President

Job Description

Reporting to and working closely with the Board of Directors of Rights and Resources Group (RRG), the President will be responsible for the strategic, programmatic, financial, and operational leadership of the organization. This individual will ensure that the organization’s governance and programs are ethical, transparent, and aligned with RRG’s values and goals, fostering an environment for agility and adaptiveness.

The President will be an inclusive leader and will work closely with RRG’s Board, the RRI coalition, rightsholders, governments, donors, development organizations, the RRG senior leadership team and staff to frame the strategy and agenda of the organization, build the collective’s voice and impact, and enhance its relevance, influence, and practical contribution in pursuing RRG’s collective mission. This individual will cultivate relationships not only across the RRG network, but also across the broader international community to enable RRG to remain a leading force in facilitating a strong direct connection and collaboration with rights-holder organizations to support their leadership in the national and international arenas.

This individual must also play a leadership role in driving RRG’s international advocacy and engagement strategy. They must have strong individual expertise, recognized leadership in the regional and international arenas, and collaborative strategizing and teamwork – integrating diverse perspectives. Additionally, this individual must be able to nurture and expand existing funding relationships and cultivate new sources.

The President’s role is broad-ranging and each facet requires a distinct type of leadership. In broad terms, there are numerous dimensions to the remit. Specifically, the President will:

• Provide strategic vision, intellectual rigor, credibility and global positioning of RRI and clearly communicates vision and expectations to RRG, the RRI Coalition, donors, and the Board
• Lead RRG in the achievement of its mission and goals
• Be responsible to the Board and the Coalition for the organization’s accountability and effectiveness
• Act as chief spokesperson and ambassador with all key stakeholders
• Ensure RRG’s fiduciary and programmatic performance and accountability to the Board and members of the coalition as relevant; communicating annual plans, priorities, budgets and coalition strategies, as well as changes in goals or operational modalities as relevant
• Ensure optimal coalition and Board management and performance, in collaboration with Senior Management Team (SMT) and the Executive Team;
• Delegate RRG’s programmatic, supervisory, and/or functional responsibilities in order to ensure timely and appropriate support and corrective measures to achieve program targets
• Lead any major changes to plans and budgets; staff recruitment and retrenchment; new strategic initiatives or coalition programs; commitments on behalf of RRI and/or RRG to donors, the Board, and external organizations; international representation of RRG staff; and substantive communications with the Board, Partners, and external parties
• Have overall responsibility for identifying fundraising opportunities, reviewing and approving fundraising strategies and plans, working with COO and the SMT to build donor relations and support the SMT in fundraising
• Lead RRG’s relationship and strategy with external partners (e.g. Tenure Facility, an organization committed to mobilizing much greater donor commitment to the field of community tenure reform.)

About the Organization

The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) is a global Coalition of more than 200 organizations dedicated to advancing the forestland and resource rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and rural women. Members capitalize on each other’s strengths, expertise, and geographic reach to achieve solutions more effectively and efficiently. RRI leverages the power of its global Coalition to amplify the voices of local peoples and proactively engage governments, multilateral institutions, and private sector actors to adopt institutional and market reforms that support the realization of rights. By advancing a strategic understanding of the global threats and opportunities resulting from insecure land and resource rights, RRI develops and promotes rights-based approaches to business and development and catalyzes effective solutions to scale rural tenure reform and enhance sustainable resource governance.

The Rights and Resources Initiative was established in 2005 to catalyze greater strategic coordination between organizations to support the recognition of the forest land rights of local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and Afro-descendants; address historical injustices; and help transform rural areas across the world. RRI is coordinated by the Rights and Resources Group (RRG), a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC.

To apply:

Please send a resume and letter of interest to: PresidentRRI@russellreynolds.com

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