Sustainable Food Security Manager, Latin America Region

.

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to make a positive impact around the world in more than 30 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/aboutus to learn more.

The Nature Conservancy’s Latin America Region is seeking a Manager for its new Sustainable Food Security Unit, created to lead the organization’s regional efforts to double food production while limiting or eliminating habitat loss. The technical lead for the team, the manager will liaise with technical staff across the Conservancy and with partners. The manager will be an active participant in high-level technical discussions on food security and will engage governments, corporations, lending institutions and other non-profit groups to promote sustain-able solutions. S/he will be responsible for collaborating with field units across Latin America to ensure sharing and application of best practices. The manager will need to have a strong track record in supporting fund-raising efforts, especially developing and writing strong project proposals. An understanding of the environmental aspects of food production (farming, ranching and fishing) and related sustainable technologies is important. A solid pre-existing knowledge of the Latin American policy arena (subsidies, incentives) and responsible sourcing initiatives is helpful.

Food production in Latin America has grown significantly and the world will increasingly look to the region to feed its growing population. The growth in food export has already revitalized Latin American economies and the region has the arable land, fresh water and relative climate stability to increase food production well beyond current levels. But if expansion of food production comes at the expense of natural systems, it will be a short-lived boom. And the consequences to global food security, in addition to Latin America’s own prosperity and stability, could be severe.

Currently, 75 percent of deforestation worldwide is caused by agriculture and ranching. We must find ways to reduce or contain the environmental footprint of food production at the same time we are doubling it. Fortunately, numerous good methods for intensifying production exist, and others are well within the realm of human ingenuity to invent. A key strategy, especially in Latin America, will be the revitalization of degraded, under-producing lands; partnerships between non-profits, research units, producers and local governments can make many of these areas “bloom again.”

The Nature Conservancy has been prominent among conservation organizations in working with producers to reduce their environmental footprints while enhancing productivity and optimizing conservation outcomes. We have pioneering work under way with soy, beef, anchovy and sugarcane producers in Brazil, Colombia, Peru and elsewhere. We have also worked with global companies to help them “green up” their supply chains, reducing sourcing linked to environmental damage. And finally we have worked with some governments to develop economic incentives and policy to enhance conservation efforts and reduce environmental footprint with food producers. The rural sector is a key focus of government planning and investment especially in energy, transport and credit programs, and a key focus of this initiative as well.

The Latin American Manager for Sustainable Food Security will report to the Director of the Sustainable Food Security Unit, and will be responsible for leading a small technical team in implementing regional strategies to meet the goal of “doubling food production with no new habitat loss.” He/she will work with field programs and other regional and global experts to transform the goal above into a specific, actionable business plan and support the Regional Unit (RU) Director in leading the region toward this vision. He/she will coordinate with the Conservancy’s Global Priorities groups to ensure our work is adequately leveraged and represented in inter-national policy and donor events.  He/she will contribute to generating resources for the Sustainable Food Security Unit itself and for Conservation Programs’ work on this topic.  He/she will develop, lead and support partnerships with government agencies, other conservation organizations, corporations, foundations and academics to advance the work. He/she supports the RU Director or otherwise leads the negotiation of complex and innovative solutions with governments, lending institutions, landowners and communities. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

·         Under the supervision of the RU Director, manage a virtual team that will design, develop and execute an innovative, pragmatic and results-oriented Sustainable Food Security strategy that sustainably intensifies production by promoting access to technologies, appropriate incentives, science-based mapping and analysis, responsible sourcing and compelling ROI business cases. 

·         Serve as a technical focal point for Latin America on food security across the Conservancy and with external parties to ensure a coherent, unified approach commensurate with the potential threat.

·         Support the RU Director on the outreach strategy to key partners and stakeholders for the success of the strategy in corporations, governments, NGOs and other sectors.

·         Develop systems and processes to improve coordination, communication and planning across Conservation Programs in Latin America on food security projects and policy.

·         Dedicate at least 40% of his/her time in raising funds to implement the unit’s strategy. Together with the RU Director, be responsible for the financial sustainability of the Unit and bringing resources to the Region to implement the strategy while complying with Conservancy standards and policies.

·         Support Conservancy efforts to ensure that billions of dollars invested annually in food production are invested with adequate consideration of the impact on the natural environment and the services on which people depend.

·         Coordinate a “practice group” on food security that will include staff from various TNC units in Latin America and potentially beyond; the practice group will be actively engaged in developing strategies and monitoring the results of actions taken under this thematic area.

·         BA/BS degree and 10 years of experience in conservation practice, food production (agriculture/ ranching/ fisheries), or equivalent combination of education and related experience.
·         Experience with certain aspects of fundraising: donor cultivation and proposal/ grant writing.
·         Experience with project management and leadership of decentralized, multi-disciplinary teams
·         Experience with regional agricultural, ranching and/or fisheries issues.
·         Experience in partnership development (partners, community, government, etc.); experience with high-level conservation contacts. A mixture of public and private-sector experience preferred.
·         Track-record of motivating team members, setting goals and leading efforts.
·         Clear written, spoken, and graphic communications in English and Spanish/Portuguese.
·         Fluency in English, Portuguese, and/or Spanish (preferably all three).

 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.

To apply to position number 41316, 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 5.

You must click “submit” to apply for the position. You may select “save for later” if you prefer to create a draft application for future submission. Once submitted, applications cannot be revised or edited.

If you are experiencing technical issues, please refer to our applicant user guide or contact applyhelp@tnc.org.