Want to make a positive difference to the future of people and our one shared home, the Earth? Working at WWF could be your opportunity of a lifetime.
All around the world, people are waking up to the devastating impacts of climate change and nature loss. The situation today is worse than the darkest predictions of just ten years ago, pushing billions of people to the edge and threatening lives and livelihoods. At WWF, we are facing our biggest crisis – and our biggest ever opportunity – to create a better future for people & nature. With over 60 years of experience and an active presence in more than 100 countries, we work to achieve both on-the-ground and global policy action, from protecting and restoring species and their habitats, to transforming markets and policies toward sustainability. Our people come from hugely diverse backgrounds & with a variety of expertise, ranging from conservation science & advocacy to HR and finance. We welcome applications from anyone who believes they can help us tackle this enormous global challenge & drive the urgent conservation impact needed to restore our planet.
What We Do
We are an independent conservation organization, striving to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and the ecosystem. From individuals and communities to businesses & governments, we are part of a growing global movement calling for bolder action on climate and nature, demanding that world leaders set nature on the path to recovery by 2030. WWF works to address the most dominant drivers of nature loss through system-wide changes in how food and energy are produced and consumed, and in how financial systems are structured. By implementing change in every country, we aim to drive visible and positive impacts on the ground, helping to restore nature in the most critical places around the world, from the Amazon to the Coral Triangle. Engaging everyone means addressing the barriers to participation faced by some groups in society, including local communities. Conservation will only be sustainable if it is owned by, and benefits, local people. That’s why Indigenous Peoples and local communities must be at the centre of action on climate and nature. WWF is committed to using its resources & global network to support these communities in creating together the most effective solutions where they live. Humanity is still in time, we have a clear pathway to solve this crisis. At WWF, we call on everyone to join the global movement, change how we live, and take action now.
WWF International global recruitment team are exclusively managing this vacancy. We kindly ask that you do not contact the local office on this position.
LOCATION: Flexible with preferred locations WWF INT HUBS
1 MISSION OF THE DEPARTMENT
To build a thriving, future-ready WWF workforce by ensuring that people at all levels have the skills, capabilities, and development pathways needed to deliver the WWF Strategy.
- Embed WWF’s core values and standards to strengthen the culture and create the right working environment across the Network.
- Develop and maintain People & Culture (P&C) standards, policies, systems, and platforms that attract, develop, and retain the right people for the organisation.
- Create the conditions for high performance, ensuring that staff can perform at their fullest potential and maximise their contribution to WWF’s conservation goals.
2 MAJOR FUNCTIONS
This role designs and rolls out the leadership framework and ensures a pipeline of leaders. Supports the Talent Development Director in delivering WWF International’s global approach to talent development. The role strengthens leadership capability across all levels of the WWF Network by designing, delivering, and continuously improving leadership development pathways that enable people to succeed in delivering the WWF Strategy. The role ensures that leadership development initiatives are future‑focused, equitable, aligned with WWF values, and integrated into broader learning, capability building, succession planning, and talent mobility efforts.
3 Major Duties and Responsibilities
Leadership Development Strategy & Framework
- Develop and implement an organisation-wide leadership and management development strategy aligned with organisational priorities & culture aspirations.
- Define leadership capability frameworks, management expectations, and leadership pathways for different employee groups (e.g., first-line managers, senior leaders, functional leaders, executive leadership).
- Translate organisational values and desired behaviours into practical leadership expectations and development interventions.
- Ensure leadership development supports organisational transformation, new operating models, and culture change.
Management & Leadership Capability Building
- Design and deliver scalable leadership & manager development programmes for global and geographically dispersed teams.
- Build core management capabilities, including: People leadership; Inclusive leadership; Leading in complexity and ambiguity; Performance management; Coaching and feedback; Change leadership; Employee engagement; Team effectiveness; Psychological safety and wellbeing; Cross-cultural and remote leadership; Develop targeted onboarding and transition programmes for newly appointed managers and leaders.
Learning Design & Programme Management
- Lead the design, sourcing, facilitation,& evaluation of leadership development interventions, including: (Leadership academies, manager essentials programmes, Workshops & virtual learning, Coaching and mentoring initiatives, Action learning, Peer learning communities, Leadership retreats, Self-directed learning pathways)
- Manage external vendors, facilitators, coaches, & learning partners.
- Ensure programmes are inclusive, accessible,& culturally relevant across regions and contexts.
Leadership Effectiveness
- Support leaders in navigating organisational transformation & change processes.
- Facilitate leadership team effectiveness initiatives & team development interventions.
- Promote leadership accountability, collaboration, & shared ownership in a matrixed operating environment.
Stakeholder Partnership & Advisory
- Act as a trusted advisor to leaders & managers on leadership effectiveness and team development.
- Partner with functional leaders to identify capability gaps & tailor interventions.
- Collaborate with DEI, safeguarding, wellbeing, & P&C colleagues to ensure integrated leadership practices.
Measurement, Insights & Continuous Improvement
- Develop measures to assess leadership effectiveness & learning impact.
- Use employee engagement data, performance insights, 360 feedback, & organisational metrics to identify development priorities.
- Monitor programme effectiveness & continuously improve learning offerings.
- Report on leadership capability progress & return on investment.
- DEI, safeguarding & wellbeing teams
- External facilitators, leadership coaches, & learning providers
4 PROFILE
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in HR, organisational Development, Psychology, Education, or a related field. (For example: Associate Diploma in People Management CIPD Level 5)
- Minimum 7 years of experience in leadership development, talent development, organisational development, or similar fields.
- Experience designing & delivering leadership development programmes in global, multicultural organisations.
Required Skills and Competencies
Technical Expertise
- Strong grounding in adult learning theory, instructional design, & leadership development methodologies.
- Skilled in needs assessment, program design, facilitation, & leadership coaching.
- Ability to measure & evaluate the impact of leadership development initiatives.
Leadership & Interpersonal Skills
- Strong communication and facilitation skills, with an ability to engage diverse global participants.
- Ability to build trusted partnerships and influence stakeholders at all levels.
- High cultural sensitivity & commitment to fostering inclusive leadership.
- Excellent communication skills; ability to inspire trust & foster collaboration & the ability to influence stakeholders.
Organisational Skills
- Strong organisational & project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
- Embraces the WWF mission & values of the organisation: Courage, Integrity, Respect & Collaboration.
5 WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
Internal
- P&C Teams – Collaborates with Talent Acquisition, P&C Partners, Learning & Development, and Organisational Development teams to design and deliver leadership initiatives.
- Senior Leadership Team (SLT) – Supports leadership capability building and organisational culture initiatives as necessary
- Country Offices & Practices – In alignment with the Talent Development Director, engages with P&C and leadership teams across the WWF Network to ensure alignment, gather insights, and support programme implementation.
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Leads – Works together to embed inclusive leadership practices into learning programmes.
- Finance & Operations Teams – Coordinates on budget planning, resource allocation, and logistical support for programmes where necessary.
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