IUCN WCPA Executive Officer & WCS UK Partnerships Officer in Cambridge

Overview

Position: IUCN WCPA Executive Officer & WCS UK Partnerships Officer

Reports to: This role has a dual reporting function to the WCS South Asia (Acting Regional Director) who is also the IUCN WCPA Chair, and the WCS EU Director.

Location: WCS Cambridge office, United Kingdom

Position Type: Full-Time

Job Summary: This is an exciting full-time position that combines two roles for two leading conservation institutions. The position holder will spend 60% of their time working for the IUCN WCPA Chair and 40% of their time working to support the mission of WCS. We are therefore looking for a highly organized and dynamic candidate who is looking for an opportunity to expand their conservation expertise and network, by undertaking both roles. The candidate must be able to meet key deadlines, attend virtual meetings across time zones, and support occasional in-person events as required.

The main role of the IUCN WCPA Executive Officer component is to work closely with the WCPA Chair, Steering Committee and Specialist Groups/Task Forces in advancing the Commission’s Mandate. This position is ideal for a highly organized, proactive, and collaborative professional with relevant experience in program management, communications, and coordination across global teams.

The main role of the WCS UK Partnerships Officer component is to support WCS engagement with the UK government and UK-based partner organisations. This will include:

• Building and maintaining relationships with UK-based partnership organisations;
• Representing WCS in UK-based fora and policy discussions;
• Understanding UK government policy and funding priorities.

Major Responsibilities

For IUCN WCPA:

• Coordination between the Commissions Support Unit (CSU) and WCPA Commission
• Programmatic and administrative support to WCPA, WCPA Chair, and special projects
• Support logistical and programmatic organisation of meetings, strategic document drafting, and events, including WCPA-supported international conferences
• Manage logistics for WCPA events, meetings, awards and special projects as assigned by the Chair
• Support financial management and membership management processes for the Commission in coordination with the Commissions Support Unit (CSU)
• Organise WCPA Steering Committee (SC) activities
• Assist the WCPA Chair with communication, structuring, governance and management of SC activities
• In collaboration with the Chair, organise two virtual WCPA Steering Committee meetings a year, including supporting the agenda drafting, scheduling, and documentation of the meeting
• Organise logistics and support the implementation of one in-person WCPA Steering Committee meeting per year including coordinating with in-country partners and venues, managing travel, budgeting, and other tasks as needed
• Assist with the development of Steering Committee meeting notes, reports, outputs, action items, and other deliverables for both virtual and in-person meetings
• Attend quarterly meetings between the CSU and Commissions Executive Officers to coordinate efforts on cross-Commission administration and priorities
• Execute communications and reporting priorities in alignment with the CSU and other IUCN Commissions
• Maintain and update a database of SG and TF leaders within the Commission
• Support internal and external communications within the Commission including sharing WCPA priorities and news with members through the IUCN Commission Members System, IUCN Portal, and IUCN Engage
• Support the publication process including the updating of publication databases and updating the website with new publications
• Coordination and delivery of the IUCN WCPA Awards (once every 2 years)
• Managing the administration of IUCN WCPA’s awards in collaboration with relevant partner organizations
• Leading the planning, preparation, and delivery of online and in-person awards ceremonies
• Management of WCPA annual reporting processes
• Responsible for coordinating internal reports from within WCPA and the annual impact report
• Spearhead development and maintenance of WCPA internal reporting.
• Manage the preparation of the annual public-facing (Impact) report by synthesizing annual technical reports.

For WCS:

• Strengthen WCS UK Government Engagement
• Ensure WCS maintains relationships with key technical staff in UK government departments or other relevant organisations by keeping an overview of our relationships and helping to coordinate and set up meetings
• Support WCS engagement with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and other relevant entities relating to the management of and future direction of the FGMC funds
• Represent WCS in technical level meetings by FCDO and other relevant UK government departments as needed
• Maintain and communicate internally, an overview of relevant UK policy discussions relevant to biodiversity and tropical forests, to help identify and build opportunities for WCS strategic engagement that align with UK development objectives
• Track and research UK government funding priorities including FCDO and Defra and advise on alignment with WCS global conservation goals
• Support the development of WCS proposals to the UK government, to ensure alignment with UK government priorities and interests
• Support Relationship Building with UK Partners
• Support the Vice President, Strategic Development, and other senior WCS staff in tracking and building relationships with existing and new UK-based partner organisations, including through the Cambridge Conservation Initiative
• Identify and support opportunities for WCS to develop strategic partnerships with UK-based conservation NGOs or other stakeholders, including with other FGMC grantees
• Represent WCS as needed in meetings with UK-based NGOs or in relevant conferences and events

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field of study including environmental science, natural resource management or public policy
• Strong interest in and a commitment to supporting biodiversity and tropical forest conservation
• Knowledge of UK government policies relating to biodiversity and tropical forests
• Knowledge of and existing network of relationships with staff in UK-based conservation NGOs and IUCN
• Familiarity with and knowledge of working with UK government departments
• Fluency in English is required. Fluency in additional languages including Spanish and French is preferred.
• UK residence and willingness and ability to travel to meetings within the UK and to undertake occasional travel outside of the UK
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage competing deadlines
• Excellent communication, diplomacy and inter-personal skills
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse and decentralized group of colleagues

WCS is an equal opportunity employer, and the organization complies with all employment and labor laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and engaging a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share that same value.

The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate for employment based on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, genetic information or any other covered status or characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations.

Right to Work in the UK: Appointment to this role is subject to the candidate having the legal right to work in the United Kingdom at the time of appointment. In line with current UK immigration legislation, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their right to work in the UK prior to commencement of employment. Wildlife Conservation Society is unable to sponsor work visas for this position.

Data Protection Statement: Wildlife Conservation Society is committed to protecting your personal data. Any personal information you provide as part of your application will be processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Your data will be used solely for the purposes of recruitment and selection and will be retained only for as long as necessary in accordance with our data retention policies.

Recruitment Agencies: Wildlife Conservation Society does not accept unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles from recruitment agencies. Any CVs submitted without a prior signed agreement will be considered the property of Wildlife Conservation Society, and no fees or commissions will be payable in relation to such submissions.

Salary Range: Competitive salary commensurate with experience.