Office Manager

Forest Trends is an international non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. that works to expand the value of forests to society. We work to promote sustainable forest management and conservation by creating and capturing market values for ecosystem services; to support innovative projects and enterprises in these new markets; and to enhance the livelihoods of local communities living in and around critical ecosystems globally.

We are seeking an Office Manager to ensure efficient day-to-day functioning of Forest Trends’ office and to support the CEO and Director of Operations in their duties. This includes a range of responsibilities with a focus on running a dynamic office, and supporting processes and systems related to grants management, human resources, and fundraising.

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ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Office Management:  Manages the maintenance and functionality of the office space, which entails overseeing cleanliness, orderliness, supplies, access, functionality of equipment, customer service and reception responsibilities, and calendar coordination.

  • Maintains office space and equipment, coordinating with appropriate vendors for additional maintenance and service needs.
  • Administers office keys, ensures office is secured during holidays and inclement weather, and communicates closures to staff, provide ready office space and equipment for new staff, and assists with instruction and use of office equipment.
  • Greets visitors, answers incoming calls, distributes mail and oversees conference room calendar, coordinating and setting up meetings and conference calls, including hiring catering, etc., as needed.
  • Ensures office material purchasing meets FT’s procurement and environmental standards.

Support to Director of Operations:

  • Supports HR processes including employee benefits enrollment, recruiting, and on-boarding.
  • Supports contracting processes.
  • Maintains and manages grants management process.

Support to CEO:

  • Maintains fundraising databases and on-line donor portal and assists in the submission of grant proposals and requests for support.
  • Provides administrative and logistic support to on-site meting including of the Board of Directors.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

  • 3-5 years of demonstrated experience.
  • Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.
  • Excellent communication skills.
  • Interpersonal skills, comfortable liaising with diverse array of people from across the globe, as well as an ability to work with diverse working styles.
  • Ability to work independently as well as closely with others.
  • Ability to multitask as well as prioritize urgent and important work in a fast-paced environment.
  • Ability to appropriately use and manage various office systems.
  • Ability to work with the suite of MS Office programs, including ability to format text and charts.
  • Dedication and motivation to serve Forest Trends’ mission.
  • Spanish abilities desired, but not required.

To apply please send us your CV, other materials and cover letter to cv@nullforest-trends.org by June 30, 2018 adding Office Manager to the subject line.

Title:                                       Office Manager
Reports to:                            Director, Operations
Location:                                Washington, DC
LOE:                                        Full-time, Regular Staff position

 

Accountant, Natural Infrastructure for Water Security Project – Water Initiative

Forest Trends is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, that works to conserve forests and other ecosystems through the creation and wide adoption of a broad range of environmental finance, markets, and other payment and incentive mechanisms. Forest Trends carries out its work in three broad areas:

  • Providing transparent information on ecosystem values, finance, and markets through knowledge acquisition, analysis, and dissemination;
  • Convening diverse coalitions, partners, and communities of practice to promote environmental values and advance development of new markets and payment mechanisms; and
  • Demonstrating successful tools, standards, and models of innovative finance for conservation.

Forest Trends’ Water Initiative works to change the way water is managed by scaling natural infrastructure investments through financing mechanisms, so that natural solutions are key part of a multi-pronged approach for water security.

About the Project

The Natural Infrastructure for Water Security project is executed by the Invierte Verde Consortium, led by Forest Trends, through a cooperative agreement with USAID’s Peru mission. The project works to improve the enabling environment for adopting natural infrastructure within the Peruvian water sector; to improve information generation and management to support evidence-based decision making for natural infrastructure project planning, design, and implementation; and to design and implement natural infrastructure projects that can serve as models for replication elsewhere in Peru. The Project began in December 2017 and has a duration of 5 years, with an overall budget of $15 million.

About the Position

Forest Trends seeks a highly motivated and organized accountant in our Washington, DC office. The Accountant will spend 75% of his/her time providing critical financial and administrative support to support the Water Initiative’s Natural Infrastructure for Water Security Project, Peru, and will spend the remaining 25% of his/her time on general Forest Trends administrative and accounting tasks.

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This position is a full-time salaried position based in Forest Trends Washington, DC office. The Accountant reports to Finance Director in DC, working in close coordination with Operations and Finance Administrator as well as the project accountant based in the Project’s Lima Office.

The HQ-based Accountant is responsible for supporting Forest Trends’ Finance Team (in both Washington, DC and Lima, Peru) in processing, accounting for, and reporting on cooperative agreements and awards in compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP), and Forest Trends norms. The HQ Accountant must be familiar with USAID Cooperative agreements.

Roles and Responsibilities:

  • Oversee the daily accounting activities required to maintain the general ledger in compliance with financial policies and procedures.
  • Maintain organized set of detailed records and files to document financial transactions.
  • Due diligence, preparation, and monitoring of sub-awards and contracts, proactively track and manage timely submission of invoices, financial reports, and payments.
  • Support the review of procurement and travel documentation.
  • Prepare financial reports for monthly/quarterly/annual grant reporting.
  • Resolve complex accounting issues, respond to inquiries, and assist staff with resolving accounting issues in a professional and timely manner.
  • Recommend and implement improvements to accounting processes and procedures.
  • Assist preparation for annual audit: scheduling, resource-gathering, and recommended follow-through.
  • Other duties as assigned or required.

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Business, CPA preferred;
  • Minimum of 5 years accounting experience with strong demonstrated experience in grants accounting, preferably with USAID;
  • Knowledge of GAAP and USAID regulations;
  • Detail-oriented with ability to follow through to closure;
  • Ability to work independently and multi-task under tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment;
  • Strong organizational skills with ability to prioritize work;
  • Knowledge of basic grant/contract administration;
  • Full proficiency with Office 365;
  • Excellent written and verbal communications skills in English and at least intermediate level in Spanish;
  • Ability to work in a multicultural environment as a team player.

To apply, please send us your CV, cover letter, and salary requirements to cv@nullforest-trends.org by June 18, noting “Accountant (NIWS)” to the subject line.

 

Program Associate, Forest Policy Trade & Finance (FPTF)

Forest Trends (FT) seeks an Associate to support its Forest Policy, Trade, and Finance (FPTF) Program on topics related to forest governance, illegal deforestation, and associated trade in collaboration with the internal team and key partners. This position is ideal for a self-starter who can prioritize competing demands, demonstrate initiative and responsibility, and quickly become an integral member of our small team. Successful candidates will have the flexibility to work independently while ensuring that work is completed within established deadlines. Excellent attention to detail, time management skills, and a collegial and cheerful demeanor are essential. Responsibilities range from contributing to project and budget management, conducting research and data analysis, to organizing workshops and international travel.

The Associate will have the opportunity to become closely involved in all program activities, learning about Forest Trends’ work to promote legal and sustainable trade in timber and other commodities harvested from forest landscapes. FPTF combines research, mentorship, and convening “communities of practice” to address issues at the intersection of natural resource governance, markets and trade, law enforcement, resource rights, and green growth. Since its creation in the early 2000s, FTPF has gained the trust of high-level government decision-makers in key timber-producer and -consumer countries by producing timely data analysis with key insights on relevance for markets, livelihoods, and policy impact.

This is a full-time position (40 hours/week), and includes a competitive compensation package commensurate with skills and experience.

Roles and Responsibilities:

  • Contribute to FT research products in collaboration with FPTF team and other partners:
    1. Edit, format, and proofread draft reports submitted by staff and consultants.
    2. Assist in writing newsletters, policy briefs, and reports. This may include basic research and/or literature reviews, and conducting brief trade analyses.
    3. Collaborate with FPTF staff and Communications team to track the status of research products through the publication pipeline and assist with outreach/dissemination via traditional and social media.
    4. Maintain and update contact lists.
  • Contribute to the development of trade data analytics and visualization:
    1. Acquire relevant data from external sources and maintain program databases.
    2. Produce charts, maps, and other visuals for FT research products and presentations.
  • Lead event planning and workshop support on behalf of FPTF:
    1. Coordinate travel and logistics (i.e., flights, hotels, visa arrangements, venue/meals) for small, ad hoc workshops and biannual meetings of government officials in Europe, Asia, and the US, as assigned.
    2. Draft and disseminate invitations, event announcements, logistical information, speaker bios and other relevant documents.
    3. Ensure all travel and workshop expenses are purchased in accordance with Forest Trends’ procurement policies and specific donor requirements, e.g., Fly America Act (FAA) for US Government-funded flights.
    4. Conduct post-event outreach to collect invoices and feedback to inform planning and reporting.
  • Administration, coordination, and grant management:
    1. Provide general administrative support for the FPTF program, assisting the Program Manager, Program Director, Senior Advisor, and others as appropriate and adhering to FT administrative protocol.
    2. Draft and administer consultant contracts. Track deliverables, review invoices, and facilitate payments.
    3. With FPTF Manager and other staff, assist in developing and maintaining overall budget (>$4million/year) across multiple grants, helping record expenditures.
    4. Support the development and management of grants by drafting text and budgets for donor proposals and reports, as needed.
    5. Contribute to ongoing planning of FPTF activities, participate in team meetings and update staff on status of ongoing projects.
    6. Undertake other tasks as requested by the FPTF Manager, Director, Senior Advisor, and others
  • Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills, Experience, and Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
  • 1-2 years demonstrated professional experience, particularly in program administration, event planning, international development, and/or environmental issues.
  • Initiative and ability for self-directed, independent work.
  • Exceptional organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail.
  • Strong writing, editing, and research skills.
  • Excellent computer skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other Office 365 programs.
  • Ability to prioritize competing demands and projects in both short and long term, and perform well under pressure.
  • Excellent communications skills in English including the ability to write clear, concise, and grammatically correct content, as well as the ability to edit and summarize text written by others, to make complex text more accessible without compromising message and content
  • Exceptional interpersonal skills; comfortable liaising with diverse array of collaborators from across the globe and ability to sense and convey contextually appropriate tone and style for formal and informal communication to individuals from various cultural backgrounds.
  • Committed to the mission of Forest Trends.

Desired Qualifications:

  • Experience with Tableau or other data visualization software.
  • Familiarity with and demonstrated interest in resource governance, timber legality, and forest commodity trade issues.
  • Proficiency in a second language.
  • Experience living and working abroad.

To apply:

  • Please send your CV, a brief cover letter, and writing sample (2 pages maximum) to cv@nullforest-trends.org by June 30, 2018. Subject line must read “Program Associate, FPTF”.