The Nature Conservancy
JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE: conservation practitioner V
POSITION TITLE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
JOB FAMILY: Conservation
LOCATION: Pingwu County, Sichuan Province
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
· Bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, natural resources management, or related; and 5 years experience in community development and/or conservation education, or equivalent combination of education and related experience.
· Fluency in English and (list required languages).
· Supervisory experience (if required).
· Communications experience including presenting to community leaders, government officials, or related; and working in partnership with other organizations.
· Experience with MS Office, Word, Excel and Database management (if required).
· Ability to work with partners/government agencies without violating any restrictions related to conflicts of interest, lobbying former employers, or influencing decision makers.
For specific positions, all advertisements must include actual qualifications (modified from the basic qualifications in the generic job descriptions). In addition, it must be ascertainable from the resumes whether or not candidates possess the basic qualifications.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
The Conservation Practitioner V develops, manages and advances conservation programs, plans and methods for larger-scale ecoregions. The Conservation Practitioner V provides technical leadership and support to the region or division. The specific activities related to help neighboring communities understand the ecological and economic importance of protected areas. S/he explains the importance of protecting and conserving a site’s flora and fauna and develops training materials to this end. Works with local communities to identify key leaders, understand their problems and potential and coordinates with park guards, local, national and international agencies to resolve conflicts that may arise over natural resources or park boundary issues and help develop acceptable alternatives. Helps to develop, support and/or coordinate community conservation-related activities and provides field information to conservation planners for site protection work. S/he may help to raise funds for overall protection work and specific sites by providing input for proposal writing and solicitation as needed, in addition to one or more of the following functions:
· Plans and directs preserve management programs and stewardship
· Addresses critical threats to natural systems and individual species
· Fosters cross-site learning among an international conservation community
· Supplies ecoregional planning teams with information for site portfolios
· Develops and implements conservation strategies
· Knowledge of politics and society with respect to environmental affairs
· Employs a full range of protection tools to acquire varying degrees of legal interest in land and implements a variety of strategies to secure public and private support for TNC conservation priorities.
· Coordinates community support
· Implements preserve management plans
· Maintains preserve areas frequented by the visiting public
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:
· BA/BS, law or business degree and at least 5 years experience in natural resource management or equivalent combination of education and experience.
· Ability to make sound decisions on legal, financial, conservation and reporting issues
· Knowledge of land management conservation practice and conservation science
· Explaining conservation practices to technical and non-technical audiences
· Ability and willingness to apply science to decision-making and guide activities
· Ability to communicate and work closely with scientists
· Working with media and influential officials, especially governmental, to improve Conservancy programs’ outcomes
· Familiarity with principles of land acquisition
· Knowledge of ecological land management principles
· Knowledge of current trends and practices in conservation, land management, and natural resource preservation
· Experience in training and curriculum design.
· Demonstrated experience communicating effectively with the public and/or media
· Completing tasks independently with respect to timeline(s)
· Managing time and diverse activities under deadlines while delivering quality results
· Working knowledge of common software applications (e.g.; Word, Excel, Web browsers).
· Excellent communication skills via written, spoken and graphical means in English and other relevant languages
COMPLEXITY/PROBLEM SOLVING:
· Coordinates multiple projects with several variables, setting realistic deadlines and managing timeframes
· Interprets guidelines, evaluates information, and modifies processes to adapt to changing circumstances
· Compiles data, resolves disparities, and modifies processes to generate plans
· Resolves routine issues independently, consulting with supervisor to develop plans for resolution of complex and unusual problems
· Cultivates and develops creative ideas to improve conservation strategies
· Applies diversified knowledge of scientific principles and practices to a variety of assignments
· Negotiates complex agreements in political environments
· Identifies and disseminates lessons learned, best practices and methods, tools, consistencies and inconsistencies across plans
· Ensures program accountability and legal compliance
DISCRETION/LATITUDE/DECISION-MAKING:
· Ability to make sound decisions for TNC is the following areas (legal, financial, conservation, reputation)
· Makes independent decisions based on analysis, experience, and judgment
· Performs tasks with minimal supervision
RESPONSIBILITY/OVERSIGHT – FINANCIAL AND SUPERVISORY:
· Manage multi-disciplinary administrative and professional staff, with responsibility for performance management, training and career development. Establish clear directions and set stretch objectives.
· May need to gain cooperation from outside parties to accomplish program goals
· Financial responsibility may include working within/managing a budget to complete projects, negotiating and contracting with vendors, assisting with budget development, and meeting fundraising targets.
· Ensures program compliance with internal policies and external requirements
· Establish and maintain optimal standards of performance for the department or program while controlling costs and administering budgets.
· Responsible for ensuring that public and private funds are raised to meet program needs.
COMMUNICATIONS/INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS:
· Networks with diverse groups, including land owners, conservation partners, government officials, donors, board members and the general public to recruit support for the Conservancy and publicize Conservancy efforts
· Provide a variety of information to staff and others, contributing to conservation projects and assisting workflow throughout the organization.
· Work and communicate effectively with a diverse group of people, including scientists, preserve staff, and others, providing and obtaining needed information
· Collaborates with a wide range of conservation partners to identify research needs, present technical concepts at national or international conferences, and support fieldwork
· Provides training for internal and external colleagues on ecological and conservational scientific principles
· Ability to simplify and explain the principles of conservation science and practices to technical and non-technical audiences
· Communicates strategic project goals and objectives.
WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL EFFORT:
The Conservation Practitioner V may work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances. These conditions:
· require considerable physical exertion and/or muscular strain
· present frequent possibility of injury
· require long hours in isolated settings
To apply for this position, please send your cover letter and resume in both English and Chinese to hrchina@tnc.org by February 4, 2011.
The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. |