Knowledge Partnership Project Manager, Development

Job Summary

In this new position, you will build WRI’s capacity on a number of important fronts. Half of the position will focus on project managing a collection of important workstreams involving our single largest corporate partnership (aka “Signature Partnership”). The Signature Partnership is focused on sustainable finance’s role in scaling renewable energy and nature-based solutions globally, with a focus in Asia. The workstreams under your purview include:

• Supporting WRI’s co-chairing of an external climate advisory panel to the Signature Partner (a leading multinational financial institution)
• Ensuring an adaptive management approach continually informs and improves our project execution while also driving key learnings to our external partner
• Monitoring and oversight of multiple project budgets, workstreams, KPIs – and related grant reporting
• Ensuring the strategic vision of this partnership is being executed and that WRI is maximizing this partnership’s opportunities for positive impact

You will report to the Director of International Corporate Relations and work directly with a wide range of WRI’s programs and International Offices as well as directly with our CEO. The other half of your time will support our Energy Team track, measure and evaluate their core deliverables as part of this Signature Partnership.

Working closely with the Deputy Director of WRI’s Energy Team as well as a wide collection of our and offices across Asia, you will ensure best-practice project management and grant reporting across a range of exciting projects seeking to hasten energy systems change across the region. The opportunity for positive impact in this role is huge. Internal visibility will be high, and you’ll quickly develop relationships across WRI’s teams and offices, as well as with external partner organizations.

We’re looking for a dynamic Project Manager who can see the big picture while maintaining incredible attention to detail. Poise and personality are key success factors for this role; experience leading without authority will be critical. The Project Manager will balance an exciting range of responsibilities while working with and learning about cutting-edge corporate sustainability initiatives, not to mention WRI’s most exciting projects. This role puts you at the center of WRI’s most exciting work.

This position is remote due to Covid-19, but you will be based at WRI’s office in Washington, DC once restrictions have lifted.

Job Responsibilities

• Undertake day-to-day management of the Knowledge Partnership project writ large, working closely with all members of the knowledge partnership team and core functions based across our international office network 
• Create and maintain a system to keep track of and execute a project plan of project milestones, grant reports, key staff changes, donor-related events, meetings, deliverables, and external key events related to the grant lifecycle
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of grant reports, report quality and coherence, especially across multiple projects, and appropriate internal review of reports
• Work alongside Energy Program Operations Manager to monitor relevant Signature Partner-funded project budgets and financial performance via regular check-ins with PMs and/or Ops staff, flagging concerns to Director of Corporate Relations and Energy Operations Manager when appropriate and ensure all staff working on the project charge their time based on effort undertaken
• Coordinate Energy Program’s Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) efforts under the Energy Pillar including by managing inputs to DevResults
• Flag all financial issues to the Energy Operations Manager and award project manager  
• Lead Quarterly review of entire project with relevant core functions to assess performance, financial management, compliance, MEL and other efforts
• Work with global and country teams to: 1. Monitor project deliverables and ensure their completion on time and within budget. 2. Manage relationships with and performance of subaward partners. 3. Design, develop, and adopt of performance/impact frameworks with use of the DevReults platform. 4. Keep track of past performance and lessons learned to use on future project preparation. 5. Track progress and track upcoming milestones
• Represent project team in internal and external meetings, advocating for its strategic approach, value, and programmatic and/or operational needs 
• Proactively identify and mitigate potential risks, and oversees implementation of annual work plans 
• Work closely with Corporate Relations project manager to ensure strategic partnerships with other grantees under the Energy Pillar are coordinated internally and subgrants agreements, payment requests, and other contracting requirements are handled in a timely fashion

Job Qualifications:

• Master’s degree (or a Bachelor’s degree with 2 years of additional work experience)
• Minimum of 5 years of full time relevant experience needed
• Familiarity with corporate sustainability initiatives and environmental issues more broadly
• You have a passion for learning and find WRI’s work and how leading companies seek to hasten systems change fascinating
• Experience managing projects, project budgets, project reporting; managing teams; leading without authority (aka leading/ managing those who do not report to you)
• You have excellent communication skills: you know the best questions to ask, your writing is crisp and clear
• Experience working with minimal oversight in a dynamic, busy work environment, taking ownership of their role
• Great attention to detail. You like the nitty-gritty; spreadsheets and Gannt Charts are your friends
• You enjoy juggling a number of concurrent, fast-paced projects. If you only had to do one or two things you’d be bored to tears
• US work authorization is required for this position 

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

Potential Salary: $79,000 – $106,000. Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.

Program Overview

WRI’s Corporate Relations team works with many of the world’s largest companies, connecting them to WRI’s global constellation of experts in pursuit of scaling progress on a wide range of sustainability issues. This team serves as relationship manager to WRI’s deepest corporate partnerships – seeking to create and grow impact-focused initiatives with leading multinational corporations. Within WRI, the Corporate Relations team is truly cross-cutting; working across every one of WRI’s programs, centers and International Offices. Externally, we work closely with a wide range of partners, from C-suite execs to marketing leads to technical experts within corporate sustainability teams. Corporate Relations plays a series of important roles in support of WRI’s mission: part relationship manager, part match-maker, part intra-prenuer, part facilitator, part strategic advisor, part fundraiser. This dynamic team enjoys the high-paced nature of our work and the incredible breadth of partners, initiatives and topics we touch.

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.