Community Conservation Manager

Description

• Reporting: Field Operation Manager
• Supervising: Sustainable Development Manager, HWC team, Institutional Governance Manager, Community Monitoring team, Small Grants team, Environmental Education team
• Executive Role: Senior member of the NSR management team (with the NSR Project Manager, Field Operations Manager and other departmental heads)

Objective

• This position relates to components of donor-funded projects for community engagement and livelihoods development that support the wildlife and ecosystem conservation objectives of NSR in order to achieve the following specific objectives:
• Reduced community-based threats to wildlife and other natural resources
• Improved relations between local communities and NSR
• Human-wildlife conflict mitigated
• Conservation-compatible livelihoods development
• Operational small-grants scheme
• Strengthened community institutional capacity to manage community finances
• Improved community governance of community conservancies, wildlife and other Miombo products

Position Profile

• The Community Development Manager is based permanently in the NSR community offices in Mbatamila HQ and Mecula town, Niassa Province, with travel to other communities within the Reserve in other districts of Niassa and Cabo Delgado provinces
• The community development portfolio is large and diverse and involves working with isolated local communities within core NSR areas, more easily accessible ones in community development zones and those in the buffer zone
• The Community Development Manager supports actions that reconcile conservation and sustainable development to promote and maintain the Reserve’s integrity as a globally important conservation area
• This portfolio focuses on social approaches towards natural resources management including: sustainable land use plans & community-based natural resource management, promotion of improved/conservation agriculture techniques, sustainable wildlife management including HWC mitigation and reaction, agroforestry value chains, green enterprises, environmental education & communication platforms, and social safeguards

Duties

• Oversee the Community Program Team
• Oversee environmental and conservation awareness raising in communities
• Lead the development of institutional capacity of NSR communities
• Establish natural resource management capacity
• Promote the establishment of community development activities
• Maintain positive and productive relationships with all key stakeholders and strategic partners
• Coordinate Planning, Evaluation, Monitoring and Reporting
• Ensure that Gender and Indigenous Peoples (IP) Issues are Fully Incorporated into all Aspects of NSR’s Socio-economic Program
• Other Duties: Carry out any other duties as may be assigned from time to time

Requisites

• A minimum of a master’s degree in social or environmental sciences; PhD preferred
• At least 5 years’ field experience designing and implementing socioeconomic development projects in conservation areas
• Strong staff management and team-building skills
• Experience in designing annual work plans and budgets, coordinating reporting and field personnel
• Experience in managing large bilateral or multilateral donor projects on socio-economic development
• Ability to work and report in English; Portuguese / Kiswahili is an advantage but not a requirement
• Good analytical and reporting skills
• Skilled in building consensus with conservation partners and other stakeholders, such as local government officials, community leaders and concession operators
• Self-motivated, disciplined and able to work in rudimentary and remote camps for long periods of time
• Flexibility, optimism, good humor, passion for excellence, self-motivation in reaching a collective end

Notes

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted