Regenerative Food Facility Lead

OFFICE LOCATION

Arlington, Virginia, USA

The location of this position is flexible to all locations where The Nature Conservancy is registered to do business

#LI-REMOTE

#PDN – Professional diversity Network

WHO WE ARE

The mission of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is to conserve the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we develop innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the world’s toughest environmental challenges so that people and nature can thrive. Our work is guided by our values, which include a commitment to diversity and respect for people, communities, and cultures. From a rewarding mission to career development and flexible schedules, there are many reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want to know more? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube to hear stories from staff or visit Glassdoor.

One of TNC’s primary goals is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that employees around the globe have a sense of belonging and feel that their unique contributions are valued. We know we’ll only achieve our mission by hiring and engaging a diverse staff that reflects the communities in which we work. Recognizing that people bring talent and skills that have been developed outside the scope of a job, we take a holistic approach to recruitment that considers life experience in addition to the professional requirements listed in our postings. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and you’ll stay for the people.”

WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER

TNC’s Global Regenerative Foodscapes Strategy aims to support the transition to regenerative food systems that deliver measurable climate, land, water, and people outcomes. Foodscapes are distinct geographic areas where healthy land, freshwater, and ocean ecosystems coincide with critical food production systems. TNC is developing a portfolio of regional Foodscapes demonstrating how a transition to regenerative transition can occur. In addition, TNC is developing a technical assistance facility for local and national partners interested in scaling regenerative solutions. The facility will integrate tools, frameworks, and learnings to support organizations and champions interested in developing regenerative pathways. It will combine the latest science, knowledge, and expertise with innovative financing to drive global public and private investments in regenerative food systems.

The Regenerative Food Facility Lead oversees all aspects of the new Facility within the Global Regenerative Foodscapes strategy under the Provide Food and Water business unit. The position reports to the Global Director of Regenerative Food Systems and could be based in any country where TNC has a registered office.

The Facility Lead oversees all aspects of the new Facility design, from operationalization to implementation, and is responsible for the Facility’s success. The first year will be focused on designing the facility through a co-created process with internal and external stakeholders. This includes developing the facility structure and operational model. The Facility is expected to be operational by next year with an agile implementation model and an early cohort of projects.

They monitor the delivery status of programs/projects in line with delivery plans and provide input to Global Foodscape Strategy based on consolidated insights from the facility. They provide input to TNC’s science, policy, corporate engagement, and fundraising priorities.

They serve as the principal point of contact for the new facility to government agencies, international organizations, the private sector, other conservation organizations, foundations, and the academic community. They also develop key partnerships related to the Facility and Regenerative Foodscapes strategy with public & private organizations to identify and resolve technical issues and to widely communicate solutions, innovative scientific methods, analysis, tools, and frameworks to address wider conservation and food system needs. They ensure alignment between regional and country teams and TNC’s global foodscape strategy.

They established TNC as a major conservation partner in the transition of regenerative food systems that meet people, climate, and nature goals. They define and track conservation priorities, lead and manage a team(s) that support and improve conservation efforts, and build strategic, scientific, and technical capacity in the field. To that end, they supervise a multi-national staff and consultants working across different time zones, including motivating, setting objectives, and managing performance. They also manage collaborations and contracting relationships with consulting companies. They strive to create a distinctly client-oriented culture and to find synergies with the wider Regenerative Foodscapes strategy team, especially the wider capacity building and knowledge management pillar. 

The Facility Lead is responsible for donor identification, cultivation, and stewardship, including reporting and communications with the Facility’s funders. They promote and market the Facility as a distinctive service offering with its brand linked to TNC. They direct marketing efforts to attract high-quality applicants to the Facility’s call for proposals and manage the review, selection, and agreement process. They develop requests for proposals (RFPs) for grants and contracts and oversee procurements, contractor performance, and deliverables.

They also disseminate best practices and provide training and analyses to implement organizational success measures best. They are responsible for client development (internal & external to TNC) for fee-for-service engagements. They approve work plans, staffing, and budgets proposed by staff, ensuring quality and consistency across individual engagements. They must coordinate with relevant TNC regions, field offices, and functional teams for all engagements. At the request of and in partnership with TNC regions and field offices, they may engage local community support for local conservation efforts and negotiate complex and innovative solutions with local stakeholders to develop and implement conservation strategies.

The Facility Lead will be supervised by the Global Director, Regenerative Food Systems. The lead is expected to provide input on the wider strategy and leadership on workstreams as needed. This role requires a willingness and ability to travel 25% both domestically and internationally.

The location of this position is flexible to all locations where The Nature Conservancy is registered to do business.

WE’RE LOOKING FOR YOU

We are looking for a highly motivated individual passionate about conservation with in-depth knowledge of regenerative food systems.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• BA/BS degree and 10 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience leading and managing complex projects and strategic initiatives, including management/supervision of multi-disciplinary teams and meeting deadlines.
• Fundraising experience, including identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation.
• Experience working with current trends and practices in a relevant discipline(s) and geographic regions.
• Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives, and managing performance.
• Experience developing partnerships with non-profit partners, private companies and/or government agencies. 
• Experience negotiating complex agreements and partnerships. 
• Experience with financial management of a large program.
• Communicating clearly via written and spoken English.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree strongly desired
• Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience
• 10-12 years’ experience in conservation practice or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in business consulting or the private sector, especially related to agri-food sectors.
• Self-starter with the ability to generate work plans aligned with TNC’s conservation priorities.
• Deep knowledge of agriculture, food systems, and conservation issues.
• Ability to develop practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
• Experience with catalyzing initiatives through iterative design and learning process.
• Politically savvy, comfortable with fluid and fast-moving contexts requiring rapid decision-making and flexibility.
• Attention to detail.

WHAT WE BRING

Since 1951, TNC has been doing work you can believe in. Through grassroots action, we have grown from a small non-profit into one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and partners, we impact conservation around the world! 

TNC offers competitive and comprehensive benefits packages tailored to the individual countries where we work. These may include health care benefits, retirement benefits, parental leave, paid time off, life insurance, and disability coverage as well as an employee assistance program and other life and well-being benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our Culture Tab on nature.org/careers. 

We’re proud to offer a flexible work environment that supports the health and well-being of the people we employ.

SALARY INFORMATION

This position may be based in any country where TNC has an established entity, taking into consideration legal restrictions, such as non-national ratios and immigration processing times. For U.S. based applicants only, the starting pay range for this position is Arlington, Virginia is within the range of $122,800 – $141,015 for annual base salary and is based on location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. This range only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. For all other applicants, pay ranges will be in local currency, the pay range will be based on the local labor market, and not tied to the above pay range. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment and used to determine your actual pay range. Additionally, for all applicants, actual pay will fall within a range based on a variety of factors including, for example, the candidate’s qualifications, specific skills, and experience. 

APPLY NOW

To apply for job ID 55839, submit your materials online by using the Apply Now button at https://careers.nature.org/ by 11:59 PM EST on November 14th. Need help applying? Visit our recruitment page or contact [email protected].

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.

The successful applicant must meet the requirements of The Nature Conservancy’s background screening process.

Do you have military experience? Visit our U.S. Military Skills Translator to match your military experience with our current job openings!

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 [email protected] with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.

An attractive salary and benefits package is part of TNC’s value proposition to our employees. TNC strives to provide competitive pay and bases salaries on the geographic location of the role committing to being equitable across groups and providing hiring salary ranges when possible.

Since we support flexible and remote work for our employees, many positions have a flexible location within countries where we’re registered as a Non-government Organization and established as an employer. This may mean we’re unable to provide a hiring salary range in the posting for some of our positions. However, candidates invited to be part of our interview process will be provided their location specific range upon request.

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