The Chief Field Officer, Pacific Field Division (CFO Pacific), Senior Vice President, ) leads Conservation International’s strategy, delivery and impact in Pacific, with a focus on delivering our strategy to conserve nature for the benefit of people, focusing on climate, oceans, and biodiversity. They lead a team of 60+ staff with an annual budget of $8 million. The CFO Pacific develops and oversees the Pacific strategy by identifying priorities, raising and allocating flexible funding resources, and representing CI to internal and external partners, including high level decision-makers both internally within CI, and externally with donor agencies, governments, and private sector leaders. This position reports to the Head of Conservation Program and is a member of CI’s Leadership Team that is responsible for overseeing the organization’s strategies and delivery.
POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop and lead the implementation of CI’s strategy for Pacific which includes unlocking sustainable financing in iconic seascapes while building nature-based livelihoods, building capacity and improving governance of governments, poverty alleviation through nature conservation, and working with indigenous people to fight climate change while reducing loss in biodiversity.
- Oversee the Pacific Field Management Unit’s operations team and ensure operational excellence including identification of inefficiencies; fully align operations team with the Pacific strategy, vision and goals.
- Oversee project and program design and ensure quality and alignment with vision and strategy, including oversight of programs funded by public and private donors, as well as REDD+ and/or nature financing programs.
- Lead annual planning and budgeting for the Pacific Field Management Unit in collaboration with CI’s Leadership team.
- Build and implement multi-year plan to increase staff capacity to design and deliver high-quality conservation projects in compliance with CI and donor requirements.
- Lead and manage the Pacific Field Management Unit’s Executive Management Team with a particular focus on accountability, delivery excellence, staff wellbeing as well as a culture of equity, inclusion and diversity throughout the Division.
- Establish and maintain a culture of compassionate conservation that embraces human-centered design for conservation and supports local- and Indigenous-led conservation.
- Identify and pursue new resources for CI’s Pacific strategy, and fundraise from individual, foundations, government, and corporate sources. Identify, cultivate, steward and solicit high-net worth private donors in partnership with CI’s Development teams.
- Oversee public funding and corporate partnerships and ensure alignment with CI’s Southern Cross and the Pacific strategy.
- Communicate progress on regional strategies and action plans internally within CI and externally through media, social media, and targeted communications.
- Represent CI’s work in Pacific with CI board members and other CI bodies to develop high impact partnerships with private sectors, governments, academia and other non-governmental organizations.
- Represent CI with high level government officials and private sector leaders.
People and Resource Management Responsibilities
- Oversee approximately 60+ staff across the Pacific Field Management Unit, including seven direct reports.
- Responsible for an average annual budget of $8m.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required
- A Master’s/Postgraduate degree or equivalent and more than 15 years of broad conservation and/or natural resource management leadership, strategy development, and program management experience. Experience in the Pacific is required.
- 5 or more years of experience in senior leadership.
- 7 or more years of experience managing teams of professional employees.
- Demonstrated ability to lead high impact conservation projects.
- Demonstrated success in influencing and communicating with national level authorities and private sector leaders.
- Ability to transform research and project results into practical decision-making tools and improved practices and policy for governments, private sector and civil society.
- A proven track record of identifying strategic issues and priorities, developing implementation teams and plans, and serving as the key decision-maker on programmatic, fundraising and operational issues.
- Advanced university degree in conservation and/or development, or related field, or significant equivalent expertise and experience.
- A proven track record of successful fundraising at the $1 million+ level.
- Excellent ability to work in a variety of cultural and political settings.
- Professional fluency in English.
Preferred
- A doctoral degree in conservation, natural resource management and/or development.
- Fluency in any local dialect of the many Pacific language is beneficial.
Application deadline: May 31, 2026
Location: Suva, Fiji
