Senior Technical Director

Company Description

Our Mission: Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, CI empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the well-being of humanity.

Our Vision: We imagine a healthy, prosperous world in which societies are forever committed to caring for and valuing nature, for the long-term benefit of people and all life on Earth. 

Our Challenge: confronting our global environment and the needs of the world's human populations have never been greater; the future, quite literally, is in the balance. Every person on Earth deserves a healthy environment and the fundamental benefits that nature provides. But our planet is experiencing an unprecedented drawdown of these resources, and it is only by protecting nature and its gifts – a stable climate, fresh water, healthy oceans and reliable food – that we can ensure a better life for everyone, everywhere.

Our Values: As we work toward securing a healthy planet for today and for generations to come, we are guided by six fundamental values which inspire our work: passion, respect, integrity, optimism, courage, and teamwork. 

Job Description

Conservation International’s (CI) Field Programs Unit (FPU) is responsible for setting strategy, fundraising, implementing programs, monitoring progress and reporting results for CI’s global field programs portfolio, which is divided into three regional field divisions: Americas Field Division, Asia-Pacific Field Division and Africa + Madagascar Field Division (AMFD). The AMFD is the regional structure that sets strategy, fundraises, implements programs, monitors progress and reports results at the AMFD-level, ensuring coherence and strategic alignment between country-level engagements, regional priorities and global initiatives.

The Senior Technical Director for CI’s Africa + Madagascar Field Division (AMFD) is responsible for managing the technical aspects of the AMFD program and all its component projects, leading the team, raising funds and managing its resources.  This position is responsible for the management of all technical activities in the Program, including the definition/refinement of green economy outcomes, prioritization among outcomes, design/refinement of action plans, implementation of action plans as well as monitoring and evaluation. This position is also responsible for the management (identification, implementation and monitoring) of partnerships as well as supports the Senior Vice President of AMFD in fundraising efforts. The Senior Technical Director supervises the regional technical team and coordinates all technical functions of the program to ensure that the team follows the institutional framework for designing conservation strategies as well as delivers high-quality technical products that lead to green economy outcomes. This position interacts strongly with HQ Technical Divisions and with other country programs in AMFD and the other divisions.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• The Senior Technical Director is in charge of managing and supervising the regional technical team, including core staff as well as coordinators, interns and volunteers, and the implementing all CI initiatives in AMFD, as well as interacting with all CI technical divisions in HQ in coordination with the SVP of AMFD.
• The Senior Technical Director identifies and cultivates relationships with key regional institutions, both public and private, for the implementation, replication and amplification of projects as well as for the creation or improvement of regional and/or national policies related to natural capital and green economies.
• The Senior Technical Director ensures strategic integrity and alignment among all of CI’s investments and activities in Africa, both via country programs and other investments.
• The Senior Technical Director provides technical support for the implementation of projects and programs as well as the development or improvement of policies that support the Gaborone Declaration in CI’s country programs in AMFD (currently DRC, Liberia, Madagascar and South Africa).
• The Senior Technical Director provides technical support to the governments of other priority African countries for the implementation of projects and programs as well as the development or improvement of policies in line with the Gaborone Declaration.
• The Senior Technical Director optimally executes the budget under his/her responsibility, in compliance with CI’s policies and procedures, local laws and donor requirements, under the supervision of the SVP of AMFD. The budget execution will not report any overspent donor.
• The Senior Technical Director is responsible for achieving fundraising targets and maintaining or cultivating relationships with donors.

Working conditions:

The position is located in Nairobi, Kenya. Normal office environment with up to 35% international travel

Desired Skills & Experience

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required:

• Ph.D. plus 5 years of professional experience in conservation biology, economics, ecosystem services, sustainable development, or closely related fields
• Demonstrated ability to think critically and synthetically across fields and topics related to green economies in the African context
• Demonstrated analytical and computational skills, including GIS, as needed to explore integrated issues
• Familiarity with conservation and development issues in developing countries; work experience relevant to CI geographies, particularly in Africa
• Demonstrated experience in international policy engagement on conservation issues
• Good knowledge and experience of the global conventions that are relevant to the implementation of green economies (e.g., UNFCCC, CBD, UNDRIP)
• Demonstrated track record of peer-reviewed publication in conservation and sustainable development.
• Demonstrated track record of visionary thinking and strategy development
• Demonstrated fundraising experience including development of novel projects
• Demonstrated capacity to plan and organize multiple tasks to ensure their efficient and timely accomplishment, often under tight deadlines
• Strong ability to work independently and/or remotely, while maintaining productivity
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work in team environments and cultivate productive partnerships with academic and research institutions
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects with large, complex budgets and dispersed staff.

Preferred:

• Fluency in French or any other language important in Africa (e.g., Portuguese) is a plus.

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