Global Director, Global Policy Impact

About WWF International

All around the world, people are waking up to the deepening crisis of nature loss. We’re experiencing a growing realization that nature is our life-support system and that no one will be spared from the impacts of its loss.

Here at WWF, an independent conservation organization active in nearly 100 countries, we are working to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife.

Working with many others – from individuals and communities to business and government – WWF urgently seeks to protect and restore natural habitats, stop the mass extinction of wildlife, and make the way we produce and consume sustainable.

More about WWF on our website.

 

Our Mission

To stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature by:

• conserving the world’s biological diversity
• ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable
• promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

 

Our Values

We bear witness to the accelerating decline of nature and our climate, with serious consequences for life on Earth, including our own.

Our mission is to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature. To deliver this mission, we work to conserve biodiversity, the web that supports all life on Earth; reduce humanity’s ecological footprint; and ensure the sustainable use of natural resources to support current and future generations.

We celebrate and respect diversity in nature and among the people, partners and communities with whom we work. Across the many cultures and individuals that represent WWF, we are unified by one mission, one brand, and one common set of values:

• Courage: We demonstrate courage through our actions, we work for change where it’s needed, and we inspire people and institutions to tackle the greatest threats to nature and the future of the planet, which is our home.
• Integrity: We live the principles we call on others to meet. We act with integrity, accountability and transparency, and we rely on facts and science to guide us and to ensure we learn and evolve.
• Respect: We honor the voices and knowledge of the people and communities that we serve, and we work to secure their rights to a sustainable future.
• Collaboration: We deliver impact at the scale of the challenges we face through the power of collective action and innovation.

Job Summary

Mission of the Department

The Department for Global Policy Impact supports WWF’s mission by leading and coordinating the global policy work in the Network. It seeks to influence and shape priority global conservation policy efforts, linking global, regional, and national policy levels, critical to WWF’s mission. Led by a Global Director, the Policy Impact Department will work closely with the Network to drive a powerful, focused, coherent and strategic WWF policy influencing agenda at the global stage, closely linked to policy processes at national and regional levels.

 

Major Functions

The Global Director, Global Policy Impact is accountable for leading policy advocacy and deal-making at the global level in pursuit of our mission and will work closely with the Director General, other GCD Departments, the Network and in coalitions of external partners. The role is accountable for the coordination of overall policy efforts in relation to global treaties and global fora relevant to WWF’s mission. Working closely with policy, advocacy, and campaigning specialists from across the WWF Network and in close engagement with policy specialists within WWF’s Practices and Regions, the Global Director of Global Policy Impact is accountable for a department that will predict, track and influence global policy agendas relevant to our mission, along with the priorities and associated negotiations and tactics that take place between countries, within and between regions, with corporates, and with Civil Society Organizations.

The role will work very closely with the WWF-US Head Global Policy and Partnerships (a position which leans more towards engagement with institutions headquartered in the United States) and other senior Global Policy directors in key countries across the network.

The role helps drive prioritization and implementation of relevant policy work within national governments by WWF offices, supporting the WWF Network (National and Country offices) in working with their national governments to shape global frameworks and deliver effective national strategies, deal-making and other linked actions for biodiversity and climate.

In light of shifting global geopolitics, this role will help drive and strengthen the policy positioning of WWF at a regional and inter-regional level, such as the BRICS+.

The Global Director, Global Policy Impact requires a deep understanding of the global policy stage, negotiations processes and tactics, political economy, the levers of change, and the stakeholders who must be won over to make a real difference. This role also requires a deep understanding of emerging trends and shifting geopolitics at the global stage.

• Takes a proactive influencing and engagement approach, by adopting clear positioning, messaging and tactics around key global policy development that shapes the next big transformations that will deliver on WWF’s mission and Roadmap to 2030, within the context of emerging geopolitical power dynamics.
• Works closely with the Director General to lead and champion WWF’s advocacy at the Global Policy stage, including at the Heads of State and Senior Government level and at the technical negotiation level. Represents the Director General when needed and necessary.
• Follows and anticipates trends and opportunities at global, regional, inter-regional and national levels and ensures engagement tohelp build coalitions with key external partners and stakeholders in pursuit of WWF’s policy advocacy priorities.
• Accountable for and leads the development of a multi-year policy and advocacy strategy and tactical work plans that help deliver WWF’s Roadmap to 2030 and defines priorities and responsibilities, effectively allocating resources and adapting internal ways of working to support these priorities.
• Collaborates closely with the WWF-US Head Global Policy and Partnerships and other senior policy directors across the network in key countries to ensure alignment and coordination on key policy priorities, strategies, positions and standards.
• Coordinates cross-cutting policy and advocacy work for the WWF network, as defined by the Policy & Advocacy annual/multi-year work plan. Supports National Offices and Country Offices with advocacy tools, assesses gaps in resources and capabilities across the Network that act as barriers to effective policy impact, and ensures that:
  1. Positions, priorities, objectives and tactics are clear and understood;
  2. WWF is appropriately and equitably represented;
  3. The groundwork to build relationships and connections with other stakeholders and players is in place;
  4. Time and resources are allocated and prioritised to drive successful outcomes.
• Drives focus, positioning, alignment and engagement with UN Global Conventions and other key global agreements and (emerging) forums. Works with the Network to identify priorities, develop positions and standards and coordinates norms for participation in convention meetings and associated advocacy for the improved efficiency of global processes themselves.
• Acts as a point of contact between global, regional and national policy development by building strong relationships with key actors in different locations including Regional and Country Policy & Advocacy Directors and their teams, Practice Leaders and Policy Managers, Communication Departments across the Network, and Partnership and Resource Mobilization teams; strengthens cross-functional integration (e.g. with Network communicators) around policy impact.

Required Qualifications

• University degree in global policy, international relations, politics, development or related studies and 18-20 years of work experience at progressively higher levels of internal and external responsibility
• At least 15 years of proven experience in international global policy and advocacy work.
• Significant proven experience in leading advocacy, negotiation, and deal-making teams.

 

Required Skills and Competencies

Policy and Advocacy Skills

• Proven experience in high-level global policy negotiations, advocacy and diplomacy
• Well-recognized in the global policy field with direct high-level access to relevant stakeholders
• Excellent negotiator and diplomat
• Deep understanding of shifting global geopolitical dynamics and strategic relationships and behaviours, understanding of decision-making at global, regional, and multilateral levels, including the roles of actors, news and domestic and external pressures in decision-making, with a global view across the Global South and North.
• Understanding and ability to engageme with key policy actors from emerging global political powers such as the BRICS+;ability to bridge various cultures and regions and to demonstrate active listening to different views and approaches.
• Proven skills in strategic planning, developing tactics, negotiation, and advocacy, including an ability to analyse existing and shifting (geo-) political dynamics that drive positive results; ability to establish and maintain constructive, strategic, and high-level relationships with external political players and negotiators.
• Deep knowledge of environmental issues and the politics influencing public and private institutions at national, regionaland international levels to understand how they interact and influence each other and the public, with the ability to anticipate the implications of a fast changing geopolitical environment and factor the impact of changes in different areas: political, economic and regulatory.
• Experience in developing and executing innovative and highly leveraged advocacy strategies and policy-led campaigns targeting relevant organizations, leaders and institutions. Expertise in campaigning techniques, policies, strategies, target audience analysis, structure, and impact
• Strong communication skills; excellent communicator who can deliver WWF messages on the global stage with different media outlets: the ability to communicate complex issues clearly to a wide variety of audiences across diverse channels (online, TV, print, radio, internal, donor, etc.).
• Superlative diplomatic, interpersonal and partnership skills; an ability to work, communicate effectively and build relationships with a broad spectrum of individuals at a high level within a broad range of cultural environments.
• Ability to create multiple knowledge products across various media and platforms (including developing funding proposals at scale), build capacity and manage staff to influence high-level decision-making.
• Fluency in English is essential; French and/or Spanish an asset.

Management and Leadership Skills

• Exemplary leadership and management skills; proven ability to build and lead a team of highly motivated and well-qualified staff and to foster the integration of diverse, multi-disciplinary actors into focused initiatives addressing clear targets.
• Well-honed radar, ability to see over the horizon and take quick action to take opportunities or mitigate upcoming problems, strong crisis management skills.
• Experience in managing learning, knowledge management, capacity building, strategic planning, and budgeting.

Value Alignment

• Embraces the WWF mission and values of the organisation: Courage, Integrity, Respect and Collaboration

 

Working Relationships

Internal

• Works directly with the Director General.
• Works closely with WWF Country Offices
• Acts as a point of contact between global policy, regional and national policy specialists, by building strong relationships with key actors in different locations. Builds strong working relationships with:
  • Regional & Country Policy & Campaigns Directors and their teams
  • Practice Leaders and Policy Managers
  • Communications Departments at WWF-I and WWF Network offices
  • Partnership and Resource Mobilization teams
  • Key Network CEOs and Leaders
  • Head Policy and Partnerships, WWF US.

External

• Global institutions, key policy stakeholders and partners, and external agencies
• Donors and private sector.
• Global and regional stakeholders at senior executive level in governments, institutions, CSOs, multilateral fora and conventions and other bodies.

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