Project Manager, Africa Initiative

Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. • Washington, DC

13d • $87,000 - $95,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Beijing; Chicago; New Delhi; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; and Washington, D.C.
NRDC is seeking a Project Manager to work with the International Department team in either DC or NYC offices to support our Africa Initiative.
Position Summary
NRDC is seeking a Project Manager, Africa Initiative, to help advance the International Department’s geographic expansion into the African continent. The position will work in close collaboration with various NRDC teams based in the U.S. and in India and with partners in Africa, for the execution of new projects with partners in Africa focused on i) Strengthening communities and ecosystems’ resilience to climate change; ii) Expanding access to clean energy solutions and the benefits of clean energy supply chains in the context of just energy transitions; and iii) Increasing financial investments in clean energy, nature- based solutions, and resilience. The position will support overall project management, including budget management, coordinating with various teams within the US and International programs, tracking progress on delivery of project-level objectives and key results. The position will also help with internal and external communications and support organization of key events and convenings.
The position will report to NRDC’s Associate Director, Emerging Solutions and Global Partnership in the India Division of the International Department. This is a term limited position for 3 years, with the option to extend depending on funding.
The position you are applying for is part of the bargaining unit represented by The Washington Baltimore News Guild (WBNG / The Newsguild-CWA Local 32035).

Requirements

• Commitment to NRDC’s missions and values.
• Bachelors, or higher, in environmental studies, international development, public policy, or project management.
• 2-3+ years experience in supporting implementation of projects in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially West Africa, with on the ground experience preferred.
• Proven experience with project management of multiple projects across various geographies and issues and interacting with various internal and external stakeholders and partners.
• Experience working with project management tools (e.g. Asana).
• Fluency in speaking, writing and reading both English and French (French native speaker preferred)
• Ability to travel internationally (approximately one-two trips per year)
• Ability to take initiative, work both independently and collaboratively, and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Exceptional communication and organization skills

Nice To Haves

• Preferred 3+ years’ experience working in relevant fields of clean energy access and solutions, ecosystems resilience, energy transition mineral supply chains, and/or mobilizing financing for climate investment.

Responsibilities

• Lead internal coordination and support overall project management across the Africa Initiative’s three focus areas to help ensure project meets milestones and key deadlines.
• Facilitate the communication, collaboration and information sharing across project teams, including by maintaining centralized resources, databases, and assets to support knowledge management and coordination.
• Build and maintain collaboration and project management tools to support coordination across teams and geographies.
• Organize regular (monthly) project management calls with project teams’ staff and, as needed, partners and consultants in Africa.
• Support budget tracking and management for Africa Initiative to ensure timely spend down of grants, budget forecasting, and accurate reporting.
• Support contracting and invoicing process and vendor management.
• Collaborate with the International Communications Strategist to collate internal and external communications that demonstrate work and progress toward project goals.
• Act as liaison between project team and NRDC Development staff to support preparation of fundraising materials (proposals, grant reports, and other communications).
• Identify key materials that may be candidates for translation from English to French or vice versa; and translate or work with external translators as needed.
• Support project leads as they manage the organization and execution of key events, round tables, and convenings.
• Collaborate with project leads as they document outputs and impacts of key activities to ensure consistency across teams and timeliness, which will support the delivery of NRDC’s overall project objectives.

Benefits

• We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment.
• Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience.
• Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level