Field Monitoring & Evaluation Associate, Forests Program

This position can be based in any of our Worldwide offices.

Job Summary

WRI’s Forest team seeks a Field Monitoring & Evaluation Associate for the Global Restoration Initiative. The Global Restoration Initiative works with governments and international partners to inspire, enable and implement restoration on degraded landscapes, returning them to economic and environmental productivity.

You will work with the Global Restoration Initiative’s Monitoring (Inform) and TerraMatch (Invest) teams to lead research, engagement, and coordination on project-scale restoration monitoring, verification and reporting(MVR). Your activities will include:

• Develop the project monitoring plan for the MVR of Top 100 African projects and enterprises and Mastercard’s Priceless Planet Coalition projects in Brazil and Australia 
• Adapt field-based monitoring protocols into cost effective, manageable tseps for projects and WRI monitoring team to build a MVR standard for restoration projects that combines filed reporting from projects and enterprises with field evidence verification, satellite verification and more.
• Leverage collective knowledge and input from various stakeholders in this space and work closely with our remote sensing experts to ensure our state-of-the-art satellite monitoring products complement the field-based monitoring protocols and standard
• Inform monitoring product design to be in line with the project monitoring strategy and standard and is meet the needs of both funders and project developers in the field. You will work closely with the TerraMatch team to ensure the platform’s monitoring product is developed in accordance with stakeholders’ needs
• Lead the coordination of project monitoring for all WRI projects funded through the Top 100 and Priceless Planet Coalition, helping refine the MVR standard

This position is remote due to Covid-19, but you will be based at any of our WRI offices Worldwide once restrictions have lifted.

Job Responsibilities

Establish the MVR standard for forest and landscape restoration (60%)

• Develop an MVR standard and a project monitoring strategy that leverages the team’s strengths and assets such as biophysical monitoring expertise, datasets from Land and Carbon Lab and partner’s expertise initiative 20×20 and AFR 100 as well as project developers and entrepreneurs in Top 100
• Conduct desk-based research to assess field-level monitoring protocols to support measuring the progress and impact of forest and landscape restoration projects
• Evaluating socio economic and ecosystem services indicators for inclusion into a project-scale restoration MVR standard 
• Engage with various stakeholder and partner working groups and other teams within WRI that are working on monitoring and evaluation frameworks to develop a census-driven project monitoring standard that can be widely adopted within the landscape restoration sector
• Author blogs and communications material for both technical and non technical audiences to share MVR standard for forest and landscape restoration
• Advise on how to make field monitoring, verification and reporting of restoration more efficient and effective. Share the latest protocols, tools, technologies, and advancements in field data collection with the team
• Identify ways to further the team’s research agenda in evaluating the impact of restoration interventions through quasi-experimental designs or field studies

Build a community of practice for the Top 100 and Priceless Planet Coalition projects and entrepreneurs (30%)

• Create an environment for skills development and for continuous improvements of MVR standard and the monitoring framework through trainings, e-learning, and/or peer to peer accelerator programs
• Review data coming in from the field for Top 100 and Priceless Planet Coalition  projects, working with project developers to ensure all required data is being reported correctly and meets quality standards
• Build and nurture partnerships with data providers, researchers and monitoring, evaluation and learning experts in Africa
• Liaise with WRI’s Priceless Planet coalition management team to continuously improve on the coalitions’ monitoring framework

Form the design and development of Terramatch monitoring (10%)

• Support the Terramatch product manager  to understand user needs and design system functionality. You may inform how product field reporting forms, field data management system and reporting dashboards
• refine Product requirements by piloting JotForm filed reporting and field data management system and engaging with stakeholder  organizations  to understand their monitoring and reporting needs. This includes but is not limited to corporations, investors, restoration NGOs, and SMEs

Job Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in the Social Sciences or another related field or a Bachelor’s degree with 2 additional years of experience
• Minimum of 3-5 years of relevant, full-time work experience
• Experience working with Monitoring & Evaluation technologies, including online dashboards, handheld device data collection and/or similar
• Experience supporting organizations with a significant field presence to conduct Monitoring & Evaluation activities
• Experience engaging a wide range of partners to define commonly-agreed socio-economic indicator frameworks
• Experience in  field Monitoring & Evaluation experience in a developing country context
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including presentation experience, and working within teams
• Willingness to take initiative and ability to work independently and manage own time
• Ability to manage a complex workload remotely and meet deadlines
• Creative problem-solver who likes to be challenged
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, both independently and as part of a team
• Flexible, highly responsible, articulate, self-motivated, with a good sense of humor
• Ability to think creatively about systems and processes
• Interest in and commitment to environmental and international development issues
• Solid team player that brings energy and enthusiasm to the organization
• US work authorization is required for this position

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in forest and landscape restoration or forestry, with a focus on the realities and needs of local restoration groups
• Knowledge of forest and landscape restoration principles
• Fluency or working proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Hindi, and/or Bahasa Indonesia a major plus

How to Apply: Please submit a resume with cover letter. Applicants must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered. 

Potential Salary: $59,000 – $77,000 if based in the US. Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.

Program Overview

The Global Restoration Initiative aims to catalyze a political and social movement to restore vitality to degraded lands. These degraded lands can be restored into healthy mosaics of sustainable agriculture, agroforestry landscapes (or mixed-forest agriculture), and restored forest ecosystems generating economic, ecological, and social benefits to people and planet. The strategy to build this global restoration movement has three components: 1. Inform: Create new data on tree growth and its impacts that provide insights at the global, national, and landscape scales 2. Enable: Shift policies and incentives by helping decision makers solve each other’s challenges 3. Invest: Accelerate projects and businesses and match them with funders to start closing the funding gap

WRI Overview 

World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade in order to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. 

We are passionate. We value our diversity of interests, skills and backgrounds. We have a flexible work environment. And we share a common goal to catalyze change that will improve the lives of people. Our shared ideals are at the core of our approach. They include: integrity, innovation, urgency, independence and respect. 

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges, and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.  

We have been growing rapidly: our staff has doubled in size over the past 5 years and our operating budget is now $150 million. Founded in 1982, WRI has a global staff of 1,000+ people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.   

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices.