Director, TREES – TREES Program, Sustainable Forestry Division

Reports to:      Senior Vice President, Sustainable Forestry – Sustainable Forestry Division

Location:        New York, NY; Richmond, VT; Washington, DC (preferred locations)

The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. Based in New York City, with offices throughout the United States and worldwide, the Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers.

The Rainforest Alliance’s TREES (Training, Extension, Enterprises and Sourcing) program promotes sustainable livelihoods and protects biodiversity in forest-dependent communities. We work to enhance the competitiveness of community and indigenous forestry enterprises by building business skills, increasing efficiencies, and facilitating investment in value-added processing, expanding income opportunities from wood and non-wood forest products and environmental services, and increasing access to local and global markets through Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. 

Position Summary:

The TREES Director provides dynamic and creative leadership and coordination for strategic planning and implementation of all TREES activities worldwide, which currently includes 13 countries. Geographic coverage for TREES includes the Americas, Africa, and Asia Pacific. The Director provides strategic and technical leadership, ensures overall management, contributes to fundraising (foundations, bi-lateral and multi-lateral, corporations), and builds partnerships. The Director supervises six TREES staff members, four of which are field based.  The Director is a member of Rainforest Alliance’s Policy and Planning Committee and carries out many of the program’s functions in close collaboration with other Rainforest Alliance divisions, programs and units: Agriculture Sustainable Landscapes; Climate; Evaluation & Research; Communications; Development, etc.

Responsibilities:

Leadership

• Develop and maintain a compelling and coherent vision and strategy for TREES, in line with Forestry Division’s Strategic Plan goals, the mission of Rainforest Alliance and with the full engagement with Rainforest Alliance senior management and executive office;
• Identify and help develop potential new opportunities and technical innovations that will lead to transformative change in sustaining forest ecosystems and enhancing forests’ role in development;
• Conduct outreach and communication efforts with stakeholders, funders and key partners to disseminate program approaches, results and impacts;
• Foster a culture of excellence in all aspects of TREES work;

Management

• Delegate authority to managers, ensure they are effective and supported, and ensure planned objectives are achieved and in line with budgets and related policies;
• Provide day-to-day management of TREES, including collaboration and coordination with other Rainforest Alliance divisions, programs and units;
• Ensure timely completion of program progress reports and annual planning; oversee planning and budgeting, reporting and contractual compliance by country programs per funders' and Rainforest Alliance requirements;
• Guide, motivate, and develop personnel;

Development (fundraising)

• Lead efforts within TREES in collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance Development Unit and other programs to develop and secure long-term funding for TREES and new projects in priority geographic areas based on biodiversity and development criteria.  This responsibility includes leveraging existing relationships with bilateral and multilateral donors, foundations, corporations, and individual donors, as well as cultivating and maintaining new relationships; 
• Contribute to writing and budgeting of fundraising proposals;
• Mentor staff to broaden their fundraising skills, help them manage existing fundraising relationships, cultivate new funding prospects; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Manages 6 TREES employees.  Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws.  Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in forestry, natural resources or related field (ecology, biology, environment);
• Minimum 10 years of international field experience in rural economic development, small business development, and/or natural resources management with forest-dependent communities, with 7 years managerial experience;
• Proven technical skills in forest and/or natural resources management at the international level;
• Knowledge of FSC certification and other certification and verification standards and systems;
• Direct experience in USAID, GEF and other bi-lateral and multi-lateral proposal writing, reporting and management processes;
• Knowledge in the evolving area of payment for environmental service, in particular forest carbon and REDD+;
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint and willingness to learn new software as necessary (e.g. Salesforce, SharePoint, administrative/budgeting software, etc.);
• Excellent writing, editing and verbal communication skills.
• Fluency in English; written and verbal proficiency in Spanish required;
• Strong organizational skills to manage multiple priorities in a time sensitive manner;
• Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to interact culturally, linguistically, and diplomatically with diverse internal and external individuals;
• Demonstrated self-starter with strong initiative and self-motivation, resourcefulness, and dependability;
• Ability to travel a minimum of 30% per year, nationally and internationally; and
• Ability to cope periodically with extended international travel, work hours and unforeseen demands and deadlines.

Salary:  Commensurate with experience. Competitive benefits package provided.

To apply:

Send resume, cover letter and salary history to Human Resources, Rainforest Alliance,  665 Broadway, Suite 500, New York, NY 10012; Fax: 212-677-2187; E-mail: Personnel@ra.org. If emailing, use the following format in the subject line: first name and last name, job title of position you are applying for.

The Rainforest Alliance is an equal opportunity employer.