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Greenland Initial Recruitment Announcement

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Greenland Initial Recruitment Announcement DOI-ITAP Recruitment Announcement Short Term Assignment Sustainable Tourism Policy Development Scoping Team Members Greenland [2020-2021] Opportunity The Department of the Interior’s International Technical Assistance Program (DOI-ITAP) is seeking to assemble a team of experts with sustainable tourism policy development experience in a broad range of USNPS, USFWS, BIA, and BLM public lands governance and management subject areas, including the following: • Organizational structure and workforce management at the national level; • Concessions management and commercial services management (e.g., tourism lodging, food service, campgrounds, local cottage industries, guide services, and others); • Recreation-related businesses including community-based outfitter guide services, camp stores, outdoor/recreation clothing, etc.; • Visitor use planning and management; • Interpretation and visitor services, and visitor experience planning, including visitor centers, kiosks, signage, museums, etc.; • Natural, historical, and cultural resource management; • Knowledge of and experience working with cruise ship tourism; • Familiarity with opportunities and challenges associated with development of sustainable tourism initiatives (e.g., eco-tourism, geotourism, heritage tourism, etc.) • “Sister park” (and similar) relationships through technical exchanges, mentorships, and study tours; • Engagement with indigenous communities, especially experience working with Inuit communities; • Partnerships; • World Heritage Site management; • Monitoring and evaluation of natural and cultural resources as well as visitor experience, satisfaction, and impact; • Managing sites and teams during challenging times (e.g., COVID-19); and • Branding and marketing. The team will work in collaboration with DOI-ITAP project managers, Greenlandic government agencies, as well as domestic and international entities currently working in Greenland to enhance cooperation and provide input and assistance to increase Greenlandic capacity to sustainably manage its cultural and natural resources as the country attempts to build its tourism/outdoor recreation sector. BACKGROUND DOI-ITAP provides technical assistance to developing countries on subjects of Departmental expertise on a reimbursable basis. The program has operated in over 40 countries with support from organizations such as the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). DOI-ITAP work in Greenland is funded by the State Department. Greenland is prioritizing its natural and cultural heritage and tourism sector and hopes it will become a driver of economic development. Greenland, home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, has publicly declared itself a “new frontier for adventure tourism.” This DOI-ITAP program aims to expand U.S. Government engagement and partnerships with Greenland and Greenlandic entities via government-to- government interactions and technical assistance engagements aimed at helping Greenland in building a sustainable, well-planned, properly resourced heritage and adventure-focused tourism industry. The program will also focus on assisting Greenland’s national and municipal government tourism authorities to develop policies and practices that provide sustainable economic opportunities for the communities near the country’s most-visited areas. There is currently an ongoing Greenland-focused technical assistance relationship between the NPA and the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, and this program is intended to leverage those existing relationships and build on work already completed by the NPS. Rural areas in Greenland lack employment opportunities, but are rich in cultural and natural heritage, appealing to international travelers seeking undiscovered areas and adventure not easily found elsewhere. Greenland is looking to build its outdoor/natural tourism sector as a pathway to boost revenue, looking to Iceland as both a model and cautionary tale, but Greenlandic authorities are also interested in ensuring such growth is planned properly and managed responsibly (and is also currently looking figure out what tourism will look like post-COVID 19). For example, Greenland is currently upgrading two major airports to support larger jet aircraft and thus increase visitor capacity. However, Greenland lacks a well-developed national plan and well-coordinated municipal plans to capably ensure that it can accommodate increased visitor numbers to its natural areas. Likewise, internal infrastructure is poor or nonexistent in many areas (aircraft or watercraft are frequently the only means of transportation), and protected areas, such as Greenland’s three UNESCO World Heritage Sites and its sole national park, are extremely lightly staffed and often inexperienced in protected area management best practices, both on-site and in their national government headquarters. A long-term U.S. program to provide technical assistance through exposure to DOI expert advisors could help build Greenlandic capacity in key target areas, develop an overarching strategy, and provide it with the necessary advice and tools to responsibly develop and grow its tourism industry in a sustainable manner. It would also reinforce that the United States is a responsible and long-term partner of choice. This initial recruitment is for a “scoping team” – an initial DOI advisory group that will consult with Greenlandic stakeholders across government, industry, and civil society, and help develop an action plan that will determine which of the subject areas above should receive particular focus, consider other areas for DOI technical assistance that may not yet have been identified, assess whether a national strategy and/or action plan is useful or necessary, and identify key DOI components that may be uniquely suited to act as “partners” with Greenlandic counterparts. ASSIGNMENT • One-Year Minimum Intermittent Commitment Preferred; • Assignment will initially begin as a virtual team, but if/when travel to Greenland becomes feasible, team members may be asked to travel to Greenland to meet with key interlocutors. A team of 4-6 subject matter experts will be selected to work in close cooperation with and under the technical guidance of the DOI-ITAP Senior Project Manager for Greenland to conduct an initial scoping mission to determine where DOI assistance can be of greatest assistance to Greenland’s government and associated entities. The Scoping Team will initially meet virtually (and in-person once official DOI international travel resumes) with Greenlandic national government agencies, municipal government agencies, local communities, trade associations, major tourism operators, and other relevant partners, to better understand the interests, opportunities, and challenges confronting the various groups. Following these meetings, the team will jointly draft a summary report identifying its conclusions and recommendations containing the following items: • Evaluation of the Government of Greenland’s strategic objectives for the advancement of sustainable tourism; • Identification of Greenland’s primary challenges and needs in achieving a more robust sustainable tourism sector, whether its goals are at odds with current practices, and how DOI expertise in these areas may benefit Greenland as it formulates its internal policy. The report should contain specific suggestions for how DOI experts (and potentially others) can provide technical assistance at the national level and the local level over the next 2-4 years, to include in-country workshops, professional exchanges, and long-term details to/from Greenland; • Identification of opportunities to engage with Inuit communities in the development of national or regional plans; and • Identification of potential in-country partners (either organizations or individuals) that could be capable of representing DOI “on the ground,” when DOI staff themselves are not present -- assisting in planning events, travel, meetings, and other logistical matters. The majority of DOI-ITAP scoping missions for new programs are conducted in-country; however, until official international travel is again possible under U.S. Government funding, all initial work and consultations will be conducted in the respective team member’s home and/or office. Required coordination, assignments, and check-ins will be made via a variety of virtual means, including but not limited to, emails, conference calls, and Microsoft Teams or similar internet-based technology. When travel to Greenland is possible, the team (or specific members) may be asked to travel to meet interlocutors and refine scoping and planning by having an “on-the-ground” experience. SCHEDULE Applications will be accepted immediately and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The DOI-ITAP Project Management Team will begin interviewing candidates no later than October 26, 2020. No applications will be reviewed after October 28, 2020, as our State Department partners have requested that the Scoping Team begin their initial meetings in November. The final report will be due to DOI-ITAP no later than two (2) weeks after the final consultation meeting. Because the assignment has not yet been scoped, we are asking all candidates to make themselves available for a minimum period of one year, particularly if we are able to resume travel in the spring/summer months of 2021 and potentially visit Greenland and engage in more useful, on-site scoping activities. It is estimated that team members can expect to dedicate 3-5 days per month, on
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