Position Description: Regional Directors

July, 2020

Position Titles: Africa Regional Director; Asia-Pacific Regional Director; Europe and Central Asia Regional Director; Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Director; North America Regional Director; West Asia Regional Director.

Term Length: One year (August 2020 – July 2021); with possibility of extension dependent on funding.

Start Date: August 17, or as soon thereafter as possible.

 

About Youth4Nature

Youth4Nature (Y4N) is a youth-led, international non-profit organization, headquartered in Canada, that educates, empowers, and mobilizes young people to lead on solutions for the ecological and climate crises that are ambitious, backed by science, and grounded in environmental and intergenerational justice. We act as the nexus between nature, climate, and the global youth movement. Our mission is three-fold: (1) advocate for the representation of nature in climate policy, (2) elevate youth voices by providing a platform, and (3) build capacity among youth as stewards for a nature for climate movement.

 

We officially launched in May, 2019. In just over a year, we have built a network of more than 5,000 youth leaders for nature and climate through knowledge-sharing, storytelling and capacity building. Our major accomplishments include running two delegations to the United Nations Secretary General Climate Action Summit in New York in September and to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change COP25Conference in Madrid in December.  There, we organized several workshops, spoke on over 30 panels, delivered a three-day rotating Storytelling Exhibition, engaged in bilateral meetings with decision-makers and international organizations, and pushed hard for more space for young professionals, on-the-ground experience, and raised ambition for natural solutions to our climate crisis, reaching thousands. We have also launched a global nature-based solutions storytelling campaign, gathering over 90 stories from 35 countries in four months and, have conducted eleven webinars in four languages engaging over 800 people. We have also been featured in two viral videos (1, 2) which have been viewed over 200,0000 thousand times. 

 

Our goal over the next year is to scale up, focusing more strongly on local action on-the-ground, and to continue building a global large-scale youth movement for ambitious, science-backed, and justice-oriented nature-based solutions for climate action in 2020 and beyond.

 

About the Position

Situation and Role Overview

Y4N is hiring six (6) Regional Directors to join our team on a one-year contract. Each Regional Director will lead Y4N’s engagement work within one of six geographic regions (Figure I). The regions are aligned with the UN Environment Programme’s Operational Regions and are as follows: 

 

  • Africa;
  • Asia and the Pacific;
  • Europe and Central Asia;
  • Latin America and the Caribbean;
  • North America; and,
  • West Asia.

 

 

Regional Directors will be critical members of the Y4N team. Their responsibilities include developing a region-specific strategy for coordinating Y4N outreach and mobilization, launching campaigns and events, promoting Y4N programs and projects, building partnerships with local youth-led environmental groups, and growing networks amongst youth nature and climate leaders. Due to COVID-19, the majority of this engagement is expected to occur online; In-person engagement events will only be expected if/when in-person gathering is safe again in respective regions. Regional Directors will also be expected to represent Y4N and their region at various meetings and events, both online and (depending on safety conditions regarding COVID-19) in-person. 

 

There will be a lot of flexibility offered to Regional Directors to design and deliver engagement that is appropriate for their respective regions; therefore, Regional Directors will be self-motivated, will enjoy taking initiative and having ownership of their own projects, and will thrive within an independent working arrangement. Regional Directors will have relatively extensive experience with international climate and biodiversity policy and campaigning, and can demonstrate well established internal networks within their region.

 

Y4N is a rapidly growing, ambitious, and dynamic organization that is entirely youth-led. We are looking for Regional Directors who are excited to join a global youth team and motivated to contribute to an organization that is still in early stages. We welcome new team-members that are looking for a working space that they can actively shape and grow alongside.

 

This is a part-time position, at 15 hours per week on a year-long contract (with the possibility of extension depending on funding).

 

Key Responsibilities

Regional Directors will be responsible for the following:

  • Supporting outreach and engagement within their specific region, including:
    • Develop engagement strategies that are tailored to their geographic region, and implement them to guide knowledge-sharing and advocacy campaigns;
    • Lead on the development and launch of knowledge-sharing and capacity-building online events targeted towards their regions and in the predominant language(s) of their region;
  • Promoting Y4N programmes and projects within their regions, including:
    • Promoting the Y4N Storytelling Campaign;
    • Sharing Youth4Nature content within their regional networks;
    • Contributing to and promoting communication campaigns, etc.;
  • Representing Y4N during events online and in-person;
  • Contributing to wider team activities and supporting other team-members, including work led by the Communications Director and Storytelling Director;
  • Attending regular virtual meetings with other team-members;
  • Contributing to wider organizational strategy and visioning; and,
  • Other tasks as required.

 

What we’re looking for

Requirements

  • Regional Directors must be youth within 18-30 years of age (born between 2002 and 1990):
    • We are a youth-for-youth organization, and aim to increase opportunities for youth to engage in nature and climate action.
  • Must be able to demonstrate connection to the specific region they are applying to represent (ideally, is based there).
  • Experience in international climate and/or environmental work (especially as it relates to youth engagement and youth mobilization).
  • Access to youth networks in their community and/or region, and/or has demonstrated skills building a network.
  • Experience in leadership and team management roles.
  • Strong communication, collaboration, and teamwork skills.
  • Positive, enthusiastic, and self-motivated.
  • Dependable, well-organized, and able to work independently.
  • Fluency in English.
  • Willingness and ability to travel locally, and possibly internationally.
  • Able to receive salaries through TransferWise or PayPal:
    • Requires an established bank account.
    • Alternatively, we are open to other options: if another method works better for you, make a note in your application.

Assets

  • Fluency in another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish), or language that is predominant within their region.
  • Experience working in an international team.
  • Skills in web development.
  • Experience in project management and event facilitation.
  • Strong ability to leverage social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) to build campaigns.
  • Experience in grant-writing/fundraising and reaching out to funding organizations to support youth projects.

 

Compensation

Wages: USD $16/hour; contracted position.

Work Schedule: 15 hours/week; flexible workdays; some weekend work may be required.

Location: This is a remote position; applicants must have access to a personal computer.

Benefits:

  • Involvement in a growing and dynamic global youth organization, with strong, established networks in the international nature and climate community;
  • Opportunity for autonomy and creativity: freedom to help shape the organizations growth as key members of the team;
  • Opportunity for a leadership role representing your region on the global environmental stage;
  • Access to international advocacy platforms and engagement opportunities with high-level representatives from governments, international governmental organizations, and civil society;
  • Potential for extension and further involvement in the organization in the future;
  • Opportunities to attend conferences and events as Y4N staff;
  • Access to training opportunities in areas including media and communications, storytelling, policy and campaigning. 

 

We will never ask you to cover your own expenses for any travel that may occur within this role. If any travel is requested, Y4N will cover these costs.

 

How to Apply

To apply for one of the Regional Director positions, please complete this form by July 24, 2020. 

 

If you have any questions about the position, contact us at hello@youth4nature.org. 

 

Youth4Nature Foundation’s Equal Opportunity Policy 

Youth4Nature (Y4N) is committed to recruiting, hiring, developing, and promoting employees with equal opportunity and inclusion. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to engaging the skills and leadership of Indigenous people, people of colour, people identifying as LGBTQI, members of ethnic minorities, immigrants, people living with disabilities, and other individuals from diverse backgrounds. We encourage applicants from a diversity of genders, cultures, languages, and experiences to apply. Equal opportunity and inclusion are essential to Y4N’s mission and vision. Y4N does not discriminate in any area of recruitment, employment, or volunteer work including compensation, benefits, hiring, and promotions and terminations. We believe all volunteers and employees should be treated with respect and employment actions should be based on job-related factors. Employment actions must not be based on race, colour, religion, gender (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetics, age, disability status, protected veteran or service member status, citizenship status when otherwise legally able to work, or any other characteristic protected by law. Many skills are transferable and passion goes a long way. If you feel you have a good handle on many of the skills listed above—but not all—please do still consider applying. We are prepared to adapt this role and train where needed for the right person.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

How old do you have to be to be eligible?

 

We consider the “youth” in Youth4Nature to be those aged 18 to 30 years old.

 

Will you sponsor work visas or work permits?

No. Applicants for the Communications Director position must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of the contract. International students who hold a work permit may be eligible. All nationalities are welcome to apply to the Regional Director position, but we will not sponsor a visa, pay for the cost of relocation, or ask you to move. 

 

Will you consider those who can’t commit to the full number of hours per week/can’t start in August?

 

Preference will be given to those who can start immediately and at full capacity. 

 

Can I apply for both positions?

 

Yes, but please indicate in both of your cover letters which role you prefer the most. 

 

Do I have to be based in the region relevant to the Director position to which I’m applying?

 

No, but it is a significant asset. Regional Directors are expected to have an in-depth understanding of the region they represent, the civil society landscape, and be able to network within the region.

 

What do I put in my cover letter?

 

Tell us how you fit the position description, how you can contribute through the role, what work you’ve done in the past that aligns with the job, and why we should hire you!

 

What are the next steps in the hiring process?

 

We will contact only those who have been short-listed to set up an appropriate interview time. Interviews will be conducted over Zoom, in English. 

 

How do I stay involved, if I’m not hired?

 

This movement is based off of collaboration with like-minded people, and we want to stay connected! Follow us here, and sign up for our newsletter on our website to be the first to know when we’re looking for volunteers, sharing calls to action, or maybe even hiring again! 

 

Who do I contact if I still have questions?

 

Email us at hello@youth4nature.org. Note that due to the overwhelming response we’ve received, we will not be responding to any emails asking questions outlined above.