Liberia: Project Director- Sustainable Development Concessions

Oct 23, 2018 | Conservation International
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Conservation International (CI) has been protecting nature for the benefit of all for over 30 years. Through science, policy, and partnerships, CI is helping build a healthier, more prosperous and more productive planet. 

POSITION SUMMARY:

Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, Conservation International empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the well-being of humanity.  CI’s strategy is to serve as a trusted advisor to decision makers at all levels to help societies establish healthy, sustainable economies that secure nature’s ability to provide enduring human well-being.

CI is a global organization that has been active in Liberia for nearly 15 years working closely with communities, private sector, government and civil society leaders to support conservation and sustainable development.  With enormous wealth of natural resources, Liberia is at a vital point in its development history and has an opportunity to encourage investors and promote development initiatives that both support economic growth and development while maintaining Liberia’s critical natural capital for future generations. Proper stewardship of Liberia’s resources may prove to be the key to the future well-being of Liberian people.

The primary focus of the Project Director will be coordination, management and implementation of the Northwest Liberia Landscape strategy. Northwest Liberia is a priority landscape for CI, combining significant opportunities for forest and wildlife conservation, community development and livelihood creation, and sustainable production of palm oil and other crops/commodities. The Project Director will be responsible for leading development and piloting of a new protection mechanism – a Sustainable Development Concession – which will rely on new production models and landscape approaches to promote smallholder production and inclusion, ensure lasting community benefits from conservation and economic development, and explore ways to derive value from high-value forests within a concession. 

The Landscape Director is responsible for providing strategic oversight and programmatic direction for the Northwest Liberia Landscape program. S/he is responsible for overall program management and ensuring that program strategies, initiatives and outcomes advance Conservation International’s (CI’s) sustainable production, human development and conservation priorities.

The Landscape Director plays a key role in securing program funding, developing project proposals and managing funding relationships with key partners in the Northwest Liberia Landscape. S/he regularly represents CI and builds alliances and engages key external stakeholders including government and non-government officials, private sector partners, donors, and other parties critical to program success. The Landscape Director works closely with staff throughout CI to ensure the program forms an integral part of achieving organization-wide goals. S/he identifies capacity gaps and implements measures to build capacity both internally and with external partners.

The Landscape Director directly manages staff, interdisciplinary teams, and/or outside partners. S/he works with a high degree of independence. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Develop program strategies, objectives, work plans and metrics for NW Liberia.
  • Oversee and implement project activities and manage projects and technical staff in NW Liberia.
  • Monitor, measure, interpret, and share results on a regular basis. Distribute financial and progress reports; identify and implement refinements in work plans and strategies.
  • Work across units to ensure that program activities are aligned with CI’s conservation and division priorities.
  • Ensure program compliance with CI policies, funding agreements and local requirements.
  • Identify capacity building needs. Implement and monitor efforts to address capacity gaps.
  • Effectively engage stakeholders including donors, government, private sector and NGOs, technical colleagues and other partners important to program success. 
  • Represent the organization externally. Serve as a trusted and visible point of contact for CI. 
  • Identify opportunities for program growth and development.
  • Support Technical Director in the development, roll out of CI’s Sustainable Landscape Approach (SLA) and lead implementation of SLA in the Northwest Liberia Landscape.
  • Engage government, private sector, and local communities as critical landscape stakeholders whose buy-in, support and ownership is critical to achieving desired conservation and livelihood outcomes.
  • Perform related duties as assigned.

PREFERRED

  • Demonstrated technical experience in one or more of CI’s key areas of intervention including agriculture/agribusiness sector (especially palm oil).
  • Preferred experience working with Open Standards or other project management tools.
  • Preferred experience with/ knowledge of priority setting/ land use decision making tools.
  • Preferred familiarity with community development and alternative livelihood issues preferably in West Africa.
  • Preferred familiarity or direct experience with one or more of the key issue/analysis areas: biological/ecological assessments, participatory landscape planning, resource management, commercial feasibility analyses, smallholder agriculture, best management practices, value chain analysis, community land rights, community conservation, community enterprise development.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

  • Local and/or international travel of 40% or more, often in difficult travel conditions.
  • Ability to work in remote locations or under difficult working conditions.
  • Flexibility to work with staff across multiple regions and time zones, using various communication/conference applications (e.g. Skype, Skype for Business, WhatsApp, videoconference, etc).

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required

  • Bachelor’s Degree and 7 years or more related work experience. Advanced degree preferred.
  • Program or project management experience, preferably in the global conservation, NGO, advocacy or related for-profit arena.
  • Excellent technical and analytical skills.
  • Excellent organization and time management skills.
  • 2 – 3 years’ experience supervising others including multi-disciplinary teams. 
  • Team player and able to work effectively with diverse work groups in a multicultural environment.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • A record of success in influencing and partnering with key stakeholders and raising funds.
  • Proven ability to multitask and meet priorities. Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities and under minimal supervision. 
  • Experience in conducting capacity building activities for communities and for partners.
  • Fluency in English required.