[Hiring] Portfolio Associate @The Nature Conservancy

Role Description

The Portfolio Associate, PFP works with the Global Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) team to support the full PFP portfolio, with an emphasis on coordinating portfolio planning, governance, reporting, systems, communications, and resourcing. The Portfolio Associate serves as a liaison between the PFP team and local country and regional teams, the Protect Business Unit, other global strategies, and external partners. The Portfolio Associate plays a key role in fostering alignment, coordination, and information flow between the PFP team and the broader Protect Business Unit. The role helps ensure portfolio priorities, resource needs, lessons learned, and strategic objectives are connected across teams to support integrated business unit planning and prioritization.

The Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) mission is to tackle the intertwined global biodiversity and climate crises by delivering durable, representative, effectively managed, and inclusive protections through the Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) approach. PFPs enable governments and local communities, in partnership with funders and NGOs, to secure long-term management and financing for networks of conservation areas in the form of a deal with a single closing agreement. Accelerating the deployment and impact of this strategy is an organizational priority to deliver lasting outcomes across our 2030 Conservation Goals for Biodiversity, Climate, and People.

This position sits within the Global Protect Oceans, Lands, and Waters business unit and reports to the PFP Portfolio Director.

Responsibilities & Scope

• Portfolio Strategy, Governance & Visibility
  • Support portfolio planning and prioritization processes, including coordinating inputs, documentation, decision-making, and stakeholder engagement.
  • Coordinate governance and leadership decision-making, including stage gates, agendas, briefing materials, decision records, and action follow-up.
  • Manage portfolio communications and maintain visibility into project status, timelines, emerging opportunities, and leadership decisions.
• Performance, Reporting & Systems
  • Coordinate organizational portfolio reporting and produce dashboards, updates, analyses, briefings, presentations, and reports for leadership, donors, boards, partners, and internal stakeholders.
  • Support the maintenance and continuous improvement of portfolio-management systems, tools, processes, templates, operating procedures, and data practices.
  • Coordinate with communications, operations, monitoring, evaluation and learning, Knowledge Management, and other functions to provide portfolio content and align portfolio messaging and reporting.
• Coordination & Resourcing
  • Facilitate alignment and coordination across PFP teams, regional and country programs, Protect BU, and other partners to ensure transparency, shared understanding of priorities, and effective execution of portfolio objectives.
  • Support resource allocation and tracking, including budgets, workloads, and capacity, with project managers and finance and operations teams.
  • Facilitate portfolio-related information-sharing forums, presentations, workshops, and planning events when applicable.
  • May provide project management support for selected initiatives, process improvements, or portfolio priorities, including coordinating work plans, meetings, action tracking, deliverables, and implementation activities as assigned.
  • May travel domestically and internationally up to 25%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Policy, Resource Management, or a related field and 3 years of related experience or equivalent combination.
• Experience supporting complex projects and strategic initiatives in an unstructured environment.
• Analytical and project management experience.

Desired Qualifications

• Multicultural or cross-cultural experience.
• Communications experience, including shaping and supporting presentations, drafting written program information materials, and supporting internal and external events and managing contracts and contractors to develop communications products.
• Self-starter with the ability to generate communication/work plans with limited support in line with the overall conservation strategies.
• Experience contributing to business plans or major strategy assessments.
• Familiarity with global protection strategies, efforts, and projects, especially Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiatives.
• Willingness to learn and develop expertise in new conservation strategies, economic drivers, management tools, and global affairs.
• Strong team player who can build relationships and work collaboratively across the organization and with partners.
• Strategic thinker with strong organizational skills and proactive problem-solving capabilities.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to work independently.

Salary Information

This position may be based in any country where TNC has an established entity, taking into consideration legal restrictions, such as non-national ratios and immigration processing times. For U.S. based applicants only, the starting pay range for this position is generally within the range of $60,000 to $90,000 for annual base salary and is based on location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. This range only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. For all other applicants, pay ranges will be in local currency, the pay range will be based on the local labor market, and not tied to the above pay range. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment and used to determine your actual pay range. Additionally, for all applicants, actual pay will fall within a range based on a variety of factors including, for example, the candidate’s qualifications, specific skills, and experience.