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BirdLife International Chief Executive Position Specification

BirdLife International Chief ExecutiveBirdLife International intends to appoint a new Chief Executive. BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation partnership,

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Page 1: BirdLife International Chief ExecutiveBirdLife International intends to appoint a new Chief Executive. BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation partnership,

BirdLife International Chief Executive

Position Specification

Page 2: BirdLife International Chief ExecutiveBirdLife International intends to appoint a new Chief Executive. BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation partnership,

BirdLife International intends to appoint a new Chief Executive.

BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation partnership, comprising 120 BirdLife Partners worldwide – one civil society organisation per country or territory – and growing.

BirdLife is driven by the belief that local people, working for nature in their own places but connected nationally and internationally through the global Partnership, are the key to sustaining all life on this planet. With over 13 million members and supporters in locally created and owned Partners, BirdLife’s unique local to global approach delivers high impact and long-term conservation for the benefit of nature and people.

The new Chief Executive will join an organisation that is ambitious, dynamic, and already engaged in an enormously exciting change programme. S/he will both guide and articulate this process, while bringing fresh strategic insights and ambassadorial skills.

Further information and many examples of BirdLife success stories from every corner of the globe can be found at www.birdlife.org.

Introduction

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the Arcadia/BirdLife Conservation Partnership FundBirdLife International - Chief Executive

Background

BirdLife InternationalBirdLife is the leading global network that combines real grass roots civil society organisations with global data, scientific understanding and practical knowledge to guide decision-makers. Rigorous science, informed by direct feedback from projects on the ground in important sites and habitats, enables the organisations to implement successful conservation programmes for birds and all nature. BirdLife is also widely recognised as the world leader in bird conservation.

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World’s longest established civil society Partnership for NatureBirdLife International is rooted in over 90 years of global cooperation. It grew from The International Council for Bird Preservation (ICBP), founded in 1922. Among its earliest campaigns, the ICBP called for the protection of migratory species and the identification and protection of the most important sites for threatened species. The Partnership evolved into a modern nature conservation organisation, BirdLife International, at the time of the Rio Earth Summit in 1993, and has now grown to 120 Partners and continues to expand.

Following a highly successful World Congress in 2013, BirdLife International has adopted a new globally consistent strategy to take the Partnership to the next level. In addition to the Partnership’s global strategy, BirdLife International has embarked on a series of development and change programmes so that the Partnership will:

• Have even greater impact through its programmes for science, global data and policy advocacy;

• Accelerate growth across the Partnership and in global capacity;

• Realise the power of the many through even more effective governance; and

• Harness the strengths of its local identity and one global brand.

Global Overview - BirdLife in numbers• As the world’s largest nature conservation partnership, BirdLife has more than 13 million

members and supporters;

• This comprises 2.77 million members, and 10.8 million people who supported BirdLife Partners in 2012 without being members;

• BirdLife Partner organisations work with 7,475 local groups, including action at 2,750 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs); and its work involves 2.7 million children;

• BirdLife Partners manage or own 1,553 reserves or protected areas covering 4.3 million hectares globally;

• The BirdLife Partnership employs 7,400 staff with a combined annual budget of over US$ 500 million.

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BirdLife International - Chief Executive

Structure

Each BirdLife Partner is an independent non-governmental organisation (NGO). Most are best known outside the Partnership by their organisation’s name. This allows each Partner to maintain its individual national identity within the Global Partnership.

BirdLife Partners work together in a collaborative, coordinated fashion across national boundaries, coordinated regionally to build a global Partnership of national conservation organisations.

The entity of which the successful candidate will be the Chief Executive is BirdLife International, a charity registered in the UK (number 2985746) and a company limited by guarantee, which has 180 employees across six Regional BirdLife Coordination Offices throughout the world and a Global Office in Cambridge – together known as “The BirdLife International Secretariat”, with an annual budget of around US$ 25 million. It is governed by a Global Council, elected from its Partners. The principal roles of BirdLife International are to:

i. Provide leadership to the coordination and facilitation of the BirdLife International strategies, programmes and policies across the Global Partnership;

ii. Increase the effectiveness of the BirdLife Partnership through increased cohesion, sharing, co-ordination and building capacity;

iii. Represent the BirdLife Partnership at a global level, and lead and coordinate with Partners in its global advocacy;

iv. Provide civil society contribution into major multi-lateral agreements for biodiversity and the environment (such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and Convention on Migratory Species). Maintain the bird species Red List on behalf of the IUCN, and identify land and marine IBAs (Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas);

v. Coordinate and facilitate the work of Supporting Partners in developing capacity of other Partners;

vi. Manage a country programme in those key jurisdictions where there is no BirdLife Partner;

vii. Facilitate the Partnership’s unique governance process, including the work of the elected Global Council and the organisation, every four to five years, of the World Congress to maintain cohesion across the Global Partnership, to showcase BirdLife to external stakeholders and to celebrate conservation successes.

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BirdLife’s Vision and Mission

The BirdLife Partnership vision is a world rich in biodiversity where people and nature live in harmony.

The BirdLife Partnership mission is to conserve birds and all nature, working with people towards sustainability.

BirdLife’s Commitment• To prevent extinctions in the wild;

• To maintain and, where possible, improve the conservation status of all bird species;

• To conserve the sites and habitats important for birds and other biodiversity;

• To sustain the vital ecological systems that underpin human livelihoods, and enrich the quality of people’s lives; and

• In the process, BirdLife will empower people and contribute to the alleviation of poverty, and strive to ensure sustainability in the use of natural resources.

Local action, one global strategyBirdLife International’s global strategy is developed ‘bottom up’ by the BirdLife Partnership, and directly supports the commitment of the world’s governments to take urgent and effective action to halt the loss of biodiversity, and to achieve the 20 Aichi biodiversity targets by the year 2020.

The strategy has four pillars which, taken together, are BirdLife’s approach to conservation.

1. Save Species

2. Conserve Sites and Habitats

3. Encourage Ecological Sustainability

4. Enable Positive Change through People

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BirdLife International - Chief Executive

How we deliver global conservationBirdLife International is set apart from other conservation organisations by these four characteristics, which together make it unique. These characteristics are a major reason for its international recognition as an authority on biodiversity conservation. They contribute to the Partnership’s effectiveness and success in protecting the environment.

• A unique Partnership: “Local to Global” with coordinated on-the-ground action

BirdLife Partners represent the concerns of the people of their territory. This enhances the credibility and legitimacy of each Partner when working with the private and public sectors. The local nature of the Partners ensures the delivery of high impact, cost effective and sustainable conservation actions on the ground. While Partners act locally, they also are united by a shared BirdLife vision, strategies and programmes that they have jointly developed as part of the Partnership.

The Partnership is coordinated by the BirdLife Secretariat and this international coordination allows the Partnership to speak with one voice and influence international policies and agreements.

• Science-driven

Scientific rigour, innovative methodologies, and the depth and breadth of BirdLife’s vast scientific databases underpin its conservation action. BirdLife is recognised throughout the world as a leader in conservation and the acknowledged authority on the world’s birds and bird conservation. BirdLife International is solely responsible for compiling the world’s official Red List of bird species threatened with extinction. BirdLife Partner volunteers, members, supporters, and staff also are involved in collecting accurate information about the condition of birds and their habitats, even in remote parts of the globe, to feed into this scientific database. This information is consolidated, analysed, and interpreted by outstanding BirdLife scientists in a central office. As birds are key habitat health indicators, when BirdLife volunteers, members, supporters, and staff are outside monitoring birds they are taking the pulse of the planet. BirdLife’s work on birds highlights the state, pressures and responses needed to conserve all nature.

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• Local community involvement and active participation

The Partnership strongly believes that working with local communities and local empowerment is the foundation for lasting, high impact nature conservation. This includes the recognition that conservation has to tangibly enhance human well-being in order to be fully embraced by local people. Projects parachuted from abroad and often short-term in nature are unlikely to produce any positive, lasting impact, and on the contrary, run the risk of undermining the relationship with and the trust of locals. BirdLife Partners are very well-positioned to engage with local communities in their countries.

• Low“cost-to-benefit”ratioandhighglobaleffectiveness

The BirdLife Partnership is able to deliver extremely effective conservation action at a very low cost because of its structure and approach. With millions of qualified and passionate volunteer members throughout the world, the Partnership has access to a dedicated and knowledgeable workforce. In addition, the Partnership’s coordinated efforts and sharing of best practices and experience contributes to this high effectiveness and efficiency.

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BirdLife International - Chief Executive

The RoleThe Chief Executive provides vision, leadership and guidance to BirdLife International as a worldwide Partnership, and is responsible for managing the BirdLife Secretariat. The post reports to an elected international Council which represents BirdLife Partners.

The Chief Executive reports to Council, and directly manages the senior team of global and regional Directors. This structure is expected to develop in the light of the ambitious agenda set out at last year’s congress. Specifically, the new Chief Executive will have a mandate to recruit a Chief Operating Officer and Director of Fundraising to enhance the capacity of the senior team. These additions should also facilitate a focus on external advocacy, fundraising and partnership-building on the part of the Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive’s role is broad-ranging and each facet requires a distinct type of leadership. In broad terms, there are four dimensions to the remit:

• Executive leadership of BirdLife Secretariat;

• Leadership of the Global Partnership;

• Key donor relationship management;

• Representation and advocacy with external Partners and stakeholders.

In more detail, the main duties and work programme responsibilities for the Chief Executive are to:

• Focus, motivate and support the BirdLife Partnership in pursuance of global bird conservation;

• Lead, facilitate and support the Partnership in the development and implementation of BirdLife International strategies, policies, programmes and fundraising;

• Represent and promote BirdLife International across the world, especially to NGOs, international and inter-governmental audiences and media;

• Facilitate and support Partners working together with the BirdLife Secretariat on the agreed BirdLife programmes;

• Direct, stimulate and support the BirdLife Secretariat staff through leadership, management of the Directors and facilitation of cross-departmental working with the Secretariat on the agreed BirdLife programmes;

• Account to, support and service the BirdLife Council.

Another exciting development is the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, a unique collaboration between the University of Cambridge and leading internationally-focused biodiversity conservation organisations, including BirdLife, clustered in and around Cambridge, UK. This means the new Chief Executive will be right at the centre of this leading conservation hub.

See more at: www.conservation.cam.ac.uk

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CandidateProfile

QualificationsandExperience

Candidates must demonstrate:

• Commitment to biodiversity conservation and credibility in engaging with specialists in the field, with particular emphasis on birds;

• Strategic and ‘change management’ acumen;

• Understanding and knowledge of international conservation and development issues and capacity to work with governmental and inter-governmental institutions;

• Knowledge of the workings of non-governmental (not-for-profit) organisations;

• Familiarity with international environmental institutions and inter-governmental processes;

• Senior management experience with a proven ability to motivate, lead, and develop people, and to work well with a Board (preferably of international composition);

• A proven track record of success in fundraising;

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English. Ease in working with and relating to people from different cultures and diverse backgrounds. Ability to work in other major languages an advantage;

• Willingness to undertake frequent international travel.

Key Competencies

The Chief Executive will possess the following competencies:

Strategic Capability

• A vision for the Partnership which respects the autonomy of its Partners, while they work in concert globally;

• The capacity to work collaboratively with a large and complex organisation in the development and articulation of its vision and on its translation into tangible results and longer term impact;

• An appreciation of the issues and cultural contexts from which members of the Partnership come;

• A clear focus on organisational goals amid multiple competing risks and demands, and a capacity to prioritise effectively in order to deliver results.

Organisational Leadership Skills

• The ability to lead through influence in a necessarily participative, bottom-up system;

• Exceptional management skills of people, finances and systems, with a proven capacity to motivate and lead an multi-disciplinary management team to achieve organisational goals;

• Team-building ability, the capacity to instil a culture that values knowledge, optimism, determination, and engagement;

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BirdLife International - Chief Executive

• Excellent interpersonal skills: the instinct to consult, harnessed to a capacity to absorb and synthesise multiple views;

• An ability to make difficult decisions, when required, on organisational development, balanced by experience in constructive engagement with staff on change management processes and their value to the organisation as a whole.

BuildingRelationshipsandUsingInfluence

• Ability to lead BirdLife with an inspiring and cohesive vision that enhances empowerment balanced by accountability;

• Ability to influence internally and externally through informed vision, political skill and networking;

• Ability to attract and persuade individuals and institutions to support the work of BirdLife with the resources the organisation needs to succeed;

• Diplomacy, flexibility, warmth and sensitivity, drive, passion and determination;

• Cultural sensitivity and commitment to diversity.

Advocacy and Representation Skills

• Understanding of evidence-based advocacy and relentless commitment to the integrity and credibility of BirdLife’s delivery;

• Charisma and eloquence to deliver key conservation messages at a world leadership level;

• Presence and gravitas in dealings with partners from a variety of backgrounds;

• An ability to engage and operate effectively at the highest political levels;

• The capacity to articulate compellingly the mission of BirdLife to a variety of audiences to generate financing and support.

Personal Attributes

The Chief Executive will possess:

• Strong interpersonal skills;

• Integrity;

• Familiarity and ease with a variety of cultures and comfort with diverse groups;

• Strength of personality and robustness of intellect;

• Sound judgment and confidence, combined with humility and a focus on personal development and continued learning;

• The ability to work with a multi-constituency organisation as a credible leader, informing its decisions and deriving the maximum advantage for BirdLife from its collective experience.

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The successful candidate will also require:

• An academic degree, preferably post-graduate, ideally in subjects relevant to environment and sustainable development;

• Fluency in English; a good knowledge of other languages would be an asset.

The position is based in Cambridge, at the main office of the BirdLife Secretariat. In its desire to appoint the best candidate, Council will endeavour to minimise any difficulties that location may present to the candidate, including the provision of a relocation package to the UK.

How to apply

To apply, please send a full CV together with a supporting statement, briefly highlighting your experience and skills against the requirements of the role, to Simon Kingston, Jamie Hechinger or Henry Scarlett at [email protected], including the reference number 1403-045L and job role in the subject title. All applications will be acknowledged. The closing date for the receipt of applications is Friday, 23 May 2014.

Contact

Simon Kingston

Russell Reynolds Associates

Almack House

28 King Street

London

SW1Y 6QW

Tel: +44 (0)20 7830 8089

[email protected]

Jamie Hechinger

Russell Reynolds Associates

1701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Suite 400

Washington, D.C. 20006-5810

USA

Tel: +1 202 654 7800

[email protected]

Henry Scarlett

Russell Reynolds Associates

Almack House

28 King Street

London

SW1Y 6QW

Tel: +44 (0)20 7198 1858

[email protected]

Company Website: www.russellreynolds.com

Page 12: BirdLife International Chief ExecutiveBirdLife International intends to appoint a new Chief Executive. BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation partnership,

www.birdlife.org

Together we are BirdLife InternationalThe global Partnership for nature and people

BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation Partnership. Together we are 120 BirdLife Partners worldwide – one per country or territory – and growing with 13 million members and supporters, more than 7,000 local conservation groups and 7,400 staff.

BirdLife’s vision is a world rich in biodiversity, where people and nature live in harmony. We are driven by our belief that local people, working for nature in their own places but connected nationally and internationally through our global Partnership, are the key to sustaining all life on this planet.

This unique local-to-global approach delivers high impact and long-term conservation for the benefit of nature and people.

BirdLife is widely recognised as the authority on the world’s birds and the world leader in bird conservation. Rigorous science informed by practical feedback from projects on the ground in important sites and habitats enables us to implement successful conservation programmes for birds and all nature.