Campaign and Advocacy Strategist, Project Finance for Permanence (Flexible Location)
OFFICE LOCATION
Arlington, Virginia, USA
#Li-Remote
#PDN
The location for this position is flexible within countries where The Nature Conservancy is a registered NGO and has an already established office. This position is not eligible for relocation or immigration assistance.
#Open until filled.
WHO WE ARE
The mission of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is to conserve the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we develop innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the world’s toughest environmental challenges so that people and nature can thrive. Our work is guided by our values, which include a commitment to diversity and respect for people, communities, and cultures. From a rewarding mission to career development and flexible schedules, there are many reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want to know more? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube to hear stories from staff or visit Glassdoor.
One of TNC’s primary goals is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that employees around the globe have a sense of belonging and feel that their unique contributions are valued. We know we’ll only achieve our mission by hiring and engaging a diverse staff that reflects the communities in which we work. Recognizing that people bring talent and skills that have been developed outside the scope of a job, we take a holistic approach to recruitment that considers life experience in addition to the professional requirements listed in our postings. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and you’ll stay for the people.”
WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER
Join us as we tackle the intertwined global biodiversity and climate crises by delivering durable, representative effectively managed, and inclusive protections through the Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) approach, as seen in the Mongolia PFP and a Great Bear Sea PFP. PFPs enable governments and local communities, in partnership with funders and NGOs, to secure long-term management and financing for networks of conservation areas in the form of a financial deal with a single closing agreement. The Campaign and Advocacy Strategist is responsible for the development and implementation of political and advocacy strategies for global PFP projects that secure durable conservation outcomes. The Campaign and Advocacy Strategist will work collaboratively with complex, cross-functional project teams and key external stakeholders - notably country and regional teams, Impact Finance and Markets, Development, Policy and Public Funding, Global Communications, and the Global Protect team to ensure the successful closing of PFP transactions.
The Campaign and Advocacy Strategist will co-develop and co-implement political, campaign, and advocacy strategies that influence to secure government commitment to PFP projects. In coordination with relevant teams, the Strategist is expected to undertake necessary research and analysis to develop well-informed strategic campaign plans for each PFP, examining government priorities and political dynamics, and producing cohesive and intelligent campaign plans to reach successful PFP agreements with Governments, from the scoping phase to close of the deal. The Campaign and Advocacy Strategist will take responsibility for co-designing the strategy and content with local policy, government relations, and communications staff for PFP government engagements, ensuring the project has a high degree of government commitment and ownership. They will critically assess political barriers and opportunities, ensure risks and dependencies are addressed in the project plan, and work with the project management and country teams to ensure alignment and deliver successful project results. This role will build effective relationships and establish alignment between TNC, decision-makers, and political partners.
This position reports to the Global Portfolio Director, Project Finance for Permanence. The location for this position is flexible within countries where The Nature Conservancy is a registered NGO and has an already established office. This position is not eligible for relocation or immigration assistance. May involve domestic and international travel of 25% or more.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOU
The Global Project Finance for Permanence team consists of a dedicated, globally dispersed group of experts dedicated to our mission. We’re looking for an individual with a passion for the mission of The Nature Conservancy - to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends - and who will enhance our ability to reach our 2030 goals.
We are looking for an experienced Campaign and Advocacy Strategist who is highly adaptive and excels in a cross-functional environment at global, national, and local levels on large and complicated processes and projects within a matrixed organization. Ideally, the candidate has familiarity and experience across both public and private sectors, as well as conservation experience. The Campaign and Advocacy Strategist will be pivotal in fostering cross-business unit collaboration to maximize internal alignment, including with TNC country teams and the Global Conservation Campaigns team.
Key responsibilities and scope:
- Lead the design of political, campaign, and advocacy strategies for PFPs around the world.
- Working with relevant country teams and TNC communications professionals, co-create PFP content for government, key stakeholders, and communities, in order to build s a high degree of local commitment and ownership.
- In close partnership with the in-country team, formulate and communicate a clear and compelling PFP project narrative that resonates with partner governments and other key stakeholders.
- Support country-level government relations staff to ensure they have the data, tools, and resources needed to support the identification, preparation, communication, and negotiation of PFP projects in target countries.
- In coordination with Global Conservation Campaign and country teams, design and utilize data, research, and analytics to inform campaign strategy, create messaging, identify key decision makers and influencers, design communication materials, and manage campaigns.
- Collaboratively create PFP comprehensive campaign strategies. Developing and facilitating the implementation of comprehensive campaign plans including government relations, communications, stakeholder engagement, and high-level engagements. Adaptively manage plans according to changing conditions.
- Support PFP project and country teams in the development and negotiation of government commitments within the PFP agreement that are ultimately acceptable to all parties.
- Support PFP and country teams in the management of partnerships and government relations in PFP geographies.
- Provide political strategy and advocacy analysis on PFP projects in early stages of assessment.
- Make independent strategic decisions frequently based on analysis, ambiguous information, experience and judgment.
- Assess government relations and stakeholder progress and risks in PFP projects, conduct corrective action as necessary, and resolve or proactively escalate challenges as needed.
- Perform issue resolution, negotiate trade-offs, manage conflicts, and collaboratively solve complex problems.
- Frequent travel domestically and/or internationally, evening and weekend hours.
WHAT YOU'LL BRING
- Bachelor’s degree in political science, environmental policy, management or other relevant field and 5 years of government relations, public policy or corporate sector experience, or equivalent combination of education/experience.
- Fluency in English.
- Experience in policy, public opinion, socio-economic, legal, and administrative research and compiling it into cohesive reports and integrating research into strategic, actionable campaign plans.
- Experience developing, directing, and managing multiple projects and implementing strategic program goals.
- Experience communicating with government or legislative staff, community or business leaders, program leadership, and similar audiences.
- Experience negotiating complex agreements.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Multi-lingual skills (e.g. Spanish, Portuguese, French) and multi-cultural experience appreciated.
- Master’s degree appreciated.
- Experience writing, editing, and presenting promotional influence, advocacy, and informational material.
- Experience cultivating champions, developing partnerships, and building diverse coalitions while guiding partnership development with non-profit partners NGOs, community groups, and government agencies in diverse cultural contexts. Able to influence and work productively with a wide range of stakeholders with cultural sensitivity and ethical consideration.
- Experience presenting to and communicating with management-level individuals within the corporate sector.
- Experience influencing, developing, and implementing government policy and plans.
- Experience managing political campaigns, including government relations strategies and negotiations.
- Excellent team player with experience working in multi-disciplinary groups, using influence and interpersonal skills, listening, diplomacy, and tact to build strong relationships with governments, corporations, partners, donors, volunteers, and all levels of staff.
SALARY INFORMATION
This position may be based in any country where TNC has an established entity, taking into consideration legal restrictions, such as non-national ratios and immigration processing times. For U.S. based applicants only, the starting pay range for this position is generally within the range of $80,000 - $130,000 for annual base salary and is based on location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. This range only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. For all other applicants, pay ranges will be in local currency, the pay range will be based on the local labor market, and not tied to the above pay range. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment and used to determine your actual pay range. Additionally, for all applicants, actual pay will fall within a range based on a variety of factors including, for example, the candidate’s qualifications, specific skills, and experience.
APPLY NOW
To apply for job ID 55666, submit your materials online by using the Apply Now button at https://careers.nature.org/. Need help applying? Visit our recruitment page or contact applyhelp@tnc.org.
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 people 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.
TNC is committed to offering accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please send a note to applyhelp@tnc.org with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.
An attractive salary and benefits package is part of TNC’s value proposition to our employees. TNC strives to provide competitive pay and bases salaries on the geographic location of the role committing to being equitable across groups and providing hiring salary ranges when possible.
Since we support flexible and remote work for our employees, many positions have a flexible location within countries where we’re registered as a Non-government Organization and established as an employer. This may mean we’re unable to provide a hiring salary range in the posting for some of our positions. However, candidates invited to be part of our interview process will be provided their location specific range upon request.