Country Director, Angola

About The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our Mission and guided by our Values, which includes a Commitment to Diversity and Respect for People, Communities, and Cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there are lots of reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want a better insight into TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube  or on Glassdoor.

Our goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging, and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. We know we’ll only achieve our Mission by hiring and engaging a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we work. In addition to the requirements in our postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of inclusion! Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote myriad TNC staff members, “you’ll join for our mission, and you’ll stay for our people.”

Since establishing the Africa Program in 2007, The Nature Conservancy’s vision in Africa is to work towards fostering a sustainable future for people and nature, partnering with indigenous communities across 55 million acres on the continent. Our efforts are firmly rooted in people, leveraging scientific and technical expertise as we collaborate with governments and organizations to conserve and enhance Africa’s shared resources in the 9 countries we operate.

TNC’s work in Africa transcends three key pillars: securing ownership rights to lands and resources for indigenous people, strengthening leadership and resource management and helping communities value nature through a holistic appreciation of its benefits while increasing revenue streams for conservation efforts and socio-economic development. Together with our partners, we are witnessing critical milestones in integrated land and fisheries management, ocean and source water protection, energy development and sustainable food production, working together and strengthening our resolve in tackling global challenges such as climate change, habitat and biodiversity loss that stands to adversely impact the nearly 1.4 billion people that share Africa.

In Angola, The Nature Conservancy is working collaboratively to build and support an ambitious biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation agenda. TNC works across freshwater, ocean, and terrestrial ecosystems to protect and sustainably manage critical habitats for species, ecosystems, and climate mitigation. TNC brings science and innovative tools and approaches to inform better decision-making, develops innovative financial mechanisms for long-term sustainability, cultivates strategic partnerships, and fosters the need for inclusive, equitable conservation that benefits nature and people.

Responsibilities

The Country Director serves as the principal contact for government agencies and other strategic partners. They will develop and maintain key partnerships with international, regional, national, and local governmental, multilateral, bilateral, private, and non-governmental organizations that help advance TNC’s conservation objectives in the country and the continent. The Country Director plays a leading role in donor identification and cultivation of partnerships to establish TNC as a major conservation partner in the country. They will also lead implementation of all Angola Conservation Programs, coordinate and support activities while liaising with a range of stakeholders both internally and externally.

Specifically, the Country Director will deliver:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop country strategic plan and ensure its implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning progress review.
• Provide TNC leadership with an account of the country impact and targets aligned with the overarching strategic goals.
• Provide leadership for the establishment and implementation of TNC regional and global strategy projects and initiatives in Angola to ensure they are aligned with and contribute to the country strategic plan.

Program Management

• Provide implementation oversight of all in country programs and projects.
• Ensure all in the country programs and projects are implemented on time and on budget.
• Provide oversight of in country projects and program adaptation and provide quarterly program reviews and monitoring updates.
• Develop and monitor country budget in line with allocated funds, in close collaboration with the strategy leads, the project/program leads and the finance team.

Fundraising

• Play a key role in fundraising and reporting to donors by working closely with our private and public fundraising teams.

Policy & Partnership Management at National Level

• Provide oversight for policy development towards aligning TNC conservation goals to the development agenda of a country.
• Manage and monitor relationships with country-specific partners including government, communities, key stakeholders, and implementation partners.

People Management

• Be responsible for day-to-day management of all staff in-country.
• Manage and/or mentor multi-disciplinary administrative and conservation staff and be responsible for performance management, training, and career development.
• Facilitate effective collaboration and communication across multiple departments and teams in–country using matrix management principles.
• Make in-country hiring decisions.

This description is not designed to be a complete list of all duties and responsibilities required for this job.

• BA/BS degree and 10 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience directing a major program or project of strategic importance, including management/supervision of multi-disciplinary teams and meeting deadlines.
• Fundraising experience, including identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation.
• Experience working with current trends and practices in conservation in Africa and specifically Angola.
• Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives, and managing performance.
• Experience in partnership development with non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies.
• Experience negotiating complex project deals with government and non-government partners.
• Experience influencing, developing, and implementing conservation policy and plans at the province or country level.
• Experience with financial management of a large program.
• Communicating clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means, in English and Portuguese.

 

• Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• Over 12 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Developing practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
• Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives and experience conceiving and implementing strategic initiatives.
• Politically savvy.

Your Competencies

• Builds Relationships:  Builds productive relationships by interacting with others in ways that enhance mutual trust and commitment.
• Collaboration & Teamwork: Works collaboratively with stakeholders across levels, geographies, backgrounds, and cultures to improve decisions, strengthen commitment and be more effective.
• Communicates Authenticity: Communicates proactively and in a timely manner to share information, address important issues, persuade, and influence with the appropriate level of detail, tone and opportunities for feedback.
• Develops Others: Takes ownership to help develop other’s skills, behaviors, and mindsets to help them strengthen their workplace contributions.
• Drives for Results: Sets challenging goals and objectives based on a strong sense of purpose and high-performance standards and steadfastly pushes self and others for tangible results, while ensuring work-life balance
• Leverages Difference: Demonstrates commitment to harnessing the power of differences strategically, consistently sees, learns from, and takes strategic action related to difference; and demonstrates the self-awareness and behaviors to work across differences of identity and power respectfully and effectively with all stakeholders. Actively seeks to build and retain a diverse workforce and foster an equitable inclusive workplace by drawing upon diverse perspectives.
• Systems Leadership: Thinks and acts from a board perspective with a long-terms view and an understanding of 1) the dynamic nature of large-scale challenges and 2) the need for integrating five key practices; skillfully engaging appropriate people; providing a clear process for change; taking a holistic view of situations; focusing on a small number of strategic action, while learning from and adapting them over time; and being aware of how one’s own thinking or patterns of behavior may be limiting change.

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