Head – China Office

TITLE:                                                    Head – China Office

LOCATION:                                         Beijing, China

DURATION:                                       Starting August 2014, 2 year fulltime position with possibility of renewal

REPORTS TO:                                      Regional Director - East & South Asia

TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild animals and plants is not a threat to the conservation of nature.  We actively monitor and investigate wildlife trade and provide information to diverse audiences worldwide as a basis for effective conservation policies and programmes. TRAFFIC is a strategic alliance of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is an international network, organised into eight regional programmes.

The Head - China Office is based at TRAFFIC’s China office in Beijing, where TRAFFIC is legally hosted by WWF China. Other TRAFFIC staff members in the region are based in Hong Kong, Taipei and Tokyo. The Head - China Office will be supervised by the Regional Director - East & South Asia, who leads TRAFFIC East Asia, based in Hong Kong. 

This position has strong strategic elements of team leadership, programme and project development as well as partnership management.  

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES:

• Co-ordinates implementation and contributes to the strategic development of TRAFFIC’s global conservation programme within East Asia, with particular emphasis on work in China and acts as a primary representative of TRAFFIC in its work throughout China.
• Leads the China team and collaborates with senior colleagues in the TRAFFIC network in developing and marketing projects necessary to deliver the TRAFFIC global conservation programme as components of a regional work programme.
• Manages implementation of the China work programme including activities in the areas of research, policy development, communications and capacity building, and effective administration of an annual budget.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Represents TRAFFIC in China, as part of the East Asia regional team, in development and management of TRAFFIC’s global conservation programme.
• In collaboration with senior colleagues in the TRAFFIC network, creatively, innovatively and pro-actively contributes to the strategic development of TRAFFIC’s work in China necessary to deliver the TRAFFIC global conservation programme as components of a work programme addressing wildlife trade issues in the region – including development of funding proposals, marketing projects, budgeting and scheduling of planned activities.
• Supervises TRAFFIC staff and consultants in China and proactively manages personnel issues including staff development and training.
• Manages implementation of the China work programme, ensuring that the regional team delivers project results (incl. technical and project reports for funding agencies) effectively, efficiently and to expected TRAFFIC quality standards.
• Liaises with the TRAFFIC network and relevant WWF and IUCN programmes and regional/national offices in China and East Asia to support the implementation of TRAFFIC’s global conservation programme and to create bigger impacts.   
• Observes and analyses relevant events, developments and activities related to wildlife trade in China and around the world in order to further develop TRAFFIC China’s programme.
• Partnership development and networking: fosters relations with existing (project) partners in (international) NGOs, IGOs, government officials, donors and other partners (on senior level) as well as develops and builds up strategic new institutional relations.
• Ensures effective public and policy communication and interacts in this respect with the media, government and non-government agencies, and with funding bodies and donor agencies
• Ensures that TRAFFIC has the institutional capacity to deliver its programme in China, including oversight of any sub-regional and project offices 
• Manages the China budget, in co-ordination with the Regional Administration and Finance Manager, and ensures effective administration and accounting of funds and the accurate and timely reporting of consolidated and project-related financial statements and accounts.
• Ensures compliance with the terms of hosting agreements for TRAFFIC offices in China and close liaison with WWF in Beijing.
• Ensures preparation and submission of technical reports on activities and achievements (including six-month and annual activity reports) and project reports for funding agencies.
• Represents the TRAFFIC network at national, regional and international meetings.
• Conducts any other duties related to the organization and operation of TRAFFIC East Asia and the TRAFFIC Network as identified by the Regional Director East & South Asia and the Senior Director Asia Pacific.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Extensive professional work experience relevant to nature conservation, familiarity with major trends in biodiversity conservation policy and issues relevant to the trade in wild animals and plants.
• Strong skills in programme management, planning and project implementation.
• A university degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., conservation, biology, forestry, law or political, environmental and social sciences) and experience with international Non-Governmental Organizations or Inter-Governmental Organizations.
• Project development experience with ability to build donor confidence in TRAFFIC’s programme of work, backed by strong financial management skills.
• A good understanding of CITES and other international nature conservation conventions, laws and agreements, of wildlife management and sustainable development issues, and of Chinese regarding the conservation, use of and trade in biological resources.
• This dynamic position requires a pro-active person with a passion for environmental issues and the ability to stimulate and motivate colleagues.
• Demonstrated experiences in providing leadership, supervision and guidance to a team.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively as a part of a small team, with respect for and sensitivity to multi-cultural approaches and strategic positioning for programme outputs in a national and regional context.
• Experience working internationally and working with a global team.
• Creative and lateral-thinking mind-set.
• Self-starter, who can quickly and efficiently take up complex responsibilities
• Strong networking skills and ability to work in different cultural contexts.
• Bilingual: Fluency in English and Mandarin Chinese and excellent writing skills in both languages.
• Familiarity with standard word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and data base software, and with electronic communication technology.
• Willingness to travel frequently and ability multi-task, work under pressure and under deadlines.

SUPERVISION: Supervises a small integrated team addressing China wildlife trade issues and consultants on an ad hoc basis.

How to Apply:

• Candidates should send a covering letter addressing the selection criteria together with a

CV in English and Chinese as email attachments to hr@wwfchina.org

• Please indicate in the subject line of your email the position you are applying for and please indicate your salary expectation the covering letter.

• Closing date for applications: 30th June 2014.