Director, Vulnerability and Adaptation Initiative

The World Resources Institute (WRI), an environmental think tank promoting practical ways to protect the earth and improve people’s lives, seeks a Director of their Vulnerability and Adaptation Initiative.  Founded in 1982, WRI marries bold long term vision to concrete action.  It is staffed by pragmatic idealists who provide cutting edge thinking on a broad range of environmental and global sustainability issues.  Currently a $34 million organization with an international staff of approximately 200 working with more than 400 partners in 50 countries, WRI provides objective information and practical proposals for policy and institutional change that will foster environmentally sound, socially equitable development.

Climate change is upon us.  The Earth is warming, seasons are shifting, and precipitation patterns are in flux. The consequences may be serious, from floods and droughts to hunger and hardship.   We all will be touched in some way, but poor people in developing nations stand to suffer the most.  They tend to live in the places most exposed to climate risks, such as low-lying urban slums and marginal agricultural lands, and they have the least ability to ride out environmental and economic setbacks.

The World Resources Institute is well-positioned to address this challenge – and seize a unique opportunity to help developing nations devise precedent-setting approaches to the challenges of vulnerability and adaptation (V&A). In particular, we have an opportunity to move beyond “project-based” approaches, and create model national policies that hold the potential to address V&A more systemically, at lower cost, and with more effective attention to long-term risks.  By acting now, early in the history of climate change, we can help establish best practices that could safeguard development outcomes for decades to come.

This is an exciting opportunity for a talented professional to contribute to a growing and influential global environmental and development think tank as the Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) Director.  S/he will report to the Director of the Climate and Energy Program. Working closely with her and the talented V&A team, the Director will be responsible for scaling up the Initiative and enabling it to achieve significant on-the-ground change.

Position Summary

The World Resources Institute (WRI) seeks a Director to lead its new Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) Initiative, which aims to make on-the-ground change in the field of climate adaptation internationally. This new Initiative will focus on national-level efforts to find effective and appropriate levers to support adaptation in key sectors, and will link to all of WRI’s diverse set of programs.

The V&A Director will oversee the implementation and growth of the V&A Initiative, its deliverables, its budget, and its strategic direction. This is a challenging position that offers a unique opportunity to draw upon WRI’s expertise to help countries design and implement national policies that enable tangible, locally appropriate action on adaptation. The position is located at WRI’s headquarters in Washington, DC, and reports to the Director of the Climate and Energy Program (CEP).

Leadership

• Articulate a compelling and coherent vision and strategy for WRI’s V&A Initiative that inspires audiences internationally and especially in focus countries.
• Liaise with adaptation experts internationally and nationally, building up WRI’s presence in the field.
• Secure and manage Initiative partnerships and lead fundraising efforts with a range of donors.
• Author publications in relevant fields of interest. Serve as spokesperson for the Initiative, communicating and promoting team research findings and policy recommendations to relevant audiences as appropriate.

Management

• Manage the V&A team, to include guiding and monitoring the execution of strategy and achievement of outcomes.
• Manage Initiative progress and ensure successful completion of key deliverables, and report regularly on progress to Initiative partners and the WRI Management Team.
• Review and edit draft publications and articles to ensure they meet WRI’s high standards for quality.
• Liaise with the WRI Executive Team and WRI Board on related strategic and operational issues.

Fundraising

• Develop a sustainable funding model to allow for strategic growth of the Initiative.
• Source and secure long-term funding for the Initiative in collaboration with project staff, the CEP Director, and WRI’s Development team. This includes leveraging existing relationships with bilateral and multilateral agencies, foundations, corporations, and individual donors, as well as cultivating and maintaining new relationships.

Professional Qualifications   

• Advanced degree with a particular focus on vulnerability of people and ecosystems to climate change. 
• Minimum 10 years relevant vulnerability and adaptation experience.
• Excellent strategic thinking as well as quantitative analytical skills.
• Demonstrated experience leading ambitious research projects with multiple funders, partners, and audiences.
• Ability to communicate clearly and compellingly to a wide range of audiences both verbally and in writing.
• Proven ability to manage a team of experts for specific results.
• Strong familiarity with the challenges of development and ecosystem management.
• Willingness to travel internationally.

Management Style and Personal Attributes

• Patience, resiliency, and tenacity along with an abundance of energy, enthusiasm, creativity, common sense and well-honed strategic judgment that establishes early credibility and ease of partnerships with other members of the team.
• A proven commitment to internal customer service.  Strong personal diplomacy, including a highly professional temperament, the highest level of personal and professional integrity, and the ability to work in a collaborative team environment.
• A sense of urgency about the mission of WRI and the need to address the environment and development challenges confronting humankind.
• Outstanding management and planning skills.
• Excellent writing, speaking, editing and presentation skills.
• A management style that is open, collaborative and results-oriented; a style that inspires trust and motivates staff to work hard and well together,  provides them with a clear sense of direction, and respects their capabilities and independence. 
• Superb cross-cultural interpersonal skills with an impressive history of forging strong relationships with multiple stakeholders, strong listening skills and an ability to relate well to people at all levels.
• Stamina for the task at hand, including the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and under deadline pressure, personal grace in dealing with a broad spectrum of personalities, and good humor in leading the day-to-day work of the department.

Location: Washington, DC

Salary:  Competitive and commensurate with qualifications.  WRI offers a comprehensive benefits package.

The World Resources Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is WRI's policy to recruit, hire, and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual preference, parental status, or disability.