Business for Nature is hiring an Africa Lead. Apply today!
We are looking for an Africa Lead to join our global team and grow Business for Nature’s engagement in Africa. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a multi-stakeholder international coalition. We are looking for a passionate individual with experience working with both a business and policy audience, particularly in the African region, and with an understanding of environmental issues.
To be successful, you will need to be a self-motivated team player who has excellent organizational and communications skills with the ability to simultaneously handle multiple projects and maintain a high level of attention to detail. It would be helpful if you have experience working with people from diverse backgrounds, cultures and geographies.
We work in a fast-paced and constantly changing environment. You need to be comfortable working autonomously, with the ability to lead projects from inception to completion. As a small team operating across the world, you should feel comfortable working virtually.
Job overview
Title: Africa Lead, Business for Nature
Reports to: Dual reporting line to Advocacy Director and Senior Manager Business Action
Term: Permanent position
Location: Anywhere in Africa, provided you have the right to work, ability to work remotely and travel occasionally
Position: Full-time or part-time
Salary range: USD 40K-60K depending on location, for full time position
This is a good-faith range based on a full-time (40 hour/week) employment contract. Salary may vary based on number of hours worked, local market and experience. The range listed is one component of the total compensation package for employees.
We are hosted at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a US-based organization, which offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including health coverage, retirement/pension benefits, and holidays.
Who are we
Business for Nature is a global coalition that brings together influential organizations and forward-thinking companies to accelerate business action and advocate for ambitious policies to reverse nature loss by 2030.
In order to scale and speed business action and policy ambition globally, we are starting to take a regional approach by setting up this new role in Africa to complement and strengthen our developing engagement in Asia and Latin America.
Our values
We aim high: We deliver high quality work with urgency that will have real impact.
We are collaborative: We work with and recognize others to simplify the landscape to reach better outcomes for people and the planet.
We are inclusive: We employ and work with people and stakeholders from different backgrounds and geographies.
We are open: We listen, learn and bring light-heartedness to our work without underestimating the challenges we face.
Position overview
The adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework at the UN Biodiversity COP15 in December 2022 provides the world with a roadmap for collective actions to ensure that, by 2030, we have halted and reversed nature loss. All attention and resources should now be focused on its implementation, which happens at national level.
We know through our engagement with national partners that the level of maturity and the context in each country and region varies significantly. Stakeholder engagement across our coalition and a tailored approach are essential to ensure we successfully drive nature-related business action and policy ambition.
The Africa Manager will be responsible for coordinating our activities at regional level, engaging national and regional partners and coordinating the dissemination of, and contribution to, our advocacy and business actions activities.
Key responsibilities
Working closely with the Advocacy Director and Senior Manager Business action, as well as all relevant colleagues in the team, you will be responsible to develop and implement a strategy for engagement with businesses, regional partner organizations and policymakers in the region. This includes:
Strengthen our partners engagement in the region
Ensuring we have the right partners in the region by mapping potential partners active on nature and biodiversity who engage directly with businesses and build relevant relationships
Lead the regional partners group with organizations from different countries to strengthen regional engagement
Co-design relevant activities with regional partners
Ensure regional partners are consulted and feed into the development of BfN’s positions, strategies, activities and that the region’s specificities are fully considered in BfN’s work
Disseminate business action work and activities in the region
In collaboration with partners, facilitate or coordinate awareness raising activities to increase business interest and understanding of the nature agenda
In collaboration with the business action team, ensure the business action activities and campaigns are disseminated in the region
Support the alignment, consistency and accessibility of content to support companies to take action, e.g. sector-specific actions, “It’s Now for Nature” joint global campaign focusing on strategy, and the high-level actions to Assess, Commit, Transform and Disclose.
Support efforts to grow business engagement in the region and capture examples of credible business action in the region
Coordinate and Implement Advocacy work in the region
Support the Advocacy team in engaging with regional policy makers to support BfN’s advocacy priorities
Lead GEF national component in Africa countries (i.e. to date South Africa) to support national partners in their engagement with governments on the NBSAPs and GBF implementation.
Help map existing policies and policy gaps to assist with policy development
Support the communication team in regional work
Identify key media and communication channel
Support with potential translation and dissemination and outreach
Qualifications, skills and experience
A degree in political sciences, environmental management, economics, sustainable development, or any other relevant field
Experience in advocacy/policy and engaging directly with policy-makers
Experience working with businesses or/and business organizations
Experience engaging governments in the Africa region (at local, national, sub-regional or regional level)
Good knowledge of regional stakeholders, including business organizations, working on nature and sustainability in the region
A talent for working in multi-stakeholder partnerships
Excellent English written and oral communications skills particularly to convey complex ideas, thoughts and concepts for a general audience
Proficiency in other languages from the African region would be a plus, in particular French
Strong organizational and time management skills including a capacity to track details.
Strong sense of responsibility for taking projects from inception to completion.
Ability to work independently
Work environment
Business for Nature offers a competitive, modern, and flexible working arrangement:
We are hosted at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a US-based organization
We are a fully remote team, but you can choose to work in shared office space if you prefer
Flexi-time and part-time possibilities
Dynamic working atmosphere
Open culture encouraging interaction and sharing of ideas and opinions
Process to apply
To apply for this position please submit the following materials to contact@businessfornature.org with the subject line “Africa Lead: First name, Last name” by 2 January 2024.
A CV / resume
A cover letter outlining why you are suitable for the role
Your salary expectations, keeping in mind the range provided above
Important notes:
Candidates who applied through LinkedIn or other channels without a cover letter will NOT be considered
We will only respond to candidates selected for the interview process.
Candidates who are successful during the first round of interviews will be asked to do a short test during the 2nd round.