Director, World Resources Report (WRR)

The World Resources Institute (WRI) is seeking a Director to manage the research, writing, production, and outreach of the next edition of WRI’s flagship publication, The World Resources Report (WRR).  The successful candidate will be an expert in the realm of food security or the nexus of agriculture, ecosystems, climate change, and development. 

The next WRR is provisionally entitled “Food Futures: Feeding Nine Billion People while Sustaining Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate”.  Ensuring long-term food security, while sustaining ecosystem services in a changing climate, is a paramount challenge facing humanity in the 21^st century.  The next WRR will address this challenge by analyzing and recommending a number of practical, scalable solutions.  In the spirit of groundbreaking climate policy analysis (Pacala and Socolow 2004) that broke the challenge of stabilizing global climate into “wedges”, the next WRR may propose a series of “sustainable food security wedges”?with each wedge addressing either the demand, supply, or access dimensions of the food security equation?that when combined could close the food gap between today and 2050 without leading to further ecosystem conversion or greenhouse gas emissions.

WRI has produced 12 volumes of WRR over the past 28 years.  Although most editions have taken the form of a 200+ page authoritative volume on a topic in the field of environment and development, the next WRR will be released as a series of timely installments during 2012 and 2013 accompanied by online communities of dialogue between experts and target audiences.  Each installment will be authored by one or more WRI staff and guest experts.  The concept paper outlining the upcoming WRR theme and format is available upon request.

Staff reporting to the position will include a part-time editor (who will ensure the integrity of style and tone of all WRR 2013 material), a full-time researcher (who will conduct research and help draft communication material for the WRR), and a part-time coordinator (who will manage the budget and logistics).  The position will oversee the contributions of WRI and guest experts who serve as co-authors on selected WRR installments.  The WRR Director will report to the Director of the People & Ecosystems Program, who is serving as the WRR steward on behalf of WRI.

The WRR Director is a challenging position that offers a unique opportunity to have a major impact on a pressing global issue at the nexus of environment and development.  Furthermore, the position offers the successful candidate the opportunity to define and develop new areas of work at WRI after the completion of the WRR. 

The successful candidate will provide research leadership to the WRR and its content development.  In addition, the candidate will be a prolific writer, serve as the primary “public voice” for the WRR, and assist with funder relationship development.  The candidate should be comfortable operating in a culture dedicated to excellence and results.

Research leadership

The WRR Director will lead in developing the content of the WRR 2013. Responsibilities include:

• Conceptualize the content of the WRR, the analysis to be completed, and its key messages such that it is a coherent, insightful, and value-added platform for advancing discourse and policy at the nexus of food security, ecosystems, and climate change.
• Provide and apply own expert perspective to the WRR in its entirety, including installments authored by the Director and those authored by others.
• Conduct own research and analysis in support of the WRR.

Writing and publishing

The WRR Director will write a significant share of the WRR and oversee the written content of the WRR in all its forms. Responsibilities include:

• Write selected chapters/installments of the WRR as lead author, and incorporate recommendations made during WRI’s formal publication review process.
• Review chapters/installments written by other authors to ensure intellectual consistency and fit with the WRR series, and provide recommendations for improvement.
• Provide guidance on content and messaging with WRR’s online presence and content.

External communications

The WRR Director will ensure that the messages and recommendations of WRR 2013 reach their intended audiences and that WRI and the WRR achieve a high profile among target audiences.  Responsibilities include:

• Ensure that a world-class WRR influence, communications, and outreach strategy is developed and executed, including identification of key audiences and appropriate communication vehicles for each.  In conducting this work, the Director will be supported by WRI’s External Relations team, the WRR editor, and the communications contacts of the core institutional partners.
• Write or  review (when the lead in content preparation is the WRR editor or other WRI staff person) communication matter for the WRR 2013, including press releases, op-eds, web stories, and other material.
• As the lead “public voice” of WRR 2013, speak to representatives of governments, development agencies, other international institutions, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and the media on behalf of the WRR 2013 throughout its development in one-on-one engagements, briefings, conferences, interviews, and other venues.

Funder relationship development

Working with the WRR Steward and the WRI Development team, the WRR Director will manage funder relationships and help raise additional funds for the WRR.  Responsibilities include:

• Help prepare fundraising strategies and write proposals to raise additional funds (as needed).
• Maintain and strengthen relationships with WRR funders, regularly updating them on WRR content and development via progress reviews (in person, via telephone, and/or written reports) and actively soliciting their input.
• Oversee the completion of budgets and financial narrative reports requested for funders and WRI executive management.

WRR traditionally has been a joint project of WRI, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Bank, and other sponsoring entities.  These institutional partners play a critical role in designing the WRR and helping it to reach its key audiences. WRI intends to follow the same approach for WRR 2013.

• Advanced degree with a particular focus on agriculture, developmental economics, or related fields.  PhD preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of experience working at the nexus of agriculture, food security, and international development.  Expertise/experience in developing countries preferred.
• Excellent writing skills, with a track record of published work.
• Superb analytical and strategic thinking skills. 
• Demonstrated project management skills, including the capacity to conceptualize and carry through complex and innovative projects from beginning to end.
• Proven team management skills, with an ability to motivate staff to excel and stay on time and on budget.
• Outstanding ability to communicate clearly, passionately, and in a compelling fashion to a wide range of audiences, including senior policymakers, international development agencies, corporate leaders, and NGOs.
• Strong network of relationships and partners.
• Demonstrated ability to secure funding from donors and experience with project development and proposal writing are a plus.
• Demonstrated proficiency in a non-English language is a plus.
• Willingness to travel internationally, up to 20 percent per year.

LOCATION:  The position is located at WRI’s headquarters in Washington, DC.