Senior Manager/Strategic Lead – Corporate Water Stewardship at World Wide Fund for Nature

WWF (The World Wide Fund for Nature) is an International Non-Governmental Organization. Our mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. WWF is working with companies, governments, communities and other partners in watershed protection and the sustainable management of shared water resources in the public interest through collective actions at basin level. WWF has worked on freshwater conservation for decades and is a strong advocate for responsible private sector engagement on water issues.

The Position

The position will focus on developing green business propositions, catalyzing bankable projects, for concrete projects on climate-smart agriculture, sustainable water management, food security and ecosystem restoration solutions. These should contribute to climate-resilient and inclusive developments. WWF facilitates public-private collaboration and attraction of investments that will scale up such climate action projects at the landscape level and attract investments both from investors within and outside of the landscape, while tackling the impacts of climate change. This position will also analyze business opportunities and existing bottlenecks in order to promote private sector investment in green technologies.

By identifying the right type of projects and supporting those through the process towards getting realized (incl. connecting to adequate funders), we help to create a direct positive impact on the river basins and forestry landscapes we try to protect.

You’ll be reporting to WWF Zambia’s Freshwater Program Team Leader and have frequent, direct and diverse working relationships and partnerships with external organisations at senior and very senior levels. You will also represent WWF Zambia in national and international fora where appropriate.

Specific Roles and Responsibilities

1. Provide overall strategic management oversight for the Freshwater Programmes’ Water Stewardship Projects in the Kafue landscape.

• Develop and nurture priority sector and company relationships, and ensure alignment of WWF conservation priorities with corporates’ water stewardship needs.
• Facilitate the development of an understanding among WWF Zambia staff and key corporate partners of the landscape approach and landscape finance applications; including facilitating training on landscape approaches, carbon and other finance tools and approaches.
• With the support of the Water Stewardship Manager, work in close association with project personnel, corporate partners, grantees, donors, and consultants, and others to facilitate coordination, communication, and regular reporting of WWF Zambia’s Water Stewardship initiatives. Administer and monitors the budgets of assigned contracts and cooperative agreements, ensuring that reporting is accurate and timely. Review the status of projects in key landscapes, identifying problems and formulate recommendations for corrective action as appropriate. Follows up on deliverables and other requirements.

2. Develop bankable water solutions with corporate partners

• Lead in the development of project concept(s) in order to assess potential funding sources for implementing projects.
• Mobilize and liaise with local and international corporate partners and investors active or interested in transforming national business practices and investing in green development in key Zambezi River basin landscapes, in collaboration with the relevant WWF Practices.
• Prepare and/or finalize scopes of work, budgets, and administrative information for contracts and ensure compliance with corporate partners and/or donor requirements.

3. Analyze, research and create solutions

• Contribute to research and analysis related to the private sector, corporate fora and associations, pertinent institutions, non-governmental organizations, and governments in support of corporate collective action and water stewardship change in priority business sectors.
• Track international and corporate policies and decisions that may affect WWF-Zambia’s freshwater conservation goals.
• In close collaboration with the WWF network Practices, keep up to date with existing and emerging water and supply chain analyses for use with priority sectors and bi-lateral partnerships.

Qualifications and Experience

The incumbent must bring a combination of project management experience and a background in finance or business corporate sustainability.

• Master’s degree in the field of Economics, Finance or Business (preferable)
• Minimum 5 years experience in project management in multi-stakeholder collaborative projects
• Experience with public donors
• Strong financial and budgeting experience
• Experience of working with local offices, consultants and external parties, where necessary, to achieve desired outcomes
• Experience with working with people from different backgrounds

Desired Skills and Competencies

• Analytical, strategic; sees the big picture
• Proven organizational, diplomatic and negotiating skills that yield positive results on the sustainability agenda, especially as it relates to the finance and business world
• Strong ability to lead the implementation of large-sized projects, including working with and coordinating funding partners, third parties and users
• Ability to work effectively as a team member with a wide range of individuals across cultures and time zones
• Independent worker, pro-active in thinking about opportunities to further improve the work
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral
• Strong interest in nature conservation and the mission of WWF
• Prior experience in assessing financial institutions and climate risks would be an advantage
• Adherence to WWF’s values: knowledgeable, Optimistic, determined and Engaging.
• Exemplification of WWF’s key behaviors: Strive for Impact, Listen Deeply, Collaborate Openly, and Innovate Fearlessly

A willingness to be based in Lusaka and the embodiment of WWF Global behavioral competencies:

• Strive for Impact «I am results driven. Everything I do, the way I think, plan and implement is driven by a relentless search for impact.»
• Listen Deeply «I go beyond my point of view and strive to see the bigger picture from different perspectives. I stay curious and listen deeply to what others have to say.»
• Collaborate Openly «I’m a global citizen working for a living planet. I am constantly thinking of how with others, together, we can be more impactful. I work across boundaries, openly ask for help and share what I know, both internally and externally.»
• Innovate Fearlessly «I take risks to find better solutions. I measure progress and learn from mistakes. I share both success & failures. I encourage others to do the same.»

Line Management

The incumbent will report to the Freshwater Program Manager. As well as being an integral part of WWF-Zambia Freshwater Team, the post-holder will be expected to work closely with other colleagues in the WWF Zambia office, including the (thematic) project leaders and those leading on interventions in the Lower Kafue sub-basin, across programs.  He/she will also work in close partnership with colleagues across the WWF Network, especially the water stewardship and Africa freshwater officers in WWF Germany, WWF Netherlands and other relevant offices as such SA, US and UK and the Head of the Water Stewardship programme in WWF International.

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