Timber Marketing Officer

The Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative (MCDI) is a Tanzanian NGO developing Participatory Forest Management and Forest Certification as a combined tool to achieve forest conservation and alleviate rural poverty in south-eastern Tanzania. MCDI has received support from WWF Tanzania to recruit a competent Timber Marketing Officer with the aim of boosting revenues for communities managing Village Land Forest Reserves to develop and implement marketing strategies to meet agreed MCDI Objectives. 

Location: Kilwa Masoko, Tanzania 

Responsible to: Chief Executive Officer 

Start Date: Feb 2014 

Duration: Initial contract will be for one year with the possibility to renew depending on performance and funding availability. 

Main Duties:- 

1. Lead on sales and marketing of timber from community managed forests. 

2. Train local community representatives in basic marketing skills. 

3. Lead all national and regional timber marketing, advertising and promotional activities on behalf of MCDI. 

4. Conduct market research directly and together with MCDI partners in order to identify market requirements for current and future timber products. 

5. Develop and maintain a database of potential timber buyers 

6. Conduct sales and marketing calls to book meetings with potential timber buyers and saw millers. 

7. Call and personally visit potential, new and existing timber buyers/customers to facilitate the timber business in community managed forests.

8. Explain the benefits of FSC certification to interested buyers. 

Qualifications / Experience:- 

We are looking for a dynamic Timber Marketing Officer with the ability to meet ambitious targets for generating timber sales for communities supported by MCDI. 

Minimum: 

1. A good degree in a relevant discipline. 

2. Basic computer literacy including expertise in MS Word and Excel. 

3. Previous experience in marketing and/or sales of primary commodities (farm produce and natural resources) 

4. Excellent communication skills in English & Swahili (verbal and written) 

Additional skills/experience of relevance includes: 

5. Good negotiation skills 

6. Proactive and able to work under pressure and minimum supervision 

7. Experience in the forestry sector. 

General background available on www.mpingoconservation.org.

Interested candidates should send a CV and covering email to jobs1401@mpingoconservation.org, stating how they heard about the opportunity. Please do not enclose degree certificates or transcripts at this stage.

Deadline for applications is 30th of January 2014. Only those shortlisted for the interview will be contacted. If you do not hear from us by 5th February 2014 then you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.