Landscape Lead – The Grasslands Initiative (TGI)

ATREE; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,000,000; Full time

Job summary

ATREE's Grasslands Initiative (TGI) seeks a Landscape Lead to design and implement landscape-scale grassland restoration and sustainable management strategies. You will coordinate scientists, partners and government agencies to drive ecological and livelihood outcomes, while mobilising resources for multi-partner programmes.

You will lead state teams, develop investment cases, and ensure governance and learning across landscapes in India.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in natural resource management, ecology, or related field.
• Typically 15 years of relevant experience at landscape, programme or institutional scale.
• Demonstrated experience in landscape restoration, natural resource management, conservation, rural development, climate/environment programmes or related fields.
• Strong experience with state or national government institutions and public programmes.
• Experience designing and managing multi-partner programmes across multiple geographies.
• Experience with resource mobilisation, proposal development and/or managing donor-funded programmes.
• Understanding of grassland ecology, or experience of working in rainfed area or dryland ecosystems is required.
• Experience working with rural communities, local institutions and landscape-level governance systems is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Landscape strategy, implementation and project management at landscape level.
• Identify opportunities to expand TGI’s work across states and ecological regions.
• Coordinate between scientific teams, implementation partners and government agencies and develop scaling solutions.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with state departments, district administrations, technical institutions and other stakeholders.
• Represent TGI in policy, technical and multi-stakeholder forums and contribute to funding mobilisation.
• Develop landscape-level concepts, proposals and investment cases with TGI leadership.
• Work with scientific teams to ensure evidence generation and learning across projects.
• Contribute to technical reports, policy briefs and knowledge products.
• Communicate landscape-level lessons to government, funders, practitioners and wider audiences.
• Support the development of communities of practice around grassland restoration.
• Build and mentor state teams and establish systems for planning, implementation, monitoring and learning.

Skills

Landscape restoration

Leadership

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Policy advocacy

Communication

Fundraising

Partnership development

Knowledge sharing

Governance

Education

Advanced degree in natural resources management or related field

Job description

Landscape Lead – The Grasslands Initiative (TGI)

Description

ATREE’s Grasslands Initiative (TGI) is a mission-mode initiative to advance the recognition, conservation, restoration and sustainable management of India’s grasslands and other open natural ecosystems (ONEs).

The initiative aims to support landscape-scale restoration and management across priority grassland regions of India, while ensuring that ecological outcomes, local livelihoods and the rights of local communities are secured.

Location: In Western, Rajasthan or Mumbai/ Pune (Maharashtra), with substantial travel to project landscapes and partner locations Reporting to: Director, The Grasslands Initiative, ATREE

Responsibilities

1. Landscape strategy, implementation and project management

• Develop landscape-level strategies and action plans for restoration, conservation and sustainable management of grasslands in the focal landscapes.
• Identify opportunities for expanding TGI’s work across states and ecological regions.
• Facilitate coordination between scientific teams, implementation partners and government agencies and develop solutions for scaling.

2. Government and institutional partnerships

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with relevant state departments, district administrations, technical institutions and other stakeholders.
• Represent TGI in relevant policy, technical and multi-stakeholder forums.
• Contribute to TGI’s targets for landscape-scale restoration and public finance mobilisation.

3. Partnerships and resource mobilisation

• Contribute to the development of strategic partnerships with funders, philanthropic organisations, development agencies and private-sector actors.
• Develop landscape-level concepts, proposals and investment cases in collaboration with TGI leadership

4. Knowledge, learning and communication

• Work closely with TGI’s scientific team to ensure that implementation generates rigorous evidence and learning.
• Contribute to technical reports, policy briefs, case studies and other knowledge products.
• Communicate landscape-level lessons to government, funders, practitioners and wider audiences.
• Support the development of communities of practice around grassland restoration.

5. Team leadership and institutional development

• Build and mentor the state teams.
• Establish systems for programme planning, implementation, monitoring and learning across landscapes.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in natural resource management, ecology, environmental sciences, rural development, development studies, geography, public policy, social sciences or a related field.
• Typically 15 years of relevant professional experience, including substantial experience working at landscape, programme or institutional scale.
• Demonstrated experience in landscape restoration, natural resource management, conservation, rural development, climate/environment programmes or related fields.
• Strong experience working with state or national government institutions and public programmes.
• Experience designing and managing multi-partner programmes across multiple geographies.
• Experience with resource mobilisation, proposal development and/or managing donor-funded programmes.
• Understanding of grassland ecology, or experience of working in rainfed area or dryland ecosystems is required.
• Experience working with rural communities, local institutions and landscape-level governance systems is desirable.