Back Countries Coordination Specialist, FOLU

This position will be hybrid and office based in London or The Hague; WRI Europe. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission. WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position.

This is a 12 month, limited term contract.

About the Program:

The Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) is a self-governed coalition of organisations and individuals working collaboratively to achieve a shared objective: the urgent transformation of food and land use systems to deliver a better future for people, nature and climate. FOLU supports science-based solutions and helps to build a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities to unlock collective, ambitious action. FOLU’s Growing Better report recommends an integrated reform agenda along ten critical transitions to deliver positive outcomes for environment, health, inclusive development and food security, ensuring food and land use systems support delivery of globally agreed sustainable development, climate and biodiversity goals. FOLU’s light-touch governance and adaptive management have enabled the FOLU community to grow and evolve since FOLU’s inception in 2017. The Coalition’s collective leadership is provided by a Core Partners Group comprised of: The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), EAT, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), SYSTEMIQ, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), World Farmers’ Organization (WFO), and the World Resources Institute (WRI). FOLU country platforms are operating in Kenya, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Colombia, with affiliate platforms in Australia and the UK. FOLU Brazil is in the process of being established. FOLU’s Ambassador Network is co-chaired by Shenggen Fan, Agnes Kalibata and Paul Polman. They are international, senior leaders who engage decision-makers at the global and national level to drive change in one or more FOLU countries.

Job Highlight:

You will report to FOLU's Countries and Impact Director.

You will help coordinate FOLU’s activities across its Country Platforms. This includes:

• Provide support to the FOLU country platforms on their project delivery and reporting
• Connect the country platforms with the global secretariat including facilitating learning
• Provide support for FOLU’s country platform expansion plans
• Support the development and implementation of activities to influence regional food-related policy in Europe, Africa and South America.

  This unique opportunity involves working with some of the world’s most prominent institutions and individuals in the fields of economics, agriculture, environment, health and nutrition. You will be based in one of the WRI Europe office either in London or in The Hague. The Countries & Impact Team will interact closely with FOLU’s Core Partners. Regular travel within Africa, South America and Europe is expected (approximatively 30% of working time).

  What will you do:

  Support FOLU Country Portfolio (60%):

  📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

  ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

  • Support the Country Directors in FOLU’s country platforms in Africa and South America (currently FOLU Ethiopia, FOLU Kenya, FOLU Brazil & FOLU Colombia) to enable the successful delivery of planned activities
  • Be extremely familiar with the country platforms within Africa and South America, understanding their contexts, partners and work programs. This will require regular contact with country teams (on a weekly basis) and frequent travel (at least one visit to each platform a year)
  • Work to resolve the operational and strategic challenges experienced by the country platforms – helping to problem solve and drive forward delivery
  • Work closely with the Funds Management Team to ensure timely disbursements, accurate forecasts and the appropriate allocation of resources. This includes ensuring complete reporting of country platform financials as needed
  • Support the country platforms with their resource mobilization efforts when needed, working closely with FOLU’s Senior Development Manager
  • In consultation with FOLU’s Director of Countries and Impact, provide regular structured feedback to country platforms on their performance, identifying risks and proposing mitigatory measures

    Bridge the global and country portfolios (20%):

    • Ensure that country platforms are kept informed about the activities and priorities of global teams and vice versa. This includes working with the Knowledge Engagement Team, the Communications Team and the Partnerships Team
    • Participate in internal meetings and workshops to represent the country platforms where necessary – sharing their knowledge and advocating for their needs
    • Ensure that country platforms provide complete and succinct narrative and strategic reporting – both for FOLU and donor purposes
    • Promote lesson learning and dissemination by participating in FOLU’s communities of practice and inputting into relevant Global Secretariat products
    • Working with other regional coordinators, lead the process for the design and organization of the annual FOLU learning event (previously called the Country Platform Council)

      Contribute to the Countries & Impact Team Strategic Goals (20%):

      • Work with colleagues in the Countries & Impact Team to develop a strategy for country expansion – to help the scale up and expansion of FOLU’s country platforms.
      • Contribute to other countries & impact team activities including managing portfolio performance.

        What will you need:

        • Education: You have a Bachelor’s degree in Environment Studies/Science, Agriculture/Food Systems, international development, Economics or a related area.
        • Experience: You have 3+ years of relevant, full-time work experience, including working with government, civil society, the private sector or international organizations working in a field relevant to food systems transformation
        • Experience working on relevant issues within a developing country context
        • Experience coordinating projects across multiple geographic locations
        • Experience working with diverse stakeholders, such as academia, government and the private sector
        • Experience in project management on donor-funded projects
        • Experience with relationship management in various cultural contexts
        • Languages: Proficient in written and verbal English. Proficiency in Portuguese or Spanish desirable
        • Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position. WRI is unable to authorize visa work authorization

          Potential Salary: The salary range for this role is between £38,000 to £45,000 if based in the UK and between € 49,000 to € 58,000 if based in the Netherlands. Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.

          How to Apply: Please submit a resume with cover letter by the date of November 30, 2023. You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

          What we offer:

          • A competitive salary
          • Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US
          • The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities.
          • A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work
          • The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI
          • Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours.
          • Generous leave days that increase with tenure

            About Us:

            Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.

            The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

            Our mission and values: