Secretary: IEA Bioenergy

Fonction

The Executive Committee of IEA Bioenergy invites applications for the position of Secretary to the Implementing Agreement. Mr John Tustin has served as Secretary for IEA Bioenergy since 1 January 1998 and will retire on 31 March 2013. Therefore IEA Bioenergy needs to contract a new Secretary. The new Secretary will commence duties on 1 January 2013. This will give a three month overlap during which time the existing Secretary would finish work carried over from 2012. The Executive Committee (ExCo) expects to select the new Secretary at its upcoming meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, on 8 May 2012. This will facilitate a smooth transition, and provide the new Secretary with lead time to prepare for the role. The Implementing Agreement The IEA Implementing Agreement on Bioenergy is one of currently over 40 collaborative multilateral technology initiatives of the International Energy Agency (IEA). It was originally signed in 1978 as IEA Forestry Energy. In 1986 it broadened its scope to become IEA Bioenergy and to include non-forestry bioenergy in the scope of the work. The number of participating countries has increased as a result of the steadily increasing interest in bioenergy worldwide. In 2012, 24 parties participate in IEA Bioenergy: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the USA, and the European Commission. IEA Bioenergy is now 34 years old and is a well-established collaborative agreement. All OECD countries with significant national bioenergy programmes are now participating in IEA Bioenergy, with very few exceptions. Three non-OECD countries currently participate - Brazil, Croatia, and South Africa. IEA Bioenergy is very active and is one of the largest Implementing Agreements. It originally focussed on RD&D but is now increasingly emphasising deployment on a large scale and worldwide. For more information please visit www.ieabioenergy.com and for a copy of the Strategic Plan http://www.ieabioenergy.com/DocSet.aspx?id=6338 Secretary Position Description The Secretary has a key role in running the Implementing Agreement. He/she provides core support to the Chairman , the Executive Committee , and the Technical Coordinator (TC) . The services provided include: fund administration and a variety of other items including support for the Chairman in running two Executive Committee meetings per year, production of the Annual Report, managing the website, producing two newsletters per year, publishing ExCo workshop proceedings and strategic papers, and undertaking miscellaneous duties as agreed by the Executive Committee. See Appendix 1 for more detail. The Secretary must ensure that the Executive Committee follows the Implementing Agreement text (as amended with effect from 13 October 2005) including the IEA Framework for International Energy Cooperation (Exhibit A of the IA text). The Secretary will assist the ExCo to liaise between the IA and IEAHQ (Desk Officer, Legal Counsel, REWP, CERT and others); and also between the ExCo and individual Member Countries, Operating Agents, and Task Leaders. A key role is to guide the Task Leaders and Operating Agents in financial and administrative issues. Another role is to assist the Chairman in profiling the Agreement and inducting new Members. The Secretary shall carry out his/her functions under the supervision of the Executive Committee and especially the Chairman. The Secretary is a member of the Executive Committee in an advisory capacity with no voting rights. He/she must provide a timely and dedicated service to IEA Bioenergy during the term of the appointment. Flexibility in hours and schedule is a requirement. Although the position of Secretary is a part-time one, it should take precedent over any other work commitments the applicant may have. Position Specification English is the working language of the Implementing Agreement. The appointee should have excellent English oral and writing skills. A strong technical background in the bioenergy sector and proven skills and experience in coordination and leadership are essential. Experience with science editing and publication would be a major advantage. A good understanding of the Executive Committee and Task Leaders role within IEA Bioenergy would be desirable, along with the ability to work with all components of IEA Bioenergy. The appointee must also be available to undertake work at short notice, and have the ability to produce quality outputs under pressure to meet deadlines.

Profil recherché

Qualifications The Secretary must have specific skills and experience to perform the role. These include: o A good working knowledge of the IEA organisation and its procedures. o 'Diplomatic' and coordination skills in dealing with representatives from many nations. o Demonstrated initiative; a self-starter. o Excellent command of the English language - spoken skills and writing/editorial skills. o Familiarity with the workings of IEA Bioenergy and technical understanding of the area. o Leadership and networking skills - preferably international. o Financial management skills. It is expected that the Secretary will provide all equipment necessary to carry out the work and to have their own office and storage capacity for archive material and publications. The application must come from a Member Country of IEA Bioenergy and have the support of the relevant ExCo Member. If the Applicant is already involved with the Implementing Agreement there must be no potential for conflict of interest - this should be stated in the application. Secretary Job Description Fund Administration The currency for the whole of IEA Bioenergy is US dollars. The new Secretary will need to open a US currency bank account to be active from 1 January 2013. This account should be interest bearing. The current Secretary operates a 'double signature' system so that transactions, especially withdrawals and transfers, are transparent and checked by a party independent of the Secretary's office. KPMG is retained as an independent auditor for the ExCo Secretariat Fund until 31 December 2012 and will undertake the 2012 audit during January 2013. The Tasks also produce audited accounts. These are prepared according to guidelines specified by the ExCo and managed by the Secretary. Key duties include: o In January prepare invoices for the Member Countries (approximately 35). Some countries require a significant number of forms to be completed, e.g. USA. Some ask for a quotation first, e.g. EC. Manage the invoicing and payment process - chase up slow payers. o Distribution of Task funds received to the Task Leaders, with Strategic Funds deducted. o Manage the Strategic Fund - organise payments as they are due. Monitor the uncommitted balance for the ExCo. o Record and pay the Technical Coordinators invoices. o Reimburse travel expenses of the Chairman and others, and also ExCo workshop speakers. o Organise miscellaneous payments according to ExCo decisions. o Annual Secretariat Fund Audit: Prepare confirmation letters for the Tasks. Prepare draft cash statement. Finalise the audit statement with the auditor and prepare agenda paper for ExCo approval. It is envisaged that early in January 2013 the existing Secretary will finalise the audit to 31 December 2012 and transfer the audited balance to the new US$ bank account nominated by the new Secretary. The new Secretary will be responsible for all receipts and payments made from the Secretariat Fund from this time. Secretariat Services The role of the Secretary involved delivery of the following services. ExCo meetings: plan with the host Member Country, issue meeting announcements and facilitate registration process, design meeting agenda, call for agenda papers, produce and distribute agenda papers, organise pre-meetings, assist Chairman to run meeting including study tour, produce and distribute draft and final minutes, follow up action items. Newsletter (8 pp): prompt Task Leaders for contributions (Task Focus and Noticeboard), update events, publications, and contacts pages, solicit editorial from host Member Country, prepare 'From the Secretariat' pages, source images, edit text, work with designer and publisher, organise electronic and hard copy distribution. Annual Report (120-140 pp): prompt Task Leaders for Task contributions (Progress in the Tasks and Appendices), solicit 'special feature' article from the Tasks, prepare progress report from the Executive committee, source images, edit text, work with designer and publisher, organise electronic and hard copy distribution. Work closely with the TC: help the TC organise ExCo workshops, receive draft workshop proceedings from the TC, organise editorial review, design and publication, implement distribution of hard copies by courier. Assist the TC in his other roles as required. The TCs role is to provide technical support to the Chairman to service external requests and to assist the Chairman and Operating Agents in coordinating any work related to the Tasks that falls outside the day-to-day management and functioning of the Tasks. In particular to provide a coordinating mechanism between the Tasks and the ExCo and also a link between Tasks for projects where more than one Task is contributing. Website: arrange hosting and webmaster services, maintain Members Area (web users, contact details, meeting documents, etc.), add events, update Task information, and add publications. Reply to questions from the 'contact us' feature on the website and seek input from the Task Leaders where appropriate. IEA Headquarters: prepare new Annex documents at the start of each Triennium, prepare a Status Report for REWP after each ExCo meeting; and prepare an End of Term report at the end of each triennium. Provide material for the HQ OPEN Energy Bulletin and respond to miscellaneous requests. Strategic publications (20-24 pp): receive drafts from the authors, organise editorial review, design and publication. Implement distribution by courier. Biomass and Bioenergy Updates: prepare these for publication and send to Elsevier. Correspondence: respond to emails directed to the Secretary (on average around 15-20 per day). Answer membership queries from around the world from those who seek to join or interface with IEA Bioenergy.

Type de contrat

Extent of work and time period The expected yearly amount of work is some 60-70% of his/her working time per year. The applicant is expected to state an hourly rate for the work. The contract period for the service is three years, with a possibility of extension - any decision to extend the contract rests solely with IEA Bioenergy. The contract letter for the new Secretary will include a clause that the appointment is subject to satisfactory performance. From time-to-time the Secretary will be expected to discuss progress and effectiveness of the role with the Chairman and to make any changes required. The contract will begin on 1 January 2013. This will allow for a three month overlap during which time the existing Secretary would finish work carried over from 2012, viz. ExCo70 meeting minutes, Annual Report, December Newsletter, and the Audit of the ExCo Secretariat Fund for 2012.

Candidature

Application Process There is a limit of one application from each Member Country. Applicants should submit the following to their Executive Committee Member (see Appendix 3), by Friday 16 March 2012: o a Curriculum Vitae (Resume) o a letter explaining why they believe they are suitable for appointment as well as any other information they consider of importance for the selection. The letter should state a tendered hourly rate in US dollars (which includes all overheads and taxes such as VAT, GST etc.) and which will be the basis of payment for the successful applicant. o An indicative 'Secretariat' budget in US$ according to Appendix 2 o the names and contacts of up to three referees o The Executive Committee Member will forward the supported application by email to the Secretary (email: jrtustin@xtra.co.nz) by Saturday 24 March 2012. Appointment Process Evaluation of the applications will be made by an Executive Committee subcommittee. By 14 April a short list (three or four candidates) will be selected and invited by the Chairman to attend ExCo69 in Istanbul, Turkey on 8 May at their own expense, to make a presentation to the Executive Committee. After the presentations by the short-listed candidates, the Members will vote (majority decision) for the new Secretary. The selected candidate will then finalise contractual details with the Chairman, following which the Secretary will draft a contract letter to be signed by the appointee and the Chairman of IEA Bioenergy.