MEL and Adaptive Management Specialist, Coral Triangle Resilience project

YOUR POSITION WITH TNC

The MEL and Adaptive Management Specialist provides technical support and leadership for the Empowering Stewardship in the Coral Triangle project, a regional project covering Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines. They apply the principles of conservation strategy design, with a focus on collecting, analysing and using monitoring and evaluation data to track progress, share learning and adaptively manage the work, ultimately leading to more successful implementation of conservation activities and rigorously measuring conservation success. They are the key lead in the team for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning activities at the regional level, working closely with country teams to provide capacity building and to ensure consistent, high quality data inputs, facilitate cross-country learning, and robust adaptive management practice.

The position is flexible in terms of location within the TNC Asia Pacific region, in countries where TNC may hire staff, with a strong preference given to the project implementation countries: Papua New Guina, Solomon Islands and Indonesia. Subject to donor and partner approval, we may also consider exceptional candidates based in the Philippines. There is no sponsorship for relocation or support for immigration and visa. This will be a fixed-term position until September 2028.

The MEL and Adaptive Management Specialist collects and manages data related to people, the empowerment of women, habitats, as well as endangered, threatened and vulnerable animal species. They develop frameworks, guidelines and provide capacity building to country teams to ensure consistent, high quality data. They then assess this data to prioritize conservation approaches, adapt project plans and ensure achievement of conservation results. The MEL and Adaptive Management Specialist conducts scientific surveys and research, records data, writes reports and may contribute to proposals in order to administer, coordinate and strengthen conservation implementation in four countries under the Empowering Stewardship in the Coral Triangle project.  

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE:

• Develop conceptual models that demonstrate how supporting women to take on leadership roles in Natural Resource Management (NRM) and climate adaptation leads to the achievement of conservation results for ecosystems and species.
• Maintain the project’s monitoring, evaluation and learning system, developing adaptive management plans in close coordination with regional and country teams.
• Lead the compilation of the annual reports for donors
• Administer and coordinate programs within a conservation area or program.                                
• Deliver biodiversity and people related data, tools, field services and training to staff and partners.
• Capacity building, including developing frameworks and technical guidance; delivering training and providing mentoring and advice to country teams to develop monitoring, evaluation and learning capacity and ensure consistent, high quality data.
• Lead knowledge management approaches, incorporating MEL findings into actionable learnings to drive project improvement and facilitating cross-country learning and sharing.
• Facilitate regular, ongoing, adaptative management (such as every 6 months) creating a safe space for country teams to openly reflect and share both successes and failure to promote learning
• Contribute data, evidence and case studies to other products, such as proposals and external communications                                    
• Provide fieldwork and logistical support for research, project development and monitoring.       
• May lead staff, consultants, interns or volunteers on a project basis.                      
• May manage a grant, contract or request for proposal.
• Incorporate monitoring of project risks and risk mitigation measures into M&E frameworks
• Manage relationships with key external partners such as the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat.                      
• Up to 20-25% travel, including international travel to remote locations which may involve work in variable weather conditions, limited infrastructure, hazardous terrain and physically demanding circumstances.

• Master's Degree in science related field and at least 2 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.                  
• Experience leading and working with cross-functional and cross-cultural teams in a regionally remote environment.                                      
• Extensive monitoring, evaluation and learning experience, with experience measuring results related to both people and nature
• Experience synthesizing, interpreting and communicating data and scientific information.        
• Experience preparing reports of findings, including donor reports
• Experience working and communicating with a wide range of people.

Desired Qualifications:

• Ability to compile data from a range of different sources and bring it together in a consistent way to tell a cohesive story
• Experience analyzing and interpreting monitoring data in order to identify opportunities for improvement and learning. 
• Multi-language skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• Strong knowledge of common software applications.
• Proven negotiation skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Capacity building experience, including experience in developing and delivering training as well as informal coaching and mentoring of teams.
• Understanding of agile or adaptive management approaches and experience leading a proactive adaptive management cadence
• Skilled in facilitating meetings and workshops, including creating a safe and trusting environment to enable deep learning and adaptive management.

This description is not designed to be a complete list of all duties and responsibilities required for this job.

The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our mission and guided by our values, which include respect for all people, communities, and cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s many reasons to love life inside TNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube   to hear stories from staff or visit  Glassdoor.

One goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. In addition to the requirements in our job postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job and consider each applicant’s unique experience. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and stay for the people.”

Since 1951, TNC has been doing work you can believe in. Through grassroots action, we have grown from a small non-profit into one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and partners, we impact conservation around the world! 
TNC offers competitive and comprehensive benefits packages tailored to the individual countries where we work. These may include health care benefits, retirement benefits, parental leave, paid time off, life insurance, and disability coverage as well as an employee assistance program and other life and well-being benefits. Learn more about our Benefits and Perks here.
We’re proud to offer a flexible work environment that supports the health and well-being of the people we employ.

Our recruiting process includes a rolling interview process to ensure we engage applicants in a timely manner. This means we may review applications in the order in which they are received. Once a strong candidate pool is identified, the role will be unposted. The timeline may vary depending on the expressed interest in the role, so we highly encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.

Employees must submit their application by logging into Workday and applying via the Jobs Hub.

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to equal employment opportunity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.
The successful applicant must meet the requirements of The Nature Conservancy's background screening process.
TNC is committed to offering accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please send a note to [email protected]  with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.