AidEnvironment - General Director

General Director

Letter from AidEnvironment Team

AidEnvironment is a dynamic and influential not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating a sustainable future. Our mission is clear: to protect and restore ecosystems while improving livelihoods in agricultural and forest landscapes across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Through our work, we strive to achieve sector-wide transformation that leaves a lasting positive imprint on our planet.

At AidEnvironment, we are committed to producing actionable insights that will help drive real change. Our multidisciplinary team is organized around four key thematic areas:

1. Deforestation-Free Supply Chains: As the global demand for commodities grows, we recognize the urgent need to protect forests and halt deforestation. By working closely with stakeholders across supply chains, we develop strategies and tools to promote sustainable sourcing practices and eliminate deforestation, paving the way for a more responsible and ethical business landscape. We aim to curb deforestation by urging and assisting investors, companies, and civil society in their decision-making on deforestation.

2. Sustainable Sector Transformation: We firmly believe that a systemic shift is necessary to build sustainable economies. Through our research, analysis, and strategic partnerships, we drive sector-wide transformation across industries, advocating for sustainable practices that promote environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic resilience. We provide structured and integrated approaches to understand commodity sectors and develop sustainable transformation strategies. We help clients identify and assess innovative solutions across a range of systemic challenges. We also support them in monitoring impact and implementing lessons learned for continuous improvement of interventions.

3. Water Management: Sustainable water management is critical to ensure the well-being of ecosystems and communities. AidEnvironment actively engages in water-related projects, collaborating with diverse stakeholders to develop innovative solutions for efficient water use, conservation, and equitable access. We deliver sustainable water management solutions that positively impact people, businesses, and the environment. Our work emphasises the “integrated” aspect in integrated water

resource management (IWRM), which involves striving for a holistic understanding of resources on a catchment level—where water is coming from, where it flows and the needs of communities around it. Our team uses tried and tested models that contribute to environmental sustainability, including water harvesting, regreening, and regenerative agriculture. We take a positive approach to water, focusing on solutions that increase water access in ways that benefit an entire landscape and all its users.

4. Landscape Management: Ecosystems thrive when managed holistically. We work with local communities, governments, and businesses to develop integrated landscape management strategies that balance conservation objectives with sustainable development. By promoting responsible land use and harnessing the power of collaboration, we foster resilient landscapes that benefit both people and nature. We advise governments, non-profits and companies on efficient, effective, and sustainable management of land and water resources. To ensure that solutions are apt to local needs and natural resources, our programs actively involve all stakeholders in designing solutions appropriate for local challenges. We are committed to working toward increased resilience of communities and ecosystems, and lasting improvement in the quality of the entire landscape.

Apart from our commitment to creating a positive impact in these key issue areas, AidEnvironment is committed to maintaining financial sustainability and caring for our global team in offices in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Jakarta (Indonesia) and Kampala (Uganda). We pursue the growth and well-being of our team with a talent development framework, and policies on anti-corruption and bribery, whistle-blowing, sexual harassment, and a code of conduct.

If you possess a deep commitment to sustainability, a track record of strategic leadership, and a passion for catalysing transformative change, we invite you to embark on this extraordinary journey with AidEnvironment. Together, we will forge a sustainable path towards a thriving future for our planet and all its inhabitants. Join us in this vital mission and be at the forefront of driving transformative sector change.

About AidEnvironment

AidEnvironment is a not-for-profit sustainability research, strategy and implementation organisation working to achieve transformative sector change.

We produce actionable insights and implement sustainable solutions to help protect and restore ecosystems and improve livelihoods in agricultural and forest landscapes across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We work on four thematic areas: landscape management, water management, sustainable sector transformation, and deforestation-free supply chains.

Our organisation’s core is a growing, ambitious, and content-driven team of professionals that need your support, strength, and ambitions in our drive to a more sustainable and fairer world.

The Role Job Summary

AidEnvironment is looking for an inspired and ambitious new General Director, who can build on our past successes and strengthen the organisation’s capacity and growth. They will be a leader with an international profile, strong interpersonal capacities and communication skills, and someone who shares our vision, mission, and core values.

The Amsterdam office, charismatically positioned looking over the canals, will be their base, and the future AidEnvironment General Director will regularly travel to the international offices in Uganda and Indonesia, and other programs’ countries (India and the Philippines for example).

Responsibilities

As General Director, you will be responsible for:

• Leading, managing, and developing a dynamic team of 50 professionals active in three offices with expansion ambitions, fostering an inclusive and respectful work culture.

• Leading AidEnvironment’s organisational strategy, exploring the best options for strengthening its positioning, branding and services.

• Actively representing the core values of AidEnvironment as its leader, both within and outside the organisation, ensuring diverse perspectives are included

• Maintaining and strengthening relationships with clients, key sector stakeholders and the organization’s Supervisory Board.

• Managing AidEnvironment’s budget and assuring the sound financial health of the organisation.

Candidate profile

As a General Director, you have:

• A high level of passion for AidEnvironment’s mission and objectives.

• Strong strategic capabilities. This role requires an ability to adapt to a dynamic future and determine which decisions need to be made several years from now, all in a diverse team setting.

• Experience in maintaining a financially sound not-for-profit organisation, promoting transparency and fairness.

• Strong acquisition skills with proven past success to support and strengthen pipeline development.

• Experience in leading, inspiring, and growing a team of internationally and culturally diverse professionals with a clear vision on staff development. You have a transparent and people-oriented management style with excellent listening abilities and cross-cultural competence.

• Commitment to lead by example in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

• Extensive expertise (> 10 yrs) in relevant thematic areas of AidEnvironment and the ability to mobilize a large new network, partners, and clients in these thematic areas.

• Substantial experience (> 5 yrs) in engaged leadership roles within NGOs, consultancies, large corporations, financial institutions, or governmental organisations.

• Experience of living and working (a placement of > 3 yrs) abroad, ideally in South-East Asia and/or East Africa. A willingness to travel is required.

What do we offer?

• A unique and rewarding position within an inspiring team and international setting; this is your chance!

• Competitive salary and working conditions (travel expenses, pension contribution, development).

• Hybrid working possible with a healthy balance between office and home.

• Autonomy and responsibility.

• Leading a healthy organisation with ambition to grow over coming years.

• Working in a great team of culturally diverse, passionate, knowledgeable, and professional colleagues, while being supported by a committed Supervisory Board.

• Contributing to urgent global challenges of today’s world in very tangible ways.

How to Apply

All correspondence, at this stage, should be via Oxford HR. To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button on the job advert page, complete our online application form, and submit your CV and cover letter as two different documents, which should be prepared before applying as they will be considered in the application process.

The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

The document should be saved in PDF in the following format: Your

First Name-Your Last Name-Document Name-Date (mmyy) e.g., Pat-Jones-CV-072023-AidEnvironment or Pat-Jones-CoverLetter072023-AidEnvironment.

TIMELINE

Closing Date 4th September 2023

First stage interviews September, 2023

Final interviews Early October, 2023

SELECTION PROCESS

All candidates will receive an update regarding their application after the closing date. We advise candidates to add the role email to their safe senders list and regularly check their spam folder.

EQUALITY STATEMENT

The General Director plays a crucial role in upholding and advancing AidEnvironment’s organizational values. This entails fostering an environment of open collaboration, transparency, and proactive

engagement while treating all individuals with fairness and equality. At AidEnvironment, our commitment lies in fostering a diverse and inclusive team that embraces a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We firmly believe in providing equal opportunities to all applicants, ensuring that each individual is evaluated based on merit and free from any form of discrimination. We are dedicated to promoting inclusivity and rejecting any bias or prejudice.

Understanding that research consistently demonstrates how women and minorities may hesitate to apply for opportunities when they feel they don’t fully meet all the requirements, we want to emphasize our genuine encouragement for women and minorities to apply for this opportunity, irrespective of any perceived gaps in meeting the outlined criteria.

We truly value the unique perspectives and experiences that diversity brings, and we are actively working towards cultivating an environment that thrives on inclusiveness. We wholeheartedly encourage all interested candidates to submit their applications and join us in our mission to create a meaningful and positive impact in the world. Your distinct contributions are highly valued and fundamental to our collective success.

QUERIES

If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email at aidenvironment@oxfordhr.com in the first instance.

About Oxford HR

Oxford HR operates globally - mainly within the international development and charity sectors.

We carry out retained executive search mandates at board and senior management levels. We also offer human resource and organisational development consultancy.

Oxford HR has many years of experience in search as well as an extensive network of international development, social sector, corporate, public sector, and academic contacts from across the world. We carry out comprehensive and often international searches designed to meet the specific needs of our client.