[Hiring] Senior Project Team Leader and Coordinator @Taking Root

Role Description

Taking Root is delivering a watershed management project in Nicaragua focused on climate change adaptation, protecting water recharge zones and scaling agroforestry systems across the Upper Rio Coco River Basin. As Senior Project Team Leader and Coordinator, you'll serve as the principal expert responsible for the overall coordination, technical direction, and delivery of this work. You'll work closely with the funding delegation, Taking Root departments, and a multidisciplinary, international project team to ensure implementation aligned with donor standards, project objectives, Taking Root's operational realities, and farmer realities on the ground. This is a project management role that combines strategic project administration with hands-on coordination of technical experts, community partners, and government counterparts in one of Central America’s most climate-vulnerable landscapes.

What you’ll actually do

• Project Leadership and Coordination
  • Serve as the primary point of contact between Taking Root, the funder, and all project stakeholders.
  • Lead coordination meetings with the funder's project manager and participate in project steering committee sessions.
  • Coordinate the work needed from the Taking Root team and local implementation partners to meet project goals, centralizing the flow of information between Taking Root and funders or partners.
  • Develop and maintain work plans and progress reports in alignment with the project framework.
  • Oversee the backstopping model, distinguishing clearly between expert tasks and administrative support.
  • Ensure financial and contractual compliance across all project activities and subcontractors.
• Technical Oversight and Delivery
  • Guide the preparation of technical studies, including identification and prioritization of water recharge zones, multi-temporal land use change analysis, and agroforestry intervention design.
  • Maximize integration of gender, indigenous rights, and social inclusion into all technical activities as local realities permit.
• Capacity Building and Community Engagement
  • Coordinate local teams to deliver training programs for producers, community organizations, and government officials on reforestation, sustainable forest management, and watershed conservation.
  • Coordinate local teams to ensure the participation of women, youth, and indigenous peoples in all capacity-building activities.
• Systematization and Knowledge Management
  • Lead the systematization phase, including final reporting sessions, communication of results, and lessons learned documentation.
  • Ensure knowledge products are published and shared with relevant stakeholders.
  • Collaborate with external evaluators for mid-term and final evaluations.
  • Prepare implementation and final reports to funder standards.

What success looks like

• Funders and delegation partners experience clear, timely communication and a well-managed partnership — work plans are approved on schedule and implemented as committed.
• Reports are accurate, insightful, and submitted within contractual deadlines; expert contributions and backstopping functions run smoothly.
• Subcontractors and short-term experts are selected transparently and perform to standard.
• Strong working relationships are established with local implementation and operating partners, and on-the-ground activities align with Taking Root's proven model.
• Restoration targets are met to quality standards and on time.
• Capacity-building activities reach women, youth, and indigenous communities, with participation tracked and documented.
• Knowledge products and lessons learned are captured on an ongoing basis, accessible, and reach their intended audiences.
• Reporting to funders is consistently approved without significant revision requests.

Qualifications

• University degree in environmental sciences, forestry engineering, or a closely related field.
• Postgraduate qualification (Master’s or PhD) in engineering, geology, water resources, environmental or forestry sciences, sustainable natural resource management, or equivalent — or 5 additional years of directly relevant professional experience.
• Fluent written and spoken Spanish and professional working proficiency in English.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in project coordination and/or applied research in sustainable development, environment, conservation, or international cooperation, including at least 3 years in Latin America.
• Minimum 5 years coordinating the design and implementation of EU-funded or equivalent international cooperation projects, managing multidisciplinary teams across government, NGO, and community sectors.
• Minimum 6 years of cumulative experience across two or more of the following: integrated natural resource management, protected areas, forestry, biodiversity, or climate change; applied research in these fields with government and private sector actors; administrative management and reporting under EU services contracts or comparable donor frameworks; institutional strengthening and capacity development.

Strongly Valued

• Demonstrated knowledge of Nicaragua’s legal and institutional framework for natural resources and water governance.
• Experience managing procurement and subcontracting processes under EU or comparable donor guidelines, including drafting Terms of Reference.
• Prior professional experience on projects implemented in Nicaragua.
• Familiarity with voluntary carbon markets, carbon monitoring methodologies, and nature-based solutions.

Technical Depth and Ways of Working

• Leads the full project cycle from startup through systematization, keeping the funding delegation informed and engaged at every stage.
• Manages expert teams, subcontractors, and community partners across a complex, multi-actor environment.
• Brings deep applied knowledge of agroforestry, reforestation, and watershed management to guide credible, effective interventions.
• Translates technical requirements into practical plans that work for smallholder farmers in Nicaragua.
• Builds trusted relationships with the funding delegation, government counterparts, indigenous communities, and producer organizations.
• Communicates clearly and respectfully across diverse audiences in Spanish and English.
• Communicates progress, blockers, and risks in a timely way to Taking Root.
• Produces semi-annual and final reports that meet donor quality and format standards.
• Manages presence certificates, budgets, and subcontract documentation with accuracy and transparency.

Hands-on, Low Ego, and Mission-Driven

• Has worked in a small to mid-sized, fast-moving organization where everyone contributes to execution.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and able to bring clarity to complex, multi-stakeholder situations.
• Low ego, high trust, and genuinely energized by the mission.
• Motivated by work that connects technical and coordination outcomes to real environmental and social impact.
• We especially encourage those with unconventional experience, education, or career paths to apply, even if you may not meet every requirement listed here.

How to Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume. We value every application; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the country from which they are applying, in accordance with local labour regulations.

Taking Root has a diverse team of talented people across gender and racial spectrums. We have created a culture of innovation, diversity, and inclusivity, striving for open discussions and best hiring and operational practices. We hire and promote based on merit, competence, performance, successful milestones, and business needs. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind, be that based on race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, disability, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by applicable laws.

Use of AI in Hiring

Taking Root may use automated or AI-assisted tools at limited stages of the recruitment process. These tools are used to assist (not replace) human decision-making. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by people. We are committed to using technology responsibly and in line with applicable employment and privacy laws.