Global Strategies Climate Advisor

Arlington, Virginia, USA

The location for this position is flexible within countries where The Nature Conservancy has an established office. Salary is based on physical working location. No relocation or immigration assistance. Arlington, Virginia is our headquarter location.

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The mission of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is to conserve the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we develop innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the world’s toughest environmental challenges so that people and nature can thrive. Our work is guided by our values, which include a commitment to diversity and respect for people, communities, and cultures. From a rewarding mission to career development and flexible schedules, there are many reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want to know more? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube to hear stories from staff or visit Glassdoor.

One of TNC’s primary goals is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that employees around the globe have a sense of belonging and feel that their unique contributions are valued. We know we’ll only achieve our mission by hiring and engaging a diverse staff that reflects the communities in which we work. Recognizing that people bring talent and skills that have been developed outside the scope of a job, we take a holistic approach to recruitment that considers life experience in addition to the professional requirements listed in our postings. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and you’ll stay for the people.”

The Global Strategies Climate Advisor will focus on supporting the design and development of climate outcomes as part of two key global strategies/partnerships (Nature Bonds, and Project Finance for Permanence or PFP / Enduring Earth) led by the Global Protect Lands, Oceans, and Waters Team. The Science and Strategy Advisor will sit on the Global Climate team but will be embedded within strategy and project teams sponsored by the Global Protect team. The Science and Strategy advisor must have a strong science and practice understanding of nature-based solutions for adaptation and mitigation, including as they relate to human well-being and equity. The advisor will advise governments, partners, and internal TNC staff on how to integrate critical climate considerations into conservation projects and related agreements.

Nature Bonds and Project Finance for Permanence are two strategic pathways that aim to deliver large-scale conservation wins to meet the organization’s 2030 goals in a ‘One Conservancy’ approach:

• Nature Bonds secures durable conservation outcomes by refinancing countries’ sovereign debt to generate new funding and bringing policy, stakeholder engagement, science and planning in support of governments’ ambitious conservation and climate commitments, such as the Blue Bond in Belize.
• Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) / Enduring Earth is an ambitious collaboration that works alongside nations as they accelerate and amplify conservation for a more sustainable, prosperous future for people and planet. PFPs are an innovative and proven model that fully funds conservation projects to ensure durable and scalable impact. Through a combination of partnerships, permanent funding and local leadership, we strengthen biodiversity, reinforce the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities, reduce the effects of climate change, and catalyze economic growth.

The Global Strategies Climate Advisor liaises with other TNC staff, including field colleagues and global strategy team leadership, as well as external actors as applicable, to help develop and integrate climate outcomes within these strategies and associated projects in the places where TNC works. The position will require a rigorous understanding of the Global Climate team strategic approaches to mitigation and adaptation as well as an understanding of carbon accounting, equitable conservation, and natural climate solution pathways and their mitigation potential. The Global Strategies Climate Advisor may be called upon to work with external partners to explore the potential for climate related outcomes in critical Global Protect strategies including governments, other NGOs, and private sector. This position will direct line report to the Global Climate Deputy Director and will have cross cutting expertise helping inform both climate adaptation and nature-based mitigation aspects of the priority projects. They will also be part of the Global Protect team working closely with the Global Directors, Strategy Leads and teams for Nature Bonds and PFPs.

This position is a 2-year term position (August 2023 – August 2025) with the potential for extension depending on funding availability.

Have you ever asked yourself, “How can I make a difference?”, but you don’t know where to go or have the time to do it? Welcome to The Nature Conservancy. You have found the solution and now you can pointedly make a difference every day!

By joining our Global Climate team, you will become part of a group that is a force to be reckoned with; a force for nature, a force for people, and a force for our planet. Our team consists of a dedicated group who are leading the conservation effort on multiple fronts and who expertly bring strategy and action together.

We’re looking for an individual with a background in climate change mitigation and adaptation who can integrate science and think strategically about how to expand climate outcomes in key projects and who wants to make a difference for nature and people. The Conservancy is a global conservation leader and one of the top fundraising charities in the United States.

• Bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy, international relations, international development, social science, natural science, ecology or related field and at least 5 years related experience or equivalent combination;
• Demonstrated experience in research, critical analysis, and evaluating information from divergent sources and compiling it into cohesive reports.
• Experience writing and editing informational material.
• Demonstrated experience in development and implementation of nature-based solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation including consideration of equity and community well-being.
• Experience presenting to and/or with government, community, or internal business leaders, program leadership and/or similar audiences
• Experience with multi-year project management skills
• Critical analytical thinking and experience with and fluency in, the global strategy area of focus;
• Experience working across departments, teams, and communicating with a wide range of people.
• Experience in relationship building with peers, partners, government agencies, landowners, academic community, etc.
• Experience synthesizing and integrating research findings and lessons learned across programs.
• Experience communicating and presenting complex messages to non-science partners.
• Experience disseminating research findings in relevant forms to internal and external audiences.

Since 1951, TNC has been doing work you can believe in. Through grassroots action, we have grown from a small non-profit into one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and partners, we impact conservation around the world!

TNC offers competitive and comprehensive benefits packages tailored to the individual countries where we work. These may include health care benefits, retirement benefits, parental leave, paid time off, life insurance, and disability coverage as well as an employee assistance program and other life and well-being benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our Culture Tab on nature.org/careers.

We’re proud to offer a flexible work environment that supports the health and well-being of the people we employ.

Job Family: Conservation

Job Number: 200069

Salary Grade: 8

To apply for job ID 53758, submit your materials online by using the Apply Now button at https://careers.nature.org/. Need help applying? Visit our recruitment page or contact applyhelp@tnc.org.

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

TNC is committed to offering accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please send a note to applyhelp@tnc.org with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.

An attractive salary and benefits package is part of TNC’s value proposition to our employees. TNC strives to provide competitive pay and bases salaries on the geographic location of the role committing to being equitable across groups and providing hiring salary ranges when possible.

Since we support flexible and remote work for our employees, many positions have a flexible location within countries where we’re registered as a Non-government Organization and established as an employer. This may mean we’re unable to provide a hiring salary range in the posting for some of our positions. However, candidates invited to be part of our interview process will be provided their location specific range upon request.