Director, Community-Led Economies at Nature Conservancy

The Director will support the development of community-led, sustainable livelihood opportunities that generate income for communities and contribute to TNC’s priority conservation outcomes. This includes leading the development of the Africa region’s community-led economies strategy, identifying and assessing sustainable enterprise opportunities, advancing early-stage enterprises, building partnership networks across private, NGO and government sectors, and developing pathways to create enabling conditions and remove barriers for community-led enterprises—including community capacity building, business technical assistance, market access and access to capital. The Director will also be responsible for building business acumen among TNC colleagues–including the use of entrepreneurial tools and processes, such as human-centred design and the business model canvas–to strengthen TNC’s ability to foster community-led economies among grassland, coastal and freshwater ecosystems in Africa. They will work closely with the Gender and Reproductive Health Advisor to advise on women-led businesses and gender equity.

Responsibilities & Scope

• Leads the Africa regional community-led economies strategy design and implementation in collaboration with the Africa Team, the Global IPLC Team, other TNC regional and global teams, and external partners and consultants.
• Responsible for feasibility and enabling conditions assessment, supply chain analysis, development of business models and financial projections, connection to markets, and access to financing opportunities.
• Identifies and manages key local and regional partnerships to execute the community-led economies strategy and improve the business viability of community-led, sustainable enterprises.
• Directs community leadership and decision-making throughout all steps of strategy creation and business design.
• Provides creative, critical thinking and problem solving to support new and existing sustainable enterprise opportunities.
• Develops recommendations to the Africa Team about how to advance community-led enterprises and other sustainable livelihood opportunities in the short, medium, and long term.
• Builds the business acumen of TNC colleagues to better position teams to partner effectively with sustainable, community-led enterprises.
• Collaborates with the Global IPLC Team to inform the organization’s global approach to sustainable livelihoods.
• Provides detailed primary and secondary research to support enterprise development.
• Works cross-functionally with TNC teams and external partners to engage conservation, business, financial, and legal expertise in the development and implementation of community-led, sustainable enterprises.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in business, entrepreneurship, sustainable development, or related field and at least 5 years related experience, or equivalent combination.
• Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) will be an added advantage.
• Fluency in English and written and oral communication skills experience.
• Critical thinking, research, and analysis skills experience to assess complex information to make strategic decisions.
• Experience building partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, including community or business leaders, government or legislative staff, program leadership and/or similar audiences.
• Experience developing and implementing complex projects in an unstructured environment with limited guidance.
• Project management skills.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience assessing, designing, and launching new businesses.
• Experience in impact investment, blended finance, microfinance, or a related field, and a knowledge of key players in these fields.
• Experience in gender equity and women-led enterprises.
• Experience developing and sensitizing financial models.
• Familiarity with sustainable livelihoods and relevant stakeholders in Africa, including stakeholders, policies and market opportunities related to grasslands, coastal, and freshwater enterprises (e.g., fisheries enterprises, livestock enterprises, women-led enterprises, ecotourism, etc.).
• Ability to develop and drive new ideas and approaches.
• Ability to sensitively advise other staff on how to effectively engage with internal and external partners.
• Ability to work well in a highly matrixed, decentralized, and collaborative organization.
• Possess strong interpersonal skills and political savviness. Must be a team player.
• Outstanding analytical and project management capabilities, including an ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet time-sensitive deadlines.
• Multi-lingual skills (Kiswahili, French and/or Portuguese) and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• NGO and/or corporate relations experience a strong plus.