Director, Climate Resilience Initiatives

PRIMARY FUNCTION/PURPOSE: The Director, Climate Resilience Initiatives is responsible for

ensuring the climate resilience program portfolio develops effectiveness, efficiency and scale, through the consistent promotion and support of innovative resiliency-building activities across multiple countries in line with the organization’s strategic plan. The Director leads the design of market-led climate resilience strategies, specifically focusing on rural livelihood value chain advisory and financial inclusion to ensure sequenced pathways provide under-resourced communities adequate support, access to markets, financial systems and other inputs necessary for climate adaptation. The Director, Climate Resilience Initiatives identifies, builds and maintains network, stakeholder and implementing partnerships, and oversees the technical and grant management team of the program portfolio liaising with funders, and regional and global stakeholders as required, and acting as ultimate Chief of Party on institutional grants.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Oversees and manages the program portfolio’s budgeting process, ensuring the projects’ operational, financial, technical, and administrative priorities are fit for purpose, and adhere to funder and organizational standard operating procedures.

• Leads the review of partner agreements to ensure adherence to technical and operational needs is built into program designs and Memorandums of Understanding for the climate resilience program portfolio.

• Ensures that the climate resilience program portfolio, develops effectiveness and efficiency, and meets stated goals, outcomes, benchmarks and requirements within the approved budget parameters.

• Ensures project management systems and monitoring records provide quality assurance mechanisms and meet narrative and financial requirements for all signed Memorandums of Understanding.

• Oversees the completion of all technical requirements, including project results and deliverables, ensuring that back funder agreements and their narrative, financial and monitoring and evaluation requirements are met.

• Models and promotes capacity-bridging practices among all staff and partners, supporting the climate resilience program and technical Cluster to engage institution strengthening staff in the implementation of partner capacity bridging, training and accompaniment where and as appropriate.

• Builds and maintains productive working relationships with back funders, key stakeholders, and project implementing partners.

• Liaises with the Director of Institutional Partnerships to build a strong pipeline of funders for climate resilience projects in general and innovation and adaptation initiatives in particular.

• Identifies and pursues funding opportunities in partnership with Institutional Partnerships, program and partner staff, supporting program design and writing; and expanding partnerships. Serves as proposal lead and/ or in other capacities, as needed.

• Represents the climate resilience program portfolio at high-level meetings, conferences and relevant fora.

• Leads performance management of direct reports: program officers, technical staff, country-level supervisors and consultants in developing and adhering to high quality best practices in the implementation of climate resilience initiatives.

• Liaise with other International Program Directors and Program Officers to stay engaged with all departmental developments, working as a team on process outcomes, budget development and to integrate learnings from program best practices, and generally to ensure seamless delivery of expected program outcomes across the portfolio of partners.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTS:

• Mentor and supervise several staff including Program Officers with partner-level grant management roles.

• Engage and oversee key deliverables of external consultants, vendors and/or interns

• Coordinate and be accountable for internal working groups, as needed

EDUCATION:

• A Master’s Degree in international development, agricultural economics, rural finance or related field and/or equivalent experience.

EXPERIENCE:

• A minimum of ten (10) years of experience working in international development; field experience working with faith-based development institutions is a plus

• A minimum of five (5) years managing a portfolio of major and institutional grant funded projects.

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in economic inclusion programming, ranging from poverty graduation models for the most vulnerable to market systems

development for smallholder farmers.

• A track record in financial inclusion advisory, including poverty graduation

methodologies and the development and/or scaling of village savings and loan

associations or other micro-credit solutions for rural populations.

• Knowledge of gender, equity and social inclusion analysis in smallholder farming

communities is a plus.

• A minimum of six (6) years of direct supervisory experience

• Demonstrated experience in performance monitoring, tracking data quality, data management and/or training in performance management topics

RELATED SKILLS:

• Strategic leader with strong communication and interpersonal skills and a demonstrated

ability to both manage and mentor individuals and organizations, with a focus on mentoring towards community impact

• Demonstrated proactive problem solving/analysis

• Strong project design, management, monitoring, evaluation and learning skills

• Demonstrated ability to design and oversee sequenced livelihood interventions (e.g., asset transfers, coaching, and financial linkages) that transition vulnerable households into sustainable market participation.

• Demonstrated ability to work and coordinate others under pressure on concurrent projects, delivering to tight timelines

• Advanced skills building and maintaining relationships with global and regional coalitions, donors, and other stakeholders.

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively and produce high quality work as part of team

• Exemplary attention to detail, record keeping and follow up

RELATED SKILLS CONTINUED:

• Adept at managing complex or difficult situations with tact, diplomacy and good humor

• Comfortable working in a matrixed, integrated work environment, with minimal supervision

• Highly proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and editing and formatting

• Fluency in English essential; Spanish, Portuguese or French also preferred

• Passionate about Episcopal Relief & Development’s mission and impact

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability and willingness to travel up to 25-30% of the time in diverse and under-resourced environments.

• May be required to work long hours and a varied schedule including evenings and weekends

• While this is a full-time position, arrangements can be made for remote and agile work schedules.

SALARY & BENEFITS:

• Annual salary range of $130,000 -140,000 Per year

• Competitive, comprehensive benefits package offered

HOW TO APPLY:

To be considered for the Director, Climate Resilience Initiatives position, please email your

resume and cover letter to careers@episcopalrelief.org with the subject line "Director, Climate Resilience Initiatives".

Applications missing either a resume or a cover letter will not be considered.

For more information, visit our website at www.episcopalrelief.org