Director of Strategic Partnerships and Services

£50,000 - £55,000 dependent on level of qualifications within a broad range (experience, education, training), performance related to fund-raising, budget management, people management and other measures.

BGCI is seeking to appoint an experienced, committed, passionate, and self-driven Director of Strategic Partnerships and Services to provide strategic oversight and leadership in the development of BGCI’s external partnerships and the services we provide to conservation financiers, planners and practitioners, including our data tools, training resources, and communications. 

About BGCI

There are an estimated 3,000 botanic gardens and arboreta in the world attracting 750 million visitors each year. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is at the centre of this network. Our members include the largest, most renowned botanical institutions on the planet – Kew, New York, Missouri, Singapore, Sydney and Shanghai – and they also include many smaller botanical institutions situated in the world’s plant diversity hotspots. All of these partners share a commitment to making sure that no plant species becomes extinct, and they have a combined workforce of many thousands of horticulturists and scientists working towards that end.

BGCI’s mission is to mobilise botanical expertise and engage partners in securing plant diversity for the well-being of people and the planet. Our theory of change is that by leading, influencing, and empowering our membership and partners, we can better conserve plant diversity, encourage people to live in an environmentally sustainable way, and provide benefits for people as well as the ecology of the planet. Specifically, BGCI supports its network of specialists to carry out plant conservation prioritisation, planning, action, and monitoring, thereby preventing plant species extinctions and promoting sustainability. BGCI’s goal is that botanical organisations in our network will play a critical role in preventing plant species extinctions and creating a more sustainable planet. Our work towards achievement of the goal can be broken down into the following work streams: Saving Plants, Inspiring and Leading People, Sharing Knowledge and Resources, Addressing Global Challenges through Public Engagement and Education, and Ensuring an Effective and Resilient BGCI.

BGCI’s data tools include GardenSearch, PlantSearch, ThreatSearch and GlobalTreeSearch, all of which are used to help prioritise and plan conservation actions in the botanic garden community and beyond. New tools and services under development include the GlobalTree Portal, a conservation action tracker, a plant material exchange platform, a pedigree module for plant breeding, a propagation database and a Directory of Expertise. BGCI and partners are currently developing the Global Biodiversity Standard to assess the biodiversity impact of tree planting programmes. This certification is targeted at practitioners and financiers of tree planting. BGCI is looking for a strategic and customer-focused individual, who will guide the development and delivery of BGCI’s suite of tools and services in consultation and collaboration with conservation financiers, planners and practitioners to ensure maximum impact for biodiversity and people.

Detailed Position Description

The Director of Strategic Partnerships and Services will be responsible for:

Providing strategic direction and responsibility for the organisation's conservation services, including data, services and communication programmes:

• Leading the strategic development of partnerships based around the use of BGCI’s data tools, services and resources, including:
  • Consulting with BGCI’s key customers and audiences receiving BGCI services, and using feedback to improve service provision
  • Creating partnerships with conservation financiers, planners and practitioners to create and deliver BGCI’s data tools and services
  • Developing and managing partnerships with corporate partners and sponsors
  • Developing corporate partnerships through BGCI’s Global Biodiversity Standard
  • Leading on the development of a long term business model for the Global Biodiversity Standard
• Leading BGCI’s data tools programme, including:
  • Developing a BGCI data tools strategy, and chairing the Database Working Group
  • Leading efforts within BGCI to support existing data-rich programmes and help to coordinate and develop synergies internally
  • Developing and disseminating BGCI’s suite of data resources, including training materials, publications and data services.
• Providing strategic direction to BGCI’s membership services programme, including:
  • Improving organisational buy-in and support for membership
  • Managing the Membership team to achieve membership targets
  • Ensuring the effective delivery of membership services, including data provision, vocational training and other services
  • Raising funds for, developing and managing BGCI’s Global Botanic Garden Fund
• Leading BGCI’s communications programme for the development and implementation of BGCI’s Communications Strategy including:
  • Ensuring the organisation’s brand is used effectively to communicate BGCI’s leading role in plant conservation
  • Ensuring that BGCI effectively communicates with key audiences, including conservation planners and practitioners
  • Working with BGCI’s Communications Officer and an external PR firm to implement an effective public affairs programme
  • Developing and ensure delivery of a BGCI website strategy 

Providing strategic leadership for the organisation:

• Deputise for the Secretary General as required, both internally and externally, and flexibly undertake any other duties that may arise, develop or be assigned in line with the broad remit of the position
• Participate in the Senior Management Team
• Support the Secretary General at meetings of the BGCI Board, International Advisory Council, and Development Committee 

Person Specification

Candidates for this post will have a proven record of accomplishment working for a charity or scientific organisation, preferably in conservation or environment. The post holder will be entrepreneurial and outgoing, and will have strong organisational, management, communication and strategic skills. Some knowledge of the data and support needs of conservation planners and practitioners will beimportant.

Essential

• Eligibility to work in the United Kingdom
• 10+ years of experience working in the charitable, environmental and/or conservation sectors
• Strong track record of building international and strategic partnerships across sectors (private, public and civil society)
• Experience of leading strategic and operational planning, implementing successful action plans and overseeing organisational change
• Strong management experience including overseeing organisational development, motivating and developing staff, developing organisational culture and responding to complex staffing needs with empathy, fairness, consistency and appropriate confidentiality
• Cultural empathy and respect, working with a diverse, global community
• Experience of development and fundraising from a variety of sources (e.g. government, trusts and foundations, philanthropy)
• Excellent communication and public relations management skills, including oversight of website, social media and traditional media
• Ability to work robustly within challenging and unpredictable environments, to troubleshoot and problem-solve difficult situations calmly and effectively, and manage risk, recognising potential impact of decisions across all parts of the organisation
• Proven experience of setting, overseeing and working to targets, budgets, and deadlines 

Desirable

• Experience of working within a membership organisation
• Demonstrable track record of individually building successful income generating relationships and securing significant income (corporate, public sector, individual philanthropy or trusts and foundations)
• Experience of training and capacity building in a conservation context
• Knowledge of biological databases, tools and support services
• Basic command of French or Spanish (able to read, write or speak) 

Application Process

Interested applicants should submit a CV and a cover letter of two pages maximum, explaining the candidate’s motivation and providing concrete evidence of why they are suitable for the position.

Please send your CV, cover letter and the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form to info@bgci.org

The Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form can be downloaded from

https://www.bgci.org/job/education-and-training-officer-botanic-gardens-conservation-international/ 

Closing date for applications is 2^nd November 2022.

BGCI is committed to putting equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our organisation. We are committed to ensuring a working environment in which all individuals are free from discrimination and in which opportunities are equal to all. We encourage applications from all sections of the community, particularly those underrepresented within our sector.