Conservation International (CI) has been protecting nature for the benefit of all for over 30 years. Through science, policy, and partnerships, CI is helping build a healthier, more prosperous and more productive planet.

The majority of tropical deforestation is driven by the production of four main commodities: palm oil, soy, timber, and beef. Many of these commodities are not consumed in the producing nations, and are exported to other countries thousands of miles away. This global trade flow links wealthy importing countries with producing countries, and creates a large flow of imported deforestation. Countries and companies are aware of this tropical deforestation driver and many have committed to removing deforestation from their supply chains, with a large group committing through the 2014 New York Declaration on Forests. However, many actors have discovered that, while they have made formal no-deforestation commitments, their supply chains are opaque and real change is proving elusive. This lack of transparency is why Trase (Transparency for Sustainable Economies) was developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute and Global Canopy. Trase uses free and publicly available data to map supply chains of agricultural commodities. Trase displays the links between places of production, through exporting and importing companies, to the importing nation, showing unprecedented transparency in commodity supply chains, and thereby providing companies and countries with the information needed to meet their zero deforestation supply chain goals. As a partner in the TRASE initiative, Conservation International (CI) seeks to support our corporate and national-scale partners in driving progress towards deforestation free supply chains. We are also exploring the dependencies of commodity production on natural capital – on the ecosystems services provided by surrounding forests and other natural and semi-natural systems- with the aim of supporting the conservation of ecosystems essential for broader supply chain sustainability.

The Global Sustainability Manager is responsible for working on research projects and/or serving as a technical resource to help implement CI ’s projects on sustainable supply chains. Duties will include a range of research and technical responsibilities; for example analyzing palm oil exports to understand expansion and imported deforestation; creating and collating sub-national indicators and spatial datasets for relevant South American nation’s; managing palm oil export databases; and linking actors along the supply chain.

Research duties include coordinating research projects that will further CI’s science agenda. The Manager will work on producing research products, tools, and related resources that provide CI staff, partners, and decision makers with the relevant scientific data needed to make informed decisions around sustainable supply chains. S/he supports drafting of technical reports for internal and external parties, including peer reviewed journals, which persuade others to act.

This is a 12 month fixed term position with the possibility of extension.

 

Responsibilities:

  • Assist in CI’s ongoing engagement with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Global Canopy (GC) and the Trase partnership.
  • Responsible for the day-to-day management of CI’s supply chain work, working closely with MCS, CELB and Field Program colleagues to coordinate relevant Field and Business applications that strategically leverage the Trase platform and data.
  • Support expansion of commodity coverage in the Trase platform, in line with CI strategies, including Amazonian palm oil, and exploration of nascent applications of Trase in relevant aquaculture supply chains.
  • Scope and evaluate social and environmental datasets for palm oil producing countries
  • Analyze changes in land-use, deforestation, biodiversity conservation, land-tenure, human-wellbeing indicators, etc, connected to global supply chains.
  • Prepare spatial data for advanced analysis and perform descriptive analyses in ArcGIS
  • Work with colleagues to apply supply chain transparency to on-the-ground conservation projects.
  • Contribute to communications materials including presentations of scientific findings for internal and external audiences.
  • Connect commodity production to its dependencies on surrounding natural capital and evaluate how both risk and opportunities cascade along commodity supply chains
  • Other duties as assigned by supervisor

 

Qualifications:

Required:

  • Bachelor’s degree in spatial science, environmental science, geography, or a related field.
  • 4-6 years work experience in scientific research and/or managing conservation or research projects or initiatives.
  • Demonstrated problem solving skills, including past experience with spatial data manipulation with GIS software, public data acquisition, and database management in Microsoft Excel or R.
  • Strong quantitative skills working with and analyzing geospatial data and large datasets.
  • Working knowledge of remotely sensed imagery and raster datasets
  • Proven track record in managing projects.
  • Demonstrated scientific and technical report writing experience, including reports and/or scientific publications.
  • Ability to work in a team environment and work well across cultures as well as within and across organizations.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills. Highly organized and strong attention to detail.
  • Spanish and/or Portuguese language skills.

Preferred:

  • Master’s degree in a relevant social or environmental science.
  • Demonstrated understanding of global trade issues as they relate to deforestation and sustainability.
  • Experience working with issues related to the environmental impacts of agricultural expansion and land-use change.
  • Highly resourceful and demonstrated ability to work independently within a broader team of researchers and policy experts.
  • Excellent communication skills and a willingness to engage with partners in disparate fields of research, private sector, and policy.

 

Apply: http://www.conservation.org