Senior Manager, Strategy, Asia Pacific Field Division

SUMMARY

As the Asia Pacific region continues to gain attention for possessing some of the most biodiverse, culturally rich, carbon-dense, and strategic areas related to combatting climate change, the pressure to develop and execute projects and programs that deliver comprehensive and impactful outputs continues to grow. Implementing country and field programs, recognize the need to strengthen our approach and processes related to program and project design, management, and implementation. Providing strategic design, strategy, and support for various programs and/or projects not only strengthens CI’s ability to deliver results, but also increases capacity across the Asia Pacific Field Division (APFD) while ensuring increased competitive advantage for large funding opportunities.

To address these demands, the Chief Field Officer for the Asia Pacific Field Division has established a core team to focus on three areas – design, strategy, and development – in support of the APFD’s strategic outcomes for the next five years:

Team responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the development of a regional strategy; the design of a framework for developing country level strategies that can also be adapted for specific program and/or project development; the design of a regional monitoring, evaluation, and adaptive learning (MEAL) approach; a regional development and fundraising strategy; and other priorities as identified by the Chief Field Officer. To deliver on the above, this team will work closely with each APFD country program and with CI global program teams as needed.

At this time, the team is comprised of the following four roles, with additional roles/staff added if/as needed.

The APFD Senior Manager, Strategy will lead the development of the APFD Regional Strategy and the development of APFD Country Strategies, including a strategic MEAL approach, with the support of the rest of the Chief Field Office Team. The APFD Senior Manager, Strategy will also support program and project design to APFD regional initiatives together with the APFD Senior Director, Design, and support the design of a fundraising and partnership engagement strategy together with the APFD Director, Development. Finally, the APFD Senior Manager, Strategy will provide technical support and lead to specific country projects and/or initiatives in Asia and Pacific. This position will report to the Vice President, Pacific Region, with a dotted reporting line to Chief Field Officer, APFD.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Lead APFD Regional and Country Strategies development:

• Develop the regional APFD Strategy 2025-2030
• Create a framework for the APFD Country Strategies 2025-2030 development which include a MEAL approach (information cascade – from Southern Cross to APFD Regional to APFD Countries)
• Together with the APFD country programs, develop a strategy for each Pacific and Asia CI country program (Japan, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Eastern Himalayas, Palau, Samoa, New Caledonia, Fiji, Aotearoa, and Australia)
• Summarize and track country-level goal contributions to APFD goals/outcomes.

2. Support APFD Design and Development regional priorities:

• Create a strategy framework that can be adapted to the design phase of projects and initiatives.
• Ensure alignment and integration between country projects/initiatives and country strategies during design phase.
• Support the creation of Fundraising and Development strategies for each country in alignment with programmatic country strategies.

3. Technical support/lead implementation of specific Asia and Pacific countries’ projects:

• Provide technical support or lead to specific projects, programs and initiatives in the Pacific Islands and Asia regions especially related to management plans and roadmaps/strategies.
• Improve capacity building in countries through trainings to CI staff and national/regional partners/stakeholders.

PEOPLE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

This position can represent CI externally, lead projects, and manage partnerships with leading stakeholders; convene and lead meetings with partner organizations, CI staff from other divisions, and to engage directly with CI field programs; and to manage and commit budget resources as well as supervise employees and/or interns if required.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 6 years of working in the Pacific Islands or Asia regions on project management, planning, strategy design and delivery, and technical support to countries across the region.
• A Master's degree in environment, ecology, conservation biology, marine studies/oceanography, or another relevant field, however, higher-level degree is preferred.
• Strong time management skills, and ability to juggle multiple deadlines and competing priorities.
• Strong organizational skills for individual, as well as team organization and communication skills.
• Very effective team player with comfort working across time zones and in exceptionally globally and regionally diverse environment.
• Competence in engaging with indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as government officials in the Pacific in appropriate manner.
• Comfort with working in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities and under general supervision.
• Experience in applying conservation management tools, especially Conservation Standards. Proven experience in working toward ocean financing
• Ability to take initiative, to solve problems under minimal supervisor direction.
• Strong interpersonal skills, a helpful and personable attitude, and evident desire to assist partners.
• Ability to build good inter-personal relationships with other staff is necessary, must team up with other CI Pacific sub-region countries office staff and CI staff globally.
• Formal training/certification in project management and monitoring and evaluation
• Experience in designing project logframes, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, theories of change, etc.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in conservation work and community development in the Pacific region and Asia region.
• Experience in strategy development
• Experience managing public funding such as GEF, GCF, US Government-funded programs.
• Experience in interacting and communicating with customers or partners and independent problem solving.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Position requires travel to field locations, CI offices (country offices and HQ), partner facilities, and partner workshops and/or conferences.
• Position is located where necessary to provide intensive program strategy design and start-up support to drive achievement of outcomes and impact. Singapore will serve as the base for this role at least for the first year given it is the current base for the Chief Field Officer, APFD.