Position Description
The Lead Consultant is a full-time consultant position based in Jakarta and serves as the strategic and operational lead for CLUA’s Indonesia Initiative. As part of the organization’s leadership team, the Lead Consultant will guide the Indonesia Initiative Team through a period of strategic continuity and renewal.
Working closely with the other CLUA Initiatives, the Lead Consultant will coordinate grantmaking and monitoring while enhancing the relationship with national and sub-national government agencies, civil society leaders, Indigenous peoples and local communities, other donors active in this arena, and the private sector.
The Lead Consultant will be expected to provide thought leadership in the field of climate change, land use and Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ rights in Indonesia. Within the Indonesia Initiative Team, they are responsible for maintaining a culture of shared purpose, collaboration, mutual respect, and commitment to achieving the goals described in the strategy. Frequent travel within Indonesia is expected, along with periodic international travel.
Primary Duties & Responsibilities
The Lead Consultant is primarily responsible for the following:
Leadership Strategy and Oversight
- Contribute actively to organization-wide strategy development, including coordination, adaptive learning, and visioning processes.
- Lead the development, implementation, and ongoing refinement of Indonesia Initiative strategies, ensuring alignment with the organization’s overarching strategic frameworks.
- Shape and oversee the strategic vision for the Indonesia Initiative, to ensure effective execution across program areas.
- Provide guidance and thought leadership on climate, land use, and Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ rights in Indonesia, and represent the organization in national, regional, and global forums.
- Contribute to strategic risk management and stakeholder positioning in close collaboration with internal stakeholders and external experts.
- Work closely with the Development Team to support fundraising efforts and donor stewardship, including participation in donor engagement activities and events in Indonesia and across the Asia region.
Indonesia Initiative and Team Management
- Provide strategic and values-driven leadership to the Indonesia Initiative team, ensuring strong alignment with the organization’s mission, strategy, and organizational culture.
- Supervise, coach and support members of Indonesia Initiative through effective performance management and leadership development.
- Foster a culture of trust, inclusion, shared leadership, and continuous learning in which team members feel valued, supported, and empowered.
- Delegate responsibilities and set priorities in ways that promote balance, ownership, and effectiveness across functions and positions.
- Help strengthen internal capacity and clarify team roles to support a resilient and distributed leadership model.
- Ensure effective collaboration across geographies, thematic and functional areas.
- Contribute to a smooth leadership transition process, including knowledge sharing and continuity planning in collaboration with the outgoing Lead and Indonesia team.
Grantmaking and Monitoring
- Manage the Indonesia grant portfolio and budget to ensure strategic alignment, equity, learning, and effective resource allocation across program areas.
- Lead the analysis and definition of grantmaking strategies and priorities for the Indonesia Initiative, incorporating team input and adapting to changing context.
- Support and guide team members in managing grantee relationships and advancing intended strategic outcomes.
- Coordinate internal review processes and ensure compliance with legal, financial, and organizational requirements, including engaging external consultants when needed.
- Identifying funding gaps, strategic partners, and opportunities for new or expanded collaborative initiatives.
External Engagement and Partnerships
- Build and maintain trusted relationships with key stakeholders, for example civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, government stakeholders, philanthropic partners, and collaborative platforms.
- Engage with a broad network of actors, including private sector representatives, academia, and media, to advance the Initiative’s impact.
- Provide strategic leadership for convenings, policy dialogues, multistakeholder platforms, and collaborative field-building initiatives aligned with shared objectives.
- Stay informed on movement dynamics, civil society priorities, and evolving opportunities for strategic positioning and impacts.
- Represent the organization in national, regional, and global forums.
Cross-Initiative and Cross-Department Collaboration
- Collaborate closely with Program Teams across tropical forest geographies and globally, as well as with Communications, Operations, and Development teams.
- Participate actively in organization-wide processes, including reflection and planning, learning journeys, monitoring, strategic planning, equity and justice initiatives, and engagements with the Board.
- Lead or support cross-regional collaboration to promote knowledge management, learning, innovation, and collective impact.
- Participate in organizational meetings, virtually or in person, as required by the manager and broader team needs.