Arctic Initiative Lead
Requirements
Candidates should have recognized expertise in Arctic political and governance contexts, with experience engaging with senior policymakers and community representatives. Effective leadership and people-management skills are essential for delivering complex work to high standards.
Job Description
- Location: Fauna & Flora’s Cambridge Office, UK
- Salary: £50,775 - £61,470 per annum (depending on skills and experience)
- Contract period: Approx. 2.5 years- end date November 2028
- Start date: As soon as possible
The Arctic Initiative Lead will provide overall leadership for the development of an exciting grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, using this to test the opportunity for longer term Fauna & Flora engagement in this region. Working closely with relevant Directors, the role will deliver the Arctic Initiative in line with agreed outcomes and funding. This role will provide overall leadership for the planned scope of work and will help to drive its strategic evolution in line with a phased, adaptive approach over the lifetime of the grant, and inform decisions about any future engagement.
A central element of the project will be stewarding the development of a new platform to elevate Arctic community voices in global decision-making. The post-holder will play a critical role in ensuring this work contributes to a more people-centred narrative in international policy, finance, and conservation debates, and is shaped through a phased co-design process grounded in listening, trust-building and community-defined priorities, and will evolve as learning emerges. Given the scope and profile of the work, expertise from previous similar initiatives is highly desirable.
You will bring recognised expertise in Arctic political and governance contexts, with proven experience engaging credibly with both senior policy makers and community representatives. Comfortable representing Fauna & Flora at national and international levels, you will combine effective leadership with the ability to work effectively in an international NGO, including managing in a matrix-like structure. The role will also involve building and leading a small, high-performing team. You will have a leadership style that empowers others, values collaboration and learning, excellent people-management skills, and the ability to deliver complex work to a high standard against project aims, objectives and timelines.
In return, the role offers the opportunity to work within a ground-breaking and entrepreneurial organisation, at the forefront of global conservation, and to help shape an ambitious initiative at a formative stage. In addition, Fauna & Flora offers a generous pension contribution, an attractive annual leave allowance and life insurance. This position is based at Fauna & Flora’s Cambridge office, with partial remote working, to be agreed between the post-holder and line manager.
Please visit our website and download the job application pack for further details on how to apply.
The closing date for applications is Sunday, 7 June 2026. Interviews are likely to take place during the week commencing the 15 June 2026.
We are able to offer Skilled Worker visa sponsorship for eligible candidates.
No agencies please.
Skills
About Fauna & Flora
Fauna & Flora's work spans across the globe, with over 100 projects in more than 40 countries. We are nature's champion. We work closely with local partners, governments and communities to protect the diversity of life on Earth. * Leadership: We’ve been working for more than a century in innovative, sustainable conservation, developing models that inspire others. * Diversity: Our focus is biodiversity: to secure a healthy future for our planet where people, wildlife and wild places coexist. * Value: Our lean, entrepreneurial structure and style allow us to engage quickly and effectively on critical environmental issues. * Collaboration: Lasting local partnerships have been at the heart of our conservation activities for more than one hundred years.
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