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Go DeeperClimate Change Team About The Nature Conservancy Careers at The Nature Conservancy |
Forest Carbon Team Lead
POSITION TITLE: FOREST CARBON TEAM LEAD
JOB FAMILY: External Affairs
JOB NUMBER: 150007
SALARY GRADE: 10
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
JOB LOCATION: Worldwide Office, Arlington, VA
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Climate change is the greatest environmental challenge society faces today. The effects of climate change are already upon us in the form of rising sea levels, shrinking glaciers, loss of polar ice, increased severity and frequency of extreme weather events, drought, and the extraordinarily rapid migration, or disappearance altogether, of species and natural habitats. Every acre of land, reach of river and stream, and mile of coast protected by the Conservancy since its inception is will be impacted by climate change. To confront this challenge, The Nature Conservancy has developed a three-pronged, integrated strategy and multi-disciplinary team:
• Advocate for policies that reduce emissions from all major sources and sectors
• Demonstrate and promote forest conservation and restoration as credible, cost-effective ways to reduce carbon emissions
• Develop strategies, methods and tools to mainstream the implementation of nature-based strategies and programs to help people, plants, and animals adapt to a warming world
Given the role that forests play in climate change (deforestation is the source of one-fifth of annual global greenhouse gas emissions), we are seeking policies and funding that recognize protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing forests as a legitimate way to reduce the build up of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. To succeed, we must overcome historical technical and political hurdles that have kept incentives for forests out of existing climate policies.
Success will translate into supportive legal frameworks in the U.S. and globally and billions of dollars for forest conservation activities mitigate climate change, protect biodiversity, and contribute to sustainable livelihoods.
The Nature Conservancy has a unique niche in pursuing this strategy, given the organization’s long history of forest conservation work and partnership-building in tropical countries, coupled with more on-the-ground experience in implementing forest carbon projects in the United States and Latin America than any other environmental organization. Projects such as the internationally-recognized Noel Kempff Mercado Climate Action Project in Bolivia provide us with the credentials to demonstrate to policy makers, the media, and skeptics in the environmental community how land conservation and restoration projects can be designed to reduce the buildup of atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions in a credible and practical way to be a cost-effective part of the solution to climate change. Developing and leveraging on-the-ground project examples to drive the inclusion of practical and credible provisions for forest carbon activities in climate policy can unleash billions of dollars to conservation activities that have demonstrable carbon benefits.
The Forest Carbon Team Leader manages the Conservancy’s overall efforts to develop practical, credible forest carbon activities that support the organization’s conservation, policy and financial goals. S/he develops the strategic direction, vision, and portfolio of activities to demonstrate forest conservation and restoration as credible, cost-effective strategies to reduce carbon emissions and drive transformative levels of conservation finance. The Forest Carbon Team Lead will ensure strong communications, a shared vision, and a consistent approach exists between TNC’s efforts at various scales. S/he works closely with TNC state and country programs and external partners to identify and pursue the best on-the-ground strategies and tactics for reducing emissions from deforestation and sequestering carbon that are consistent with the Conservancy’s goals and priorities. S/he provides strategic input, advice, support, and participation in advocacy and outreach activities by synthesizing and communicating TNC’s experience and knowledge to government officials and other critical stakeholders. S/he establishes and maintains relationships with peers in the forest and climate communities to identify strategic partnerships opportunities and to collaborate in advocacy and outreach. The Forest Carbon Team Lead works with others across and outside of TNC to mobilize, shape, and raise funds to implement forest carbon strategies, including developing proposals and cultivating donors and funding partners.
REQUIREMENTS:
• BA/BS degree and 12 years experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge: Demonstrated experience influencing, developing and implementing conservation policy and plans at the regional, national and/or country/international level. Extensive first-hand knowledge of conservation in developing countries. Expertise in forest protection and management and an in-depth understanding of current trends and debates regarding climate change and role of LULUCF (land use, land use change, and forestry). Familiarity with technical issues surrounding carbon accounting, leakage, etc. Knowledge of political environment with respect to forests, climate change, and carbon finance.
• Leadership: Demonstrated leadership and visionary qualities and able to work effectively with and through others in a decentralized and geographically dispersed organization. Success as an inspirational manager who has successfully motivated staff to achieve and sustain excellence. Comfort with operating in a non-hierarchical and collegial manner
• Project Management: Proven project management skills, track record of “getting things done.” Successful experience in developing, directing and managing multiple projects. Demonstrated ability to manage time and diverse activities under deadlines while delivering quality results. Experience motivating team members, setting goals, and leading efforts
• Communications: Superior ability to communicate clearly in English, via written, spoken, and graphical means. Proficiency in other languages, especially Spanish, Portuguese, and/or Bahasa highly desirable. Ability to articulate lessons learned regarding successes and failures to a wide range of audiences, including skill in simplifying and explaining complex data and concepts.
• Relationships: Successful track-record in partnership development (NGOs, government, private sector, etc) including extensive networking with high-level contacts. Ability to establish excellent working relationships with outside partners, government agencies, conservation peers, and the academic community. Superb interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills. Political savvy.
• Other: Demonstrated experience in fundraising and in structuring complex financial arrangements for conservation projects and programs.
COMPLEXITY/PROBLEM SOLVING:
• Negotiates complex and sensitive agreements, sometimes in political or high tension environments
• Develops and implements creative ideas to improve overall performance in conservation strategies
• Formulates, evaluates and determines broad organizational policies and long-term programs
• Anticipates, diagnoses and resolves complex problems and identifies creative solutions
• Designs, implements and directs complex and diverse projects, encompassing multiple programs and coordinating the work of other professionals, inside and outside the organization. Incorporates cross-disciplinary knowledge to support program objectives
• Highly diversified work involves participation in the formulation and evaluation of broad policies and/or long-term programs, or making decisions which typically have broad organizational impact.
• Directs major program of strategic importance to the Conservancy through management of multi-disciplinary teams.
DISCRETION/LATITUDE/DECISION-MAKING:
• Assesses potential impact of decisions on colleagues’ work, public image, scientific credibility, and financial and legal standings
• Makes decisions based on incomplete or ambiguous information and accepts associated risks
• Makes independent strategic decisions frequently based on analysis, experience, and judgment
• Decisions may affect organization’s public image.
• Decision may have maximum financial and/or legal impact on the organization
RESPONSIBILITY/OVERSIGHT –FINANCIAL & SUPERVISORY:
• Supervises multi-disciplinary administrative and professional staff with responsibility for performance management, training, and career development. Establishes clear directions and sets stretch objectives.
• Overall responsibility for financial management of program, including setting goals, analyzing results, and taking corrective action.
• Establishes and maintain optimal standards for departmental performance, including ensuring that program meets all lobbying and legal regulations and standards.
• Serves as leader for diverse, distributed effort. Must gain cooperation from individuals or groups over whom there is no direct authority in other to accomplish program goals.
COMMUNICATIONS/INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS:
• Builds cooperative relationships and collaborates with diverse groups, including land owners, conservation partners, government officials, donors, board members and the general public to recruit support for the Conservancy and publicize Conservancy efforts
• Commands attention, changes tactics midstream as necessary and manages group processes during presentations or discussions
• May speak with and in front of varied audiences on scientific topics and the Conservancy’s mission; interacts and provides input/guidance to senior managers
• Leverages constructive and effective relationships inside and outside the Conservancy.
• Work effectively in high-tension situations and maintain composure under pressure. Diffuses high-tension situations comfortably
• Work and communicate effectively with a diverse group of people, including scientists, preserve staff and others, providing and obtaining needed information
• Communicate results from the Team’s work to appropriate audiences within TNC and elsewhere
• Creates and communicates a compelling vision; practices the Conservancy’s core values.
WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL EFFORT:
The Forest Carbon Lead is a senior position that requires frequent travel domestically and internationally and may require evening and weekend hours. From time to time, the Forest Carbon Lead may work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances. These conditions may:
• require occasional physical exertion and/or muscular strain
• present occasional possibility of injury
• require long hours in isolated settings
TO APPLY:
Submit cover letter and resume by May 23, 2008 to climatejobs@tnc.org. Please include job title in subject line of email.
The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
