The WCRP is sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Council for Science (ICSU), and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The WCRP goals are to determine the extent to which climate can be predicted and the extent of human influence on climate. The WCRP established its core project CliC in 2000. Since 2004, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) of ICSU has been cosponsoring CliC. The principal goal of CliC is to assess and quantify the impacts that climatic variability and change have on components of the cryosphere and the consequences of these impacts for the climate system, and to determine the stability of the global cryosphere. In order to achieve this goal, CliC has supporting objectives to enhance the observation and monitoring of the cryosphere and the climate of cold regions, and to improve understanding and modelling of the physical processes and feedbacks through which the cryosphere interacts within the climate system.
More information on the WCRP, SCAR and CliC including the project's Science and Coordination plan is available at the websites http://wcrp.wmo.int, http://www.scar.org/ and http://clic.npolar.no.
Duties and responsibilities:
The CIPO serves as an extension of the WCRP Joint Planning Staff (JPS). The CIPO Director reports to the Director of the WCRP and works in co-operation with the JPS. The Director's primary function is to provide an effective executive arm of the CliC Scientific Steering Group (SSG) and its panels and working groups. The Director will also be required to develop a broader interest in WCRP and its cross-cutting activities, especially as WCRP implements its Strategy for the years 2005-2015. To carry out these duties the incumbent will be required to undertake a significant amount of travel.
The Director leads the CIPO and is responsible for the management of the CIPO staff, budget and operations. He/she prepares and assists in the conduct of CliC related meetings and in the activities of the CliC governing bodies (SSG, its Chair and the Executive Committee) and working bodies. The Director facilitates CliC's contribution to fulfillment of the WCRP's objectives and goals of its Strategy 2005-2015, updates, as necessary, the CliC project documentation and plans; prepares reports on meetings and project-related events; ensures the liaison, coordination and the timely flow of pertinent information to WCRP scientists, projects and relevant international scientific bodies (including through the project newsletter, other publications and the web); participates in and helps organize meetings relevant to CliC, conducts consultations at the working level with agencies and institutions participating in the implementation of CliC; promotes CliC objectives in the cryospheric, climate, polar and broader science communities; seeks sources of maintaining adequate funding for the CIPO; and fulfils other duties as required or requested by WCRP and CliC.
Conditions of work:
The successful applicant will be expected to commence duties on 1 February 2008, or as soon as possible thereafter. The Project Office is based at the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) located in Tromsø, Norway (see www.npolar.no for more details on the NPI). The successful applicant will be recruited as a member of NPI staff and be responsible to the research Director, NPI, on administrative matters of direct relevance to NPI. A four-year commitment to the task is expected, with the possibility of