Head of Project Development - Robert Walters

The role will require exceptional commerciality and a solution-oriented attitude, with experience of delivering complex projects alongside multiple stakeholders and an understanding of processes and sensitivities around land acquisition.

Responsibilities

• Sourcing degraded land for tropical forest restoration across Ghana, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and other high priority countries
• Negotiating and securing large-scale (10,000 ha+) land concessions for tropical forest restoration from governments, traditional authorities and local communities
• Negotiating benefit sharing agreements with governments, traditional authorities and local communities to ensure equitable and fair sharing of project benefits in a structure that reflects the risk/reward profile of our investment
• Taking new country operations from zero to one – setting up new country entities and securing, where required, the necessary government agreements to start operations
• Collaborating with technical experts on the production of feasibility studies and project design documents for successful project submissions and verifications
• Leading a growing project development team and coordinating the development of several projects alongside one another, including setting work plans, schedules, budgets and deliverables

Candidates Requirements

• Experience working with government and other stakeholders in Africa, with a preference for West Africa experience. Examples of past engagement at a senior governmental level in Africa
• Ability to source, digest and interpret information across a range of disciplines (country legal frameworks, scientific and socio-economic data etc.)
• Major project development and management experience – having sourced and developed a large project such as in agriculture, renewables, a government programme
• Experience negotiating complex agreements with governments, communities or private groups
• A willingness to travel to remote locations to deliver results on the ground – you will have to jump in a pick-up truck to visit potential forest restoration sites.
• Strong relationship skills and the charisma required to build the high-level relationships needed to succeed – you should not be intimidated meeting high level political figures if required
• Educated to degree level or higher in a relevant field
• Fluency in English (+ French preferred)

If you meet the above requirements, do not hesitate to apply for this role as the Head of Project Development