People & Ecosystems: ESR Research Analyst

Kathy Doucette — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:50:26 -0400

The World Resources Institute (WRI) seeks a results-oriented college graduate with strong research and communication skills for a full-time position. The Ecosystem Services Review (ESR) Research Analyst will provide organizational, analytical, writing, communication, and research support for WRI’s Ecosystem Services Review Team in its efforts to mainstream ecosystem service-based strategies in the private sector (www.wri.org/ecosystems/esr).

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) – the largest audit ever conducted of the conditions and trends in the world’s ecosystems – found that ecosystems have declined more rapidly and extensively over the past 50 years than at any other comparable time in human history. In particular, the Assessment found that 15 of 24 “ecosystem services” – the variety of benefits ecosystems provide to people – declined during this period. The degradation of ecosystem services is already affecting human well-being in many regions and the performance of business as companies both depend on and impact these ecosystem services. However, most companies fail to make the connection between healthy ecosystems and their bottom line.

The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (ESR) is a systematic methodology that helps managers develop strategies to manage their risks and opportunities arising from their company’s dependencies and impacts on ecosystems. Since its launch in March, 2008, the Review has been used by over 50 Fortune 500-caliber companies.

External Relations: Online Communications Officer

Tim Herzog — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:56:04 -0400

The World Resources Institute (WRI) is looking for outstanding candidates for the position of Online Communications Officer. This position works with a team of multimedia science and policy communicators that is aggressively expanding WRI’s visibility and impact in the global online community.

First and foremost, the successful candidate must have an exceptional ability to communicate complex ideas concisely and effectively. WRI is a non-partisan, global environmental think tank with a solid reputation for quality research and analysis. The Online Communication Officer’s biggest challenge is to communicate that work online, using web appropriate writing style, in ways that increase its accessibility and impact without compromising its depth. In addition, the Online Communications Officer plays a role in producing multimedia, such as videos, podcasts, and interactive graphics, that communicate WRI’s work.

Second, the Online Communication Officer conducts outreach to online communities to disseminate WRI’s work and increase its impact. The successful candidate will be able to identify influence targets within online communities (individuals and sites) and develop relationships and partnerships with those targets. The Online Communications Officer also helps WRI staff develop and execute their own online communications strategies.

Governance and Access: Intern, International Financial Flows and the Environment

Kathy Doucette — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:49:39 -0400

The International Financial Flows and the Environment (IFFE) project seeks a highly qualified individual with excellent research, writing, and analytical skills for a six month internship. IFFE works to align public and private investment with environmentally sustainable development and poverty reduction. We focus our efforts on banks that shape global environmental and social policies and norms for finance, trade and investment. Our current research, analysis, and engagement strategies target a subset of international financial institutions including private sector commercial and investment banks, multilateral development banks, and export credit and guarantee agencies. The IFFE project is housed in WRI’s Institutions and Governance Program (IGP). IGP works to develop transparent decision-making processes that foster openness, public participation and accountability.

IFFE is beginning a new piece of work to monitor the emerging influence of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) based in the global South. The objective of this new project is to improve the quality of environmental and social standards of new emerging actors in development finance to meet international environmental and social best practice.

Markets & Enterprise: Program Director

Kathy Doucette — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:25:32 -0400

The World Resources Institute (WRI) is seeking a Director to lead its Markets & Enterprise Program. WRI’s work in this area has focused on the role of the private sector in tackling some of the world’s most pressing environmental and social problems. The Institute has been a pioneer in this field, building a portfolio of ground-breaking initiatives that aim to influence capital markets, investment flows, and enterprise development to achieve greater sustainability. The program is well positioned to grow and increase its level of impact.

The program’s work is currently clustered around the following areas of work:

New Ventures: New Ventures supports small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that drive sustainable development through “green” products and services in six of the world’s most dynamic emerging economies: Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia and Mexico. Since its inception in 1999, New Ventures has provided business development and investor engagement services for over 200 SMEs, leading to nearly $200 million of investment into these companies. Looking forward, New Ventures will focus on ensuring that its six local centers are financially and institutionally self-sustaining and that its research and analysis leverages significant investment flows into three sectors: clean energy, clean water and sustainable agriculture.
Envest: Envest provides forward-looking, applied financial research that translates complex environmental trends into financial terms useful to investors (“environmental intelligence for tomorrow’s markets”). In this way, Envest helps investors identify, quantify, and communicate the financial value of environmentally superior business strategies. Ultimately, Envest will strive for a transformative shift in private-sector investment decisions by demonstrating the financial relevance of climate, energy, water and forest issues.

The Program Director will lead a multidisciplinary team of 15+ staff and 1) provide overall strategic direction to the program; 2) lead fundraising and management of a budget of over three million USD; and 3) act as external spokesperson for WRI’s business work, presenting MEP work at external events, positioning him/herself as an expert in this field. The position requires a strong strategic mindset and in-depth knowledge of environment, development and private sector issues. On the latter, the successful candidate will know how to best relate to MEPs target audience which includes investors, entrepreneurs, multinational companies, and NGOs in developing countries. In addition, the candidate should be comfortable operating in a results-focused culture. The position is located at WRI’s headquarters in Washington DC and reports to the Executive Vice President/Managing Director. The successful candidate will be expected to travel internationally. This is a challenging position that offers a unique opportunity to have a major impact on environmental sustainability issues.

Markets & Enterprise: Research Analyst, Investment Implications of Water Scarcity

Rashawn Stepp — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:24:11 -0400

The World Resources Institute (WRI) is seeking to fill a full-time staff position of Research Analyst for its Envest team. The Research Analyst will play a key research and writing role in WRI’s work on the financial implications of water scarcity.

WRI is a leading non-profit institute providing analysis, tools, and environmental solutions (see http://www.wri.org/) The Envest team (www.wri.org/project/envest) works in partnership with global financial institutions and companies to provide leading environmental and finance research and analysis. The program seeks to build capacity and tools to assess and integrate environmental risk and opportunities into financial valuation and investment strategy.

Water scarcity trends and policies are a priority research area for the Envest team. The Research Analyst will be working on regional and sector studies on the investment risks presented by water scarcity, including a standard approach to account for such risks. The Analyst will also contribute to a better understanding of investment opportunities in increasing water use efficiencies.

Ultimately the objective of all Envest research is to integrate environmental factors in investment decision-making, thus improving long-term returns on capital. In this case, the focus is on scaling up capital formation around water saving technologies, and informing business lobbying efforts for integrated water resources management.

This position reports to the Director of Envest.

Climate & Energy: Director, U.S. Climate Policy

Kathy Doucette — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:13:47 -0400

WRI’s Climate and Energy Program (CEP) seeks a Director of U.S. Climate Policy (Director) to lead the Institute’s efforts to inform and help shape U.S. climate change policy through research and analysis on policy design options and implications. WRI’s domestic climate and energy policy work focuses on analysis to help design and implement a comprehensive environmentally effective, economically efficient cap and trade program with robust complementary policies and state-and-regional engagement.

The Director will work closely with CEP and WRI staff to provide leadership, management and support for ongoing research projects. In collaboration with the CEP Director and CEP Deputy Director, the Director will leverage WRI analysis to educate and engage Congress, Administrative agencies, State policy designers, and business partners on policy options. Responsibilities will include program oversight and strategic planning including management of research staff; policy research and analysis; fundraising and grants management and outreach and public communication.

Markets & Enterprise: Envest Intern

Kathy Doucette — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:02:37 -0400

WRI’s Markets and Enterprise Program seeks an energetic advanced undergraduate/ graduate for a full-time internship position in its Envest team. The Envest team (www.wri.org/project/envest) works in partnership with global financial institutions to provide leading environmental and finance research and analysis. The program seeks to build capacity and tools to assess and integrate environmental risk and opportunities into financial valuation and investment strategy.

The intern will play a key research and writing role in WRI’s work on sustainable investment opportunities in emerging markets for forest resources. More specifically, the intern will assess current economic drivers of forest biomass pellet and power projects as well as analyze the policy and environmental trends affecting future forest biomass markets. The intern will work with Envest analysts to assess major risks and opportunities and develop key questions for investors in the sector. The analysis will result in a 10-20 page “investment brief” for Envest’s target audience of (institutional) investors.

Markets & Enterprise: Director, Capital Markets Research

Kathy Doucette — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:41:12 -0400

The World Resources Institute (WRI) is seeking a Director to lead its Envest Initiative. This initiative is based in WRI’s Markets & Enterprise Program which focuses on the intersection between environmental sustainability and the private sector. The program provides cutting-edge research and related activities for investors and companies to integrate sustainability into their decisions and therefore help solve the earth’s most pressing environmental problems.

Envest is a 5-year initiative to promote environmentally sustainable business and investment decisions. The Director plays a key role in the Markets & Enterprise Program and leads a team and a body of work that focuses on the practices of large investors, financial analysts and corporations. The work builds on WRI’s strong 10-year track record in this area, and WRI’s intention is to grow this work over time. We aim to make a significant contribution to how investors and corporations perceive environmental trends and adjust their strategies accordingly.

The Envest Director will develop the research and influence strategy and implement a portfolio of projects. S/he will execute and refine Envest’s strategic plan that sets priorities and guides the Program’s initiatives which include: integration of environmental risks and opportunities into equity analysis, capital formation for clean technologies, and greening corporate supply chains.

The Envest Director will guide and lead a team of associates and analysts. Envest works in partnership with a number of financial institutions, and the Director helps to develop and manage these relationships. S/he will also play a leading role in communicating the results of the work, including presentations, media relations, and increasing the visibility of the Markets & Enterprise Program. Lastly, the Director has overall responsibility for fundraising, which involves securing grants from foundations, corporations, and other sources.

This position reports to the Director of the Markets & Enterprise Program.

People & Ecosystems: Forest Product Legality Senior Associate

Rashawn Stepp — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:41:10 -0400

The People & Ecosystems Program (PEP) at the World Resources Institute (WRI) is seeking a results-oriented Senior Associate to help implement WRI efforts to leverage new laws and procurement policies to tackle illegal logging. The successful candidate will join a team that is building capacity within the forest product supply chain to comply with new laws aimed at reducing global demand for illegal wood (e.g., the U.S. Lacey Act), demonstrate enforcement of these laws, and encourage replication in major forest product importing countries.

The Senior Associate will be part of PEP’s Forest Landscape Initiative, which seeks to increase the ability of governments, businesses, and civil society to act upon better and more widely shared information to protect intact forests, manage working forests more sustainably, and restore deforested lands. Focused on forest-rich regions, the Initiative utilizes spatial and other forest-related information to stimulate, support, and monitor actions that promote more sustainable forest management.

Climate & Energy: Research Analyst, U.S. Climate Change Policy

Rashawn Stepp — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:01:48 -0400

This research analyst will provide research support for the United States Climate Policy Program, which works to provide timely, accurate and non-partisan research and analysis to policy-makers at state, regional, and federal levels.

Climate & Energy: Intern, China Climate and Energy Policy

Kathy Doucette — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:40:46 -0400

The World Resources Institute has an opening for an intern in its Climate & Energy Program (CEP) to work on issues related to China’s Energy and climate issues. The successful candidate will demonstrate excellent analytical and communication skills as well as a broad understanding of China’s climate policy and the energy sector. S/he must have good Chinese language skills (writing and reading). The candidate will work directly with the project manager of China climate and Energy Program to execute research and policy analysis in order to influence climate policy and accelerate clean technology deployment. This will be a six-month position and likely to lead to a permanent position in Beijing.

People & Ecosystems: Senior Associate -Sustainable Forest Procurement

Rashawn Stepp — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:34:53 -0400

The People & Ecosystems Program at the World Resources Institute (WRI) is seeking a results-oriented Senior Associate to help develop, lead, and grow new WRI forest-related projects in China. The Senior Associate will begin by collaborating with a team to research and publish a corporate guide about legality requirements and compliance in the global forest product supply chain. The Senior Associate will also play a key role developing and implementing new WRI projects related to sustainable forest management and forest product supply chains.

People & Ecosystems: Senior Associate Ecosystem Finance

Kathy Doucette — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 09:04:50 -0400

The People & Ecosystems Program at the World Resources Institute (WRI) is seeking a results-oriented Senior Associate to develop, lead, and grow new WRI efforts to implement innovative approaches for financing ecosystem conservation/restoration for the sake of improving human well being. The Senior Associate will begin by managing a multi-year project to identify, develop, and pilot test a portfolio of incentives designed to conserve forests in the southern United States. Over time, s/he will be responsible for launching additional projects that create novel approaches for aligning economic incentives with ecosystem stewardship. The Senior Associate will have the latitude to develop projects in other regions or countries. The ideal candidate has expertise in conservation finance and policy as applied to forest ecosystems. The candidate needs to have a minimum 8 years of relevant experience.

The Senior Associate will be part of WRI’s Mainstreaming Ecosystem Services Initiative, which seeks to reduce ecosystem degradation by helping governments, businesses, and development agencies integrate ecosystem services into their policies, strategies, and investments. The initiative’s strategy is two-fold:

1) Provide decision-makers with information and assessment tools that link ecosystem health with the attainment of economic and social goals; and

2) Develop new markets, economic incentives, and public policies that restore and sustain ecosystems.

People & Ecosystems: Forest Initiative Leader

Kathy Doucette — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:14:21 -0500

The World Resources Institute (WRI) is seeking a Senior Associate to lead WRI’s Forest Initiative and refine and expand its activities. In addition, the position will develop and lead a number of new projects—particularly in the Amazon Basin—that contribute to the success of the Initiative. The ideal candidate for this position is one with expertise in the social and economic dimensions of sustainable forest management, complementing the strong technical expertise (e.g., silviculture, remote sensing) of WRI’s existing forest team.

WRI’s Forest Initiative seeks to increase the ability of governments, businesses, and civil society to act upon better and more widely shared information to protect intact forests, manage working forests more sustainably, and restore deforested lands. Focused on forest-rich regions, the Initiative utilizes spatial and other forest-related information to stimulate, support, and monitor actions that promote more sustainable forest management. The Initiative is currently active in the Congo Basin, Southeast Asia, Russia, and the Amazon Basin.

EMBARQ: Associate I

Rashawn Stepp — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:14:37 -0400

EMBARQ Istanbul is seeking a candidate to fill an ASSOCIATE I position whose principal responsibilities will be to play a key managerial role in planning and implementing environment projects in Turkey.