Pride Program Manager, Guadalajara
Location: Guadalajara, Mexico
Reports to: Director, Pride Latin America
Last Updated: January, 2011
Travel: 50%
About Rare
Rare, a U.S.-based conservation organization, works globally to equip people in the world’s most threatened natural areas with the tools and motivation they need to care for their natural resources. For the last 30 years, at more than 90 sites and in more than 50 nations, Rare has addressed the underlying social and economic factors that create environmental threats. Rare’s approach has been to develop marketing and business development tools that motivate local communities to protect their natural surroundings. Rare has been recognized by Monitor Consulting and Fast Company magazine as one of the “Top 25 Social Capitalists” in America for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. Its conservation toolkit has been embraced by many large environmental organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, and the National Audubon Society.
Rare’s signature Pride campaign builds grassroots support for environmental protection by training local conservation leaders in the use of commercial marketing tactics to build awareness, influence attitudes, and enable meaningful change. Rare has more than twenty years of experience in building local Pride for biodiversity conservation and has trained over 120 locally-based conservationists. Over the next 5 years, Rare plans to triple in size, resulting in exponentially greater impact.
About the Position
Working in close collaboration with the Director of Pride Latin America and the Pride Program Team, the Pride Program Manager will provide one-on-one mentoring and technical support to local conservation leaders enrolled in the Rare Pride Leadership Development Program, offered at ITESO (Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara) in Guadalajara, Mexico. Each year Rare will initiate 12 new students who will receive 17 weeks of on-site training over a two year process.
The Rare Pride Program includes 17 weeks of training at the University in 5 subject areas: Conservation Theory and Practice, Research Methodologies, Social Marketing techniques, Project Management, and Leadership skills development; and 84 weeks in the field implementing social marketing-based Pride Campaigns in their communities.
The Pride Program Manager will provide comprehensive instruction, mentoring, and strategic support to the program participants throughout the training, implementation, and evaluation cycles of each Pride Campaign. This includes teaching course modules on conservation, leadership, and community engagement during the residency phases of training; periodic support visits to program sites around the world; financial management of program; and regular coaching, mentoring, and distance support to Campaign Managers.
Areas of Responsibility:
The Program Manager’s main responsibility will be to manage Pride training and campaigns run through Rare’s program at ITESO. Duties include:
• Provide classroom instruction and student evaluation at the university level.
• Design customized curriculum using specialized conservation knowledge to meet specific goals of Rare and Pride Campaign Manager cohorts
• Create new tools and training resources to assist Campaign Managers and reinforce the Pride curriculum and training
• Perform frequent language and cultural translation revisions to ensure materials are appropriate and effective
• Provide long distance support and mentoring to Pride Campaign Managers in the implementation of program in the field, maintaining contact via phone, internet, fax and monitoring / project support trips throughout the year.
• Assist Campaign Managers in overcoming barriers to implementation, including relationship management, technical skill gaps, and time management
• Provide general administrative and logistical support for course work, as needed
• Manage relationships with Pride campaign local partners, ensuring that Rare’s priorities of capacity building, constituency building, and conservation are met. This includes communicating regularly with senior members of the partner organization, and resolving any discrepancies or conflicts.
• Manage and facilitate the Campaign Manager production of required project deliverables, providing expert assistance and revision where necessary to meet Rare standards.
• Work as part of a team to review and provide coordinated feedback to Pride campaign products and assignments, campaign deliverables, project plans, materials in development, and final reports.
• Conduct week-long site support visits for personalized support to Pride programs and complete support trip reports.
• Manage and communicate monthly activities and progress, financial status and final outcomes of each program using RarePlanet (an internet-based project management tools and social networking). Utilize RarePlanet and conservation expertise to facilitate communications and collaboration between Campaign Managers around the world.
• Ensure Campaign Manager use of RarePlanet as required through online mentoring and support
• Work diligently to constantly improve and update course materials, Pride curriculum and tools for the Pride program, and promote cross-campaign learning and network building.
Qualifications, Skills & Knowledge Requirements
• Education and/or experience equivalent to a Master’s Degree in fields of biodiversity conservation, communications, or social marketing.
• Strong understanding of conservation, environment and/or biodiversity issues
• 5 years or more of work experience in conservation, communication or social marketing
• Proven success in project planning and management skills.
• Teaching, training, or coaching experience essential.
• Proven success in being able to thrive in team environments, having a strong understanding of diversity and other cultures, and having built relationships over long distances
• Fluent English and Spanish language skills – both written and oral
• Willingness to travel based on needs of the position (up to 50%).
• Experienced in using MS Office, databases, graphics or multimedia software
• Specialized interest or background in fisheries a plus
Benefits and Application Procedure
Rare not only inspires conservation, we also inspire our employees. In addition to fully covered health insurance, a retirement savings plan, and generous vacation/holiday leave time, Rare’s benefits include an annual training budget for continuous learning and growth, a bonus plan that ties to individual and organizational performance, and a flexible and fun work environment. And to make sure no one gets cabin fever, there’s an annual staff retreat that allows everyone to experience and support Rare’s work in the field.
To Apply: Please email a resume and thoughtful cover letter in English, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, both in Word format, to Deb Chamberlin, Senior Director of Human Resources at humres@rareconservation.org, subject line “Pride Program Manager, Guadalajara.” Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.