Country Director, Recoftc Indonesia

RECOFTC is an international nonprofit organization working towards a future where resilient communities with respected rights thrive in forest landscapes that they manage sustainably and equitably. We take a long-term, landscape-based and inclusive approach in supporting local communities to secure their land and resource rights, stop deforestation, find alternative livelihoods and foster gender equality. We have almost 40 years of experience and we have built trusting relationships with partners from communities, governments, businesses, academia and civil society organizations. Our innovations, knowledge and initiatives enable countries to foster good forest governance, mitigate and adapt to climate change and achieve the UN Global Goals.

We operate in the Asia-Pacific region, with country offices in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam.

RECOFTC has been building the foundations and capacity for social forestry in Indonesia since 1998. We work closely with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to strengthen capacity to implement sustainable forest management programmes and develop community-based forest management initiatives and strategies in Indonesia. ?

RECOFTC is seeking a Country Director for RECOFTC Indonesia. The successful candidate will be based at the RECOFTC Indonesia office in Bogor, Indonesia. The position is a 12-month contract, with a high likelihood of extension subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance.

Tasks and duties

The Country Director, RECOFTC Indonesia strategically leads the implementation of RECOFTC programmes in the country and manages country operations for both RECOFTC Indonesia and its local entity called Yahumma. This includes programme management, resource mobilization, networking and stakeholder relationships, communication, monitoring and evaluation, office administration and human resources management.

The Country Director provides supervision for the team at both offices and reports to the Programme Director based at the main office in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Specific tasks and duties include:

Programme management and delivery (40%)

• Manage the country’s portfolio to effectively implement the RECOFTC strategic plan and programme activities in Indonesia
• Contribute to the RECOFTC’s overall strategy, including development of annual work plans for Indonesia office, strategic opportunities and directions, submission of programme activity plans and progress reporting
• Contribute and coordinate research and analysis in related topics to support innovation and knowledge management for country programme design and implementation
• Coordinate timely monitoring of ongoing projects to ensure project deliverables meet timeline and quality requirements
• Work with project coordinators of multi-country projects being implemented by RECOFTC Main Office that have components in Indonesia to ensure effective implementation and integration of projects into programmatic strategy to help achieve outcomes of the Strategic Plan
• Oversee technical content of RECOFTC Indonesia communications, tools and channels, including report writing, communications with donors and partners, and translation of communication products, including videos, in national language and vice-versa
• Support the development of training modules and supervise delivery of training programmes, when needed

Fundraising (25%)

• Develop business development and fundraising strategy for RECOFTC Indonesia with support from the Business Development Manager of RECOFTC at the main office, and other relevant staff in other units, in particular the Programme Coordination and Technical Services unit
• Identify strategic opportunities for RECOFTC, including in the carbon market space, and provide business intelligence to generate financial resources for RECOFTC Indonesia, develop and diversify project portfolio and ensure financial sustainability of the country office
• Represent RECOFTC at the highest levels with donors, partners and relevant stakeholders at multilateral and bilateral meetings, conferences and donor events within and outside the country
• Work with the communication team to develop corporate communication and advocacy strategy for RECOFTC Indonesia, communicate RECOFTC’s achievements to donors and act as a spokesperson at regional and national events
• Identify strategic opportunities and promote an organization-wide culture of fundraising and business awareness to support programme implementation in focal landscapes and beyond

Stakeholder networking and relationship building (15%)

• Develop and foster effective working relationships with government from national to grassroots level. Engage with policy makers and national level Social Forestry Network/Working group regarding opportunities and challenges facing social forestry in Indonesia and make practical evidence-based recommendations for improvements to regulatory frameworks
• Establish, develop and maintain strategic partners and collaborators (relevant ministries and departments within Indonesia government, other NGOs, community-based organizations, INGOs and the private sectors) through RECOFTC Indonesia’s local entity, Yahumma, to explore areas of collaboration and expand RECOFTC’s programme activities and impact in the country
• Actively engage and collaborate with social forestry networks and relevant organizations to help identify and share insights among communities and implementation partners, promote best practices for social forestry and monitor overall progress in the social forestry sector
• Represent RECOFTC in events/meetings/conferences at various levels from national to international

Monitoring and evaluation (5%)

• Work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team at the main office to coordinate and supervise data inputs from programme and project activities and generate evidence for reporting on strategic and intermediate outcomes
• Responsible for developing progress reports to be submitted to donors
• Support the analysis of MEL data to generate communication products to enhance country office’s outreach

Governance of country office and the local entity (10%)

• Make effective use of RECOFTC Indonesia and Yahumma to deliver RECOFTC activities
• Ensure that the rules, regulations and practices in the country office comply with the country’s laws and regulations
• Convene regular meetings of the Yahumma Board of Trustees and update RECOFTC Main Office about progress and any other relevant issues that need attention to effectively govern the local entity
• Ensure compliance with RECOFTC’s policies and procedures in programme and project operations and implementation
• Ensure transparency in all financial transactions
• Ensure timely update of financial expenditure records into the ERP

Human resource development and management (5%)

• Manage programme and project staff, including oversight of administration and human resources
• Develop job descriptions and facilitate recruitment of staff and interns, as needed; source and manage experienced consultants when required
• Create an atmosphere of organizational learning, provide coaching and result-oriented leadership to the country staff and interns
• Drive individual staff performance and lead overall team development
• Perform other tasks as assigned by the Programme Director or Executive Director

Qualifications and experience

The Country Director must have the following qualifications and experience:

Essential

• Master’s degree or equivalent in forestry, natural resource management, social sciences, economics or a relevant field
• At least fifteen years’ experience in managing programme and project portfolio and fundraising in natural resource management sector, preferably on social forestry, nature-based solutions, agroforestry, forest-based carbon trade and policies, etc.
• Strong understanding of forestry context and priorities in Indonesia, and familiarity with the  ASEAN context, and other focal countries of RECOFTC
• Strong experience in managing international donor-funded programmes, projects and CF/SF policy development
• Strong experience in proposal and report writing
• Experience in natural resources capacity building and/or participatory training and curriculum development
• Strong leadership and supervisory skills, with experience in mentoring and managing networks
• Strong organization, management and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a track record of building relationships with diverse stakeholders, including the private sector
• Fluent written and spoken English and Bahasa
• Willing to travel frequently to field sites and occasionally to the RECOFTC Main Office in Thailand
• Must be an Indonesian national

RECOFTC’s core values

At RECOFTC, our core values are the foundation of our culture and guide all our work. In addition to job-specific skills and experience, the applicant should possess the following characteristics, attitudes and skills:

• Embrace innovation
• Adapt to and learn from challenges
• Nurture commitment, responsibility and ownership
• Collaborate with partners and stakeholders
• Commit to sustainability
• Cultivate participation, gender equality and social inclusion
• Prioritize well-being

Commitment to RECOFTC policies and procedures  

At RECOFTC, we uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency and responsibility in all our operations. Our policies and guidelines are designed to ensure a safe, inclusive, sustainable and ethical environment for our staff, partners, consultants and the communities we serve.  

All staff, consultants and contractors engaged by RECOFTC are required to comply with RECOFTC’s policies and procedures while performing their roles with RECOFTC.

How to apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit a CV and cover letter. The cover letter should describe the candidate’s suitability for the position, state salary expectations and provide contact details of three referees, including recent supervisors.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. RECOFTC offers a competitive compensation package.

For more information about RECOFTC, please visit our website at https://www.recoftc.org/

RECOFTC is committed to non-discrimination and equal opportunity. Applicants will not be discriminated against based on ethnicity, religion, age, nationality, physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, colour, marital status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by RECOFTC's values and code of conduct. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified disabled applicants to participate in the application process. If you require special accommodation, please inform RECOFTC's Human Resources in writing at the time of application. The successful candidate will be selected based on merit. RECOFTC strongly encourages women and individuals from Indigenous and ethnic groups to apply.