• Deadline for applications: January 23, 2022
• Scope: Voices for Just Climate Action
• Reports to: Global Account & Engagement Manager, Regional Director
• Level: senior role, equals project manager
• Country: Brazil, 4 years
• Hours: full time position
• Location: Remote work, Sao Paulo
• Compensation: R$15,500

About hivos

Hivos is an international development organization guided by humanist values. Together with citizens and their organizations, we aim to contribute towards just, inclusive and life sustaining societies where people have equal access to opportunities, rights and resources. We work in partnership with others in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America on three impact areas: civic rights; gender equality, diversity and inclusion, and climate justice. Our approach is solution driven, and we build wider movements for change by amplifying and connecting voices.

Job context

The five-year strategic objective of the VCA program is “By 2025, local civil society groups have claimed a central role as empowered innovators, facilitators and advocates of climate solutions”. Our program is about climate justice i.e. climate change is not only an environmental problem to be addressed but also a societal challenge with ethical and human rights aspects. Hence our intention is to build wide societal support for locally shaped climate solutions through an inclusive and rights-based approach. This includes building a broad-based climate alliance at country level, bridging divides (urban-rural, gender, youth), that amplifies voices in new, unusual ways. In addition, we will influence national and global policies and financial flows in support of these locally shaped solutions. The program will be implemented by an alliance of 6 organizations: WWF NL, Hivos, SouthSouthNorth, Akina Mama wa Afrika, Shack Dwellers International, Fundación Avina. During the 5 years’ program period (started in 2021) the alliance aims to increase ownership of the program by local CSOs. The program is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the “Power of Voices” framework.

The Country Engagement Manager (CEM) is responsible for the delivery of a coherent program of activities and partner engagement in Brazil, in close cooperation with national alliance of VCA and in line with the VCA global ToC and overall objectives. The CEM is part of the national VCA team. A first version of a joint national plan has been developed as starting point for the work in 2021 and a range of local partners have been contracted in 2021. Improvement and innovation is part of the responsibilities of the CEM.

In terms of partner coalitions, the CEM builds, monitors and manages the quality of the VCA partner portfolio in-country together with the other alliance members and stimulate coalition building between different (national) CSOs to increase local ownership and to amplify voices for Joint Climate Action. The CEM identifies potential relationships between partners and other stakeholders (e.g., local or central government institutions, tech actors), supports (coalitions of) partners in the proposal preparation phase, appraises partner (coalition) applications, and provides continued support throughout implementation, both virtually and through monitoring visits. The CEM is responsible to increase local ownership and shift decision making power to local organizations. The CEM will play an active role to further develop ideas and modalities of local ownership through the VCA program from a national perspective. The CEM ensures adequate capacity development of partners and other involved organizations in the VCA program at national level.

As far as other activities are concerned, the CEM is responsible for identifying and building collaborative relationships with strategic organizations, individuals and initiatives in support of locally shaped climate solutions for a just climate transition. He / she/ they is expected to have strong networking and facilitation skills. The CEM is also responsible to initiate research that supports the program. Oversee and contribute to a learning and M&E program based on the global PMEL methodology. Ensure the partners and Hivos deliver timely input this system and organize learning events to improve the country program and ToC on a yearly basis.

Besides the CEM the national Hivos’ team include a project officer. The CEM is manager of this project officer and ensures high quality and timely outputs. Finance support will be provided through a global VCA Finance Manager and Finance Officer in Kenya.

Responsibilities

Result area: Delivery of results
Description: Realizes project implementation in accordance with plan, adaptive project management system and aim to increase local ownership; evaluates results against objectives; monitors associated budgets, deployment resources and managing team.
Indicator: Degree of results, local ownership and budget efficiency

Result area: Stakeholder management
Description: Relates to key people and organisations in the project environment; promotes and integrates their support and views into actions and shares successes and failures for further improvement.
Indicator: Network and appreciation of stakeholders

Result area: Networking
Description: Establish and maintain good relationships with stakeholders in country (civil society, government, private sector, development partners and media) and alliance members of VCA.
Indicator: Solid support base for VCA. Count measured by evidence of joint actions taken by key stakeholders.

Result area: Partner engagement
Description: Identify and select (coalitions of) partners in close collaboration with national VCA team; Share and increase ownership of program by (national) partner organizations;
Ensure timely and high quality reporting of partners contracted by Hivos.
Indicator: Contracts with a coalition of partners that cooperate efficiently and inspirational to enhance the role of civil society in climate action.

Result area: Capacity building
Description: Identify training and other needs of national partners and alliance members to improve program delivery and enhanced local ownership.
Indicator: Capacity development trajectories developed and implemented

Result area: Learning
Description: Gather and use monitoring data to draw lessons and continuously improve in-country program to highest possible level of impact; Actively engage in program-wide learning activities led by the global PMEL team and Hivos global DMEL.
Indicator: Lessons learnt and collected data lead to improved country plans and feed into VCA global learning stream

Result area: Innovation
Description: Ensure the program is constantly innovating, e.g. through building unusual partnership and cooperation between urban youth and local communities. Include other ways of working e.g. by linking climate change and transparency or other use of media (e.g. citizen led reporting).
Indicator: Recognition of new ideas

Requirements

This is a senior position for nationals or residents of Brazil:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in development studies, governance or another relevant field.
• In-depth experience with project and budget management and partner relationship building
• Minimum of five years relevant working experience preferably in advocacy and influencing strategies.
• Solid knowledge of relation between climate change and daily needs of people such as food, energy and water.
• Experience with locally shaped climate solutions and building joint climate actions, experience with civil society in the Brazilian Amazon is an advantage.
• A keen understanding of country political and social dynamics; analytical and conceptual skills, and ability to translate these into relevant and timely actions.
• Excellent networking, relationship building and negotiation skills;
• Excellent verbal, writing and communication skills in English and Portuguese.
• Experience overseeing and using monitoring and evaluation plans and indicators
• Ability to lead small country team on location without daily support from Hub management.

Want to apply?

Please apply by January 23, 2022.

Apply here