Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership, and field demonstration, CI empowers societies so they can responsibly and sustainably care for nature for the well-being of humanity. CI’s scientific excellence is matched with our pragmatic and effective engagement with governments, the private sector, and civil society wherever we work. From post-conflict situations to economies in the midst of rapid growth, we adapt our approaches to enable conservation with development where conservation matters most. CI-Cambodia program is in a state of growth and development with an approximate budget of US$4 million annually and a 50-person staff.

The Cambodia Country Director is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of CI’s conservation agenda within the country in line with CI’s global Southern Cross strategy and mission; effective two-way communication with the Asia-Pacific Field Division (APFD) and CI-HQ; development of new strategic and programmatic components; support to CI-HQ and APFD for global strategic and programmatic development; partner and government engagement; staff capacity building and team development; effective budget and staff management; and donor liaison and fund-raising. The position reports to the APFD Senior Vice President.

Primary duties include ensuring strong management and delivery of CI-Cambodia programs, ensuring effective program and financial management, staff oversight, and strong and effective partnership development with governments, donors, development partners, businesses, and other partners working in Cambodia and in the region. The Country Director will work closely with APFD regional and HQ staff to develop effective strategies for conservation within Cambodia; forging; frequent reviews and management of team progress and effectiveness; financial and operational overview and support to ensure responsible management of annual budgets and donor reporting; identification of capacity gaps for staff and development of training to achieve effective national teams for a shared future; identification of donor opportunities and production of proposals with high success rate; and identification of new opportunities for strategic amplification of successful outcomes in Cambodia without fragmentation or mission drift.

The Country Director has the overall responsibility of ensuring the effective management of the Cambodia programs, including risk management, fiscal responsibility, and program impact. The Country Director directly manages the Deputy Director, Program Operations, the Government Laison Technical Advisor, and the Conservation Programs Senior Technical Director, and has oversight of the Cambodia Program Management Team, which includes these staff as well as the Cambodia Landscapes Senior Manager, and the Cambodia Freshwater Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the implementation of CI’s Southern Cross strategy and other programmatic strategies and activities across Cambodia and align them with the Asia-Pacific Field Division conservation priorities and CI’s Southern Cross strategy.
• Engage donors, NGOs, governments, and the development sector in program activities, and use science-driven policy change as a means to affect large-scale conservation threats in Cambodia focused on four main landscapes in the country: the Cardamoms, Tonle Sap, Prey Lang, and Veun Sai-Virachey.
• Support CI Cambodia’s engagement on key policy decisions related to biodiversity, climate change, REDD+, freshwater, etc.
• Engage with and represent CI with national government agencies, particularly with the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry (MAFF). Coordinate closely with the Government Liaison Technical Advisor, who works closely with technical teams engaged at the provincial and sub-national levels.
• Working with the Conservation Programs Senior Technical Director, the Landscapes Senior Manager, and the Freshwater Director, take the lead in resource mobilization, proposal development, and partnership development to ensure sufficient funds for all program activities, and amplification of successes.
• Working with the APDF regional developed markets and public partnerships teams, engage in the strategic expansion of the Cambodia programs in areas such as carbon project development (REDD+, blue carbon, etc.), biodiversity conservation, freshwater ecosystem conservation, fisheries conservation, livelihoods development, and innovative sustainable and blended finance mechanisms;
• Ensure that the Cambodia program develops the capacity of its national staff and provides sufficient technical oversight to forge strong country program teams with a shared vision for the future in line with CI’s global mission with a heavy emphasis on Cambodia; empower staff and guide the development of suitable activities, the establishment of strong metrics and measurement of links between ecosystem conservation and CI’s focal securities, with emphasis on water and food security in the Cardamom Mountains, Tonle Sap Lake, Prey Lang, and Veun Sai-Virachey.
• With the Deputy Director, Program Operations, jointly be accountable for the delivery of a balanced end of fiscal year budget through responsible management of expenditure and any shortfall, in full compliance with both legal obligations and CI’s policies and procedures.
• Work together with the DD to ensure efficient and effective human resource management, by ensuring that staffing plans and recruitments satisfy the needs of the Program and fully comply with both local labor laws and CI’s policies & procedures.
• With joint accountability with the DD, negotiate and commit to all necessary contractual arrangements, abiding by all legal and standards of compliance within Cambodia and in alignment with CI policies.
• As appropriate the Country Director may, in collaboration with regional development and public partnerships staff, conduct assessments and explore strategic opportunities for engagement in other countries in the Greater Mekong region, such as Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.