About the role
The Director of Conservation is WWF-Singapore’s most senior conservation leader and is responsible for ensuring delivery of conservation impact at scale across WWF-Singapore’s priority landscapes and seascapes in Southeast Asia. The role provides strategic leadership for WWF-Singapore’s conservation programme and portfolio, ensuring alignment with WWF’s Global Goals, Roadmap 2030, the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and WWF Programme Standards. The Director of Conservation ensures that WWF-Singapore’s conservation investments are strategic and deliver measurable impact for nature, climate and people.
Key Responsibilities:
A. Conservation Strategy & Programme Leadership
- Lead the development, implementation, and adaptive management of WWF-Singapore’s local and regional conservation strategy, aligned with WWF Network priorities, Roadmap 2030, and GBF targets.
- Provide strategic leadership for WWF-Singapore’s conservation programme and portfolio, ensuring focus on high-impact initiatives at landscape and seascape scale.
- Ensure conservation strategies and initiatives are grounded in best available science and consistent with WWF Programme Standards and safeguards.
- Identify emerging conservation trends, risks, and opportunities relevant to Southeast Asia and guide strategic responses.
B. Conservation Performance, Results & Adaptive Management
- Ensure the establishment and effective use of impact monitoring, including clear Theories of Change, baselines, SMART indicators for WWF SG conservation projects.
- Work closely with programme leads to oversee monitoring, evaluation, learning, and reporting of conservation impact at programme and portfolio level.
- Lead adaptive management processes to strengthen impact, quality, and relevance of conservation investments.
- Ensure conservation impact is clearly articulated and communicated to donors, Board members, WWF Network colleagues, and external stakeholders.
C. Partnerships & Resource Mobilisation
- Lead and support the development of high-quality, co-created proposals with Network Offices, governments, major donors, foundations and partners.
- Work closely with fundraising and finance teams to ensure conservation priorities inform resource mobilisation strategies and investment decisions.
- Support exploration of innovative and sustainable finance mechanisms (e.g. carbon and biodiversity credits, blended finance), in line with WWF standards and risk frameworks.
D. Engagement with WWF Network and external partners
- Act as WWF-Singapore’s most senior conservation representative within the WWF Network.
- Engage actively with WWF Global Practices and initiatives to leverage technical expertise, innovation, and global initiatives.
- Foster strong collaboration with WWF country, regional, and practice teams to support transboundary and multi-country conservation initiatives.
- Strengthen WWF-Singapore’s profile and influence as a credible conservation leader in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
- Act as a senior conservation spokesperson, in coordination with communications and campaigns teams in external forums.
E. Policy Advocacy
- Represent WWF-Singapore in high-level national, regional, and international policy processes, dialogues, and fora.
- Ensure WWF-Singapore’s advocacy campaigns, communications, and public positions are underpinned by sound science and programme evidence.
- Work closely with Singapore Government authorities on alignment of WWF-Singapore conservation priorities with government priorities and plans.
F. People Leadership & Organisational Effectiveness
- Lead the Conservation Department, ensuring clarity of roles, priorities, and performance expectations across teams.
- Support programme leads and senior staff in people management, performance reviews, and professional development.
- Build a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team culture aligned with WWF values and behaviours.
- Ensure effective cross-functional collaboration across conservation, fundraising, finance, communications, education, and operations.
Qualifications and requirements
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in conservation, environmental or natural sciences, natural resource management, sustainability, or a related field (or equivalent senior professional experience) with minimum 15 years of professional experience in conservation or natural resource management.
- Significant senior leadership experience in a regional or global context, including responsibility for strategy, people leadership, and performance.
- Proven track record of delivering conservation impact at scale, including through landscape or seascape approaches.
- Proven track record of managing large scale conservations program (10-20 million) across multiple countries.
- Strong experience working in Southeast Asia, with demonstrated understanding of regional conservation, political, and socio-economic contexts.
- Demonstrated experience overseeing conservation portfolios, including strategic planning, prioritisation, and adaptive management.
- Experience working with institutional donors, foundations, governments, and private sector partners, including shaping fundraising strategy.
- Working knowledge of conservation finance and innovative funding mechanisms, with an understanding of integrity, safeguards, and risk.
- Good understanding of WWF Network ways of working, global initiatives, and programme standards (or equivalent experience in large international conservation organisations).
- Proven ability to lead through influence in complex, multi-national organisations.
- Strong interpersonal, diplomatic, and communication skills, including experience engaging senior leaders, donors, and external stakeholders.
- Ability to communicate complex conservation issues clearly to diverse audiences.
This job description covers the main tasks. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organizational needs.
If you are interested in this role, please apply using this link