International Institute for Sustainable Development is hiring a
About IISD
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 200 experts come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries.
IISD’s Economic Law & Policy (ELP) Program is devoted to supporting the elaboration and improvement of economic governance frameworks and tools that support the achievement of sustainable development objectives. The ELP Program does so by developing research outputs, providing training and capacity support to the relevant stakeholder groups, organizing conferences and dialogues, and various other approaches. Increasingly, our work involves a dedicated virtual component, both in terms of the events we deliver and the communications and outreach efforts we undertake. Our team includes lawyers, economists, policy analysts, and journalists, among others, who are located across various countries and world regions. The program encompasses several workstreams, including investment law and policy; international trade; agriculture & mining; sustainability standards; sustainable finance and infrastructure.
The Position
The ELP Program is currently seeking a Project Lead to support the Scaling Urban Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) project. The SUNCASA project is focused on engaging local partners and communities to design and implement NbS to support climate adaptation and biodiversity in urban communities and watersheds in sub-Saharan Africa. The project also aims to enhance gender-responsive and inclusive governance of NbS in these urban communities.
The successful candidate will operate with minimal supervision and provide general project implementation, knowledge management, and communications support to the SUNCASA project. This includes coordinating day-to-day activities of the project, ensuring timely delivery of activities and milestones, as well as leading work planning and progress reporting exercises. In this role, the Project Lead will work closely with IISD staff and the SUNCASA project’s technical delivery, communication, and operations teams ensuring collaboration and optimizing potential for project success. Additionally, the Project Lead is expected to build and facilitate ongoing relationships with the local partners implementing the project in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Africa.
Responsibilities
The successful candidate’s key areas of responsibility will include but not be limited to:
Project Coordination and Implementation
Oversee the execution of key activities and the day-to-day operation of the project.
Lead the development of annual work plans in collaboration with the project management team and diligently track their progress.
Organize and facilitate the project governance bodies, including partner, steering committee, and technical advisory committee meetings.
Oversee the preparation and review of narrative reports for the project funder.
Develop and closely monitor the implementation of the work program.
Work closely with project partners to ensure their full integration into the work program.
Collaborate with the project’s technical delivery team to measure performance throughout the project life cycle, identify areas for improvement, and document lessons that can be shared.
Provide updates on the project progress across all sites, identify potential barriers, and propose solutions.
Oversee the coordination and assignment of responsibilities on project activities.
Collaborate with the technical and communications teams to maintain an active publications pipeline.
Coordinate internal project team meetings.
Communications
Outreach and Partnership Building
Provide support to the IISD Director of Sustainable Infrastructure in maintaining relationships with government institutions and local partners, occasionally engaging directly in identifying and addressing their support needs.
Serve as the SUNCASA project focal point in selected partnerships or initiatives, representing the project in coordination meetings.
Serve as the first point of contact for SUNCASA and other relevant Nature-Based Infrastructure Centre projects.
Represent IISD and the Nature-Based Infrastructure Centre at international and national forums.
Research and Capacity Building
Stakeholder Relationships
Qualifications
The Project Lead should possess the following qualifications:
Qualifications (Essential)
Knowledge and Experience (Essential)
Skills (Essential)
Behavioural Competencies (Essential)
Reporting Relationship
The Project Lead reports to IISD’s Director for Sustainable Infrastructure.
Please note that the ELP team works across multiple time zones. We are looking for someone with a “can-do” work attitude and the ability to work autonomously while proactively engaging with other team members, particularly those working in a remote and/or hybrid work environment.
Location: South Africa
Duration: Indefinite
Salary: Salary commensurate with experience and location
Start date: As soon as possible
Closing date: Recruitment will be on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Application Procedure
Internal applicants: Please contact IISD’s HR team by the internal closing date listed above.
All submissions must be in English. Accommodations for job applicants with disabilities are available on request.
Candidates must hold appropriate work authorization for South Africa.
Please apply to only one posting, as this role is posted to multiple cities.
Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR.
Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted. Resumes will be kept on file for 1 year.
IISD has implemented a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy that requires employees who are required or choose to be at an office or participate in in-person team events or in-person meetings/events to be fully vaccinated. Anyone unable to be fully vaccinated, either because of a sincerely held religious belief or a medical condition or disability that prevents them from being fully vaccinated, can request a reasonable accommodation.
IISD is committed to fostering a more equitable and sustainable world and welcomes candidates who uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, to correct the conditions of social injustice and disadvantage in employment around the world, we encourage candidates from historically marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who identify themselves as 2SLGBTQIA+, to apply for this position. Preference will be given to the equity-deserving groups during the hiring process. We offer reasonable accommodations in our recruitment process and seek applicants' advice on how best to accommodate their needs. Please self-identify and answer our employment equity questionnaire on our applicant tracking system when you apply.
IISD does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, colour, disability, marital status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.
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Project LeadNature-Based InfrastructureGlobal Resource CentreSouth AfricaIISDSustainable DevelopmentClimate AdaptationSub-Saharan AfricaNbSGender-ResponsiveGovernanceProject CoordinationImplementationCommunicationsOutreachPartnership BuildingResearchCapacity BuildingStakeholder Relationships