Country Director, Argentina

Division: Global Conservation Program, Southern Cone & Patagonia

Reports to: Regional Director, Southern Cone & Pataginia

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Summary:

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is an international conservation NGO headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City working to save wildlife and wild places and to meet global conservation challenges in over 60 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. 

WCS has recently reorganized into a set of regional programs, which includes the Southern Cone & Patagonia, covering the Argentina, Chile and Paraguay country programs, in addition to region-wide engagement on a variety conservation matters. The goal of the regional program structure is to build effective regional units of conservation delivery, scaling our impact from the countries to the entire region through a unique vision, cross-country collaboration, an adequate and flexible human structure, agile operating processes and integrated financial and business management.

WCS Argentina represents the first country-based conservation operation of WCS as a global organization, with over 40 years of presence in the country under various operating structures. Along its history WCS in Argentina achieved unprecedented conservation success and became established as a main stakeholder in local conservation. Amongst the many outcomes of WCS working alongside partners in Argentina are the creation of numerous protected areas and national parks, evaluation of wildlife conservation status and development of adequate management plans for keystone terrestrial and marine species, and multidisciplinary projects to address some of the most serious threats to wildlife, landscapes and seascapes in places of high biodiversity value. Parallel to this process WCS in the country developed invaluable partnerships with government stakeholders at the national and provincial levels, and with representatives of the most important NGOs working on environmental and social issues in the country and the region. WCS’s team in Argentina includes many renowned conservation scientists and is in part enabled through a strategic partnership with the National Scientific Council (CONICET).

WCS seeks to continue the legacy of high conservation impact in Argentina to preserve its wildlife and wild places while ensuring sustainable livelihoods for the local communities. At the same time, the organization seeks to implement a country-program that is an integral part of a bigger regional vision that multiplies its impact and addresses conservation issues that are beyond the country level. To achieve this vision the organization focuses on i) the creation, expansion, strengthening and effective and sustainable implementation of protected areas in key landscapes and seascapes, ii) integrated natural resource management that ensures co-existence between local wildlife and livestock production, regulation of natural resource extraction to minimize impacts to biodiversity, and targeted conservation and management strategies for all our regional priority species and iii) a cross-cutting set of complementary strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. 

Key Responsibilities:

In consultation and coordination with the Southern Cone & Patagonia Regional Director will: 

•Serve as a member of the Southern Cone & Patagonia regional team, helping update the regional strategy, promoting cross-border collaborations and facilitating learning between programs.

•Serve as the legal representative of WCS Argentina, including all its staff and programs and ensure the Argentina program complies with all rules, regulations and best practices issued by the local Government and governing bodies of WCS.  This includes but is not limited to: registration; taxes; terms and conditions of employment of staff; contracts; permits, and mandated government reports. The Country Director is directly responsible to the government of Argentina for all in-country legal matters regardless of WCS line management.

•Provide timely information to all relevant departments at WCS about developments in the country program, and the political and conservation context of the country.

•Ensure fluid communication channels within country program and with other WCS programs.

•Ensure financial sustainability of WCS Argentina developing innovative funding mechanisms, and fundraising from bilateral and multilateral cooperation agencies, foundations, private donors, and corporate funders. Oversee preparation of funding proposals in coordination with other relevant departments in WCS.

•Supervise the financial management of the program, including accepting overall fiduciary responsibility. Work with the Regional Business Manager, the country Financial Manager, Project Directors, and New York office to develop and stay within an annual budget and work plan.

•Conduct general day-to-day oversight of all WCS staff living and working in the country.

•Be responsible for all emergency and crisis response for all staff in the program.

General management and leadership

•Provide team leadership, promote teamwork and support staff.

•Regularly assess and, if needed, update the organizational structure, including positions and job descriptions, line management, performance management, merit salary increases, internal coordination policies, communication policies, etc. 

•Establish internal policies that foster staff motivation, high-quality performance, and a harmonic organizational culture. 

•Manage and mentor senior staff, including: recruiting and professional development, supporting senior staff in their responsibilities and projects, and providing both formal and informal evaluation and advice.  

•Directly supervise all staff and consultants of the country program.

•Contribute to, enlarge and uphold WCS’s policies towards Equal Employment Opportunities for women, minorities, the handicapped, and other protected groups.

•Work with management and institutional development departments (legal, finance, communications, global resources, etc.) to help ensure efficient and effective institutional actions and presence in the country.

Programmatic

•Working alongside the Regional Director and the Argentina Team, lead the update of WCS Argentina strategic vision.

•Build and lead an overall country implementation plan and yearly work-plans, including a control, monitoring, and evaluation system that ensures implementation.

•Develop country and regional projects and initiatives that generate conservation impact at meaningful scales.

•Oversee the implementation of all projects and initiatives (including their reporting) within the country, and ensure quality technical and budget execution. Conduct project site visits to review progress with staff, and together to gain insights and assess different approaches to priority conservation challenges.

•Maintain total familiarity with all regional projects and initiatives involving Argentina. 

•Work across programmatic divisions, departments and portfolios (e.g. marine program, species conservation, one world one health, etc.) to help support, coordinate and execute all activities in the country.

Representation and partnerships

•Direct international and national attention to conservation of important landscapes, seascapes and wildlife in Argentina, and influence policies that promote their long-term persistence.

•Represent WCS and WCS Argentina, in any relevant national and international forums and venues.

•Maintain, strengthen and establish new partnerships and coalitions with governmental entities, key civil society partners, private sector and donors. 

Experience and Skills:

Knowledge:

•Graduate studies equivalent to Master’s degree or PhD in Natural and/or Social Sciences 

•Excellent written and spoken English language skills.

Experience

•Experience in the design and execution of strategic plans.

•Demonstrated experience in leading and overseeing environmental management programs.

•Experience in the design and execution of wildlife conservation projects.

•Experience supervising and working collaboratively with scientists and conservationists

•Diverse fundraising experience with both local and international agencies.

•Solid knowledge of conservation issues globally, in the region and in Argentina.

•Solid knowledge of the sociopolitical context in Argentina.

•Proven experience working with Argentinean government institutions, NGOs, private sector or local communities.

•Availability to travel: once a year to New York, once to Southern Cone or Latin American countries, and three times a year within Argentina’s interior.

Skills

•Strategic thinking and decisive judgment.

•Excellent team leader, ability to manage and inspire a diverse team, to build capacities within the team, and to mentor.

•Excellent relationship-building skills.

•Ability to demonstrate adaptive communication in front of diverse audiences. 

•Ability to work in a range of cultural contexts.

Physical Demands:  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and abilities to adjust focus.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. WCS is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from diverse candidates.