Senior Strategy Director - Food, Land, and Water Program

This position will be hybrid requiring a few days per week in office. You can be based in our office in Washington DC, London, The Hague, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Brazil, Columbia or Mexico City. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission as WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position.

About the Program:

WRI’s Food, Land, and Water (F|L|W) Program aims to transform how humanity uses and manages the world’s finite land and freshwater resources to meet the essential needs of all people, halt and reverse nature and biodiversity loss, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The Program pursues four interrelated goals necessary to achieve this transformation: (1) sustainably produce food and fiber from existing production areas, (2) protect remaining forests and other natural ecosystems from conversion and degradation, (3) reduce humanity’s footprint by equitably shifting consumption patterns and lowering food loss and waste, (4) restore degraded areas into healthy and/or productive ecosystems. F|L|W is WRI’s largest program with a dozen major global initiatives and strategies led by each of WRI’s country offices

Job Highlight:

Reporting to the Global Director for F|L|W, you will develop and adapt the Program’s new global vision and strategy. You will engage staff across WRI’s country offices and at all levels of the organization to bring the strategy to life and help teams deliver impact at scale. You will support the Program’s fundraising at the highest level, cultivating big ideas and new funding opportunities. You will be a prominent thought leader, helping shape the Program’s agenda and engagement in key policy arenas and representing the Program internally and externally. You will be joining the F|L|W Program during an exciting moment of organizational change. We are shifting our strategies and structures to better support system-wide impact for food, land, and water and people-centered transitions in WRI’s 12 focus countries.

What will you do:

Strategic Leadership (50%):

• Develop and continuously adapt Program strategies aligned with the Global Director’s vision, supporting development of robust theories of change and agile monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and learning within the Program that inspires, motivates, and empowers staff at all levels and locations to deliver on the strategy
• Design and facilitate internal systems and processes that foster strategic alignment and effective delivery within a large and highly complex organization without stifling innovation
• Provide strategic guidance and support to the F|L|W Program’s Leadership Team, comprising Senior Directors overseeing the Program’s key global and country-level strategies and teams
• Work with the Program’s MEL Director to support institution-wide strategic cohesion and compliance by collaborating with other WRI Programs and functional departments, including Research, Data, and Impact (RDI) and Managing for Results (MfR).

Thought Leadership & Strategic Communications (25%):

• Contribute ideas, expertise, and experience to shape the F|L|W Program’s agenda and key positions in relevant global and national policy arenas
• Craft and communicate compelling external narratives to describe the Program’s strategies, initiatives, results, policy positions, etc.
• Represent WRI and the F|L|W Program internally and externally in meetings, at events, or in the media
• Lead and build capacity for strategic communications within the Program by bridging WRI’s central Communications Department and project-level communications staff.

Development & Fundraising (25%)

• Work with the Global Director to develop and execute a fundraising strategy to increase unrestricted or flexible funding for the F|L|W Program
• Identify opportunities to craft integrated offers to fundraise for “fewer, bigger things” within the Program; draft compelling concept notes and proposals to pitch these offers
• Support the seven- to eight-figure fundraising efforts of other Senior Directors within the Program by providing advice, network connections, and proposal review and editing
• Collaborate with WRI’s central Development function to steward existing high-profile donor relationships and expand the program’s base of philanthropies, governments, high-net-worth individuals, etc.

What will you need:

• Education: You have completed a Master’s degree in the natural sciences, agriculture sciences, economics, anthropology, political science or other discipline relevant to the Food, Land & Water systems transition 
• Experience: You have a minimum of 15 years of relevant work experience including prior experience in leadership and/or management positions
• Deep understanding of issues related to food, land & water, climate change, and systems change
• Outstanding ability to write, communicate, and present clearly, passionately, and compellingly to a wide range of audiences, especially high-level decision-makers from government, private sector, and civil society
• Track record of visionary thinking and developing strategies to realize the vision, and solving complex strategic and tactical problems as they arise
• Demonstrated fundraising track record, including securing multi-year seven-figure funding from governments, NGO, and private sector funders
• A history of designing and leading strategic development and annual planning processes
• Experience working collaboratively across departments/programs in a large and complex international organization
• Adaptable to rapidly changing priorities and work with pace, professionalism and resilience, managing multiple projects with varying deadlines
• Willingness to travel internationally 4+ times per year 
• Languages: Fluent in English, with additional languages a plus

Potential Salary: US salary range is between 164,000 and 197,000 USD. UK: 106 – 133K GBP.NL: 105K – 131K EUR. Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors. Our salaries are determined by benchmarking local salary scales.

How to Apply: Please submit a resume with a required cover letter by the date of 5 September 2024. We are unable to consider your application without a cover letter.

You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

What we offer:

• Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US
• The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities. 
• A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work
• The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI
• Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours
• Generous leave days that increase with tenure

About Us:

Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

Our mission and values:

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence and Respect.

Our culture:

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment; we embrace all diversity and encourage women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification.

Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.