WRI Indonesia is looking for Senior Project Lead

Program Overview

World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent national research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. WRI Indonesia is affiliated with World Resources Institute (WRI), a global environmental research organization that works with various stakeholders to support policies and practices that are sustainable and profitable. WRI works with leaders in more than 50 countries for more than 30 years, with offices in Brazil, China, Europe, Africa, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States.

Launched in early 2014, WRI Indonesia builds on WRI’s 20-year history in the country and the official establishment of WRI Indonesia office has strengthened our impacts on the ground in recent years. Our current work primarily focuses on forest and land-use. Over time WRI Indonesia aims to expand its portfolio to include climate, energy, and city and transportation. Therefore, it is important for the organization to identify and put in place the research building blocks for achieving the vision of WRI Indonesia supporting science- and data-driven decision making at national and sub-national level.

Job Summary

Southeast Asia (SEA) is home to a large extent of peatland ecosystems (~ 24.7 million hectares or 56 percent of the world’s tropical peatlands). As the host of significant carbon sinks, the success of global efforts to limit the Earth’s temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius hinges upon the achievement of SEA countries in sustainably managing their peatlands.


The ASEAN Member States (AMS), especially countries with the most significant contribution to peat degradation, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, have taken several policy measures to address this issue. However, tackling the issue of peat can only be effective through holistic and proactive approaches across biophysical, social, and economic aspects, which require collective efforts from non-state actors (NSAs), such as local communities, private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGO), research institutions, financial institutions, etc.


WRI Indonesia supports the AMS’ effort to reduce fires and haze in the region by empowering SEA NSAs and improving their capacity on sustainable management and use of peatlands with the following objectives:

·       Enhanced and mainstreamed knowledge on sustainable peatland management through reliable data utilization, promotion of actionable research, and best practices implementation at local level.

·       Catalyzed investment and business model transformation of sustainable peat commodities

·       Improved awareness and capacity of NSAs and communities to collaborate and provide mutual assistance in the future for sustainable peatland management and protection

The Project Lead will be based in Jakarta and will report to WRI’ Peatland Portfolio Manager(s) and coordinate his/her work closely with WRI Indonesia’ partners.

Job Responsibilities

The Sr. Project Lead is responsible for all programmatic, personnel, outreach, and accounting matters related to the SUPA project. In particular, he/she will liaise with project leads from the Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre (TRCRC) and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) as well as with key contacts in the European Commission (EU - EC) and the Secretariat of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN Secretariat). In consultation with these partners, the Sr. Project Lead oversees the implementation of SUPA work plan in multiple Southeast Asian countries, manages the project’s overall budgets, and is responsible for the project’s compliance with local laws and /regulations.

Below are key responsibilities of the Sr. Project Lead:

·       Ensures timely execution and delivery of all project deliverables and objectives

·       Oversees all operations related to project, and ensures the work is in compliance with local laws and regulations.

·       Manages technical and administrative staff.

·       Supervises staff, including participating in the hiring, professional development, and evaluation process for these staff.

·       Develops credibility with and maintain good relationships with all relevant stakeholders at the regional, national and subnational levels, including program partners and donors.

·       Supervises sub-grant projects conducted by partners in remote geographies.

·       Leads and participates in meetings and conferences with key stakeholders.

·       Monitors and approves budgets and expenses, in collaboration with WRI Indonesia staff and partners throughout Southeast Asia, to ensure that expenditures remain within budget allocations.

·       Maintains an understanding of donor and WRI Indonesia policies and procedures related to grant compliance and oversight.

·       Contributes to the development of WRI Indonesia and WRI Global’s strategy on forests-related issues, especially the work on forest and landscape restoration.

·       Supports and promotes the institutional development of WRI Indonesia as needed.

·       Monitors, analyzes, and reports on political and related developments in specific Southeast Asian countries to provide regional and country analysis that could influence future strategy.

·       Contributes to the development of new program ideas needed to ensure delivery of project’s objectives.

·       Works with WRI Indonesia M&E team to establish a project-specific monitoring and evaluation system based on existing needs and capacity, further improve it over time to meet donor reporting requirements..

·       Ensures adherence to monitoring and evaluation plans, including the monitoring of programs and evaluation/analysis of program results.

·       Provides information and contributes to sections of quarterly, semi-annual, final and other relevant reports for donor.

·       Performs other duties as assigned.

Job Qualifications

·       Master’s degree in forestry, agriculture, international development, environmental science, public policy, political science, international relations, or other relevant fields.

·       Professional experience of minimum 3 years in natural resources-related fields.

·       Experience managing projects in non-profit, governmental, or private sector settings (preferably international ones).

·       Familiarity with the sociopolitical, historical, business, legal, and cultural contexts of Southeast Asia.

·       Familiarity with peat issues is preferred.

·       Demonstrated financial management experience in developing and administering program budgets.

·       Strong writing and research skills as well as high level of organizational skill and attention to detail.

·       Experience and proven ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders (e.g. government officials, academics, private sector employees, representatives of national and sub-national civil society organizations)

·       Experience of working in more than one Southeast Asian country is preferred.

·       Experience in monitoring and evaluation is a plus.

·       Experience in campaigning/lobbying is a plus.

·       Willingness and ability to travel to remote parts of multiple Southeast Asian countries.

·       Willingness to live and work in a challenging environment.

·       Ability to work independently as well as in a team, and work under tight deadlines.

·       High integrity, passion for sustainable development, and good sense of humor preferred.

·       Demonstrated proficiency in oral and written English and Bahasa Indonesia/Bahasa Malaysia (additional language skills are welcome).

·       Legal ability to work in Indonesia.

Contract Arrangement

Successful candidate will be appointed on 3 (three) months of probation period under consultancy contract. Upon successful completion of probationary period based on performance review by WRI Indonesia, he/she will be appointed as a Full-Time employee for 1 (one) year period.

Must have authorization to work in Indonesia to be eligible for this position.

Final candidates might be required to take a writing test and to produce two writing samples when needed.


Remuneration: Remuneration is commensurate with experience and skills. WRI offers a competitive and comprehensive benefit package.


Qualified applicants should apply online through https://jobs.jobvite.com/wri/job/o0GmbfwX in order to be formally considered. 


Application close: 1700 (Jakarta Time), 25 October 2019. We will close the advert earlier when best candidates are identified at earlier dates. 


This is a locally engaged position; Indonesian nationals are encouraged to apply.


WRI Overview

World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade in order to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. We are passionate. We value our diversity of interests, skills and backgrounds. We have a flexible work environment. And we share a common goal to catalyze change that will improve the lives of people. Our shared ideals are at the core of our approach. They include: integrity, innovation, urgency, independence and respect. The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges, and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.


We have been growing rapidly: our staff has doubled in size over the past 5 years and our operating budget is now $100 million. Founded in 1982, WRI has a global staff of 800+ people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions. 

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices.


WRI Indonesia is national entity (Yayasan) associated with the World Resources Institute (WRI), a global environmental research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. WRI work with various stakeholders in the natural resources sector to support policy and management that are both profitable and sustainable. WRI work with leaders in more than 50 countries for more than 30 years, with offices in Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States.


Launched in early 2014, WRI Indonesia builds on WRI’s 10-year history in the country and strengthens our impact on the ground. In the short-to-medium term, WRI Indonesia aims to expand its presence and portfolio to include projects in the climate, energy, as well as city and transportation programs.


The World Resources Institute (http://www.wri.org) is an environmental and development research and policy organization that creates solutions to protect the Earth and improve people’s lives. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, it is WRI’s policy to recruit, hire, and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, protected veteran status, or disability. WRI’s global agenda requires a staff that is diverse – with respect to race, gender, cultural, and international background. Diverse perspectives and experience enhance the way WRI selects and approaches issues, as well as the creativity and applicability of WRI's policy research and analysis. WRI, therefore, encourages applications from U.S. minorities, persons from other countries (especially developing nations), and from women of all backgrounds.