JRS BIODIVERSITY FOUNDATION June 2011 A new 6 9 month temporary/part-time Program Officer position is currently being sought by the JRS Biodiversity Foundation while the organization completes a strategic plan. This position will be responsible, during the near term for relations with prospective grant-seekers, current grantees, and the broader biodiversity community and will help implement the grant program consistent with the Foundation's mission and initiatives and act as a catalyst for new projects, ideas, and approaches to biodiversity. The duties for which the position is responsible, under the supervision of the Executive Director, will cover the following tasks. - Develop and maintain a global contact list of biodiversity organizations and individuals that might be potential JRS grant recipients - Draft calls for pre-proposals, RFPs, and procedures for developing funding recommendations - Work with prospective applicants to help improve soundness and quality of grant requests - Present proposals to the Grants Committee, with initial recommendations for funding or declining - Manage relationships and coordination with other donors in support of strategic biodiversity goals and other foundation initiatives - Maintain contact with current Foundation grantees to be continually aware of progress of funded projects, to identify potential problem areas, to help workout solutions, and/or bring to the boards attention, as may be required. - Visit, as may be appropriate, funded project and assess performance to determine conformity with original goals and continuing relationship to JRS grantmaking strategies prior to authorization of subsequent Foundation payments - Ensure timely development of proposals and preparation of the board materials under the direction of the Executive Director. - Work with grantees, and where relevant with other funders to support organizations in the development of grant proposals including meaningful indicators, grant outcomes - Set clear expectations with grantees regarding process and timing of proposal and report submissions; review all reports, provide feedback to grantee partners and ensure that knowledge associated with these reports are disseminated appropriately. - Assist monitoring, implementation, and evaluation of the Foundations priorities through site visits, project reviews, meetings with partners, review of reports, and regular communications with consultants, colleagues, and others - Review all final grantee reports to determine fulfillment of original goals of funded projects - Consolidate the Foundations substantive biodiversity knowledge, and prepare overview reports, presentations, and JRS website entries for the trustees and about the significance of biodiversity, for the general public. - Help arrange trustee site visits - Identify potential unique special grant opportunities and as they are identified, develop and report them to the Executive Director - Function as an informatics liaison person between current grantees, JRS trustees, and outsource providers, to support existing projects with required technical assistance in the field Qualifications - Broad exposure to biodiversity and ecological issues relevant to informatics at an international level - Demonstrated skills working in multicultural contexts - Demonstrated success in building and implementing program strategies that mobilize diverse groups of people for environmental and policy change. - Interpersonal skills to work effectively with colleagues, government officials, private sector, international institutions, public policy organizations, think tanks, academic institutions, and communities - A commitment to the values of the JRS Biodiversity Foundation, a clear understanding of and commitment to the vision and strategy of utilizing biodiversity informatics as a mechanism for conservation - Ability to support executive leadership in a multi-faceted global program - Able to process complex information and present ideas in a compelling manner - Capacity to communicate persuasively, orally and in writing, in a range of settings - Excellent organizational skills and the ability to anticipate, prioritize, and manage tasks while simultaneously demonstrating genuine respect for diversity and inclusiveness - Strong project and relationship management skills - Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information effectively and confidentially - Experience with evaluation, learning, and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data - The highest level of personal and professional integrity and quality standards - Demonstrated skill with Outlook, Word, and ability to use databases - Ability and flexibility to travel extensively or to be relocated, possibly in Africa - Experience in grant-making highly desired - Work experience in Africa is a strong asset Submit CV via email to Harry E. Cerino Executive Director JRS Biodiversity Foundation hcer...@jrsbdf.org