Programme Officer – Rewilding (Focus on the Southern Cone of South America)

How to apply

Oak Foundation will be supported in this appointment process by the Executive Search Firm Mission Talent. For a complete information about the position and how to apply, please DOWNLOAD PDF HERE.

Application deadline: 21 June 2026

Location: North Carolina, United States
Starting date: 1 November 2026
Type of contract: Permanent
Salary: USD 110,000-135,000 gross “based on experience and qualifications”
Reference: OAK-PO-LAR

Overview

Oak Foundation supports initiatives that create a safer, fairer, and more sustainable world. The Programme Officer will advance the Environment Programme’s Regenerative Landscapes sub-programme in the Southern Cone of South America, managing grants and partnerships that promote rewilding and regenerative agriculture. Candidates should bring experience in environmental programming, systems thinking, and stakeholder engagement. This is a compelling opportunity to drive people-centred conservation approaches and contribute to lasting ecological and community impact.

About Oak Foundation

Oak Foundation commits its resources to address issues of global, social, and environmental concern, particularly those that have a major impact on the lives of the disadvantaged. Through Oak’s grant-making, the Foundation supports others in making the world a safer, fairer, and more sustainable place to live. With offices in Europe, Africa, and North America, Oak makes grants to organisations in approximately 40 countries worldwide.

About the Environment Programme

The Environment Programme makes grants focused on safeguarding the future by restoring connections to nature. It has three sub‑programmes: Marine Food Systems and Livelihoods, Nature and People, and Regenerative Landscapes. The programme seeks to address the underlying causes of today’s environmental challenges in order to strengthen communities and the natural environment. This approach helps reveal connections across sectors and supports solutions that deliver both social and biodiversity benefits.

Across all three sub‑programmes, people and communities are central to grant-making. The programme values innovation and collaboration in its commitment to safeguarding the natural environment for future generations. It supports efforts in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, with a particular focus on work that has regional or global impact.

About the Regenerative Landscapes Sub-Programme

The Regenerative Landscapes sub-programme envisions a world in which degraded ecosystems and landscapes are restored for the benefit of both people and wildlife. Oak’s grant-making places strong emphasis on restoring the ecological integrity of natural systems, recovering native species, and reestablishing ecological processes across fragmented and degraded landscapes. To achieve this, the sub-programme supports efforts that focus on: regenerative agriculture (i.e., promoting a farming system that’s good for people and good for nature); and rewilding (i.e., restoring land and biodiverse spaces that have been modified by human activities).

Regenerative agriculture: Invests in evidence-based approaches that advance regenerative agriculture, equitable natural resource management, and long-term ecological and social outcomes.

Rewilding: The grant-making places a strong emphasis on restoring the ecological integrity of natural systems, recovering native species, and reestablishing ecological processes across fragmented and degraded landscapes. The programme views rewilding as a practical approach to restoring ecological function in ways that strengthen community wellbeing, diversify livelihoods, and support coexistence between people and wildlife. The programme supports rewilding that rebuilds biodiversity, strengthens ecological connectivity, and revitalises natural processes. This includes supporting farmers, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities in adopting regenerative land-use practices that improve soil health, enhance climate resilience, and foster human-wildlife coexistence.

Central to Oak’s grant-making approach is creating space for local people to co-design interventions that respond to the socioecological challenges they face; strengthening communities and leadership are essential to achieving lasting species and ecosystem recovery. The programme supports organisations that work alongside national and provincial governments, philanthropists, and other organisations to restore natural ecosystems and improve ecological connectivity.

After three years of programming in Southern Africa, the Trustees have endorsed expansion of the sub-programme into the Southern Cone of South America (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil). This aligns with the wider Oak Foundation Environment Programme vision to “safeguard our future by restoring our connection to nature.”

Main Responsibilities

Purpose of the Role

The Programme Officer contributes to Oak’s Environment Programme’s mission to restore the relationship between people and nature through systems change, recognising that biodiversity outcomes are inseparable from community wellbeing and livelihoods. They will support a portfolio of grants and partnerships advancing people-centred rewilding and regenerative landscapes approaches in the Southern Cone of South America.

Duties and Responsibilities

• In consultation with the Programme Director and Lead Trustee, shape and manage a grant portfolio to restore and rewild degraded natural ecosystems, strengthen ecological processes, and support long-term coexistence between people and wildlife across the Southern Cone of South America.
• Identify opportunities to restore species and rewild forest, grassland, wetland, rangeland, and freshwater ecosystems, and reconnect fragmented landscapes through ecological corridors.
• Support community-led and Indigenous-led restoration and coexistence initiatives.
• Recommend flexible, long-term, and context-sensitive funding approaches where appropriate.
• Identify leverage points where restoration and rewilding can advance climate resilience, water security, and regenerative livelihoods.
• Conduct research to strengthen the portfolio’s strategic and evidence-based foundations.
• Develop partnerships and strengthen existing networks of organisations advancing ecosystem restoration, species conservation, rewilding, and coexistence.
• Promote collaboration among community-led groups, NGOs, research institutions, Indigenous organisations, and peer funders.
• Represent Oak at donor convenings, thematic conferences, workshops, and seminars.
• Manage the full grant cycle, ensuring compliance with Oak’s grant management system and related grant-making procedures. This includes: handling the day-to-day responsibilities of a grant portfolio from initial inquiry to assessment to final recommendation; having site visits; identifying and responding to capacity building needs; monitoring grant implementation; reporting on and closing grants; evaluating current or past grants according to needs; and drawing and sharing lessons learned from projects and clusters of grants, among other activities.
• Collaborate with operations and programme staff to ensure efficient grant administration, documentation, monitoring, and reporting.
• Contribute to monthly and annual reporting, Advisory Panel materials, and organisation-wide learning.
• Help document and share lessons from grantees and regional clusters to inform programme direction and influence wider practice.
• Maintain strong networks with key actors across conservation, research, philanthropy, government, and local communities.
• Stay up to date on scientific, legislative, and regulatory developments relevant to the portfolio.

Skills and Experience

• University degree in a related field, which could include environmental sciences, ecology, forestry, biology, or social sciences, complemented by field work.  
• 7–10+ years of professional experience in conservation, ecosystem restoration, rewilding, environmental justice, or related fields. Field work is an asset.
• Significant professional experience in South America with strong regional context knowledge.
• Experience working with NGOs, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, government agencies, researchers, and private‑sector partners.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex socio‑political and ecological landscapes.
• Strong understanding of ecosystem restoration and rewilding.
• Understanding of and ability to integrate social dynamics and inclusion in conservation.
• Knowledge of species conservation and ecological connectivity.
• Experience with coexistence frameworks and conflict mitigation.
• Understanding of how conservation intersects with rural livelihoods and local economies.
• Experience in grant-making or close collaboration with funders.
• Ability to build strong partnerships with peer foundations and restoration actors.
• Fluency in Spanish. Portuguese fluency is a plus. Strong English communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively.
• Willingness to travel internationally as required.
• Commitment to Oak Foundation’s values.

Additional Qualifications

This position is based in Oak’s offices in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Foundation’s work schedule is a hybrid of remote and in-person. Team members are expected to work in-person at Oak Foundation’s office in Chapel Hill three days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). Mondays and Fridays are optional remote workdays for all staff. Candidates must have US Citizenship or a valid US work permit. 

How to Apply
Piqued your interest?

To apply for this role, please prepare your CV (in English) and a motivation letter (one page) that summarises how your profile aligns with the key requirements, skills and abilities of this role. Both files should be submitted in .doc(x) or .rtf format via this form: https://mis.tl/cv

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please contact Mission Talent.

After submitting your application, you will receive an automated confirmation. If you do not receive this or have general questions about submitting your application, please write to Mission Talent.

Oak Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer for all qualified job applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, marital/partnership.