Congo Basin Engagement Associate, Global Forest Watch

This position can be based in the WRI office in Kinshasa, DRC, Brazzaville, RoC, or Cameroon.

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About the Program:**

To stop deforestation, we need to know where it is happening and who is responsible in time to take action. WRI is a leader in providing free, easy to use platforms with near real time information and analysis about when, where and why forests are changing around the world. WRI’s Global Forest Watch initiatives uses machine learning algorithms and expert analysis to distill satellite imagery, crowdsourced information, and hundreds of open datasets into actionable insights and policy-relevant information about forests worldwide. GFW’s suite of solutions are simple to use, allowing anyone with an internet connection or a mobile phone to access data, create dynamic maps, and produce custom analyses with just a few clicks. WRI’s Forest Atlases are co-created in collaboration with national governments to combine government data with the latest forest monitoring technology.  Designed for action, WRI enables researchers, government officials, companies, civil society organizations, and concerned citizens anywhere to make better-informed decisions about managing and conserving forests.

www.globalforestwatch.org

www.wri.org/initiatives/forest-atlases

**Job Highlight:
**You will serve as the primary focal point for engagement with regional actors, growing the usership and impact of WRI solutions related to forest monitoring data and technology, cultivating partnerships, and sharing target audience insights and strategies. You will also be supported by, and serve as the primary liaison between, Global Forest Watch’s global team and the monitoring/technical and communications experts in the Congo Basin. You will report directly to the Strategy Lead, People and Forest Protection and the Strategy and Engagement Lead for the Congo Basin.

This position will be a hybrid model of remote and in-office.

What you will do:

User Engagement and Capacity Building (25%)

• Collaborate with the WRI Africa technical team to design and lead online and in-person trainings for key partners and target audiences from government and civil society on how to effectively use WRI’s geospatial solutions for forest and land use monitoring
• Understand and document use cases of WRI forest monitoring tools, identify high impact opportunities, and work with technical teams in the region and globally to ensure product and research priorities are grounded in addressing user needs
• Serve as an internal resource for WRI Africa projects that use GFW, Forest Watcher, and/or MapBuilder
• Participate in the review and selection process of applicants to Global Forest Watch’s Small Grants Fund, and provide guidance and user support to grantees from the region.

Outreach and Communications (25%)

• Organize and facilitate knowledge exchange activities and events to foster a community of practice on forest monitoring through in-person and virtual events
• Represent WRI at key events and other engagement opportunities to promote GFW to target audiences and build relationships with existing partners and potential users
• Help devise launch and outreach strategies around new data and features, and conduct direct outreach to potential users and partners in the region
• Collect and document user stories, testimonials, and other examples of how people are using WRI forest monitoring tools in the WRI’s user story database, and, in collaboration with the Communications teams, draft content to share these user stories through communications products (e.g. blogs, podcasts, videos).

Project Management (25%)

• Establish objectives, key results and work plans for funding related to engagement activities, and coordinate activities across technical and communications teams in the Congo Basin
• Track communications with existing and potential partners and key contacts in Salesforce
• Track relevant engagement activities, outputs and outcomes, and contribute to quarterly narrative reports to funders
• Facilitate communication between the WRI Africa teams using forest monitoring solutions and the Global Forest Watch team through participation in regular meetings, email and other institutional communications platforms like Slack and Teams

Strategy and Impact (25%)

• In collaboration with the Strategy Lead, People and Forest Protection, and Congo Basin Strategy and Engagement Lead, develop and implement an engagement strategy related to WRI’s forest and land technology offer
• Conduct an opportunity assessment and stakeholder analysis of potential users and use cases in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and potentially other priority countries in the region, and devise and implement an engagement road map based on the results
• Identify and cultivate scaling partnerships with relevant organizations and platforms to expand the use of WRI forest monitoring solutions to existing national or regional networks
• Identify funding opportunities and provide input on fundraising proposals related to regional engagement activities.

What you will need:

• Education: You have a completed bachelor’s degree in environmental management, international development, communications, marketing, geography or related field

• Experience: You have 6+ years of full-time relevant work experience in international environmental issues, data/technology, policy or communications

• You have demonstrated engagement and partner management skills, with the ability to cultivate new partnerships, and track partnerships with tools like Salesforce

• You have demonstrated project management skills, delivering project results on time and within budget, using various tools such as Asana

• You have experience related to agriculture, forestry or land restoration, or relevant experience in a non-profit organisation

• You have experience in communicating complex concepts to diverse audiences, and presentation skills using tools like Powerpoint

• Languages: You are fully proficient in French and have professional working proficiency in English

• Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position is based. WRI is unable to support visa work authorization.

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Opportunity summary:**

Location: WRI office in the Congo Basin (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon)

Start date: Upon mutual agreement with candidate

**Potential Salary:
**
Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors. WRI offers a competitive remuneration and benefits package.

**How to Apply:
**
Please submit a resume with cover letter in English by the date of 3 January 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.
• Long-term 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:

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence, Respect.

Our culture:

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, we embrace all diversity and encourage women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification.

Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.