Winrock International Vacancy: Project Manager, Public Private Partnerships – Jakarta

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Project Manager, Public Private Partnerships – Jakarta, Indonesia

Effective with the release of this position announcement, Winrock International will be recruiting applicants for the Jakarta-based position of Project Manager, Public Private Partnerships with the Ecosystem Services Unit. The responsibilities, duties, and qualifications are described in the attached position description.

GENERAL:

Winrock International is a nonprofit organization that works with people in the United States and around the world to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources.

SALARY & BENEFITS:

The salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.  Excellent benefits.

APPLICATIONS:

Applicants should go to www.winrock.org to the Jobs link and submit a current resume, cover letter, and written response to the questions below referencing “Project Manager, Public Private Partnerships – ECO” by December 5, 2014.

Winrock would like to graciously thank all applicants for their interest but only candidates who meet all requisite criteria and are short listed will be contacted.

Please provide in your CVs and/or cover letter evidence of your involvement with:

• Palm / rubber / cocoa / forest products sector experience.
• Experience with “green businesses” in rural areas, such as agroforestry and/or ecotourism.
• Conservation financing methods such as PES (Payment for Ecosystem Services), carbon offsets, conservation grants.
• Industry certification standards such as the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) initiative.

This opening is on a very fast timeframe, so please send the required information noted above as soon as possible. 

NOTE: All candidates must prepare a written response (no more than 1 page total) to each question below. Please attach the response to the application. Applications received without a response to both questions below will not be considered.

• What is the best way to approach agribusiness or forest product companies about changing their business practices to reduce GHG emissions and conserve valuable forest land? 
• Describe one important thing you learned from working on a conservation finance or “green business” project in the past.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title: Project Manager, Public Private Partnerships 
LOCATION: Jakarta, Indonesia

Department: Environment Group – Ecosystems Services Unit

Reports to: Director, Ecosystems Services Unit

POSITION SUMMARY 

Contingent on funding approval, Winrock is looking to hire a Project Manager, Public Private Partnerships for the USAID/Indonesia LESTARI Program. Winrock is partner in a consortium bidding for this opportunity. Project Manager, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) will be responsible for implementing a project aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from palm oil, forestry concessions or other similar activities and ensuring economic and social welfare benefits for local stakeholders, by facilitating the creation or enhancement of PPPs. The Project Manager, Public Private Partnerships will also assist Winrock to develop a broader, complimentary program of work in this topic area. Privately held firms drive local economies and deforestation, so they need to be included in any approach to slow emissions and promote biodiversity conservation.  Firms also are under growing pressures to meet rapidly evolving sustainability and reduced emissions standards. However, most do not yet have tools to assess the potential GHG impacts, costs, and efficacy of these emerging goals, or to incorporate Best Management Practices.

The project will develop PPPs to promote and create a program for facilitating the drive towards sustainability in a set of landscapes in several Indonesian provinces, by providing incentives, industry recognition programs, and enhanced market access for participating firms. By constructively engaging conservation specialists with potential private sector investors, business associations at the national and provincial levels, and other financial stakeholders, productive PPPs can be developed that identify real investment incentives and result in adequate financing. Methods are likely to include industry certification, incentives for use of best management practices, and conservation management plans for natural forest concessions, industrial plantations, palm oil plantations and value chains critical to improved livelihoods.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Development of a public-private sector engagement strategy:

• Develop a PPP engagement strategy for climate change projects for selected provinces, via improved private sector and industry practices;
• Assess the most opportune “entry points” or approaches with the private sector for selected sectors, and barriers to those entry points; 
• Assess the potential for voluntary offsets of GHG emissions or CSR investments that can contribute to green growth objectives in the targeted provinces; 
• Assess the viability of engaging specific key companies for target sectors in commercial supply value chains to link with producer communities (as was done with IKEA and bamboo), and; 
• Work with selected plantations to identify opportunities to set aside HCV forest and conservation corridors, and/or to have them verify and report on these results in support of the Indonesia Palm Oil Pledge or other sustainability standards (ISPO and RSPO).

Project management and coordination:

• Establish working relationships with private agribusiness and forest product companies within the targeted landscapes; 
• Work with private company partners and the Winrock project team to devise an action plan for each company to modify its business practices to reduce the GHG emissions of its operations, and conserve high conservation value forest land within its concessions; 
• Lead feasibility studies for the establishment of new green businesses within the target landscapes, such as agroforestry and/or ecotourism; 
• Identify key stakeholders, organize and host sharing sessions for partners to identify opportunities for advancing the PPPs, and; 
• Coordinate and assist in completing the following deliverables with input from team and partners: 
• Draft Project Reports, as required (e.g., quarterly or annually). 
• Final Project Reports.

Business development:

• Assist with efforts to secure funded work with donors and private companies. Tasks may include communicating with potential clients; gathering data needed for proposals; recruiting local project partners and staff; and assisting with proposal writing.

The applicant will also be required to:

• Travel within Indonesia on visits expected to be 1-2 weeks long; 
• Hold weekly project update meetings with the Project Manager, based in Jakarta, the United States, or elsewhere, which may require some evening phone/skype calls; 
• Oversee project activities to ensure smooth management and timely implementation; 
• Closely follow the implementation plan and monitor each deliverable; 
• Represent Winrock at meetings and conferences as needed, in a professional manner;
• Manage sensitive subject areas with diplomacy, and;
• Address and proactively identify problems and challenges.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Degree in Agriculture, Forestry, Natural Resource Management, International Development, or related field. Master’s degree preferred. 
• Experience: 10 -15 years of relevant working experience. Knowledge and experience of the oil palm or other agricultural commodities sector, forest concession and marketing process, green business options for rural areas, industry certification standards such as ISPO, and/or deforestation issues in Indonesia preferred.  Five (5) years of experience in managing multidisciplinary (e.g., environmental, economic) and/or multi-stakeholder projects and staff. Experience in the commodities sector, with the private sector, preferred. Experience with conservation finance preferred.

Skills/Knowledge:          

• Excellent communicator (written and verbal) able to interact with a variety of groups including agriculture commodity or timber producers (corporate and smallholders), private companies, government officials, civil society organizations, etc.
• A proactive and resourceful team member able to work independently and remotely, while maintaining strong communications with international team members based outside Indonesia
• Fluent in Bahasa Indonesia and English.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills.
• Strong organizational and project management ability. Must be able to multi-task, prioritize, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to build and maintain strong and effective relationships with multiple stakeholders in Indonesia.
• Experience writing proposals for USAID or other donors (ADB, World Bank, or foundations) highly desirable.
• High level of proficiency in MS Office applications.