Gabon Program Deputy Director

A LITTLE ABOUT US

Founded in 1951, the Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters, and oceans at an unprecedented scale, and providing food and water sustainably. One of our core values is our commitment to diversity. Therefore, we strive for a globally diverse and culturally competent workforce. Working in 72 countries, including all 50 United States, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.

The Nature Conservancy Africa program follows a holistic approach to protect vital lands and waters, transform the way natural resources are used and managed, and inspire to equip others to contribute to the shared vision of a healthy and sustainable future for Africa’s lands, waters, wildlife. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.

In Gabon, the Nature Conservancy supports and collaborates with the country’s ambitions biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation agenda. TNC works across the freshwater, ocean, and terrestrial ecosystems to protect and sustainably manage critical habitats for species, ecosystems, and carbon stocks. TNC brings science and innovative tools and approaches to inform better decision-making, develops innovative financial mechanisms for long terms sustainability, cultivates strategic partnership, and fosters the need for inclusive, equitable conservation that benefits nature and people.

YOUR POSITION WITH TNC

The Gabon Program Deputy Director serves as a strategic partner, advisor, and counsel to the Program Director and delivers management and leadership support to the Gabon Program by overseeing the day-to-day management of the conservation operation. The Deputy Director provides effective decision-making, project management, and execution of strategic initiatives across all portfolio/sub-programs and is responsible for creating and maintaining cross-functional relationships to influence outcomes and enable program success. Reporting to the Gabon Program Director, the position will be based at the TNC office in Libreville.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Gabon Program Deputy Director provides technical and program management support to TNC field operations in Gabon. They translate strategic vision into action and encourage employees to innovate, problem-solve, and engage proactively. They are champions of driving program business priorities from conception to completion, and holding teams accountable. They convert abstract ideas into smooth operations – demanding structure, establishing processes, and creating efficiencies within the program. They oversee adherence to timelines, budgets, and expected results. The Deputy Director is an integrator, hearing staff concerns and finding common ground to build a foundation of trust, inspiring engagement in the program vision, and creating cohesion among program leads, managers, and staff. The Deputy Director serves as a proxy to the Country Director when not available, based on clear communication and shared expectations and agreements. They act as a strategic thought partner, counselor, and sounding boards, and they triage problems to only bring pertinent issues to the director’s attention in an organized, concise manner.

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

• Serves as a thought and strategic partner to the Gabon Program Director, standing in on meetings, providing good perspectives, and promptly following up on action items with the team.
• Promotes team integration and cross-functional communication and collaboration among multiple stakeholders to support program initiatives.
• Facilitates collaborative implementation of conservation programs work plans, manages special projects, and ensures action items are executed.
• Designs and runs program review meetings, including structuring and helping to deliver program-wide timely communication to ensure all teams are on board with the proper level of information.
• Supports the process for annual budgeting and work planning for the Gabon program.
• Manages (creates & updates) dashboards for reviewing key program deliverables and performance indicators.
• Creates systems and processes to streamline Gabon conservation programs operations.
• Supervises staff and manages staff performance partnership process ensuring alignment with annual program planning objective setting and proactively follows up with teams to track progress to determine actionable recommendations for improvement for objectives that are not being accomplished within set timelines.
• Leads Gabon program staffing plans and initiatives in collaboration with Africa HR
• Provides analysis, recommendations, and options to the Program Director regarding high-impact decisions and tracks high-priority initiatives to identify any potential obstacles.
• Provides support in preparing and reviewing internal and external communications and drafts communication materials (reports, pitch decks, presentations, etc.) for the Program Director.
• Manages Gabon team meetings and team-coordination fora (managing meeting frequency, clear purpose and agenda, resource materials to be sent in advance, timekeeping and staying on point, effective and inclusive participation, and clarity of agreements).
• Supports planning and leads as needed program retreats and other special events.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• BA/BS degree and 7 years’ experience in conservation practice or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Fundraising experience, including identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation.
• Experience managing complex or multiple projects, including managing finances and coordinating the work of other professionals and partners.
• Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives and managing performance.
• Experience in partnership development with non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies.
• Experience negotiating.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in a relevant field such as ecology, natural resource management, or business management with 7-10 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience, and at least eight years of managerial experience.
• Knowledge of current trends and practices in relevant discipline(s) and regions.
• Fluent in spoken and written French and English are a must. Multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience a plus.
• Demonstrated experience managing, influencing, and developing highly effective teams.
• Good listening, conflict resolution and team integration skills.
• Good communication, presentation, and organizational skills.
• Able to apply strategic thinking across all parts of the program operation.
• Creatively solves any problems as they arise, with relentless execution.
• Able to deal with large amounts of ambiguity across different teams and projects at once.
• Able to collect, organize, and analyze data.
• Ability to develop practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
• Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives or related field.
• Politically savvy.