About Cirrus:
Cirrus is a young consulting and research firm that advises governments and companies on climate change and the management of natural resources. The firm specialises in the land-use aspects of global change, providing advice on climate change mitigation and adaptation measures as well as on the science and governance of ecosystem services more broadly. Our strength lies in our robust analytical skills and willingness to tackle the multidisciplinary analyses that characterise the global-change domain. With a passion for ecology and economics, our intention is to provide key decision-makers with sound advice on the governance of emerging African landscapes.

Past and current clients include all levels of government, development agencies, conservation organisations, and private mining, forestry and agriculture corporations. Our intention is to balance primary research with applied work in the public, private and NGO sectors. Such a balance has been found to provide richer insights and a deeper understanding of each domain.

Although Cirrus advises clients around the globe, it is primarily focused on southern and East Africa, where it is assisting several organisations in developing landscape and national scale initiatives.

 

Position Summary:
Cirrus is seeking to employ a talented and enthusiastic associate who has a passion for analytical work and exploring complex, multidisciplinary problems. This is a junior-to-mid-level position that would suit a person with 3 to 5 years of experience who is keen to grow within the firm over time.

The person appointed will work closely with senior staff, providing analytical and writing support on a broad range of projects within the global-change domain. These will range from empirical research on the biophysical aspects of climate change, to qualitative analyses of the policy and institutional elements of implementation. The candidate might not currently have in-depth knowledge of each of the required fields, but must be keen and willing to explore new areas.

 

The position requires a combination of the following skills:
• Robust analytical skills, for taking a project from conceptualisation of a problem to analytical design, analysis and reporting.
• Strong writing skills, for assisting with the development, writing, editing and proofreading of proposals, reports and papers.
• Excellent presentation and communications skills, with the ability to communicate with stakeholders at all levels and in all spheres of society.

As a member of a small, emerging firm, flexibility and openness to a range of tasks is vital. Although Cirrus strives to secure innovative, meaningful work (in which it has a strong track record), the successful candidate will be required to work on a considerable range of tasks, some of which can be mundane.

 

Qualifications, competencies and experience:
• Postgraduate degree in science or engineering, preferably to Masters level, with a strong academic record.
• Studies in mathematics as well as physics or chemistry at undergraduate level or higher.
• Strong analytical skills including a good knowledge of basic statistics.
• Proven writing and grammar skills.
• Advanced spreadsheet modelling experience.
• Relevant research or consulting experience including a track record of substantial projects.
• Willingness to travel within the tropical climes of southern and East Africa.

 

Knowledge and competencies in the following additional areas will be beneficial:
• Climate change in the southern and East African contexts.
• Ecological and land-use elements of global change.
• Spatial data, GIS and remote sensing.
• Programming language, preferably R.
• GHG inventory and carbon offset standards.

 

Your application must consist of:
• A one-page letter of motivation.
• A full C.V. including a comprehensive list of all university courses completed.
• Copies of all academic certificates.
• A copy of your South African identify document or passport.
• Two or three examples of your own writing. These could include a thesis or papers or reports of which you were the sole author, preferably, or the lead author.
• A description of 2 or 3 analytical problems that you have solved. These analyses could have been part of a broader thesis or project you have tackled or a model you have created in response to an academic or applied question. The description should be 2 or a maximum of 3 pages in length.

 

Basics:
• Monthly salary: R22,500.00–R30,000.00 depending on qualifications and experience.
• Location: Kenilworth, Cape Town.
• Start date: As soon as is reasonably possible.

 

Please email applications to Dr Tony Knowles at tony@cirrusafrica.com

The closing date for applications is the 16 October 2016.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Feedback will only be given to shortlisted candidates. The Cirrus Group reserves the right to not appoint a candidate.