JRS BIODIVERSITY FOUNDATION
June 2011
A new 6 9 month temporary/part-time Program Officer position is currently
being sought by the
JRS Biodiversity Foundation while the organization completes a strategic plan.
This position will be
responsible, during the near term for relations with prospective grant-seekers,
current grantees,
and the broader biodiversity community and will help implement the grant
program consistent
with the Foundation's mission and initiatives and act as a catalyst for new
projects, ideas, and
approaches to biodiversity. The duties for which the position is responsible,
under the supervision
of the Executive Director, will cover the following tasks.
- Develop and maintain a global contact list of biodiversity organizations and
individuals that
might be potential JRS grant recipients
- Draft calls for pre-proposals, RFPs, and procedures for developing funding
recommendations
- Work with prospective applicants to help improve soundness and quality of
grant requests
- Present proposals to the Grants Committee, with initial recommendations for
funding or
declining
- Manage relationships and coordination with other donors in support of
strategic biodiversity
goals and other foundation initiatives
- Maintain contact with current Foundation grantees to be continually aware of
progress of funded
projects, to identify potential problem areas, to help workout solutions,
and/or bring to the
boards attention, as may be required.
- Visit, as may be appropriate, funded project and assess performance to
determine conformity
with original goals and continuing relationship to JRS grantmaking strategies
prior to authorization
of subsequent Foundation payments
- Ensure timely development of proposals and preparation of the board materials
under the
direction of the Executive Director.
- Work with grantees, and where relevant with other funders to support
organizations in the
development of grant proposals including meaningful indicators, grant outcomes
- Set clear expectations with grantees regarding process and timing of proposal
and report
submissions; review all reports, provide feedback to grantee partners and
ensure that knowledge
associated with these reports are disseminated appropriately.
- Assist monitoring, implementation, and evaluation of the Foundations
priorities through site
visits, project reviews, meetings with partners, review of reports, and regular
communications with
consultants, colleagues, and others
- Review all final grantee reports to determine fulfillment of original goals
of funded
projects
- Consolidate the Foundations substantive biodiversity knowledge, and prepare
overview reports,
presentations, and JRS website entries for the trustees and about the
significance of biodiversity, for the general public.
- Help arrange trustee site visits
- Identify potential unique special grant opportunities and as they are
identified, develop
and report them to the Executive Director
- Function as an informatics liaison person between current grantees, JRS
trustees, and outsource
providers, to support existing projects with required technical assistance in
the field
Qualifications
- Broad exposure to biodiversity and ecological issues relevant to informatics
at an international
level
- Demonstrated skills working in multicultural contexts
- Demonstrated success in building and implementing program strategies that
mobilize diverse
groups of people for environmental and policy change.
- Interpersonal skills to work effectively with colleagues, government
officials, private sector,
international institutions, public policy organizations, think tanks, academic
institutions, and
communities
- A commitment to the values of the JRS Biodiversity Foundation, a clear
understanding of and
commitment to the vision and strategy of utilizing biodiversity informatics as
a mechanism for
conservation
- Ability to support executive leadership in a multi-faceted global program
- Able to process complex information and present ideas in a compelling manner
- Capacity to communicate persuasively, orally and in writing, in a range of
settings
- Excellent organizational skills and the ability to anticipate, prioritize,
and manage tasks while
simultaneously demonstrating genuine respect for diversity and inclusiveness
- Strong project and relationship management skills
- Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information effectively and
confidentially
- Experience with evaluation, learning, and analysis of quantitative and
qualitative data
- The highest level of personal and professional integrity and quality
standards
- Demonstrated skill with Outlook, Word, and ability to use databases
- Ability and flexibility to travel extensively or to be relocated, possibly in
Africa
- Experience in grant-making highly desired
- Work experience in Africa is a strong asset
Submit CV via email to
Harry E. Cerino
Executive Director
JRS Biodiversity Foundation
[email protected]
