Senior Fellow, Supply Chains, Center for Sustainability Science

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to make a positive impact around the world in 69 countries, all 50 United States, and your backyard. Founded in 1951, the mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Visit www.nature.org/about-us to learn more.

The Nature Conservancy offers competitive compensation, 401k or savings-plan matching for eligible employees, excellent benefits, flexible work policies and a collaborative work environment. We also provide professional development opportunities and promote from within. As a result, you will find a culture that supports and inspires conservation achievement and personal development, both within the workplace and beyond.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to make a positive impact around the world in more than 35 countries, all 50 United States, and your backyard. Founded in 1951, the mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. One of our core values is our commitment to diversity. Therefore we are committed to a globally diverse and culturally competent workforce. Visit www.nature.org/aboutus to learn more.

The Center for Sustainability Science at The Nature Conservancy provides science leadership to create transformational impact with the business sector and governments, by translating the value of nature and conservation approaches into actionable, science-based strategies that can help solve societal challenges. Companies and governments are increasingly recognizing nature’s value and the benefit of nature-based strategies, but often they do not have the tools and data to build them into their own decisions. The new Center for Sustainability Science aims to help fill this critical gap. The Center works hand-in-hand with public and private sector decision-makers to co-create solutions, drawing on TNC’s grounded experience and expertise around the world and the global scale of our strategies and partnerships.

The Supply Chain Fellow is a systems thinker who brings experience in corporate supply chains as well as an understanding of environmental science and ecosystem services / natural capital, to identify and advance opportunities to improve both sustainability metrics and actions and conservation outcomes achieved.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

In our global economy, the impacts of corporate decisions ripple across supply chains. The Supply Chain Fellow will work over a two-year term to assess, scope out, and advance opportunities for the Conservancy to improve sustainability in supply chains.

The Fellow’s areas of responsibility will scope opportunities to engage in improving the sustainability of supply chains at scale – identifying levers for change as well as unique roles that the Center for Sustainability Science could play in convening, collaborating, filling science gaps or developing novel science applications, etc to help advance the Conservancy’s priority strategies. There are currently many initiatives working to improve sustainability throughout supply chains, and the Supply Chain Fellow will review and synthesize these existing efforts to aid in identifying opportunities, which could include: the development of new sustainability metrics, criteria for effective certification strategies; methods and tools for assessing natural capital or sustainability; studies of how well existing efforts correlate with conservation outcomes; and identification of unique opportunities for TNC to integrate existing efforts or deepen our engagement, etc. S/he will do this through research and helping in the convening of key stakeholders and experts in workshops.

To achieve this, the Supply Chain Fellow needs to have the ability to translate information and work across disciplines – collaborating with scientists, corporate procurement staff, and decision-makers across sectors. They need to understand the science behind the sustainability initiatives being considered (e.g. agricultural best management practices, energy efficiency strategies), but also to keep in mind practical considerations that make some strategies impractical to implement or measure. Practical experience working to improve sustainability in corporate supply chains will be very helpful.

At the conclusion of the fellowship, s/he will present findings to key TNC leadership.

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

• Works on multiple projects, including project management.
• Synthesizes key information from existing sustainability efforts and scientific literature
• Must communicate results of work to private sector and scientific audiences.
• Ensures programmatic commitments, TNC policies and procedures, financial standards and legal requirements are met and managed for compliance.
• May participate in negotiations for complex, high profile or sensitive agreements.
• Supports program objectives by working in a complex matrix organization environment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree and 4 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience in a private sector environment, or with a leading conservation organization or government entity, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience with corporate sustainability in supply chains
• Experience synthesizing, interpreting and communicating scientific information.
• Experience preparing reports of findings.
• Experience working and communicating with a wide range of people.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in either environmental science or business, or a related field
• Strong team player who can build relationships and work collaboratively across the organization and with Conservancy partners.
• Ability to successfully develop and implement complex projects in an unstructured environment.
• Superior written and oral communications.
• International work experience desirable.
• Outstanding analytical and project management capabilities.
• Record of peer reviewed publications in scientific journals.
• Fluency in English and another language (for example Spanish, Portuguese, or Chinese) preferred.
• Experience in scientific research and/or significant coursework in ecological and environmental sciences.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply to position number 44457, submit resume and cover letter as one document. All applications must be submitted in the system prior to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 3, 2016.

Click “submit” to apply for the position or “save for later” to create a draft application for future submission. Once submitted, applications cannot be revised or edited. Failure to complete required fields may result in your application being disqualified from consideration.

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The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of men and women of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

The successful applicant must meet the requirements of *The Nature Conservancy’s background screening process.*

Job Title: Senior Fellow, Supply Chains, Center for Sustainability Science

Location: Virginia

Job ID: 44457

Regular/Temporary: Temporary

Full/Part Time: Full-Time