Location: Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest, Kiev or Sofia. In exceptional cases, another location in the Central and Eastern European region may be considered.

Application Deadline: August 17, 2020

WWF is the world's largest conservation organization, founded in 1961. We’re active in over 100 countries and have over 7000 employees. WWF-CEE (formerly WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme) is responsible for leading and implementing WWF’s efforts to preserve, restore and sustainably manage the natural values of the Danube-Carpathian ecoregion – the “Green Heart of Europe”. Over the past twenty years, WWF-CEE has played a leading role in efforts to restore and sustainably manage the natural values of Central and Southeastern Europe, the “Green Heart of Europe”.

The Regional Forest Lead contributes to the WWF mission in general and to WWF´s objectives in Central and Eastern Europe in particular through leading the preparation and implementation of multi-country, integrated projects and advocacy work related to sustainable forest management and conservation at regional level. The Regional Forest Lead also represents WWF-CEE in forest related issues both within the global WWF network and externally, and is responsible for developing partnerships.

The Regional Forest Lead’s responsibilities include:
Strategy and work plan development

• Leads the development and implementation of forest components of WWF-CEE´s regional Strategic Plan and supports national strategies and work plans
• Leads the development of policy documents of WWF-CEE related to forestry and contributes to policy documents of other conservation staff, where relevant

Fundraising and proposal writing

• Drives identification and coordinates development of multi-country, complex proposals to donors, working and collaborating with essential regional partners, and supports national level fundraising
• Maintains relations with key donors (EU, corporate/private)

Project management and implementation

• Supervises, leads or supports implementation of multi-country projects related to forest management and conservation and related fields
• Advises WWF-CEE project teams working on forest-related issues

Advocacy, partnership development and networking

• Represents the organization in relevant international forums such as conferences, symposiums, and governmental and community meetings to communicate and promote our work
• Leads and supports development and implementation of forest related advocacy strategies, including engagement with European Institutions, Members of European Parliament and other international organizations
• Develops partnerships with other international Civil Society Organizations
• Represents WWF interests in regional, European or international bodies as Carpathian Convention Working Group on Forests, Technical Forest related Working Groups of the European Commission (e.g. DG Agri’s Civil Dialogue Group Forest & Cork, EUTR/FLEGT Expert Group)
• Represents WWF CEE in WWF forums and ACAIs such as the global WWF Forest Practice, WWF EU Forest group, Forest Sector Transformation & Valuation ACAI and coordinates positioning of WWF CEE within the WWF network on forest issues
• Represents WWF CEE in project management groups or project steering groups of regional or EU wide projects (e.g. WWF - IKEA, LIFE Climate Smart Forest Management)

Staff development and knowledge management

• Supports WWF-CEE´s capacity building efforts on forest issues by coaching and mentoring colleagues and contributing to the design of relevant training programmes and events
• Facilitates the exchange of forest management and conservation knowledge both within WWF-CEE and with other WWF offices and the external expert and practitioners’ community
• Champions on-going learning in the regional forest team, via structured knowledge-sharing and training initiatives

Research and analysis

• Monitors and analyses drivers of and trends in the regional forest sector and develops strategies for reducing threats to forest conservation and for using opportunities
• Guides the development of innovative approaches in the field of integrated forest conservation within WWF-CEE
• Liaises with scientists and scientific institutions (e.g. Science for the Carpathians network, universities) and networks (e.g. Carpathian Network of Protected Areas) for knowledge transfer and partnership development

Communications

• Works in close coordination with the WWF-CEE regional communication team as well as across the network to communicate issues and achievements to defined target audiences.
• Leads the development of knowledge products showcasing results of WWF-CEE´s forest-related activities
• Contributes to the development and implementation of advocacy campaigns and information campaigns

The ideal candidate would have:

• MSc in forest management, forest conservation, conservation biology or related field
• At least 7 years relevant work experience in the area of conservation and sustainable forest management
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of sustainable forest management and forest conservation, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe
• Understanding of related subjects such as economics, natural resource management, climate & energy policies, management of ecological corridors and/or conservation of large carnivores, management of protected areas
• Experience in coordinating/managing diverse international teams
• Experience in engaging with high-level officials from government and the private sector in a strategic manner
• Experience in proposal writing for large projects
• Ambition, energy and drive, with a commitment to making a difference
• Excellent interpersonal and team building abilities
• Excellent oral and written communications skills in English and one other language of the region
• Ability to collect, analyse and transmit information in an effective manner
• Strategic thinking
• Leadership and team coordination skills
• Project management knowledge and applied skills
• Proficiency in MS Office
• Ability to work in an international environment and within a multi-cultural team
• commitment to WWF’s mission and behaviors – Strive for Impact, Listen deeply, Collaborate openly and Innovate fearlessly

We offer:

• the opportunity to make a difference – for the CEE region and for WWF
• challenging and fulfilling work in one of Europe’s most exciting eco-regions
• friendly and highly professional working atmosphere in an international context
• varying tasks and independent work style
• a pleasant working atmosphere and great learning environment
• a competitive salary* according to NGO standards

*Please note that we do not offer a relocation package. The compensation package will be aligned with local salary and benefits conditions, in line with our reward policy.
If you are interested in joining our team, send your CV and cover letter (in English) to the attention of Tsveta Petrushinova, Regional HR Manager at hr@wwf.bg no later than 17 August 2020. Please understand that we can only reply to short-listed candidates.
For more information about WWF-CEE, kindly check the website: http://panda.org/cee