Technical Director - Conservation International

Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

The Seed Fund is a strategic fund held and administered by Conservation International. It provides timely, strategic assistance to conserve vital reserves of biodiversity and irrecoverable carbon and kickstart the implementation of ‘Country Packages’ in Host Countries. ‘Country Packages’ bring together governments, the private sector, philanthropy, and multilateral institutions to achieve ambitious forest and climate goals at the national level. So far, seven countries— Peru, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Papua New Guinea, and Republic of Congo — have launched Country Packages, and more are in development.

The initial Seed Fund partners are Conservation International, the Government of France, the Rob Walton Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. They are collectively committing EUR 115 million with the goal of raising at least EUR 200 million. The Seed Fund intends to support Country Packages that show a commitment to protecting and conserving a country’s high-biodiversity and high-carbon areas—including forests, mangrove ecosystems, oceans, and peatlands, and the communities living in and near them. Eligible recipients include research and education institutions, development agencies, government bodies, and civil society organizations.

The Seed Fund Will, Among Other Things

• Invest in capacity building and strengthen delivery on the ground, including through NGOs or Indigenous peoples and local communities.
• Design and implement conservation efforts for vital reserves of carbon and biodiversity.
• Advance key scientific and monitoring products and boost scientific cooperation to provide data for Country Package development.
• Support the upscaling of long-term and reliable finance and financial innovation to further increase domestic funding sources and support public and private international support.
• Support feasibility studies for the long-term delivery of larger Country Packages.

This position is an integral part of the Seed Fund Delivery Team.

POSITION SUMMARY

This position is based in Arlington-VA, Belgium, France (remote), South Africa, Ghana, or Liberia

The Technical Director will strongly contribute to tailoring the Seed Fund’s conservation strategy in support of each Country Package. They are on the frontline with technical counterparts (government, NGOs, research institutions, private sector) and contribute to the participatory process for grants’ design as well as technical approaches in host countries. They will play a primary role in grants analysis and award decision-making.

During implementation, the Technical Director will provide technical and programmatic support and oversight for several midsize or larger, more complex projects. They will manage all aspects of the project life cycle, including project planning, work plans, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting on deliverables and project status. They will ensure compliance with project standards, donor requirements, and project alignment with institutional priorities. The role includes advising on adaptive management strategies and capacity building needs to ensure project success. The Technical Director represents the Seed Fund as a key technical resource and builds alliances/engages with key external stakeholders, including government and NGO officials, donors, and others critical to project success.

The position involves managing and monitoring project budgets and writing donor reports as required. The Technical Director will also collaborate on and lead efforts to secure additional funding, expand the project pipeline, and manage funding relationships with key partners.

Responsibilities

• Provide supervision, support, and direction to project- technical and administrative staff, subcontractors, and short-term consultants to ensure effective project implementation across deliverables.
• Oversee the development of project reports, annual work plans, and other documents as required by the contributors, partner organizations, government, and other stakeholders.
• Facilitate knowledge management, communications, and information flow for the project, ensuring that all internal and external stakeholders are updated.
• Manage, in coordination with the Managing Director, relationships and work with implementing partner organizations.
• Manage donor relationships along with the Managing Director
• Participate in regular site visits to the project areas to ensure project progress towards activity objectives and goals.
• Represent the Seed Fund at external meetings and events as required.
• Coordinate and communicate on a regular basis with internal CI staff partners.
• Serve as Acting Managing Director when the Managing Director is unavailable.
• Perform other duties as required.
• Supervise potentially up to five employees or a program.
• Manage an individual or program/project budget, but decisions that bind or commit CI are approved by the immediate supervisor.
• Manage public or private funds, monitor results, and recommend follow-up action. Ensure compliance with donor agreements.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• 20-30% travel to project sites and other office locations.
• Comfortable working outdoors for extended periods.
• Ability to work extended work hours to accommodate different time zones and meet project deadlines.
• Guidance on flexible work arrangements will be shared during the interview process.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree
• 7 or more years of professional work experience.
• 2 or more years of experience supervising and motivating others, including multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience and understanding of conservation projects
• Knowledge of national and international commitments on climate and biodiversity (30×30 agenda, NBSAP, NDC, Rio Conventions, etc.)
• Direct project management experience, preferably in the conservation, NGO, advocacy, or related arena.
• Experience with fund management and grant-making
• Excellent technical and analytical skills.
• Excellent organization and time management skills.
• Team player and able to work effectively with diverse work groups in a multicultural environment.
• A record of success in influencing and partnering with key stakeholders and raising funds.
• Ability to work well under pressure, multitask, set priorities, and deliver quality results
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities and under minimal supervision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. The working language of the team is English.
• Fluency in an appropriate second language for the region (French or Spanish, both preferred)

Preferred

• Master’s Degree/Advanced degree/Ph.D. preferred.
• Understanding of the economic and environmental issues facing the Host Countries of the Country Packages, and their local communities
• General knowledge and appreciation of environmental & social safeguards and gender & social inclusion in the context of conservation
• Experience in MS SharePoint design, database creation, and management
• Experience in producing and disseminating knowledge management products and training materials.

🔥 SIMILAR JOBS YOU MAY LIKE → APPLY