About Rights and Resources Initiative

The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) is a global coalition of over 150 organizations dedicated to advancing the forestland and resource rights of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, local communities, and the women within them. RRI leverages the power of its global coalition to amplify the voices of local peoples and proactively engage governments, multilateral institutions, and private sector actors to adopt institutional and market reforms that support the realization of rights. It works to unblock political obstacles to create the enabling conditions for recognition of land rights, pilot implementation, and create pathways to scale.

About CLARIFI

The Community Land Rights and Conservation Finance Initiative (CLARIFI) is a new international funding mechanism created by RRI and Campaign for Nature to fulfill a critical gap in the current ecosystem of funding for Indigenous and community rights and conservation. It aims to contribute to raising and deploying US$10 billion in public and private funds by 2030 to secure Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendant Peoples’, and local communities’ land rights and to support their conservation and development initiatives.

Through targeted funding, coordination, and multi-level advocacy, CLARIFI will help Indigenous and community rightsholders tap into new and existing funding to secure tenure, and to create and implement plans to support their conservation, livelihoods, gender justice, and self-determined development. It will mobilize large-scale funding from diverse sources concurrent with technical and organizational support. CLARIFI’s regranting mechanism will be flexible and able to work in various developmental and political contexts to coordinate with various actors to support a broad range of activities. It will contribute to raising USD $10 billion by 2030 to achieve the following goals:

• Help protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030 by adding 400 million hectares to Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendant Peoples’, and local communities’ legally recognized territories.
• Reduce deforestation to help reach the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.
• Increase these communities’ legal land ownership to at least 50% of all tropical forests.

Role and Responsibilities

The Director of CLARIFI shall be fully committed to RRI’s mission and have proven program leadership experience with issues and institutions focused on collective land and forest rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, nature conservation, and climate change at national and international levels.

The Director will report to the President of the Rights and Resources Group (RRG, the coordinating mechanism of RRI) and support the President’s responsibilities for reporting on CLARIFI to the RRG Board. The Director will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for CLARIFI, including supervision of a small secretariat team and supporting the CLARIFI Steering Committee.

This is a full-time position based in Washington, DC, Montreal, or a negotiable international location.

Applicants for the Washington, DC or international locations should apply to this offer. To apply for the Montreal location, please visit: https://apply.workable.com/j/05DC2D4AF9

Nationality: All nationalities eligible with a possibility for visa sponsorship. People of color, people from Indigenous, Afro-descendant and local communities, women, and LGBTQ+ persons are strongly encouraged to apply.

Essential Job Functions

• Establish CLARIFI as highly credible and respected financial mechanism to support the enabling conditions for tenure security, conservation, and improved livelihoods.
• Liaise with leaders and other institutions within the international development arena to advance the mission of CLARIFI and RRI.
• Lead CLARIFI’s fundraising and maintain strong relationships with donors.
• Prepare and implement annual and multiannual work programs focused on CLARIFI’s fit-for-purpose re-granting mechanism to support Indigenous and community-led initiatives across several programmatic windows (including advocacy and legal support, forest management, rights-based conservation and business models, environmental and human rights defenders, and organizational capacity).
• Develop and implement a fit-for-purpose approach to sourcing projects that meet CLARIFI’s funding criteria.
• Day-to-day direction and management of CLARIFI staff, including recruitment.
• Preparation and organization of CLARIFI Steering Committee meetings, and implementation of governing board decisions.
• Preparation and execution of CLARIFI’s budget, ensuring that it is managed efficiently and according to the principles of sound financial management.
• Facilitating cooperation between CLARIFI and a diverse set of stakeholders across the sector.
• Maintain strong communications with key constituencies, the public, and the global media to promote CLARIFI’s mission.

Leadership & Management

• Ensure ongoing programmatic excellence, rigorous (fit-for-purpose) monitoring and evaluation, and consistent quality of finance and administration, fundraising, communications, and systems.
• Actively engage and energize the CLARIFI Steering Committee members, partnering organizations, relevant government agencies, and funders.
• Lead, coach, develop, and retain CLARIFI’s staff while building relationships with the broader RRG staff and coalition partners.
• Ensure effective systems to track progress and regularly evaluate program components to measure impact that can be effectively communicated to the board, funders, and other constituents.

Fundraising, Communications and Outreach

• Expand fundraising activities to support existing operations and growth.
• Deepen and refine CLARIFI’s strategic communications strategy and global image.
• Use external events and relationships to garner new opportunities for fundraising.
• Build partnerships and relationships with peers as well as leaders in new areas.
• Establish an external international presence that clearly communicates CLARIFI’s impact with an emphasis on using its program successes as a model for replication.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in International Studies, Environment, Social Sciences, Law, or another related field.
• At least 15 years of professional experience required, with a minimum of 5 years in executive management.
• Exceptional communications, public relations, and fundraising skills with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders across various cultures.
• Experience in supporting implementation of collective land and forest rights and with organizations advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples and/or local communities´ is required.
• Professional fluency in English and either French and/or Spanish required.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and operationalizing strategies to take an organization to the next stage of growth.
• Organizational management experience with the ability to coach staff, manage, and develop high performance teams, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage budgets.
• Demonstrated success in working with a board of directors and ability to cultivate existing board member relationships.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills.
• Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people.
• Prior experience liaising with international institutions, including multilateral development banks, bilateral and multilateral donors, and private philanthropic actors.
• A demonstrated ability to quickly adapt to unexpected circumstances and new opportunities with positive attitude, passion, and integrity.
• Demonstrated capability to work independently under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Ability and confidence to effectively and respectfully facilitate meetings with diverse participants from community representatives to high-ranking government ministers.
• Respect for different cultural perspectives and approaches toward accomplishing shared goals.
• Ability to undertake frequent international travel.
• Experience living and working in a developing country is highly desired.

Preferred Attributes, Abilities and Skills or Experiences

• Entrepreneurial, adaptable, and innovative approach to business planning.
• Experience with legal frameworks affecting/defining Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ land rights.
• Experience mainstreaming gender issues and conflict resolution.
• Experience/understanding of public administration at national or subnational level.
• Organizational startup and operationalizing experience demonstrating the ability to assume an existing portfolio of programs, a defined mission, policies, obligations, and funding.
• Knowledge and experience in collective land and forest tenure policy implementation.

Application Process

Your cover letter should address the following questions:

• Why are you interested in this position, in CLARIFI, and RRI?
• How do you believe your skills and experiences will meet the needs of this position?
• How did you learn about this position?

In your résumé/curriculum vitae (CV), please include your most recent experiences in the last 5 years in which you acquired management experience (including staff & consultants supervised, budget and program size, and achievements, etc.).

Rights and Resources Group (RRG) is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace in which all employees have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the success of the organization and are valued for their skills, experience, and unique perspectives.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, RRG makes all employment-related decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, political affiliation or belief, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, personal appearance, family responsibilities, matriculation or any other category protected by applicable law.