Project Delivery Director – Conservation International (CI)

Project Delivery Director

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

The “Ecosystem-Based Adaptation and Mitigation in Botswana’s Communal Rangelands” Project funded by Green Climate Fund (GCF) will utilize collective management of livestock and ecosystems to restore Botswana’s communal rangelands, increasing the climate resilience of vulnerable populations and reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. Over 8 years, the project will undertake activities in 104 villages in Ngamiland, Kgalagadi, and Bobirwa districts of Botswana targeting improved management of 4.6 million hectares of rangelands.

The Project Delivery Director is a senior position responsible for driving strategic and efficient delivery of this ambitious and pioneering Project. This position provides general management and operational leadership for the implementation of regenerative land and livestock management for climate adaptation and mitigation across the Project target areas.

Specifically, the Project Delivery Director will be responsible for:

• Ensuring an integrated vision is co-created between different project components and strong buy-in from stakeholders, as well as the key focus being on achieving the results (project deliverables) as defined in the donor agreement.
• Developing and managing of all restoration team delivery, creation of norms and standards job creation program deployment for rangeland restoration and herding, development of Health and Safety program, and direction of area managers and their teams for delivery of Rangeland Stewardship Agreements across the 104 village grazing areas.
• Coordinating complex logistics and field team management to ensure procurement, training, community engagement, and deployment of >6000 rangeland restoration and professional herders are deployed effectively and efficiently according to the Rangeland Stewardship Plan agreed with each community.
• Managing information flows and lessons sharing across the three regions with regards to implementation activities.
• Managing conflicts and grievances as they arise, with the support of the Chief of Party, Finance and Administration Director, and Area Management leadership.
• Generating high-quality documentation of project implementation management and lessons learned for ongoing roll-out of the project; integration into the BUAN-CICE curriculum and Ministry of Agriculture SOPs for further replication. A strong emphasis will need to be on accurate, timely and defensible articulation of the climate change benefits (and co-benefits) resulting from the various project components and sub-components.
• Budget supervision of technical implementation in conjunction with the Finance and Accounting Director.

The position will serve as the main point of contact for Area managers and operational secondments and be responsible for identifying issues and risks related to coordinated project implementation in a timely manner and suggest appropriate adjustments. The Project Delivery Director oversees coordination of field operations and advises on adaptive management strategies and capacity building needs to ensure project success. Additionally, as a Deputy to the Chief of Party this individual must be able to represent the Project goals and case studies at national, regional and global forums as part of the Project’s required efforts to share lessons learned for replication.

The Project Delivery Director (together with the Chief of Party) will also be responsible for ensuring all safeguard policies and priorities are covered within the project as well as maintaining close oversight of potential risks to the project with strategies to manage these risks which are documented over time. The Delivery Director should (together with other project staff) take a leadership role in developing the project grievance mechanism.

This position requires a high degree of leadership, performance management, communication, and coordination skills, technical land and livestock management knowledge. Coupled with experience in Southern Africa with large government funded job creation or agricultural development programs to ensure optimal delivery of the Project impact. The Delivery Director represents CI as a key technical resource and build alliances/engage key external stakeholders including government and NGO officials, donors, and others critical to project success and serves as the Acting Chief of Party when that individual is unavailable. The Project Delivery Director reports directly to the Chief of Party of GCF funded project.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Together with the Chief of Party assume responsibility for building a team focused on high quality delivery that is on time, within scope, innovative and on budget. To support this objective, provide day-to-day leadership and high-quality delivery of the project strategic implementation in compliance to the Project workplan:
  • Field operations, systems development, health, and safety
  • Develop annual work plans, activity budget and project metrics.
  • Ensure procurement plans are developed together with robust, effective and efficient grants making project.
  • Set in place systems so that the team is able to accurately track results as they relate to key project targets and indicators.
  • Track burn rates and identify opportunities to support adaptive management across the life cycle of the project.
  • Support Area managers with delivery, capacity development, and adaptive management
• In conjunction with the Finance and Accounting Director; provide supervision of the implementation budget, ensuring compliance in established accounting principles and donor regulations.
• Ensure compliance with project safeguards standards, donor requirements and project alignment with institutional priorities
• Conduct routine rapid evaluations of project progress so that analysis can help to inform and advise on adaptive management strategies and capacity building needs to ensure project success
• Represent CI as key technical resource and build alliances, engage key external stakeholders including government and NGO officials, and others critical to project success

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Working outside normal working hours.
• Ability to travel frequently in the remote areas and in remote communities.
• Ability to work with local partners.
• High adaptability to difficult conditions.
• Strong team player.
• Supporting the staff in the implementation of other activities outside of its main responsibilities if needed.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Must have a proven track record working as Deputy Chief of Party or similar scale Project delivery / implementation role on large public funded projects preferably with a focus on one of the key themes specific to this project.
• Bachelor’s Degree with agricultural or environmental management background and 10-12 years or more related experience in multi-disciplinary project management.
• Experience in working with large government job creation programs.
• Strong experience on Climate Change, livestock, rangeland ecology, herding, and job creation projects.
• Strong project management skills and experience.
• Experience in the design and delivery of safeguards policy at a comparable scale.
• At least 5 years experience in monitoring and evaluation
• Strong technical and analytical skills
• Excellent organization and time management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
• Excellent skills in utilizing excel spreadsheet and database management software.
• Team player and able to work effectively with diverse works groups in a multicultural environment.
• Ability to work well under pressure, multitask, set priorities, and deliver quality results.

Preferred

• Previous experience or training with regenerative grazing or Commodity-based Trade practices and protocols.
• Previous Senior Project Director, Chief of Party or Deputy Chief of Party experience with a multi-lateral funding.
• Experience with communal land issues and management arrangements or community conservation agreements.
• Experience and/or prior knowledge of ecosystem-based adaptation and mitigation projects, meat value-chains, or accredited professional development and job creation programs
• Demonstrated experience of generating effective teamwork for a staff >10 individuals in different geographic areas.
• Demonstrated experience adjusting and managing a team during Covid lockdown regulations.
• Experience and willingness to support staff in the implementation of other activities outside of its main responsibilities if needed.
• Verbal communication skills in Setswana and/or an additional language in the Project target areas.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities and under minimal supervision.

To apply for this position please submit a resume and cover letter.

Application Deadline: May 21, 2021 (11:49 PM EST) 

See all Conservation International Career Opportunities HERE

Conservation International Values

We expect that all employees will embrace the values of our organization.​

• Passion: Inspired by people and by nature, we are urgently compelled to drive change for a sustainable future. 
• Integrity: We are honest, transparent and accountable for our actions.
• Teamwork: We work together as one CI, recognizing that inclusion, collaboration and cooperation are fundamental to achieving a healthy and prosperous world for all.
• Respect: We respect each other and work to earn trust, valuing our diversity of cultures, talents, and experiences.
• Courage: We pursue our vision, taking bold action, persevering and overcoming challenges.
• Optimism: We are optimistic about the capacity of people to be caring, generous and brilliant, and believe that with partners, we can inspire humanity to create a better future.

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