Forest Governance

Lestari Capital – Position Description:

Forest Governance & FPIC Specialist

Duty Station

Indonesia – Jakarta or Bali preferred

Contract Period

Duration: 1 year. Preferred FTE; part time work arrangement possible (minimum 3 days a week). Contract renewable in second year and possible conversion to permanent in third year.

Our Company

Founded in 2017, Lestari Capital is a pioneering natural capital asset management company dedicated to mobilizing finance for the protection and restoration of biodiversity-rich ecosystems. Inspired by the Indonesian word
Lestari
—meaning sustainable or everlasting—we are shaping the future of nature-based finance in Southeast Asia and beyond.

At Lestari, we bridge the gap between corporate sustainability commitments and on-the-ground conservation efforts, ensuring long-term funding for high-quality, community-led initiatives. Our projects go beyond ecosystem restoration—they support rural communities, improve local livelihoods, and promote sustainable land-use practices. With 40 staff, 20 active projects, and more than 25-year commitments from major global companies, we are strengthening the emerging ecosystem services marketplace by aligning corporate investments with impactful conservation and reforestation projects.

Our flagship initiative, The Rimba Collective, is redefining corporate sustainability by linking agricultural sourcing to measurable impact in biodiversity conservation, forest restoration, and improved livelihoods for forest-dependent communities. With 17 active projects across Indonesia and plans to expand into Malaysia and the Philippines, we have already committed over 310,000 hectares to conservation and restoration, with ambitious plans to scale further.

Our multi-disciplinary team combines expertise in finance, law, corporate sustainability, and technical solutions, all guided by a project-first approach rooted in conservation and community empowerment.

If you are passionate about nature-based solutions and making a tangible impact on both ecosystems and communities, we want to hear from you

Position Overview

The Governance & FPIC Specialist is responsible for providing strategic guidance and technical support to Project Operators (POs) to strengthen governance frameworks, ensure compliance with Rimba Collective requirements and applicable laws and policies, and promote sustainable land and resource management through effective policy development and implementation.

The Governance & FPIC Specialist will take a lead role in in the delivery of strategies to support effective community engagement and active inclusion of local community in Rimba Collective projects, whilst also supporting the Technical Due Diligence & Assurance team to achieve our core KPI's and values.

The main objective of this role includes:

• Enhance capacity of POs and local institutions for transparent, participatory, and accountable governance.
• Support land and resource tenure documentation, recognition, and conflict resolution.
• Promote compliance with Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) principles and social safety safeguards based on international certification standards, such as CCB Verra or RSPO standard, utilized within Lestari Capital's projects
• Ensure Grievance Redress Mechanism is applied robustly and according to the local customary practices.
• Lead the technical delivery of community outcomes for the Rimba Collective, including identification of key risks and strategies for continual improvement.

Position Responsibilities

Forest Legal and Policy Compliance

• Monitor and ensure POs comply with national and local laws/regulations/policies, including statutory and customary tenure frameworks.
• Provide guidance on documenting, mapping, and recognizing land and resource tenure, including collective rights.
• Assist in the development of strategies to obtain and document community consent to project activities.
• Ensure the compliance on the application of FPIC with indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) as per CCB guidelines.

Grievance Redress and Conflict Resolution

• Help establish and strengthen RC project's Grievance Redress Mechanisms (GRMs) that incorporate traditional conflict resolution practices, with clear procedures and timelines.
• Advise on risk mitigation related to unresolved land or resource disputes, overlapping claims, and conflictsensitive activities.

Institutional Governance Strengthening

• Support Project Operators to build capacity of local institutions such as LPHD for village forests (HD) and cooperative/forest farmer groups (HKm) to uphold principles of good governance.
• Support Project Operators to promote transparency, participation, and accountability in decision-making and benefit sharing processes.

Risk Management and Safeguards

• Support POs in identifying and mitigating legal, land, and resource-related risks.
• Assist PO's in implementing anti-corruption and anti-discrimination policies to prevent bribery, favouritism, fraud, and collusion.
• Monitor and provide guidance on the compliance of social safety safeguards.

Project Onboarding and Certification Documentation Review

• Review project documents and procedures against the requirements of the CCB standards, identifying gaps in community related topics.
• Provide technical review on community related aspects during project onboarding stages, providing input on documents including Environmental Social Action Plans, Feasibility Study, and Social Impact Assessments.
• Lead the internal review on governance and social sections for CCB validation preparation, such as Monitoring Report and Project Design Document (PDD).
• Ensure that documentation pertaining to stakeholder consultations, participation, and benefit-sharing is comprehensive, transparent, and meets CCB standards.
• Support the selection of qualified service providers for community related project work, ensuring alignment with RC minimum standards.

Personal Attributes and Competencies

• Familiarity and use in the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis tools is highly desirable.
• Commitment to diversity, inclusion, and community empowerment in conservation work.
• Fluent in both English and Indonesian
• Strong collaborator and team player
• Critical thinker that shows initiative
• Demonstrated problem solving skills

Requirements

• Relevant degree in Forest Governance, Environmental Management, or related fields.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in governance, land tenure, policy, or stakeholder engagement, experience in forest related projects is desirable.
• Demonstrated practical experience in community engagement, land tenure systems, customary rights, FPIC, grievance mechanisms, and anti-corruption measures.
• Strong understanding of legal and regulatory frameworks relevant to land and resource management in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and capacity-building skills.
• Experience with the interpretation and application of nature based or carbon certification schemes, such as Verra VCS, CCB, RSPO, Plan Vivo, etc.
• Demonstrated experience working across social forestry projects in Indonesia.
• Experience leading and working with diverse teams (managerial experience highly regarded)

Why Join Us?

This role offers an exciting opportunity to improve the execution and quality of forest conservation projects in Southeast Asia, ensuring achievement of forest conservation, climate and community impacts while adhering to internationally recognized conservation standards. If you have strong risk management and project management skills and experience, and a passion for nature-based solutions, we encourage you to apply.

To Apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume and cover letter to:

. Please include "Forest Governance & FPIC Specialist" in the email subject line.

We are dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in our workplace and encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply. If you are a dedicated and passionate sustainability specialist looking to make a meaningful impact on the conservation of our planet's natural heritage, we invite you to join our team

Application deadline: 15 December 2025