Research and Evidence Lead, Forests and Nature for People

Programme & Policy

Overview

Lead evidence gathering and monitoring for tropical forests protection

You have:

• Master's degree in environmental science, finance, administration, management or related fields.
• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience with demonstrated subject matter expertise.
• Full professional proficiency in English and at least one of Portuguese, French, or Bahasa Indonesia.
• Established networks related to addressing tropical deforestation framed within a global context and within FPC priority geographies.
• Strong qualitative and quantitative analytical skills; familiarity with geospatial mapping tools and socioeconomic analysis preferred.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to multi-task and manage competing priorities in a team setting.
• Ability to quickly learn and deploy knowledge across various geographic and thematic subjects.
• Collaborative problem solver who can take initiative, set priorities, and lead complex projects.
• Strong relationship-building skills and emotional intelligence for diverse coalition building.

This is a hybrid position which requires 8 days per month in the office. You can be based in our office in Brazil, Congo Basin (DRC, ROC or Cameroon) or Indonesia. This is a fixed-term position through December 2025 with an option for renewal. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission as WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position.

About the Program:

The Forests and Nature for People (FNP) unit is anchored within WRI’s Food, Land and Water program. FNP enables the locally-led protection of tropical forests and other critical natural ecosystems through empowering communities, civil society, smallholders, and government agencies with evidence-based information and resources to protect these ecosystems and the rights of those who depend on them. FNP leads WRI's contribution to Forests, People, Climate (FPC), a collaborative of philanthropic donors, civil society and community-based organizations seeking to halt and reverse tropical deforestation while supporting just, sustainable development. In 2022, FPC engaged WRI to help design a Monitoring & Learning (M&L) framework, which functions as a service to the field so partners can assess progress of collective efforts, harness critical data and knowledge, inform and strengthen their approaches. WRI continues to support the implementation of this framework through an evidence, research, and monitoring function. For more, please visit http://forestspeopleclimate.org

Job Highlight:

Reporting to the Strategy Lead, Forests and Nature for People, you will lead WRI’s contribution to FPC on evidence gathering and monitoring, supporting FPC stakeholders to establish the processes, practices, knowledge, and capacity necessary to undertake systematic and evidence-based monitoring and reflection. You will co-design, coordinate and contribute to the gathering and generation of baseline data and evidence to inform the FPC suite of “living” strategies (Brazilian Amazon, Congo Basin, Indonesia, Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, and Afro-descendant communities (IP LC & ADs), Private Finance, Carbon Markets Integrity, Supply Chains, Strategic Communications, and Enabling Conditions), building strong partnerships to shift power and capacity for research and evidence to civil society and other historically-marginalized stakeholders in tropical forest countries. You will contribute to advancing WRI’s research agenda on socioeconomic data related to forests and forest-dependent communities. You will coordinate a matrixed team across four offices (WRI-US, WRI-Brasil, WRI-Africa, and WRI-Indonesia), and work closely with colleagues across the Institute whose work relates to FPC, as well as external partners. Beyond WRI, you will be accountable to FPC/CLUA leadership and engage closely with partners, regrantors, and committees advising on FPC strategies.

What will you do:

Leadership and oversight of FPC’s research, monitoring and evidence function (40%):

• Lead implementation and enhancement of a research, evidence, and monitoring strategy for FPC consistent with FPC’s “living” strategies, principles, and M&L frameworks
• Devise and implement a plan to shift research, evidence and monitoring capacity to tropical forest countries, by identifying research partners, supporting partners, and proactively cultivating a research community of practice to enable collaborative design and co-creation
• Bring high-level vision to establish knowledge infrastructure to aggregate and share data via dashboards and other culturally relevant tools
• Support regular reporting and communication around the research, evidence and monitoring strategy with FPC funders, regrantors, and other stakeholders
• Support fundraising efforts for more FPC evidence and research, in close consultation with FPC’s Development function
• Travel to meetings, field workshops, and other convenings as needed

Evidence, data, and innovation (40%):

• Perform user research and document use cases of FPC strategy indicators to understand their utility in guiding strategy implementation, supporting communications, and providing timely, decision-useful information, and synthesize results to inform further prioritization, consolidation and/or investment by FPC
• Support research partners on the collection of primary baseline data for first investment indicators, identify second investment indicators, and propose a plan for future data collection
• Aggregate, analyze, and disseminate baseline data from secondary sources, working closely with the MEL specialist and data providers within and outside of WRI to ensure data are fit-for-purpose and serve to further FPC objectives
• Facilitate identification of major data and knowledge gaps related to safeguarding tropical forests and supporting those stewarding them, assess the technical landscape of opportunity to address key gaps quickly and tackle bigger research questions over the medium-term, with an emphasis on empowering stakeholders in tropical forest countries

Management and internal engagement (20%):

• Manage WRI’s contribution to the collaborative, including development of workplans, budgets, progress reports, and internal pitches
• Manage a matrixed project team, coordinating and overseeing inputs from staff across WRI working with global programs and country offices to ensure timely execution of activities and delivery of outputs
• Work with the Strategy Lead, Forests for Nature and People to anchor the FPC research and evidence function within WRI’s broader portfolio of work related to rights, governance, and engagement with Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities
• Advise other teams within WRI on research priorities, theories of change, funding strategies, grant making principles, and other areas with potential synergies between the Institute and FPC

What will you need:

• Education: You have completed a master’s degree in environmental science finance, administration, management or related
• Experience: You have a minimum of 10 years of professional experience, with demonstrated subject matter expertise
• Established networks related to addressing tropical deforestation, framed within a global context and within FPC priority geographies (Brazilian Amazon, Indonesia, and the Congo Basin)
• Languages: Full professional proficiency in English and at least one of the following languages: Portuguese, French, and/or Bahasa Indonesia
• Excellent written and oral communication skills. Ability to communicate consistently and compellingly with a wide range of audiences.
• Ability to multi-task and manage competing priorities and multiple simultaneous processes in a team setting.
• A deep personal commitment to advancing rights-based solutions to deforestation and climate change, promoting trust-based philanthropy principles, and shifting power of research agendas to those historically excluded from funding and decision-making.
• Ability to quickly learn and deploy knowledge across a variety of geographic and thematic subjects.
• Strong networks in the forests and climate space, particularly with IP, LC & AD allied organizations and research organizations in the Global South.

Technical

• Strong qualitative and quantitative analytical skills. Familiarity with geospatial mapping tools and socioeconomic analysis preferred.
• A commitment to participatory action research and respect for Indigenous and community-led knowledge.
• Experience designing and managing complex, multi-partner research projects.
• Experience creating, monitoring, and communicating theories of change and other MEL / M&L tools
• Experience strengthening the research and/or MEL capacity of organizations
• Ability to clearly disseminate research to multiple stakeholders using a range of communication tools, including data visualization and storytelling.

Managerial

• Collaborative problem solver who can take initiative, set priorities, and lead complex projects and budgets to deliver results.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail to drive implementation of projects.
• Team-oriented player, able to effectively respond to complex situations involving numerous and sometimes competing priorities.
• Excellent relationship-building skills, political savvy, and emotional intelligence, with the ability to convene and build strong, trusting relationships across a diverse coalition.
• Ability to travel internationally and to work outside of typical work hours when required to accommodate colleagues’ and partners’ time zones.

• Strong cultural competency and experience working with a diverse group of talented individuals across the globe. Desire to cultivate a work environment anchored in Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) and anti-racist / anti-colonial principles

• Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position is based. WRI is unable to authorize visa work authorization

Potential Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors. Salary will be based on country salary scale.

How to Apply: Please submit a resume with a required cover letter by the date of 25 August 2024. We are unable to consider your application without a cover letter.

You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

What we offer:

• A competitive salary
• Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US
• The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities.
• A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work
• The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI
• Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours
• Generous leave days that increase with tenure

About Us:

Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

Our mission and values:

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence and Respect.

Our culture:

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment; we embrace all diversity and encourage women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification.

Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.

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Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: wri.org