Overview

About The Reef-World Foundation

The Reef-World Foundation is a UK registered charity which delivers practical solutions for marine conservation around the world. Reef-World is led by a small but highly effective team of passionate and dedicated individuals who are driven by achieving lasting conservation impacts in areas of the world where it is needed the most. Today, we operate across the globe supporting governments and communities in the sustainable development of their coastal resources. In September 2019, Reef-World placed #16 on Escape the City’s Top 100 Companies to Escape to in 2019.

In partnership with the UN Environment Programme, Reef-World is the international coordinator of the Green Fins initiative, which aims to protect coral reefs and related ecosystems through environmentally friendly guidelines for sustainable diving and snorkelling. Since Green Fins was first implemented in Thailand in 2004, nearly 600 dive and snorkel operators across 11 countries have joined the programme. Through Green Fins, we support, inspire and empower governments, businesses, communities and individuals around the world to act in conserving and sustainably developing coral reefs and other coastal resources. The Reef-World Foundation is subject to UK employment laws.

Job Purpose

In its mission to establish sustainable diving as the social norm, Reef-World is looking for a Development Manager to deliver on its ambitious financial sustainability strategy. This exciting role will continue the charity’s diversification of funding sources and the establishment of sustainable funding mechanisms to support the Green Fins initiative. This innovative and creative thinker will be responsible for building, shaping and maintaining strategic global partnerships that provide long-term financial support (primarily from the private sector) and result in meaningful conservation impact. The successful candidate will report to the Programmes Manager and Directors and will be based in our Philippines office with relatively frequent travel (~25% of total).

In addition to their primary role, they will also support in the delivery of Green Fins (~25% of time), alongside our country partners and teams consisting of government representatives and NGOs. Green Fins promotes best environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry and is currently active in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Palau, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Plans are in place for continued global expansion to key tourism areas and an effective financial sustainability strategy is key to help in delivery of this ambitious growth and its conservation impact. This area of work will involve scuba diving and delivery of capacity building programmes for local community members.

Location: Dumaguete City, Philippines (opportunity to work for up to 3 months from home)
Salary: 10,000 GBP per annum. (~₱655,300 PHP / $12,900 USD dependent on experience)
Length of employment: Permanent / Fixed term following a 4-month trial period.
Start date: March 16 2020

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Partnerships Management

  1. Conduct regular reviews of the sustainability strategy;
  2. Ensure annual and long-term financial targets are met through partnerships which are aligned to Reef-World’s strategy and charitable objectives;
  3. Account management of existing partners, including ensuring delivery towards existing contracts and contract renewals;
  4. Manage the database of potential partners, and build partnerships with businesses in line with the financial sustainability strategy;
  5. Organise and lead conference calls and meetings with partners and potential partners, in line with the financial sustainability strategy;
  6. Supporting the development of sustainable income streams from Reef-World products, by leading on the business model development and ensuring the product is fit for market uptake;
  7. Lead the management and update of Partnerships development related processes, and ensure there is an effective governance structure in place;
  8. Support with identifying and applying for grant opportunities;
  9. Drive further diversification of funding; for example, through individual giving or crowdfunding;
  10. Support with the creation and setup of crowdfunding campaigns, including engagement of strategic partners; and:-
  11. Ensure all work is recorded, tracked and developed partnerships structure is being maximised, with the opportunity to propose more effective ways of working.

Green Fins Project Management and Development

  1. Support in training and capacity building for Green Fins across active countries and new countries (will involve diving) and: –
  2. Work closely with Green Fins partners (dive and snorkel centres, NGOs, national and local authorities) to share lessons across active countries, support implementation and provide technical advice for enhanced conservation impact.

Personnel Management

  1. Manage project staff, interns and volunteers where relevant and as directed by senior management.

Administration

  1. Document, report and carry out administration duties for Green Fins project development in project sites as instructed;
  2. Report on partnership development in line with organisational commitments;
  3. Monitor impact and uptake of all online tools and report on findings where necessary;
  4. Maintain data management systems in line with Reef-World projects; and: –
  5. Ensure organised accounting and reimbursement of all Reef-World expenses to the Directors;

Promotion

  1. Liaise closely with the Communications Manager on all elements of the sustainability strategy which may require communications support or could alter the charity’s target audience;
  2. Support Reef-World’s Communications Manager by providing regular angles and content for social media;
  3. Write regular blog posts (~every 3 months) in coordination with the Communications Manager; and: –
  4. Represent Reef-World at conferences, dive and travel shows and international conservation events.

Skills / Aptitudes

  • Strong negotiation and business development skills, with focus on achieving and delivering on the charitable objectives in line with the aims of the Charity;
  • Ability to write and negotiate contracts;
  • Strong organisational and project management ability; must be able to multi-task, prioritise, and meet deadlines;
  • Excellent communicator (written and verbal) able to interact with a variety of stakeholders and partners including private companies, government officials, NGOs, etc.;
  • Exceptional writing and editing skills;
  • Fluent in English, spoken and written;
  • Very good scuba diving and snorkelling skills;
  • A proactive and resourceful team member able to work independently and remotely, while maintaining strong communications with international team members;
  • Ability to build and maintain strong and effective relationships with multiple stakeholders, specifically corporate;
  • Able to lead group discussions with individuals working in different roles and countries;
  • Capable of delivering training and guiding project partners and stakeholders with a high degree of cultural sensitivity;
  • High degree of flexibility, and ability to work against deadlines (including some nights and weekends), and under frequently-changing circumstances;
  • Adaptable and comfortable with working and travelling around developing countries (~25% of total time), often with very little notice, comfortable with occasional logistical ambiguity;
  • Motivated to act independently in advancing program goals while also being able to take direction and follow organisational procedure;
  • Tactful, organised, persistent, sense of humour;
  • Possess good interpersonal skills, agility to think and act strategically;
  • High level of proficiency in MS Office applications and:-
  • Strong desire to see positive change for the environment, marine life, and community livelihood through sustainable coastal development.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential

  • 3-5 years of experience in a business development role or similar;
  • Bachelors or masters in a relevant degree;
  • Experience working and travelling in developing countries;
  • Proven experience with small and medium companies in a start-up phase;
  • Previous experience in developing public private partnerships and securing private sector funding;
  • Confident and capable scuba diver trained to a minimum of PADI Rescue Diver (or equivalent) and minimum 70 logged dives.

Desirable

  • Previous knowledge of the diving / tourism industry;
  • Previous experience in training and / or education;

Applications close 31st January 2020

Please email a CV and cover letter summarising your relevant experience, future aspirations in the marine conservation sector and outlining what you hope to achieve with The Reef-World Foundation. Include any links to relevant work you’ve been involved with. We will then get back to you after the team has reviewed your application and let you know if we would like to pursue your application.

Due to the expected volume of incoming enquiries, the charity does not have the resources to provide detailed feedback on applications that have not been accepted.

Email: apply@reef-world.org