Climate Policy Director - Africa

Wildlife Works is a community-centered wildlife conservation company that implements market-based initiatives to protect the planet’s threatened wilderness and endangered wildlife. The company was founded on the premise that if we want wildlife in our world, it has to work for local communities who share their environment. Wildlife Works’ conservation projects drive direct financing to forest communities to fund their own economic development while preventing millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere annually.

The Climate Policy Director Africa position is a senior role that will be responsible for analyzing climate and forestry policy, as well as voluntary and compliance market and REDD+ regulation as emerging across Africa, and for identifying and implementing opportunities for Wildlife Works’ active participation in the creation of the carbon markets in Africa. The Climate Policy Director position will be preferably be based in Nairobi or Accra and will be part of the global Policy and External Affairs Department (PEAD) based in the UK. While the position focuses on Africa and will work closely with Wildlife Works regional and country teams in Africa, collaboration across regions to foster south-south collaboration particularly between the DRC, Brazil and Indonesia will be part of the role.

Responsibilities:

• Carry out policy and legislative research on domestic climate policies, National Determined Contributions, forest conservation strategies (REDD+) as well as voluntary and compliance carbon pricing plans across countries of interest to WWC in Africa.
• Develop and implement high-level government engagement strategies to foster south-south collaboration between governments on creating investment environments and REDD+ regulation that attract private finance.
• Develop and implement an advocacy strategy to develop an African perspective on quality REDD+ credits and promote its adoption in national regulation, in close collaboration with WWC departments.
• Be a main contact and spokesperson for WWC’s quality REDD+ projects in the region.
• Support feasibility studies and build government relations as needed.

• Support communications strategies with public and expert audiences as needed.
• Develop and write presentations, reports, and training materials for use in the region, and across different time zones.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in environmental law, environmental policy or related field preferred.
• 7 Years of demonstrable relevant working experience in the public sector or in a regulatory affairs function for a profit or non-profit organization
• Understanding of national climate policies, Nationally Determined Contributions, and interlinkages with forest and land use sector strategies in the region.
• Familiarity with policy, legal, and institutional frameworks in areas relevant to private REDD+ project implementation, including forest and land licensing and land titling.
• Ability to accurately interpret legal documents and clearly convey their contents.

• Ability to maintain good communications and reports across two teams, one international and one national.
• Ability to work within timeframe of standard policies and procedures.
• Excellent ability to multi-task and prioritize in a busy, fast-growth environment.
• Team player with an ability and willingness to build new knowledge and share it across teams and countries.
• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel and Power Point is essential.

• Exhibit extraordinary discretion, confidentiality, flexibility, and willingness to work closely with our global team.
• The ability to travel nationally and internationality.
• Excellent verbal and writing communication skills.