Project Manager HCI in Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh at World Wildlife Fund, Inc.

Founded in 1961, WWF works to help people and nature thrive. As a global conservation organization, WWF operates in more than 100 countries, partnering with communities, companies, and governments to protect wildlife, conserve vital habitats, and advance sustainable solutions. Grounded in science and driven by collaboration, WWF works to help nature by conserving biodiversity, supporting resilient communities, and addressing climate change. Nearly 1 million people in the United States and more than 5 million globally are WWF members.

Project Description:

The Heart of Conservation Initiative (HCI) is a 5-year global project designed to address systemic barriers that limit Indigenous Peoples and local communities ability to steward their lands, territories, waters, and biodiversity-rich ecosystems. Despitestrong evidence that Indigenous Peoples and local communities manage or influence at least 37% of remaining natural lands globally, they receive less than 1% of international climate and biodiversity finance, face complex donor procedures, limited direct access to funding, and insufficient recognition in decision-making arenas.

Building on the achievements of the GEF-7 InclusiveConservationInitiative (ICI), HCIs objective is to increase Indigenous Peoples and local communities organizational capacities and ability to access sustainable finance at scale for territorial stewardship to deliver social, economic, cultural, and Global Environmental Benefits. The project is transformative in that it targets structural change in biodiversity finance systemsshifting from centralized, intermediary-driven models toward more inclusive, Indigenous Peoples and local community-led financing and governance mechanisms.

This will be achieved through four integrated components: (i) organizational and technical self-strengthening of Indigenous Peoples and local community funds and organizations and implementation of self-determined Indigenous Peoples-and local community-led sub-projects across Latin America, Africa, and Asia; (ii) collective self-strengthening of Indigenous Peoples and local community-led funds and organizations institutional, fiduciary, and technical capacities;(iii) enhancing Indigenous Peoples' and local communities representation and influence in global biodiversity andbiodiversityfinance processes; and (iv) advancing knowledge, learning, and evidence on rights-based, inclusive conservation.

Major Function

The Project Manager will lead the GCUs support for the HCI partners and ensure successful delivery of all components. They will supervise staff in aGlobal Coordination Unit (GCU),provide day-to-day management of the projectand, with support from the Partner Liaison, coordinate withten (10) Component 1Partners,and partnersand specialists in Components 2 through 5.This is a unique rolemanaging andrepresentingaglobal, Indigenous-led project that should respond both to Indigenous Peoples and local community partners priorities as well asmeetGEF requirements.

The Project Manager will report to the Senior Director, Conservation Areas, and Senior Director, Inclusive Conservation(Project Co-Leads)

Key Responsibilities

1.Technical Delivery of Project Components:

• Component1: Work with Component 1 partners to review and approve their annual work plans and budgets, provide technical inputs to their on-the-ground work, as needed, and support their self-strengthening plans.

• Component2:Lead and coordinate delivery of Component 2 with GCU staff support;Work with Component 1 partners to identify common capacity-strengtheningneeds anddevelop and implement a collective strengthening program.

• Component3:Lead and coordinate delivery of Component 3 with GCU staff support;Design and implement the Youth Policy Leaders program and work with Component 1 and 2 partners toidentifypolicy processes and to enable effective, HCI-supported engagement therein.

• Support GCU staff to ensure successful delivery of Components 4 and 5.

2.Project Management:

• Day-to-day management, monitoring, and evaluation of project activities and results as outlined in theCERDoc, Grant Agreement, and Annual Work Plan and Budget to achieve the projectobjectiveand targets in the Results Framework.

Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:

• Ensure that the GCU holds regular virtual meetings with Component 1 (C1) partners and asrequiredwithadditionalpartners involved in the other components,

• Manage the workflow for theIndigenous GlobalSteering Committee (IGSC),in collaboration withthe ProjectCo-Leads.

• In collaboration with allprojectsub-grantees and partners, develop the Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWPB)for the global HCIfor each project year, forno-objection from the WWF GEF Agency andapproval by theIGSC.

• Share C1 Partners annual workplans and budgets for no-objection from WWF GEF Agency and for IGSCinformation. Providehigh-level oversight and monitoring of procurement and expenditure in line with the AWPBin collaboration with the Finance and Operations (FO) Manager.

• Review progress of work plan and monitoring planin collaboration with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer.

• Responsible for organization of inception workshop and other critical project workshops and meetings.

• Manage the design and maintenance of a project website, and the development and implementation of a communications strategy in collaboration with the Communications and Knowledge Management (CKM) Officer.

• Providesupport for projectimplementationsupport and learning visitsand internal and external reviews/evaluationswith relevant GCU staff.

• Support the MEL Officer to organize annual reflection workshops to identify lessons learned and propose potential changes for adaptive management to ensure project results and indicator targets are reached.

• Troubleshoot with GCU staff,componentpartners and Project co-leads to address challenges and create enabling conditions for trusting partnerships and project success.

• Maintain a project risk register, including identification of risks to project success and development of mitigation measuresin coordination with C1 partners and other project partners.

• Prepareand execute a project exit plan, including hand-off of project equipment and resources, close of grants and agreements,consultations andcommunicationswithproject partners and interested parties, and ensure sustainability of project results.

• Champion the promise and achievements of the project, elevating its contributions to systems change and Indigenous Peoples and local community-led partners whenever possible.

• Any other tasks thatarerelevant to theassignment.

3. Staff management:

• Supervise theGCU staff including MEL Officer(crosscutting, especiallycomponents 1, 4 and5), FO Manager(crosscutting),Environmental and Social Safeguards Officer(crosscutting, especially component 1), Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Officer (crosscutting, especially component 1), CKM Officer (crosscutting, especiallycomponents 2 and 4), Logistics and Administrative Assistant (crosscutting),and anyotherdirectly recruited staff or consultants.

• Prepare TORs to recruit consultants, staff and sub-contracts in consultation withProject Co-Leadsand for no-objection from WWF GEF Agency.

4. Reporting:

• Collaborate with the MEL Officer to aggregate information from Component 1 Partner sub-projects and formulate semi-annual Project Progress Reports and ensuretimelydelivery to the WWF GEF Agency.

• Prepareworkshop reports following the inception and other critical project workshops.

• Collaborate with the FO Manager to oversee the preparation and disbursement of sub-grantsto Component 1 partnersand grants and agreements under the other 4 components.

• Collaborate with the FO Manager toaggregatefinancial information from C1 Partners and oversee the development of quarterly financial reports and ensuretimelydelivery to the WWF GEF Agency.

• Collaborate with the WWF network and partners toensureco-finance reporting on a yearly basis.

• Prepare a Project Close Report.

5. Quality Assurance:

• Provide quality assurance for project activities, including sub-grants.

• Provide quality assurance through review of reports and other products frompartners, technical specialists,consultants, and staff.

• Ensure implementation in line with the GEF and WWF standards and policies.

• Week-long, international travel may be expected on approximately a quarterly basis.

6. Partnerships:

• Coordinate with co-financed projects and liaise with project partners to ensure co-financing commitments are realized.

• Attractadditionalpartners and co-financing.

• Ensuresmooth coordination and communication among all project partners, and with theComponent1partners(the latter in collaboration with Partner Liaison).

• Manage stakeholder engagementand ensure gender and social inclusion considerations are fully integratedthroughout projectimplementationincollaboration with theSocialand EnvironmentalSafeguards (ESS) andGenderEquality and Social Inclusion(GESI) Officers.

• Represent the project at conferences, meetings, and workshops.

Key Competencies

• Strategic Collaboration and Leadership. Able to lead and influence large and highly dispersed teams and coalitions, dealing with risk mitigation and conflict management.

• Intercultural andadaptivemanagement skills

• Results-oriented project management

• Collaboration

• Cross-cultural communication

Skills and Abilities

• 10 years of technical working experience, includingat leastfiveyears of project management experience.

• Bachelors Degree; post-graduate degree in a relevant field preferred.

• At least five years experience supporting and working in solidarity with Indigenous people and local community organizations, anda demonstrated track record of culturally sensitive and respectful, community-centered collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

• Demonstrated ability to interact with Indigenous peoples and local community representatives, senior government,NGO, business, and donor staff.

• Experiencewiththe Convention on Biological Diversityand/or other multilateral agreements andprocesses,focusing on biodiversity,Indigenous peoples and localcommunitiesrights,and finance.

• Experience delivering technical and financial reporting to donor agencies on large projects.

• Experience managing similar, complex, multi-stakeholderand multi-countryprojects.

• Experience leading a team of staff and coordinating sub-grant partners, ideally across multipletimezonesand cultures.

• Technical experience and knowledge in the thematic area of the project, such as Indigenous -ledterritorialstewardship, community-based sustainable development, etc.

• Knowledge ofthe Open Standards forthe Practice of Conservation,orWWFProject andProgramManagement Standards,preferred.

• Experience with GEF Projects and GEF knowledge an advantage.

• Written and spoken fluency in English required; advanced proficiency in Spanish, French, or Portuguese highly preferred.

Location

The position will be based in Brazil, Cambodia or Kenya.

If applying to work in Brazil or Kenya, applicants must be nationals legally authorized to work in Brazil or Kenya. Employment visa sponsorship and relocation are not provided for Brazil or Kenya.

If applying to work in Cambodia, nationals from South and Southeast Asian countries who are willing to relocate to Cambodia may also apply, and WWF-Cambodia may be able to support visa sponsorship and relocation costs based on available budget.

Please note: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the job's location. Position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) promotes equal employment opportunities for all qualified individuals regardless of age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.