSA Network. This can take many forms: from being the FAO representative for IFSA members, to exploring your creative side in designing for social media, to connecting with the Local Committees in your region and helping them engage in international IFSA activities and cross-national meetings. Whether you are interested in communication, capacity development, or policy, IFSA offers a wide range of opportunities.

Depending on the position you take on, you will spend anywhere from a few  hours to several hours per week on your tasks. You will not do this alone, IFSA has around 50 Officials who communicate in an online network consisting of Officials, alumni, consulting members, etc. You will frequently attend or organize online meetings related to your fellow Officials’ work or to annual events like the International Forestry Students’ Symposium (IFSS) or Interim taking place halfway through every IFSA term. There is always someone to share your volunteering experience with or to simply chat about the forestry world!

Current positions open for application range from communication-related activities, to sustaining partnerships, to managing an online learning platform, to being responsible for IFSA’s presence on social media, to mentoring our members to  advance their forestry career, and much more. To apply for one of the open positions, you need to follow the steps indicated below.

If you are unsure about what an IFSA Official position is and whether it is a fit for you, or if you have general questions about IFSA, please send an email to opencall@ifsa.net

To gain more insight into what it is like to become an Official position check out https://ifsa.net/get-involved/become-an-ifsa-official/

List of Positions

IFSA is divided into 3 Departments: Internal, External and Membership. To get an overview check the IFSA Structure. For a detailed description of each position check the Job Description.

Before applying for a position, we strongly advise you to get in touch with the respective Councilor for the position you are interested in (ifsa.net/structure). They can help you with specific questions and with getting you in touch with the Head of Commission and the previous position holder.

Please note that in the following list, Head of Commission is abbreviated to HoC and Head of Sub-Commission to HoSC.

Internal Department

Contact the Internal Councilor

Communication Commission:

• HoSC Publications
• HoSC Social Media
• HoSC Web
• HoSc Podcast

Capacity Development Commission:

• HoSC Carbon and Sustainability
• HoSC Forestry Education
• HoSC Gender
• HoSC Workshop and Project Design
• HoSc TreE Learning

External Department

Contact the External Councilor

Partners Commission

• HoSc Forest Europe

You can apply for up to 2 positions at the same time.

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.

The application consists of a letter of support from your LC, a motivation letter (max. 800 words) and a video (max. 2 minutes) and needs to be submitted by the [deadline].

Requirements

In order to apply to an official position you MUST comply with those 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 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 one of the following systems:

• Member verification on website (Suggested). This is the suggested method of verification. In order to be verified on the website you need to have an account on the IFSA website and be verified by your LC for the current IFSA term. For all information check https://ifsa.net/how-to-register. You don’t have to take any other steps if you are verified on the website.
• 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. In case 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.

Multiple applications

You can submit up to 2 applications for this open call. You should fill the application forms two separate times and select which one is your preferred one (there is a question in the form).

Application procedure

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

The application form includes:

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

If you are applying for a position in the Communication Commission you may attach your portfolio.

The deadline of Application: Applications will be viewed on a rolling basis

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

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

All applicants, whether successful or unsuccessful, will receive a response within 10 days of their submission. During this period, shortlisted candidates may be invited for an online interview.

Good luck with your application,

The IFSA Board