Natural Capital Program Manager 97 views0 applications

Position title : Natural Capital Program Manager

Reports to : Country Director

Supervises : N/A

I. Background

In 2009, the government launched its ‘Gabon Emergent’ Strategic Development Plan (PSGE) 2010-2025 with through its third pillar (”Green Gabon”) expressing the ambition that the growth and diversification of Gabon’s economy should respect the government’s vision of sustainable development. Within this context, WWF Gabon is committed to support the aspirations of the Government of Gabon to ensure the sound governance of natural capital for inclusive well-being, climate resilience and sustainable decision-making. WWF’s perspective in this is that investing in natural capital means investing in agriculture and fisheries, water supply and energy security, forest services and climate readiness, and decent jobs – the building blocks of a peaceful and harmonious society.

Within this context, WWF Gabon as secured funding for an ambitious new project, entitled “Securing Gabon’s Ecological Future”, which builds on the Government’s commitment for sustainability, by focusing on transformational interventions across the WWF global priority drivers: Governance, Markets and Finance. Focus herein will be on the interlinked themes of natural capital values, land use planning, sustainability standards and best management practices across Gabon’s development sectors while strengthening the voice of civil society in debates around the use and management of the country’s rich natural resources.

WWF is now seeking to recruit a Natural Capital Program Manager to lead this ambitious project in all its aspects.

II. Major Functions

The Natural Capital Program Manager will assume overall responsibility for the management and implementation of the “Securing Gabon’s Ecological Future” project, including overall project management implementation, activity planning and coordination, staff supervision, budget control, partnerships management and development, fundraising, and technical reporting.

III. Major Duties and Responsibilities

• The incumbent will be responsible for the overall project management and implementation in all its aspects, and in this regard will assure day-to-day decision-making and implementation of the agreed project workplans.
• He/she will ensure the development and regular updating of the project work and activity plans in accordance with the overall project framework and objectives.
• He/she will be responsible for providing oversight and supervision of the interventions of the project team, which consist of the WWF GCPO Business and Biodiversity officer, the WWF Regional Palm Oil Coordinator, the WWF GCPO GIS and Biomonitoring Senior Officer and the WWG GCPO Forest Officer.
• He/she will provide technical leadership, guidance and inputs in particular related to the Natural Capital components of the project, including:

o Natural capital mapping, quantification and valuation to identify ecological infrastructure and other natural assets of high cultural, social, biodiversity and economic value;

o Integration of ecological infrastructure in national planning and budgets systems, as well as national and line-ministry policy development processes, using scenario based planning tools;

o Integration of natural capital valuation and management of ecological infrastructure in private sector investments and supply chains;

o The integration of ecological infrastructure in the System of National Accounts, and performance metrics of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs);

o The identification and development of ecological infrastructure small holder/ small scale community income generating initiatives and private sector partnerships for job creation through impact investing (blending of public and private finance) in ecological infrastructure;

o Raising awareness and understanding among the public and private sector of social and economic dependency on ecological infrastructure for food, water and energy security, and resilience to climate change.

o Facilitating inter-ministerial government coordination of natural capital valuation and ecological infrastructure management, together with civil society, academia, development finance institutions and private sector actors.

o Designing, organising and executing capacity building and training programmes for Government partners, civil society, and private sector about the role of natural capital for the economy and human health – for example by assisting delegations to attend the annual Natural Capital Symposium at Stanford University, USA.

• He/she will assume overall responsibility for budget control, in close collaboration with the WWF GCPO Finance Manager.
• He /she will be responsible for partnerships management and development as it relates to the project and longer-term ambitions related to a national Natural Capital program for Gabon.
• He/she will be responsible for fundraising efforts related to further upscaling of the project, as per the project workplan and objectives.
• He/she will be responsible for monitoring and reporting on Natural Capital Program activity progress, challenges, lessons learned and opportunities, including specific reporting requires as per donor grants.
• He/she will also provide input to the Gamba landscape initiative to ensure synergies between this project and the Gamba Programme as well others in Gabon.
• He/she will undertake other duties as determined by WWF management.

IV. Profile

Required qualifications & experience

• Master’s Degree in environmental economics, environmental policy, or related fields. A first-level university degree in the same with a combination of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;
• Minimum of 7 years’ professional experience in national development planning, environmental and natural resource management;
• Good understanding of Gabon’s government institutions and planning processes;
• A good understanding and knowledge of Gabon’s natural capital assets including development drivers and possible threats;
• Demonstrated ability to effectively negotiate and partner with communities, government officials, donors, and other stakeholders;
• Demonstrated understanding of local culture, administrative systems, and government organization;
• Skilled communicator (fluent in English and French);
• Ability to translate information and work across disciplines;
• Good understanding of the science and economics of natural capital in projects and analysis, but also keeping in mind practical considerations of implementation;
• Strong MS Office skills, including Word and Excel;
• Ability to command the confidence of people at all levels of seniority;
• An enthusiastic team player, with experience of collaborative working.

Required skills and competencies

• Excellent team player with experience in working in multi-disciplinary groups, using influence and interpersonal skills, listening, diplomacy and tact to build strong relationships with corporations, partners, donors, volunteers, and all levels of staff.
• Proven experience in development and coordination of large programmes, with strong project management skills at the international level and leadership skills.
• Ability to open doors and build relationships of confidence with senior contacts in government, business, NGOs, civil society and the donor community.
• Excellent negotiation, diplomacy and lobbying skills.
• Adherence to WWF’s values: knowledgeable, Optimistic, determined and Engaging.

V. Working relationships

Internal – Interacts with WWF Gabon staff on a daily basis; Co-ordinates and interacts with WWF Regional Office for Africa, WWF-International and other WWF Network staff as appropriate.

External – Interacts as required with national and provincial administrations, non-governmental organizations, local Partner NGOs, private sector and donors.