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Greenpeace International

International Development Director

Greenpeace International is seeking an International Development Director to support and drive the Greenpeace network during an exciting time of change. The Director will serve on the Strategic Management Team and drive collaboration and support amongst Greenpeace International and the leadership of 27 independent national and regional Greenpeace organisations across the world. You are a creative problem-solver with a global mindset who is committed to strengthening a global network that is working on the key challenges of our time.

About Greenpeace 

Greenpeace is an independent campaigning network which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems and to force the solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace’s goal is to ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity. 

Therefore, Greenpeace seeks to: protect biodiversity in all its forms, prevent pollution and abuse of the Earth’s ocean, land, air and fresh water, end all nuclear threats and promote peace, global disarmament and non-violence globally.

Seeking a green and peaceful world, Greenpeace is offering people around the world a clear and positive vision about the future of our planet while implementing people-centred and innovative campaigns across all regions. Based on the best science available, Greenpeace is setting goals for the environmental boundaries that need to be respected and can’t be crossed, while tackling the mindsets and power dynamics that are currently contributing to the global climate crisis.    

About Greenpeace International

Within the Greenpeace network, Greenpeace International has the role of providing coordination and support. Greenpeace International is legally based as in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and about 50% of its staff is dispersed – i.e. employed through the national/regional Greenpeace organisations across the world. 

Purpose of the Role

The International Development Director (IDD) drives the strategic collaboration with support and advice from GPI departments, to the leadership of the 27 National and Regional Organisations (NROs) across the Greenpeace network. Their focus will be on the development of priority battleground NROs while ensuring the overall alignment and support for all NROs.

The IDD leads and manages organisational processes to ensure that the Greenpeace global network is working in close collaboration. They strengthen the integrity of the Greenpeace global network by fostering synergies between GPI and the NROs’ organisational development strategies.

The IDD is formally part of the Strategy and Management Team of GPI and is often required to attend board meetings. They will lead a small team of organisational development professionals and build and manage relationships at the highest level of the global network.

Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership and Management 

  • Proactively enable alignment across all GPI departments to ensure a common voice and directions towards the NROs. 
  • Contribute to the overall performance and financial health of Greenpeace International beyond and not limited to functional expertise and representation. 
  • Lead, manage and develop the Development Department team to ensure their effective performance through objectives and priorities setting, performance reviews, coaching, training and personal development. 
  • Manage the relevant staffing budget and strategic workforce planning to ensure efficient and effective use of resources according to the standards and systems at Greenpeace International.
  • Monitor GPI teams and NROs’ progress against agreed plans and standards.
  • Facilitate cross-divisional learning and create opportunities for enhanced internal teams and NROs working performance. 

Global Organisational Development 

  • Contribute to the development and implementation of Greenpeace International global strategies.
  • Keep abreast of relevant geopolitical development trends that may affect GPI and any of the NROs. Advise the GPI Strategy Management Team, the Global Leadership Team and relevant NRO Strategic Management Team about potential implications of such trends.
  • Develop and oversee global projects spearheaded by the Development Department. 

Engagement, Support and Stakeholder Relationships 

  • Cultivate and maintain strategic relationships between GPI and NROs, as well as between different NROs. 
  • Build strong and long-term working relationships within the Greenpeace network as well as with key external stakeholders.
  • Cultivate a positive culture among the Executive Directors and promote collaboration, shared leadership and peer to peer relationships, building a greater sense of community. 
  • Facilitate good and fluent communication channels between NROs and when necessary, mediate in conflict resolutions in order to align common goals and promote effective cooperation. 
  • Align and coordinate, with the GPI Strategy Management Team, the demands and priorities to the NROs and decision-makers.
  • Mediate between different GPI units and key decision-makers of GPI and the NROs. 
  • Oversee and manage the formal organisational agreements between GPI and the NROs.
  • Recommend necessary actions by NROs or GPI to prevent gaps and deviations and when necessary, recommending specific interventions as appropriate.
  • Develop and manage Greenpeace global initiatives to strengthen the core strategy management and governance capacity within the NROs in partnership with other units.

National and Regional Organisations Strategy Development 

  • Ensure the design, development and delivery of NROs organisational development strategies and plans to be aligned with the global goals and priorities. 
  • Develop and monitor proper systems to ensure that these strategies and global plans are effectively aligned with, and contribute to, the overall Greenpeace mission. 
  • Develop and monitor the growth, development and performance objectives of NROs individually, as well as the collective network in achieving greater impact.   
  • Develop, implement and maintain global standards for NROs while driving ambition and fostering accountability amongst the network. 
  • Advise and recommend on NROs’ resource and budget allocation processes. 

Network Development & Strategic Direction 

  • Ensure that Greenpeace global strategies, priorities and accountabilities are advocated, well-formulated, supported, understood and incorporated by the NRO decision-making structures.
  • Bring NRO priorities and accountability to Greenpeace International decision-making processes to ensure that the NROs’ perspectives are understood and incorporated in the global strategies.

Network Presence and Geopolitical Strategy 

  • Provide larger geopolitical strategic analysis and recommendations to the Greenpeace global decision-making processes, as well as to NROs in order to identify growth and development opportunities for Greenpeace. 
  • Lead the geopolitical categorisation and prioritisation process agreed by the global organisation to be incorporated in GPI and NRO strategic planning processes. 
  • Identify opportunities and build data-driven business cases for Greenpeace to establish new presences or NROs, as well as to implement changes in line with agreed global strategies and priorities. 

Crisis Prevention and Mitigation 

  • Offer strategic analysis in order to prevent potential crises in NROs and provide analysis and recommendations when a crisis situation is declared by the International Executive Director.
  • Assist the Greenpeace global decision-making processes in mitigating the crisis as specifically mandated by the International Executive Director with advice from the Strategic Management Team and the Global Leadership Team. 
  • Develop, implement and maintain an early warning system by the development of KPIs and measurements to ensure the NROs responses happen in a timely manner.
  • Work with our Critical Incident Management Teams when necessary, managing and supporting the relevant teams to ensure good communication and working relationships.

Skills and Experience

  • More than 10 years of relevant working experience, with minimal 7 years of relevant senior strategic management/leadership experience in an international organisation. 
  • Ability to manage a complex international organisation and support the processes of a global network of independent organisations, including their national teams and leadership. 
  • Knowledge of geographical, political, economic and environmental trends and key players in the climate and environment sector.
  • Strong management skills – the ability to build, lead and manage great teams. 
  • Crisis management experience.
  • Ability and proven experience of building diverse teams, supporting equity, diversity and inclusion within a global setting.
  • Experience in risk management and assessment.
  • Track record building strong long-lasting relationships between teams and peers. 
  • Negotiation and networking skills with problem-solver mindset. 
  • Exceptional influencing skills with the ability to lead diverse teams to achieve agreed goals and to drive change without direct authority. 
  • Experience in organisational and change management in an international organisation.
  • Experience producing socio-economic-political strategic analysis that can be used to support internal decisions. 
  • Exceptional analytical skills and understanding of organisational development and business planning. 
  • Fluent written and spoken English. 
  • Experience in working effectively to very tight deadlines and under stressful conditions. 
  • Willingness to travel.