Project Manager - HCI

Founded in 1961, WWF works to help people and nature thrive. As a global conservation organization, WWF operates in more than 100 countries, partnering with communities, companies, and governments to protect wildlife, conserve vital habitats, and advance sustainable solutions. Grounded in science and driven by collaboration, WWF works to help nature by conserving biodiversity, supporting resilient communities, and addressing climate change. Nearly 1 million people in the United States and more than 5 million globally are WWF members.

Project Description

The Heart of Conservation Initiative ( HCI ) is a 5-year global project designed to address systemic barriers that limit Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ ability to steward their lands, territories, waters, and biodiversity-rich ecosystems. Despite strong evidence that Indigenous Peoples and local communities manage or influence at least 37% of remaining natural lands globally, they receive less than 1% of international climate and biodiversity finance, face complex donor procedures, limited direct access to funding, and insufficient recognition in decision-making arenas.

Building on the achievements of the GEF-7 Inclusive Conservation Initiative (ICI), HCI’s objective is to increase Indigenous Peoples ’ and local communities’ organizational capacities and ability to access sustainable finance at scale   for territorial stewardship to deliver social, economic, cultural, and Global Environmental Benefits. The project is transformative in that it targets structural change in biodiversity finance systems—shifting from centralized, intermediary-driven models toward more inclusive, Indigenous Peoples and local community-led financing and governance mechanisms.

This will be achieved through four integrated components: (i) organizational and technical self-strengthening of Indigenous Peoples and local community funds and organizations and  implementation of self-determined Indigenous Peoples- and local community-led sub-projects across Latin America, Africa, and Asia; (ii) collective self-strengthening of Indigenous Peoples and local community-led funds and organizations’ institutional, fiduciary, and technical capacities; (iii) enhancing Indigenous Peoples' and local communities’ representation and influence in global biodiversity and biodiversity finance processes; and (iv) advancing knowledge, learning, and evidence on rights-based, inclusive conservation.

Major Function

The Project Manager will lead the GCU’s support for the HCI partners and ensure successful delivery of all components. They will supervise staff in a Global Coordination Unit (GCU), provide day-to-day management of the project and, with support from the Partner Liaison, coordinate with ten (10)  Component 1 Partners, and partners and specialists in Components 2 through 5.  This is a unique role managing and representing a global, Indigenous-led project that should respond both to Indigenous Peoples and local community partners’ priorities as well as meet GEF requirements.

The Project Manager will report to the Senior Director, Conservation Areas, and Senior Director, Inclusive Conservation (Project Co-Leads)

Key Responsibilities

1. Technical Delivery of Project Components

• Component 1: Work with Component 1 partners to review and approve their annual work plans and budgets, provide technical inputs to their on-the-ground work, as needed, and support their self-strengthening plans.

• Component 2: Lead and coordinate delivery of Component 2 with GCU staff support; Work with Component 1 partners to identify common capacity-strengthening needs and develop and implement a collective strengthening program.

• Component 3: Lead and coordinate delivery of Component 3 with GCU staff support; Design and implement the Youth Policy Leaders program and work with Component 1 and 2 partners to identify policy processes and to enable effective, HCI-supported engagement therein.

• Support GCU staff to ensure successful delivery of Components 4 and 5.

2. Project Management

• Day-to-day management, monitoring, and evaluation of project activities and results as outlined in the CERDoc, Grant Agreement, and Annual Work Plan and Budget to achieve the project objective and targets in the Results Framework.

Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:

• Ensure that the GCU holds regular virtual meetings with Component 1 (C1) partners and as required with additional partners involved in the other components,

• Manage the workflow for the Indigenous Global Steering Committee (IGSC), in collaboration with the Project Co-Leads.

• In collaboration with all project sub-grantees and partners, develop the Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWPB) for the global HCI for each project year, for no-objection from the WWF GEF Agency and approval by the IGSC.

• Share C1 Partners’ annual workplans and budgets for no-objection from WWF GEF Agency and for IGSC information.  Provide high-level oversight and monitoring of procurement and expenditure in line with the AWPB in collaboration with the Finance and Operations (FO) Manager.

• Review progress of work plan and monitoring plan in collaboration with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer.

• Responsible for organization of inception workshop and other critical project workshops and meetings.

• Manage the design and maintenance of a project website, and the development and implementation of a communications strategy in collaboration with the Communications and Knowledge Management (CKM) Officer.

• Provide support for project implementation support and learning visits and internal and external reviews/evaluations with relevant GCU staff.

• Support the MEL Officer to organize annual reflection workshops to identify lessons learned and propose potential changes for adaptive management to ensure project results and indicator targets are reached.

• Troubleshoot with GCU staff, component partners and Project co-leads to address challenges and create enabling conditions for trusting partnerships and project success.

• Maintain a project risk register, including identification of risks to project success and development of mitigation measures in coordination with C1 partners and other project partners.

• Prepare and execute a project exit plan, including hand-off of project equipment and resources, close of grants and agreements, consultations and communications with project partners and interested parties, and ensure sustainability of project results.

• Champion the promise and achievements of the project, elevating its contributions to systems change and Indigenous Peoples and local community-led partners whenever possible.

• Any other tasks that are relevant to the assignment.

3. Staff management

• Supervise the GCU staff including MEL Officer (crosscutting, especially components 1, 4 and 5), FO Manager (crosscutting), Environmental and Social Safeguards Officer (crosscutting, especially component 1), Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Officer (crosscutting , especially component 1),  CKM Officer (crosscutting, especially components 2 and 4), Logistics and Administrative Assistant (crosscutting), and any other directly recruited staff or consultants.

• Prepare TORs to recruit consultants, staff and sub-contracts in consultation with Project Co-Leads and for no-objection from WWF GEF Agency.

4. Reporting

• Collaborate with the MEL Officer to aggregate information from Component 1 Partner sub-projects and formulate semi-annual Project Progress Reports and ensure timely delivery to the WWF GEF Agency.

• Prepare workshop reports following the inception and other critical project workshops.

• Collaborate with the FO Manager to oversee the preparation and disbursement of sub-grants to Component 1 partners and grants and agreements under the other 4 components.

• Collaborate with the FO Manager to aggregate financial information from C1 Partne