About WRI
World Resources Institute is a global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity and human well-being. Our 500 experts and staff work with partners in more than 50 countries; we have offices in Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States. WRI is consistently ranked as the top global Think Tank working on environmental issues.
In 2014, WRI was ranked one of the Top Workplaces by the Washington Post.
Overview
The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate is a major international initiative to analyse and communicate the economic benefits and costs of acting on climate change. Chaired by former President of Mexico Felipe Calderón, the Commission comprises former heads of government and finance ministers, and leaders in the fields of economics and business. The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate was commissioned by seven countries – Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Norway, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom – as an independent initiative to report to the international community.
The New Climate Economy (NCE) is the Commission’s flagship project. It provides independent and authoritative evidence on the relationship between actions which can strengthen economic performance and those which reduce the risk of dangerous climate change. The Commission published its inaugural report Better Growth, Better Climate in September 2014, and its second report Seizing the Global Opportunity in July 2015.
The project is undertaken by a global partnership of research institutes and a core team led by Programme Director Helen Mountford. The majority of the NCE secretariat is based in London and Washington DC, and works closely with a number of partner institutes in delivering the work, including but not limited to: the World Resources Institute (WRI), Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI), Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), and Tsinghua University.
The NCE seeks a Senior Land Use Economist to lead on research for the proposed NCE Land Use Special Initiative, drawing on support from relevant experts in NCE institutions and partners. The Senior Economist will be a key subject matter expert in their assigned program and will facilitate program management and contribute to global research for the assigned program.
The NCE Land Use Special Initiative is a new initiative that will look to identify and catalyse action around a “produce-protect-prosper” approach to land use that can simultaneously lead to more inclusive and sustainable economic growth (“better growth”), enhanced climate mitigation and adaptation (“better climate”), and improved equity and distributional outcomes (“better lives”) relative to business-as-usual development. It will engage key economic decision-makers from government, private sector, and civil society in select countries to identify and adopt an approach that enhances the productivity of agricultural and forest lands, and protects against deforestation and forest degradation, all while ensuring prosperity and equity for local communities. The Initiative’s outputs will include a number of contributing research papers in key focus areas, Country Deep Dive reports led by in-country partners, and a Flagship Report in 2018.
The Senior Economist will execute the work programme and coordinate the delivery of substantive analysis through the core NCE land use partnership, including experts from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), World Resources Institute (WRI), and the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), connecting to other partner institutes with relevant research expertise, or in-country presence and expertise as relevant. The successful applicant will join a world-class team of economists and policy and business experts.
The Senior Economist will report to the Director of the Land Use Special Initiative, and be responsible for research, drafting, program management activities, and coordinating NCE’s peer review process within the Initiative. He or she will be expected to present NCE findings at a variety of external meetings including conferences, summits, and donor meetings.
WRI is committed to ensuring gender equity across our program portfolios. As such, the Senior Economist will support attention to gender where appropriate.
Responsibilities
The Senior Land Use Economist’s main areas of responsibility will include the following:
Research & Knowledge: (65% of time required)
- Authors or co-authors knowledge products that synthesize and present the opportunities for land use approaches that can contribute to better growth, better climate and better lives (e.g., reports, briefs, data-products).
- Reviews the literature, synthesizes and translates relevant analysis, data and evidence into report and key messages.
- Identifies key knowledge gaps where NCE research can produce changes in society consistent with the Land Use Special Initiative, in collaboration with research staff from other programs and institutions (intellectual leadership).
- Identifies the data and methods to produce robust, unbiased research that addresses these knowledge gaps.
- Supervises multiple junior researchers and oversees work from partner institutes as needed.
- Reviews 4-6 knowledge products written by other colleagues or partner researchers yearly.
- Develop communications materials, briefing notes, concept notes, and timely content related to the Land Use Special Initiative.
Program/Project Management (35% of time required)
- Help manage work planning for the program. Sets project objective strategies and outcomes for the program.
- Contribute to the program’s strategy development, partnership development, and fundraising proposals (presentations, narratives, budgets).
- Provides oversight of the NCE Land Use work, including cooperation with other programs.
- Monitors financial performance and works with the Director to take appropriate action to ensure key financial objectives are met, and difficult or sensitive issues resolved.
- Work with the Director to define project success criteria, monitors progress against them and disseminates them to involved parties throughout project life cycle.
- Support and guide the assigned program’s team members across countries and programs
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- Masters in economics, environmental economics or land use economics, Phd preferred.
- Minimum 7-10 years of full-time work experience in relevant field, with program implementation and project management experience.
- Strong quantitative, analytical research skills.
- Broad experience on land-use issues ideally including but not limited to: agriculture, restoring degraded lands, land tenure, forest financing and REDD+.
- Experience working in or with developing countries.
- Demonstrated ability to connect research results to measurable external change.
- Demonstrated ability to coordinate across multiple countries and research partners.
- Prior supervision and mentorship of junior staff.
- Exceptionally good communication and interpersonal skills.
- Flexibility to travel (if applicable)
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Final candidates will be required to take a writing/analytical test.**
Salary and Benefits: Salary is commensurate with experience and skills. WRI offers a generous, comprehensive benefits package
How to apply:
Qualified applicants should apply online at careers.wri.org. All applications must be submitted online through this career portal in order to be formally considered.
The World Resources Institute (http://www.wri.org) is an environmental and development research and policy organization that creates solutions to protect the Earth and improve people’s lives. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, it is WRI’s policy to recruit, hire, and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, protected veteran status, or disability. WRI’s global agenda requires a staff that is diverse – with respect to race, gender, cultural, and international background. Diverse perspectives and experience enhance the way WRI selects and approaches issues, as well as the creativity and applicability of WRI’s policy research and analysis. WRI, therefore, encourages applications from U.S. minorities, persons from other countries (especially developing nations), and from women of all backgrounds.
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