Director, Commodity Market Mechanisms - 23019

Overview

World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, seeks a Director, Commodity Market Mechanisms.

Major Function

The Director, Commodity Market Mechanisms is responsible for managing the Markets Institute’s engagement in the development of market mechanisms that drive more sustainable commodity production by developing and field testing the use of market mechanisms to support more resilient commodity production and producers in the face of climate change. In this role, the Director manages two distinct projects. The first will be to use leather supply chains to prototype the development of a commodity fund mechanism that uses market mechanisms and transactions to generate funds to invest in more traceable and transparent hides. The second is to manage the proof of concept for Codex Planetarius, a set of minimal environmental standards for globally traded commodities. The Director will contribute to other related work on commodity strategies in Markets and the Markets Institute.

Responsibilities

• Direct project management and reporting associated with the Tapestry Foundation (leather fund mechanism) and the Moore Foundation (Codex Planetarius), including attending all meetings and overseeing delivery of strategies that result from meetings, the development of scopes of work with authors and tracking deliverables with grantees, overseeing the formulation of required progress reports and ensuring timely delivery to donors; overseeing the preparation and disbursement of sub-grants and the development of financial reports as necessary.
• Coordinate efforts with the Moore Markets and Commodities Initiative on beef and leather to ensure a clear division of labor between CMI leather work with Tapestry, the company and the Tapestry Foundation.
• Supervise and manage staff responsible for internal administration, monitoring & evaluation, financial management, as well as consultants and peer reviewers.
• Provide technical quality assurance for project activities, including sub-grants and reports and products from consultants, staff, and sub-grantees, and ensure quality in line with donor and WWF standards and policies.
• Engage in internal and external working groups, steering committees, etc. to drive alignment around project strategies and donor/partner expectations more for sustainable commodity production through market mechanisms. External responsibilities include ensuring smooth coordination and communication among partners, managing stakeholder engagement and expectation through the duration of the project, and representing the projects at meetings and workshops as needed.
• Collaborate closely with communications leads to share issues, insights, and lessons on a broader global scale.
• Contribute to global strategic planning for the Markets Institute on topics related to market mechanisms for more sustainable and resilient commodity production that support the elimination of the most significant environmental and livelihood impacts in commodity markets.
• Represent Markets and Markets Institute in various external working groups, steering committees, meetings, conferences, etc.
• Explore new programmatic areas and funding opportunities for the WWF-US Markets Team.
• Engage in other internal and external strategic planning activities as needed.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in a conservation-related field, including 5 years of project or program management experience.
• Bachelor’s Degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Knowledge of commodity production, value chains, market mechanisms and standards.
• Excellent leadership, organizational and communication skills with an emphasis on program and project management. International and multi-stakeholder program management experience required.
• Experience developing, managing, and reporting against project budgets.
• Negotiation and facilitation skills in multistakeholder and multi-cultural groups.
• Experience developing complex proposals for development agencies and donors.
• Experience in leading a team of staff and coordinating sub-grant partners and consultants.
• Ability to interact with senior business, government, researchers, and NGO staff.
• Experience in delivering technical and financial reporting to donor agencies on large projects.
• Experience with UN and/or other international development agencies an advantage.
• Some national and international travel required.
• Strategic thinking.
• 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.

WWF is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace and requires all US-based staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. WWF will consider requests for accommodation from the vaccine requirement based on disability, medical contraindication, sincerely held religious belief, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

To Apply:

• Submit cover letter and resume through our Careers Page**,  Requisition #23019**
• Due to the high volume of applications we are not able to respond to inquiries via phone

As an EOE/AA employer, WWF will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or protected Veteran status. WWF values diversity and inclusion and welcomes diverse candidates to apply.