Reports to: Director, Evaluation & Research – Evaluation & Research Division
Location: Washington, DC preferred
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.
Established in 2007, the Rainforest Alliance’s Evaluation & Research (E&R) Program is responsible for monitoring results and examining the impacts of the Rainforest Alliance’s work over time. The E&R program is a specialized unit working through our forestry, agriculture, tourism and climate programs, employing three levels of analysis to achieve goals, including:
- · Collecting standardized information from all Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farm and forestry operations, as well as from tourism operations participating in our Best Management Practices program;
- · Monitoring the impacts of technical assistance and capacity building initiatives, following the Rainforest Alliance's E&R policies and procedures and donor requirements; and
- · Participating in research initiatives composed of narrowly focused case studies and sector-wide studies, conducted through research partnerships with universities and other research institutes, with the goal of implementing collaborative and third party impact analysis.
Position Summary:
This position will be responsible for guiding Rainforest Alliance’s strategy for monitoring livelihood impacts and coordinating livelihood monitoring, evaluation & research functions for Rainforest Alliance projects. S/he will work with Agriculture and other Rainforest Alliance Program field staff to develop and manage project performance monitoring plans that emphasize results-based evaluation, mapping and reporting. This role will develop detailed methodologies and tools to ensure a good fit between livelihood objectives in Rainforest Alliance Program projects and facilitate learning and adaptive management. S/he will coordinate with local research institutions and NGOs to design and implement research studies focused on evaluating the social and economic impacts of best management practices promoted under the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) standard.
Responsibilities:
- · Coordinate with Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Landscapes project staff to ensure consistency in design and implementation of effective project monitoring for reporting livelihood results of Rainforest Alliance field interventions;
- · Ensure actionable intermediate and end-of-project livelihood targets are defined, measureable indicators are developed and full adoption and application of monitoring tools/methodologies in project implementation processes;
- · Develop analytical frameworks and processes for evaluating social and economic impacts of improved and Rainforest Alliance-certified production practices at a production unit and landscape-level;
- · Develop frameworks and tools for incorporating project beneficiaries into planning, monitoring and evaluation process, including community mapping and mobile technology tools for collecting and managing production level data-sets;
- · Support development and field implementation of E&R research agenda by building partnerships with local and international research institutions to conduct diagnostic third party research and cost-benefit studies of Rainforest Alliance’s business models.
- · Support development activities including providing input to proposals and reporting on livelihoods monitoring and identifying and following up on new funding opportunities and proposal preparation;
- · Develop and manage project-specific performance monitoring plans based on Salesforce and train Rainforest Alliance staff and partners in their use; and
- · Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- · Degree in Natural Resource Management, Social Sciences, Environmental Economics or related field; Advanced degree preferred or an equivalent combination of experience and training;
- · 7-10 years experience, minimum of 5 year experience conducting monitoring and evaluation and/or impact assessments of programs and projects, preferably related to agricultural productivity, supply chain management, and sustainable development;
- · Fluency in English; Proficiency in Spanish and/or working knowledge of French preferred;
- · Demonstrated ability to design cost-effective performance-based monitoring plans having sound methodologies that adequately address implementation constraints with creative solutions;
- · Extensive knowledge of the principles, practices and methodologies of project monitoring and evaluation;
- · Knowledge of econometric design principles and statistical/analytical procedures;
- · Excellent research, analytical and report writing skills;
- · Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
- · Proficiency in information management and GIS a distinct advantage;
- · Working knowledge of SalesForce data management system a plus;
- · Excellent track record in people and project management skills, including ability to build capacity for M&E among project staff and partners;
- · Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; and,
- · Ability to travel to the field regionally and internationally a minimum of 30% of the time.
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; If emailing, use the following format in the subject line: first name and last name, job title of position you are applying for.
The RainforestAllianceis an equal opportunity employer.
