Job Opportunity for Ghod River Water Fund Lead at The Nature Conservancy in New Delhi

OFFICE LOCATION

New Delhi, India, with preference for Pune, Maharashta and frequent travel to New Delhi

WHO WE ARE

Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has been doing work you can believe in protecting the lands and waters that all life depends on. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. 

We’re rooted in our Mission and guided by our Values, which includes a Commitment to Diversity and Respect for People, Communities, and Cultures. We know we’ll only achieve our Mission by hiring and engaging a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we work. Whether it’s career development, work/life balance, or a rewarding mission, there’s lots of reasons to love life #insideTNC. Our goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all of our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging, and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued.

Although you’ll see requirements in our postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job. Passion, innovation, and diversity are all key components to advancing our Mission and we encourage you to apply.

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW:  A PIONEER IN CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP

This is an exciting time at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as we are shifting our strategy for greater impact in the world seeking to address some of the most complex challenges facing people and nature—issues such as climate change, conserving lands, waters, and oceans at unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more resilient and sustainable.  

Our Mission: TNC’s mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Rather than viewing development – including economic growth – and conservation as contradictory goals, the Company works to demonstrate how nature has value for people and development and how nature can provide enormous economic benefit. TNC envision a future where people and nature can flourish together.

Our Vision: A world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its own sake and its ability to fulfil our needs and enrich our lives. 

The Conservancy Team: We achieve this through the dedicated efforts of our 3,800 diverse staff, including more than 600 scientists, all of whom support conservation in 79 countries and all 50 United States. We are striving to develop a workforce as diverse as the places where we work, and we have a deep commitment to diversity.

About the Employer: Nature Conservancy India Solutions Private Limited (NCIS) is a wholly owned Indian subsidiary of The Nature Conservancy.  NCIS is a private limited company incorporated under the Companies Act 2013, having it registered office in India at Annexe Building Ground Floor B-4, Greater Kailash Enclave Part II, New Delhi. 110048. The company currently provides technical consultancy, monitoring & evaluation and other relate services in the domain of conservation and environment to it various clients.  The company under Indian laws can also provide fee-based service to clients (development organizations, Corporates and Govt. Agencies) within and outside India.  The company has all the required registrations under the relevant laws to provide such fee-based services in India.

YOUR POSITION WITH TNC

The Nature Conservancy has initiated a project titled “Catalyzing Collective Action for Water Security in Maharashtra” under which it is proposed to establish Ghod River Water Fund to showcase a pragmatic, long-term solution that improves lives, provides water security and thus enabling prosperity of the local communities. The water fund is a governance and finance mechanism that improves water security through collective action, allowing downstream water users to invest collectively in upstream water and land conservation. Water funds help to manage the significant complexities associated with water risk and nature-based source water protection and have the potential to bring widespread water security and economic benefits to India’s burgeoning cities and rural communities.

The Ghod River Water Fund Lead oversees all aspects of the Ghod River Water Fund, a pilot water fund for India. They are responsible for all operational oversight regarding institutional development, budgeting, resource mobilization, grants management, community and stakeholder engagement and staff coordination. They provide strategic leadership and support for the Conservancy’s conservation planning work and establishes overall conservation priorities for the Ghod River Water Fund. This position reports to the Managing Director, India and will work closely with the Global Resilient Watersheds team.  The preferred location for this position is Prune, Maharashtra with frequent travel to New Delhi. This is a local India hire, no visa assistance of sponsorship is offered with this position.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Ghod River Water Fund Lead develops and implements a business plan for the Water Fund and serves as the principal contact to government agencies, corporates, other conservation organizations, foundations and the academic community to implement the Ghod River Water Fund.  They will play a leading role in donor identification, cultivation and stewardship for the program. The Ghod River Water Fund Lead disseminates best practices, provides training and analyses to best implement organizational measures of success, and develop key partnerships with public & private organizations in order to identify and resolve technical issues and to widely communicate solutions, innovative scientific methods, analysis, tools and frameworks to address the natural system needs. They establish the Conservancy as a major conservation partner within the area of responsibility, define conservation priorities in the area of responsibility, lead and manage team(s) which supports and improves conservation efforts, and builds strategic, scientific, and technical capacity in the field. They engage local community support for local conservation efforts, negotiate complex and innovative solutions with government agencies and landowners to conserve and protect natural resources, and develop and implement conservation strategies, while safeguarding the interests of local communities.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE

• Develop and implement the Ghod River Water Fund’s business plan, ensuring that it realistically meets the needs of stakeholders in the region.
• Lead all outreach to public and private institutional partners to engage and support the Water Fund.
• Design and execute fundraising strategies, ensuring targets are met.
• Recruit stakeholders to serve on an interim Advisory Board/Steering Committee, which will oversee the preparation of the Ghod River Water Fund strategy and will provide the basis for the subsequent establishment of long-term governance arrangements. Organize and manage meetings.
• Geographic/programmatic size and scope to initially cover the Ghod river basin, but potential to expand to multiple locations depending on demand for water funds and watershed conservation programs across India.                         
• Recruits, retains and manages high quality and effective multi-disciplinary staff with responsibility for performance management, training and career development.  
• Develops long-term strategies and achieves strategic goals and objectives.
• Develop a network of Water Fund champions for various cities and watersheds including representatives from governments, utilities, corporates and civil society, as appropriate.
• Represents the TNC India program in global dialogue regarding Resilient Watersheds, including source water protection, nature-based solutions, Water Funds and related conservation matters.
• May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances.
• Makes independent strategic decisions frequently based on analysis, ambiguous information, experience and judgment.
• May require frequent travel domestically and/or internationally.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• BA/BS degree and 10 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with Local Authority planning processes, water resource management, flood risk or water quality and environmental issues.
• Experience working with economic and environmental issues and opportunities which exist within the Ghod River basin, and Maharashtra, more broadly.
• Fundraising experience, including identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation.
• Experience directing a major program or project of strategic importance, including management/supervision of multi-disciplinary teams and meeting deadlines.
• Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives, managing performance, and professional development.
• Experience influencing, developing and implementing conservation policy and plans at the state or country level. 
• Experience with financial management of a large program.
• Experience negotiating through potentially contentious or conflicting issues to gain consensus
• Experience communicating clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means in English, Hindi and other relevant languages. 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Multi- lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated. Proficiency in Marathi highly desired.
• Master level degree and 10-12 years’ experience in water conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience. 
• Stakeholder management and networking experience , and the ability to communicate and engage to build strong relationships.
• Experience managing and leading people representing a diverse range of views from a diverse set of organizations.
• Experience working strategically whilst maintaining an eye for detail.
• Developing practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
• Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives and experience conceiving and implementing strategic initiatives.
• Politically savvy.

APPLY NOW

To apply for job ID 50509, visit our career application portal. Please submit your materials online (both resume and cover letter required) by using the Apply Now button. this position will remain open until filled and applications are reviewed in teh order in which they are received.

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.