JOB DESCRIPTION
Position: Project Coordinator
Business function: Integrated Fire Management
Term:Permanent position
Application closing date: 17h00; 26 August 2019
Planned start date: As soon as possible
Salary CTT: R18k to R25k
APPLICATION PROCESS:
- Send Shortened CV (Max 3 pages)
- E-Mail: manager@overbergfpa.co.za
- For more information, contact the goFPA manager, Louise Wessels on: 0833270477
Please note:
- If you have received no response within 5 working days your application was not accepted.
- The FPA management reserves the right to change the scope of work as required.
CENTRE: Greater Overberg Fire Protection Association (goFPA) – Bredasdorp Office/Overberg District
Special conditions: Flexible hours and after hours as required.
The Greater Overberg Fire Protection Association (goFPA)
- We are the registered FPA for the Overberg District and represent 60% of the landowners in our area.
- Good governance is a core principle of our organisation.
- goFPA helps land users predict, prevent, manage and extinguish wildfires.
For more information, please visit our website at www.overbergfpa.co.za
JOB SUMMARY
This position is responsible for the day-to-day project coordination and integrated fire management functions of the goFPA. It is the role of this position to:
- serve as the liaison and intermediary between the goFPA, its members and external stakeholders;
- negotiate solutions which benefit the goFPA, its members, stakeholders and the community; and
- provide wildfire prevention and suppression support.
1. Qualifications and experience:
Minimum qualifications and training:
A relevant qualification or proven experiential learning in at least one of the following: environmental, conservation or agriculture studies.
Recommended qualifications and training:
A qualification in Business management
Minimum work experience:
- 3 years working in a coordination role in an environmental, wildfire management, conservation or agriculture environment
- Strong project management, liaison and implementation experience
Recommended work experience:
A combination of the following:
- Client service in the agriculture/conservation sector
- Experience or good understanding of wildfire management planning and services
- Experience in the fire prevention environment (Veld)
- GIS mapping
- Awareness campaigns
2. Knowledge
- Familiarity with the South African Environmental Legislation
- Strong knowledge of geographical concepts, map reading and geographic information systems
- A good knowledge of local area and stakeholders residing in the area (Overberg District)
- MS Office Suite
- Internet, Social Media
3. Skills and abilities
- Very strong and proven facilitation, persuasion and negotiation skills
- Strong organising skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Afrikaans and English
- Strong interpersonal and client service orientation
- Excellent computer and internet skills and understanding
- Ability to deal with multiple tasks simultaneously
- Ability to work independently and under pressure
- Proactive nature and the ability to take initiative
- Team player and reliable
- Strong work ethic
- Positive attitude and self-motivated
- Ability to offer advice without offending
4. Essential competencies
- Managing Relationships – Works to build and maintain warm, friendly and constructive relationships with colleagues, partners and clients/members and is responsive to the needs, feelings and opinions of others.
- Planning and organizing – Able to prioritize and plan multiple tasks and yet be flexible and adaptable in revising plans and priorities on short notice in order to achieve the objectives.
- Problem solving – Identifies problems, involves others in seeking solutions, conducts appropriate analyses, searches for best solutions; responds quickly to new challenges.
- Sense of urgency – Able to cope with pressure and show ability to deal with urgent matters.
- Action Orientation – Initiates action to achieve objectives within set deadlines and pro-actively takes responsibility for achieving work objectives, as well as showing a willingness to go the extra mile.
- Decision-making – Must be able to come to a conclusion or decision, whether it be to further an investigation or for purposes of recommendation/escalation to management.
- Teamwork/Cooperation – Readily sharing information, knowledge and personal strengths. Seeking to understand and build on differing perspectives of others to enhance team efficiency and quality outcomes.
- Public Speaking/Presenting – The act, art, or process of making effective speeches before an audience.
- Negotiating – Understanding and applying the principles, practices and techniques related to negotiation, with external and internal clients/personnel/stakeholders.
- Resilience – Able to tolerate and persevere in a re-active environment. The tolerance to deal with conflicting information. Displaying the perseverance, energy and drive to persist, despite interruptions and unforeseen/unexpected changes until tasks have been successfully completed.
- Systems knowledge – Be familiar with working on computer applications (MS Office, Word, Excel, email, GIS mapping, AFIS, Databases, relevant financial administration application).
- Adaptability – Willingness to learn and adjust to a changing work environment.
- Own transport
5. Liaison
Internal:
- FPO
- goFPA Manager
- Operations Assistant
- Other staff of goFPA (if applicable)
External:
- goFPA members and their representatives
- Fire departments
- Partner organisations
- Working on Fire
- Service providers and contractors
- Other FPA’s
- Government, NGO’s, Sponsors, Funders, Donors
- Media representatives (e.g. local radio and newspapers)
6. Organisation Structure
7. Key functions/ CPA’s and Tasks
- Project coordination
- Identify, research, plan and implement strategic fire prevention projects in support of the goFPA Fire Prevention Strategy.
- Facilitate and negotiate solutions to identified high risk issues/areas and manage the implementation projects.
- Address, facilitate and negotiate solutions to members’ needs (fire breaks, fire management plans, controlled burns) and manage, monitor, encourage and guide the implementation of these solutions.
- Engage the senior members of the Fire Department to advise, guide and train members regarding all aspects of fire management including their legal obligations.
- Provide information on all aspects of fire prevention and fire fighting.
- Assist members in their decision-making and ensure that appropriate knowledge is implemented to obtain the best results.
- Encourage members to adopt best practice techniques by providing exposure to new knowledge, information, skills, inputs and processes.
- Engage the senior members of the Fire Department to assess individual properties and make technical recommendations.
- Facilitate practical solutions to fire prevention challenges faced by members.
- Assist members in preparing applications for exemption from the duty to prepare and maintain fire breaks.
- Stay abreast of new knowledge becoming available and pass on to interested parties.
- Communicate and disseminate pre-fire season information as widely as possible.
- Training
- Identify training needs of members and their employees in conjunction with the FPA Manager.
- Compile annual training goals and implementation plan in conjunction with the FPA Manager.
- Identify, source and coordinate training programs to address the identified needs with the assistance of the Operations Assistant.
- Evaluate training to determine its effectiveness and address appropriately.
- Liaison
- Internal
- Facilitate information and communication flow between FPA and members.
- Regularly meet with landowners and stakeholders.
- Organise and co-ordinate meetings, workshops and events together with the Operations assistant.
- Take and/or compile and distribute minutes of all meetings held and send all decisions taken to Operations Assistant for record keeping.
- Facilitate cooperation and communication between members.
- Facilitate the organising or re-organising of members into FMU’s and assist, oversee and coordinate their activities.
- Assist with the inclusion of new members into existing FMU’s and facilitate smooth incorporation.
- Assist with conflict management and mediation amongst members and between members and other parties/stakeholders as it arises.
- Facilitate quick and efficient communication amongst the FPA, members and the FPO in the event of a fire.
- External
- Support the FPA manager in liaising with DAFF and other relevant local, provincial and national government structures, relevant agriculture associations, businesses, insurances companies and NGO’s.
- Liaise closely with Fire Departments and provide coordination and other services as needed during firefighting operations.
- Engage the services of other related organisations e.g. Working on Fire.
- Build partnerships with relevant stakeholders and role-players.
- Awareness
- Support FPA Manager to develop and implement a Fire Prevention Awareness Plan.
- Plan and run a variety of awareness campaigns targeted at members, other landowners, stakeholders and the general public.
- Give informative talks, hand out pamphlets and information at various gatherings.
- Source and compile relevant content and articles and publish through a variety of online and print channels with the assistance of the operations assistant.
- Source the latest information regarding relevant issues such as insurers’ requirements and rules and share with colleagues, members and other stakeholders.
- Marketing
- Contribute to the goFPA marketing and member recruitment strategy.
- Develop and implement member recruitment campaigns together with the FPA Manager and the operations assistant.
- Consistently promote the brand of the goFPA.
- Information gathering and reporting
- Gather and verify all relevant data regarding members and their properties while in the field.
- Pass information on to operations assistant for mapping and inclusion in various databases.
- Map member properties, risk areas, fire breaks, water sources, equipment locations, buildings etc. while in the field and pass on to operations assistant.
- Gather historical burn data if necessary.
- Identify and interpret current needs for research in the region and suggest research priorities to research partners.
- Make suggestions on how the goFPA purpose and goals can be attain more effectively.
- Keep FPA manager up to date as to progress on set objectives, as well as trends observed in the field.
- Contribute input to the Annual report and all other formal reports to the FPO, the Board, DAFF and other government structures.
- Dispatch
- Assist the operations assistant as needed with all dispatch functions during firefighting operations.
- Fundraising
- Assist the FPA Manager in sourcing funding opportunities and writing funding proposals