Climate change is altering ecosystems and putting people and communities at risk at an alarming rate.   The Nature Conservancy has set organization-wide goals to help people adapt to climate change using nature-based approaches.  The Provide Food and Water Team is focused on increasing food and water security for people while improving ecosystem health.  As one of TNC’s principles when working on adaptation, leadership and capacity building should be part of our investments to create lasting results.

The Adaptation Capacity Research Specialist will assist The Nature Conservancy’s Provide Food and Water team gather and synthesize data in order to inform decisions and provide resources to practitioners working to build leadership and capacity in the communities where they work.  Projects can be done virtually or from a Nature Conservancy office (TBD). This is a short-term position, starting approximately in June and continuing into September.  This position may be extended or can end early depending on the needs of the team.

• Research current literature on leadership and capacity-strengthening efforts, focusing where possible on examples within agricultural development, conservation programs, and systems change investments in the context of a rapidly changing climate.
• Summarize findings on the types of leadership and capacity strengthening programs used, for what purpose, relationship (or not) to other programmatic activities, outcomes or value achieved, and case study examples.  The focus will be on Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC’s).
• Create a bibliography and database of resources regarding experts, institutions, and funders that are involved in adaptation leadership and capacity-building programs.

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

• Work with project leads both internal to TNC and within external partners to develop a workplan and will proactively work with project leads to identify challenges, compile findings, and provide suggestions for further exploration.
• Carry out independent literature review of relevant studies and resources that help answer key questions posed by the project team.
• May work with a small group of staff, interns or volunteers on a project basis to carry out interviews, surveys and collate results.
• Write a final report of findings and deliver final products