event 16 jul. 2021

Vacancy// Director, Freshwater & Food Transformation at WWF in Washington, DC

World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, seeks a Director for the Freshwater & Food Transformation team. The Director will provide strategic and project management leadership for WWF’s corporate engagement, with a particular focus on connecting water stewardship and improved food systems, agriculture, and livestock commodities. Application deadline: ASAP

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Overview

The Freshwater and Food Transformation team (FFT) is a cross-cutting team within the Freshwater & Food goal that focuses on transforming the way companies create and act on sustainability programs and thereby transforming the kind of impact corporates can have in WWF’s priority landscapes and key river basins. The FFT team seeks to leverage both bilateral engagements with companies as well as collective action corporate platforms to shift market drivers and demand signals by corporates for sustainable commodities as well as identify opportunities for corporate action in priority conservation landscapes. The incumbent will lead, manage, and support a portfolio of engagements and the FFT team to carry out the overall mission of the Freshwater and Food team.

The Director, Freshwater & Food Transformation will provide strategic and project management leadership for WWF’s corporate engagement, with a particular focus on connecting water stewardship and improved food systems, agriculture, and livestock commodities. Working closely with the corporate lead for water stewardship and the rest of the FFT team, the Director will focus especially on developing the corporate strategy and execution plan to implement the sustainable protein agenda for WWF and will engage closely with the leadership of major initiatives in Freshwater and Food as well as other Goal teams including Markets, Forests, Oceans, and Climate. The incumbent will co-lead the development of integrated strategies to transform the way businesses stewards water and agriculture within their operations, supply chains and landscapes.

The incumbent will be working hand in hand with partnership leads in WWF’s Private Sector Engagement (PSE) team, WWF global network colleagues and other key internal and external stakeholders to help manage and grow and ensure impact from WWF's private-sector partnerships. This includes oversight of Freshwater and Food’s corporate partnerships, platforms, and projects, internal budget, internal review of documents of engagement, managing staff and aligning and implementing department strategy.

Tasks and responsibilities

  • Oversee the development and implementation of the Freshwater & Food Transformation corporate engagement strategy for Food goal.
  • Leads corporate engagement for the Freshwater & Food teams and ensures corporate strategies have a clear theory of change to support WWF’s conservation objectives and are aligned across freshwater and food goals, with the Private Sector Engagement team, and across multiple corporate partnerships.
  • Leads the development of a strategy for individual companies and for corporate platforms across sectors integral to meeting Freshwater and Food goal objectives, e.g., specific commodities like soy, beef, and others, and works closely with the team to develop proposals and plans for specific private sector engagements.
  • Manages members of the team that will include technical and operations staff, ensuring good communications, clear goals, continual feedback, and cooperation.
  • Represents WWF at relevant internal and external events and meetings on food issues related to Corporate Engagement on Freshwater & Food.
  • Leads and organizes stakeholder and partner group meetings.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

  • A Bachelor’s degree is required, a master’s degree in a related technical field such as Environmental Studies, International Development, and/or an MBA is preferred.
  • 10+ years’ leadership experience developing corporate sustainability strategy at a food or beverage company, conservation nonprofit strategy, trade association, or other relevant organization.
  • At least 6+ years leading or managing teams, portfolios, budgets, and performance metrics at a global scale across commodities and geographies, preferably within a corporate setting.
  • Demonstrated experience developing sustainability strategy for specific commodities or sector areas especially across a matrixed and decentralized team and organizational structure, and the track record of success in driving the implementation of sustainability practices within a corporate setting and across supply chains
  • Strong understanding of commodity markets and supply chains, corporate procurement practices, business drivers, risks, challenges and constraints, and sustainable agricultural production practices.
  • Strong technical expertise and knowledge of regenerative agriculture, livestock production, row crop production and/or tropical agriculture are preferred.
  • Excellent people, team management, and time management skills. Ability to work well in a matrixed environment with cross-functional teams and competing priorities.
  • Strong, proactive, and transparent communications and collaboration skills are required. Ability to develop strategies, actions, and priorities that translate corporate objectives to WWF’s conservation agenda, and vice versa.
  • Ability to operate independently and across teams, under pressure, to meet deadlines and commitments and to proactively seek guidance, feedback and support when needed.
  • Experience both domestically in the United States and internationally with livestock, row crop, and priority commodities desirable.
  • Knowledge of English required. Knowledge of additional languages including Spanish, French, Chinese, or other languages is highly desirable.
  • Committed to the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) principles of the Freshwater and Food team.
  • Identifies and aligns with the core values of the WWF organization: Courage, Integrity, Respect, and Collaboration.
  • This position is based in Washington, DC and is for a three-year term.

Application

  • Submit cover letter and resume through the WWF Careers Page, Requisition #21059.

More information

More information on the WWF Career website.

Related articles

- Publication // The Water-Food-Energy Nexus: Insights into resilient development

- UN Freshwater Strategy 2017-2021

- Publication // The State of Food and Agriculture 2020 - Overcoming Water Challenges in Agriculture

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