Country Director, WWF Suriname and Guyana

Location: Paramaribo- Suriname

World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, seeks a Country Director, WWF Suriname and Guyana. The Country Director provides vision and leadership for WWF Guianas (covering the countries of Suriname and Guyana) and effective high-level representation of WWF with key audiences, stakeholders, funders, and partners in those two countries, as well as at the regional level, and internationally. Leverages the WWF Network’s resources and capacity to strengthen and empower the country office to deliver high-impact conservation results that contribute to WWF’s global goals and priorities, mobilize human and financial resources to advance WWF’s mission, and enhance WWF’s positioning and recognition as a leading conservation organization in the country.

The Country Director provides effective leadership in guiding the strategic direction for WWF’s program, organizational culture, and operations, ensures that WWF’s Mission is aligned with the national context and conservation policies of both Suriname and Guyana to achieve WWF’s objectives, and manages the organization for the successful accomplishment of key strategies. This position has overall accountability for assuring operational excellence, effective risk management, and compliance with WWF's policies, procedures, standards and local requirements.

Responsibilities

Oversees the planning and implementation of WWF Guianas’s integrated strategy providing focus, direction and a culture of integration to ensure the delivery of high-level conservation impacts and advancement of WWF’s Global conservation goals and supporting efforts of conservation plans and policies in Suriname and Guyana.

Builds and maintains a positive organizational culture that aligns with WWF values and promotes transparency, open communication and collaboration throughout the organization. Leads WWF Guianas s organizational development process to consolidate and strengthen organizational capacities in line with WWF Guianas’s strategy. Identifies and develops talented team members to lead critical strategic business functions.

Liaises and coordinates with the SVP, US Country Offices to develop and execute a viable fundraising strategy with Multilateral financing Institutions, Bilateral and Multilateral agencies, WWF National Organisations, Government Agencies, Foundations, Corporate, and private donors, thereby ensuring a financially sustainable office that is able to generate and secure a diversified funding pipeline to support the conservation priorities and effective functioning of the office.

Ensures the Office is accountable and able to identify, monitor and manage organizational risk. Ensures that WWF US and/or WWF Network policies, procedures and standards for operational, financial, personnel and administrative systems and outputs are implemented in WWF Guianas.

Establishes and oversees a monitoring and evaluation system to measure the performance of the country office towards its strategic plan and reports regularly to the Senior Vice President, US Country Offices.

Ensures timely technical and financial information from WWF Guianas to donors, WWF-US, WWF-International and all relevant parts of the WWF Network according to agreed standards.

Ensures that WWF Guianas cooperates with financial, operational and programmatic audits and follows-up in a timely manner on audit recommendations and ensures compliance with WWF-US and/or WWF-International Board policies, procedures and standards.

Establishes an effective internal communication system to ensure that all staff working for WWF Guianas are fully informed of WWF’s Mission, conservation architecture and strategic approaches and kept informed of new developments, policies and procedures as and when they arise.

Establishes leadership for effective external communications mechanisms and informs results and achievements to WWF-US Country Office Unit, network, donors, partners and others.

Provides leadership for WWF Guianas s engagement with partners and policy advocacy including with private sector, government, international cooperation, NGOs and others.

Ensure good working relations with concerned government agencies and other partners in Guianas and oversee positioning of the country office in support of country priorities.

Establishes and maintains strong working relationships with key individuals and conservation and development entities (local, national, regional, and international) regarding WWF’s position and general information. Participates in forums, workshops and conferences on behalf of WWF to build and nurture transformative/ strategic partnerships.

Responsible for assuring the coordination and delivery of WWF’s Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework (ESSF) ensuring the management of risk in the overall portfolios and that safeguards are implemented to WWF standards on all projects within defined landscapes and seascapes. The Country Director is accountable to the CEO, WWF-US for implementing the ESSF in-country and for ensuring that risks and mitigating strategies are approved and included in relevant projects, that a Grievance Redressal Mechanism is established and that timely and effective measures are taken to ensure compliance.

Supports Regional or subregional work and performs other duties as requested by the SVP, US Country Offices and LAC Secretariat

Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

An advanced degree (PhD or Masters) in Conservation, Natural Sciences, Management, International Development, Policy, Sustainability or a related field. Higher academic qualifications may be substituted by relevant work experience.

Proven experience of minimum 10 years in higher management positions in NGOs (preferable) managing a large group of staff. Technical proficiency in the field of Conservation, Natural-Resource Management or International Development, with demonstrated success in managing multi-disciplinary teams and networks and successful outcomes in public relations.

Skills and Abilities

Ability to work in a neutral and unbiased manner.

Demonstrated experience in working effectively with local communities, governments, non-profit organizations, and the private/corporate sector to build partnerships and achieve common objectives.

Knowledge and ability to work effectively and strategically with donor/funding institutions of all types.

Proven capacity to lead the operations of an organization: financial resources, strategic planning, policy influencing, projects planning, fundraising, budget implementation and evaluation etc.

Strong knowledge of Suriname and Guyana political, social and economic context with credible and ethical standing in the society.

Able to demonstrate the following leadership competences:

Establishing & Executing Strategic Direction

Leading Change

Building Organizational Talent

Driving for Results

Selling the Vision

Coaching/ Managing Performance

Empowering/ Delegating

Influencing Others

Innovating

Excellent ability to communicate well, motivate their team, handle and delegate responsibilities, listen to feedback, encourage teamwork, critical thinking and have the flexibility to solve problems in an ever-changing workplace.

Excellent oral and written communications skills in English.

Fully bilingual English-Dutch is preferable, and additional Spanish basic proficiency will be a plus.

Committed to building and strengthening a culture of inclusion within and across teams.

Identifies and aligns with WWF’s core values: Courage, Integrity, Respect, and Collaboration:

Demonstrates courage by speaking up even when it is difficult, or unpopular.

Builds trust with colleagues by acting with integrity, owning mistakes, and holding oneself accountable.

Welcomes other points of view and ideas, recognizing and embracing different and contrary perspectives with kindness, curiosity, and encouragement.

Makes conscious efforts to promote cooperative practices, behaviors, and ways of working across many groups and individuals.

To Apply:

Submit cover letter with salary expectations in USD and resume through our Careers Page by July 15th, 2024.

Due to the high volume of applications we are not able to respond to inquiries via phone or email.

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