Program Associate – Restoration – Nature Conservancy India Solutions Private Limited

Apply by 15th July 22

Nature Conservancy India Solutions Private Limited The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished since our founding in 1951: The Nature Conservancy has protected more than 117 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide — and we operate more than 100 marine conservation projects globally.

We have more than 1 million members and work in 76 countries and territories, using a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners.

Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable.

A PIONEER IN CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP
This is an exciting time at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as we are shifting our strategy for greater impact in the world, seeking to address some of the most complex challenges facing people and nature — issues such as climate change, conserving lands, waters, and oceans at unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more resilient and sustainable.

Our Mission
TNC’s mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Rather than viewing development –
including economic growth – and conservation as contradictory goals, TNC works to demonstrate how nature has value for people and development and how nature can provide enormous economic benefit. TNC envisions a future where people and nature can flourish together.

Our Vision
A world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its own sake and its ability to fulfil our needs and enrich our lives.

The Conservancy Team
We achieve this through the dedicated efforts of our 3,800 diverse staff, including more than 600 scientists, all of whom support conservation in 76  countries and all 50 United States. We are striving to develop a workforce as diverse as the places where we work, and we have a deep commitment to diversity.

Organizational History
TNC is the largest conservation organisation in the world, working in all 50 states in the United States and more than 76 countries. It was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the District of Columbia on October 22, 1951. TNC is science-based and in every place, we work, we partner with governments, businesses, and local communities. TNC is advancing its mission by protecting and restoring rivers, landscapes and oceans for people and their development at an unprecedented scale; it is transforming the way humanity uses the Earth’s natural resources to sustain ourselves.

YOUR POSITION WITH TNC
TNC is initiating a large-scale initiative on scaling landscape restoration in India, with a particular focus on central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. Working in collaboration with partners, this initiative will focus on restoration of forest lands through community-driven management planning, sustainable harvest and market linkages for non-timber forest produce (NTFP). It will also explore other sub-pathways relevant to restoration within landscapes subject to large-scale resource extraction. It will contribute to scaling TNC’s work on landscape restoration, as well as explore carbon co-benefits for the community.

This position is based in Chhattisgarh. They will work closely with the local partners who will undertake specific activities in the identified priority geographies, liaise with the governmental stakeholders at the state- and district-levels. They will serve as the local point of contact for communities, partners, and government agencies in the state and in priority districts/clusters. They will be responsible for effective implementation of activities at the ground level, through partners. They will also support in identifying and troubleshooting challenges, that may arise.

This position is with a one-and-a-half-year fixed term contract and position is based in Chhattisgarh.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Program Associate (Restoration) is responsible for ensuring effective implementation of field activities, through partners, in the priority geographies. This position will be responsible for providing technical and programmatic management support to restoration, community forest management planning, and market linkages component of the initiative. They will be responsible for visiting field sites, implementing activities, coordinating work plan(s) at the field level, supporting technical design and execution of the planning process, managing partners and overseeing all field operations within the project. They will work closely with our field partners, local communities, and local government agencies and are a key representative of the project and organization in the landscape.

The incumbent will report to the project lead and work in close collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team working on this project, contributing significantly to the project technically and in managing stakeholder relationships. S/he will coordinate with a wide variety of stakeholders, manage local partners, prepare technical work products, and contribute to the overall project strategy.

• Executes field-level activities of the initiative, in coordination with local partners and a multi-disciplinary team.
• Provides technical and programmatic hand-holding support to local partners.
• Manages relationships and engagements with local partners, communities, and government agencies.
• Designs, facilitates and coordinates organizing trainings of partners’ teams, frontline staff from government agencies, community, other stakeholders.
• Organizes consultations, workshops, roundtables to advance project goals.
• Contributes to technical reporting of the project, for the state of Chhattisgarh.
• Provides technical inputs to the project lead on issues related to restoration, community-driven management planning, market linkages and inclusion of safeguards and co-benefits in the approach.
• Effectively communicates the field status and needs to the project lead.
• Captures lessons learned and applies an adaptive management approach.
• Manages reporting (both technical and financial) from field partners.
• Oversees work products (work plans, reporting) of consultants and partners.
• Writes technical reports, requests for proposal (RFPs), Terms of references (TORs), and other communications materials to advance project deliverables.
• Proactively identifies opportunities, potential challenges, and needs to ensure the project is successfully executed.
• Establishes and maintains optimal performance standards within budget.
• Frequently travels domestically.
• Periodically may have to work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• BA/BS degree in botany, forestry, ecology or another related field of study and minimum 3 years’ related experience in conservation, environment management, natural resource management, or any related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in developing systems for sustainable harvest
• Experience in managing partnerships (implementation partners, community, government).
• Experience of implementing complex field projects (preferably on restoration, forestry, conservation), including developing and overseeing work plans, and coordinating the work of other professionals and partners.
• Experience of working in multi-disciplinary diverse teams.
• Expertise in common computer applications such as MS Office.
• Proficiency in spoken and written Hindi.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in the above or related subjects and 7-9 years’ related experience in project management for conservation or natural resource management projects.
• Experience in restoration within areas of extractive industry will be an advantage.
• Familiarity with the Indian forestry, conservation, environment, and natural resource management sector.
• Direct experience of working on conservation and/or forest restoration issues, especially working with communities and other stakeholders.
• Familiarity with grassroots challenges and conservation/restoration practices in Central India.
• Ability to develop practical applications of restoration concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
• Excellent knowledge of computer applications such as MS Excel and MS PowerPoint (or equivalent applications); experience with GIS software
• Experience of cultivating and managing intra- and inter-team, partner and/or stakeholder relationships.
• Experience of working with forest departments and other government agencies.
• Communicating clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means in English and other relevant languages. Demonstrated competence in both technical and non-technical writing skills.
• Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• Politically savvy.

ADDITIONAL JOB INFORMATION

Successful chandidate for this position will be hired as an employee with Nature Conservancy India Solutions Private Limited (NCIS).

Nature Conservancy India Solutions Private Limited (NCIS) is a private limited company incorporated under the Companies Act 2013, having it registered office in India in New Delhi. India. It is a wholly owned Indian subsidiary of The Nature Conservancy.  The company currently provides technical consultancy, monitoring & evaluation and other related services in the domain of conservation and environment to its various clients within and outside India.

APPLY NOW

To apply for job ID 51690, submit your materials online by using the Apply Now button at https://careers.nature.org/ by 11:59 PM IST on 15-July-22. Need help applying? Visit our recruitment page or contact applyhelp@tnc.org.

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

TNC is committed to offering accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please send a note to applyhelp@tnc.org with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.

Where legally permissible, TNC requires all new employees to be fully vaccinated and willing to keep up to date with vaccines that protect against COVID-19.   By accepting an offer of employment, you agree to comply with this requirement, unless you are entitled to a legally mandated exemption.