The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities. To achieve our mission, we partner with diverse allies around the world to drive positive change across global supply chains and in many of our most critically important natural landscapes.
Our alliance spans 70 countries and includes farmers and forest communities, companies, governments, civil society, and millions of individuals. Together we work to protect forests and biodiversity, take action on climate, and promote the rights and improve the livelihoods of rural people.
As an international nonprofit organization with more than 30 years of experience in sustainability transformation, we understand that the social and economic well-being of rural communities is tightly connected to ecosystem health. This knowledge has shaped our rigorous programs to advance sustainable land-use and commodity production.
At the Rainforest Alliance we combat climate change, protect forests and biodiversity, promote human rights, and improve livelihoods. The enormity of the social and environmental challenges we are facing requires working together in a broad alliance. This is why we bring farmers, forest communities, companies, and consumers together to change the way the world produces, sources, and consumes.
Why
To protect nature and improve lives it’s becoming increasingly urgent that we approach the way we use our land and produce food and other products in more sustainable ways. For this to succeed we need to fundamentally change the way that businesses operate and source, and the choices we all make as consumers.
How
Our growing global alliance aims to transform our relationship with our natural resources and each other, to create a better future for people and nature together.
The Rainforest Alliance encourages diversity and inclusion across the global organization. With this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, disability and any other protected group.
Position summary:
The Rainforest Alliance is recruiting a Chief of Party to provide technical direction and oversight to the USAID-funded regional Activity “Women’s Economic Empowerment in Mesoamerica (WEE).”
The vision of the Activity is that by 2025, at-risk women in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras will have entered the workforce and prosper economically through their participation and leadership in local natural resource-based value chains. The Activity is working to address the threats of lack of economic opportunity and gender-based social exclusion linked to poverty and migration, as well as the lack of institutional will and capacity that drive the systemic inequalities faced by women in Mesoamerica's rural landscapes. The overall goal is to improve conditions for the most at-risk women in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras to prosper economically by integrating effective economic development and social empowerment pathways.
Responsibilities:
- Provide overall technical direction and strategic oversight of the Activity;
- Serve as the primary point of contact with USAID, regional and local partners, government, and other key stakeholders;
- Take accountability for ensuring full delivery of technical, financial, compliance, resource mobilization and other contractual obligations;
- Undertake day to day management of the Activity, including smooth project implementation and efficient use of resources;
- Ensure the participation and involvement of relevant stakeholders in project activities, including local NGOs, the Senior Advisory Committee, government and private sector;
- Coordinate and engage with implementing partners to ensure strong Activity governance, participating in and reporting out at periodic meetings of the Senior Advisory Committee;
- Lead a successful and effective team and establish effective management and coordination processes;
- Lead Activity work planning and ensure the timeliness and quality of results as well as timely preparation of reports on achievements and challenges faced within the Activity;
- Proactively identify and handle risks, bringing key issues where appropriate;
- Coordinate with RA senior staff and partners across geographies to mobilize internal resources, achieve efficient implementation, and integrate Activity results and findings within RA’s broader institutional processes and strategies;
- Develop opportunities for private sector engagement;
- Ensure high quality measurement and reporting on economic growth indicators according to baselines and the Activity’s gender assessment.
Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in gender/women’s economic empowerment (desirable), social, business administration, economy, or another relevant international development field;
- Demonstrated experience (10 years) in international development field handling USAID or other multilateral organizations funds/projects;
- Demonstrated experience (10 years) in effectively leading international multidisciplinary teams with demonstrated mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills;
- Minimum of 5 years with previous experience as a COP or DCOP on a USAID or other multilateral funds/project;
- Demonstrated experience working with most at-risk and marginalized women to prosper economically and break free from violence mainstreaming gender equality in value chains;
- Minimum of 10 years coordinating efforts with the private sector, government organization, national and international NGOs;
- Demonstrated experience in implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects, including mobilization of resources.
- Knowledge of relevant agricultural and forestry value chains including coffee, cocoa, timber and non-timber forest products (desirable)
- Demonstrate openness to change and ability to handle complexities;
- Excellent writing, editing and verbal communication skills;
- Written and verbal proficiency in Spanish and English;
- Strong organizational skills to handle multiple priorities in a time critical manner;
- Ability to travel a minimum of 30% per year, nationally and internationally.
Job level: 2A
Salary: Commensurate with experience.
Deadline:May 31, 2023
Notes: Only candidates authorized to work (work permit) in Guatemala or Honduras will be considered.
The selection of the final applicant is subject to USAID approval.
If you have any questions about the job vacancy, please contact the HR department: recruitment@ra.org