Project Manager, Rainforest Alliance – Kentucky

Organization: Rainforest Alliance

Position Title: Project Manager

Location: Kentucky

Application Deadline: August 29, 2015

Description: The Project Manager will oversee overall day-to-day management of Southeast US Forestry project activities including oversight and management of contractors and consulting agreements. S/he will provide the necessary technical guidance to ensure successful implementation of specific project tasks and completion of deliverables. This initiative has brought together an alliance of companies- Domtar, Avery Dennison, Columbia Forest Products, and Staples Inc. – with Rainforest Alliance to work with local groups, landowner associations, consulting foresters and other stakeholders to increase participation of family forest owners in scientific, sustainable forest management. A three-year investment is aimed at: demonstrating the economic, social, and environmental value of sustainable forest management and the potential of certification to deliver value to private forestland owners; recruiting the landowners and their partners (e.g. masterloggers); and creating new linkages to buyers interested in sustainable products in order to meet demand and support the landowners’ investment. The Project Manager will also organize and coordinate various meetings with partners and stakeholders and serve as project liaison with sponsoring corporations, collaborating organizations and Rainforest Alliance staff to ensure that all project planning and reporting needs are met.

Responsibilities:

• Provide technical direction and coordination of activities for each of the five established project themes: a) landowner outreach & education; b) streamlined sourcing assurance; c) maintaining healthy forest ecosystems; d) measuring project results; e) communicating success;
• Develop innovative technical, institutional and policy approaches to achieving project goals and results;
• With guidance of senior staff, develop and implement strategic and operational work plans at project level, and provide specific technical assistance to ensure achievement of targets, results and deliverables defined in those plans;
• Foster strategic alliances and ensure coordination with partners, funders and other collaborators;
• Recruit stakeholder advisory group members and coordinate meetings and other stakeholder consultation;
• In collaboration with partners, stakeholders and other collaborators establish baseline scenarios, action steps and key performance indicators for project deliverables;

• Complete comprehensive literature review and compile lessons learned from previous and ongoing initiates, research and other efforts intended to advance adoption of sustainable forest management among family forest owners in the Southeast USA;
• Organize, lead and participate in landowner education and outreach workshops and development and distribution of collateral communication materials;
• Monitor and evaluate the implementation of the landowner outreach, streamlined sourcing assurance and maintenance of healthy forest ecosystem project themes in coordination with the Evaluation & Research team;
• Coordinate with appropriate staff to ensure the implementation of the Monitoring and Evaluation system developed for this project, including creating and updating of maps as applicable;
• Coordinate with Rainforest Alliance Communications staff to develop and distribute case studies and stories demonstrating the success of the project;
• Coordinate with Rainforest Alliance Finance & Administration to support the preparation and monitoring of budgets according to approved work plans, financial projections, internal procedures and policies, and donor requirements;
• Identify and develop opportunities for supplemental funding to this project;
• Coordinate with consultants on agreement scope of work and subsequent deliverables;
• Develop and deliver presentations and attend meetings in various public venues; andOther duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Forestry, Natural Resource Management, Natural Resource Economics or related field required; Advanced degree a plus;
• 7 – 10 years’ experience in forest management and policy;
• Applied forest management experience in the southeast region of the US is required, preferably with family forest owners; private sector experience is a plus;
• Strong knowledge of forestry and conservation issues, policies and institutions particularly as they relate to sustainable forest management on family forests in the southeast US region;
• Knowledge and experience with forest certification, other voluntary market based systems or regulatory incentives for encouraging responsible stewardship of natural resources;
• Ability to collaborate with and cultivate constructive relationships among diverse stakeholders;
• Creative problem solving and ability to synthesize information from diverse sources including research, stakeholder input and direct experience;
• Experience in project planning, management and implementation;
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to cultivate relationships with family forest owners, consulting foresters and other natural resource professionals, loggers, government agencies, donor partners, private companies and NGOs and interact with diverse stakeholders and staff;
• Strong written, presentation and verbal skills, including demonstrated ability to prepare high quality progress and technical reports;
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to foster a strong sense of team work;
• Strong computer skills (MS Office and Internet); and
• Willingness and ability to travel a minimum of 35% of the time within the region.

How to apply: Please apply online at https://home.eease.adp.com/recruit/?id=13884631. Combine cover letter and resume as one single document and upload.