Head of BirdLife International Forests Programme

BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL

Head of BirdLife International Forests Programme

• Location: Cambridge, UK

• Full time: 35 hours per week

• Contract duration: Open ended

 

BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation partnership. Through our unique local-to-global approach, we deliver high impact and long-term conservation for the benefit of nature and people.

Forests cover nearly one-third of Earth’s land surface area or just under 4 billion hectares and support up to 80% of the world’s land-based plant and animal species. Over 60% of all bird species are forest-dependent and over 1.6 billion people rely directly on forests for subsistence, livelihoods, employment and income.

We are looking for an experienced professional to lead our forest conservation work around the world.

The successful candidate will manage a small team based largely in the BirdLife Secretariat in Cambridge, UK, and will coordinate a larger team located in BirdLife regional Secretariat offices for Asia, Americas and Africa. The position will require close liaison with forest conservation staff working in BirdLife Partners and with other BirdLife Secretariat staff working on science, policy and corporate engagement.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Strong, proven ability to communicate, promote and raise resources for conservation work;

• Extensive knowledge of practical conservation approaches, particularly with regard to large-scale forest conservation projects; 

• Very strong understanding of the drivers of deforestation, the options to address these, and experience of private sector engagement to deliver conservation outcomes;

• Good understanding of global environmental and sustainable development issues;

• PhD, MSc, or demonstrated equivalent experience, in applied environmental and development fields; 

• Proven track record of senior programme coordination and financial management ;

• Strong communication, negotiation and team building skills, and the ability to work with and influence key stakeholders and decision makers.

A detailed job description can be found at www.birdlife.org/jobs.

We envisage that this person will be an integrated member of the Global Conservation Department, based in Cambridge, but would consider being flexible for the right candidate.

Closing date: 17 January 2016

Salary:  £30,000- £40,000 pro rata dependent on experience.  Competitive pension benefits.

Application: Applications should include a covering letter summarising the applicant’s suitability for the position, a detailed CV and contact details of two referees known to the applicant in a professional capacity. Applications should be sent by email, stating where the advert was seen, to: recruitment@birdlife.org   

Interviews: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be held in early February 2016.