Conservation Manager

Description

• The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is one of the largest independent conservation organizations in the world. Our mission is to stop environmental degradation in the world and build a future where people live in harmony with nature. Active in almost 100 countries, we have been working in Mozambique for more than 20 years. With a vision of a prosperous Mozambique built on thriving ecosystems and good environmental citizenship, the Country Office is implementing a 10-year integrated strategy (2020-30) whose goal is for WWF to influence and ensure sound management and responsible stewardship and use of Mozambique’s unique biodiversity for the benefit of present and future generations. The integrated strategy is anchored around three pillars: i) inclusive conservation of habitats and species; ii) sustainable and equitable livelihoods; and iii) greening the footprint of economic development
• We are looking for a dynamic, inspirational and committed Conservation Manager who will lead the development, implementation and coordination of WWF’s conservation programmes and projects in Mozambique. He/she will ensure continued alignment of WWF Mozambique’s conservation plans and actions with national priorities and the WWF Network Goals and Outcomes
• Provide advice and technical support to the Country Director in promoting the vision and objectives of the Integrated Country Strategy (ICS)to internal and external partners and stakeholders, and participate in strategic partnership building and fundraising activities including the development of fundraising proposals and concept notes
• Lead the implementation and management of ICS ensuring its on-going alignment with national priorities and Global Practices and Goals, and ensure strong delivery on and achievement of the WWF Mozambique Conservation KPIs in accordance with WWF and Donor policies, procedures and standards Provide leadership and guidance to technical teams to ensure high quality of technical reporting, and ensures that the Country office reports on all monitoring tools, namely the Annual Plans and Reports, Integrated Dashboard, Technical Progress Reports and others are delivered on time and with due quality Provide leadership and guidance technical teams on the implementation of WWF’s Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework including screening and categorization of WWF targeted land and seascapes and development and implementation of mitigation plans
• The Conservation Manager is a member of the Senior Management Team and is ultimately responsible for the supervision and management of all WWF Mozambique conservation staff. Direct day-to-day supervision will be exercised over the Seascapes Coordinator, Landscapes Coordinator, Policy & Advocacy Coordinator, SWIO Fisheries Manager and M&E Manager.

Duties

Strategy Development & Implementation

• Provide leadership in the implementation of the Integrated Country Strategy and in the development of conservation programmes and projects to achieve its goals and objective aligned to this Plan
• Lead development of WWF Strategic Annual Plans, Strategic Annual Reports, and review of Integrated Dashboard and ensuing decision making
• Ensure appropriate conservation programme organizational structures, policies, processes, and responsibilities, and ensures that these are understood by all conservation program staff – to promote effective teamwork within the office, particular between technical and financial sections and achievement of the Country
• Strategy. Manage conservation staff recruitment strategy, capacity building, mentoring and performance reviews
• Ensure that all conservation staff working for WWF Mozambique are fully informed of WWF’s Mission and its Global Practice Framework, and kept abreast of new developments, policies, and procedures
• Ensure coherent flow of information and collaboration across Conservation, Communications, M&E, Finance and People and Culture (P&C) teams in the implementation of the Strategy
• Lead development and implementation of midterm and end term evaluation of the Country Strategy

Programme Implementation, Management & Reporting

• Ensure that the Conservation Programme is effectively implemented and is contributing to the vision of the Global Goals, Practices and other priorities defined in WWF’s Global Programme Framework
• Ensure development of project work plans with clear priorities for the WWF Mozambique strategy and budgets, overseeing their efficient implementation
• Ensure appropriate high-quality staffing of the conservation programme, based upon regular analyses of staffing needs (technical, financial, management, policy, lobbying / advocacy, linguistic), detailed job descriptions for all positions, and the hiring and retention of qualified staff
• Working closely with Finance Manager, ensure the development of conservation programme budgets for approval by the Country Director and monitor expenditures against budgets, making sure there are no under or over expenditures and preventing deficits
• Assist and provide technical support to staff in the preparation of TORs for and selection of specialists for conservation work, the launching and evaluation of tenders, and the drafting of contracts in collaboration with the Contracts Officer and Finance Manager
• Consults with relevant specialists/consultants externally and within the Network to gather information relevant to the development and implementation of the Conservation Plan and its component programmes/projects
• In line with the requirements of a Network-wide monitoring and reporting system, ensure that a conservation monitoring and reporting system at WWF Mozambique is established and implemented, measuring its performance against the Conservation Plan and Country Strategy
• Review and assist in the preparation of technical reports, as appropriate, ensuring timely submission to donors, the Country Director, and all relevant entities of WWF Network, in compliance with WWF standards
• Work closely with the M&E Manager to ensure that all technical reports and other relevant documents are posted onto the WWF Project Database
• Ensure that WWF Mozambique conservation staff cooperate with financial, operational, and programmatic audits, and implement audit recommendations in a timely manner
• Manage conservation staff relationships in a positive and proactive manner, ensuring participative decision-making within the conservation programme
• Holds conservation management meetings on a regular basis and following up on actions
• Visits programme/project field sites on a regular basis and lead coordination of visits for Donors, Government and WWF Network

Partnership Building, Fund Raising & Policy and Advocacy

• Initiate, investigate, evaluate and lead the development of conservation concepts and proposals including logical frameworks, plans and budgets for new projects
• Ensure proposals are of a quality including sufficient and adequate risk-related screening, documentation, monitoring and mitigation are built into successful projects and programmes (e.g. Risk Registers, QAC compliance, ESSF, Grievance mechanisms, etc.)
• Engage in strategic partnership and fund raising initiatives with relevant international and national stakeholders, including government, donor, civil society, cooperate and WWF stakeholders, on conservation and related issues, in coordination with the Country Director, Partnership Development Manager, and appropriate WWF National organizations
• Collaborate with Regional Office for Africa Conservation Impact Director and Fund Raising Director on fund raising for Mozambique and transboundary programmes
• In close collaboration with the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, lead WWF in country policy advocacy work with other civil society
• Within the scope of the conservation programme and working with the Communications Manager, promote the WWF brand and raise the image of WWF in Mozambique
• Participate in WWF Global Conservation Forum, Africa Conservation Forum, and lead and guide WWF Mozambique’s participation in Global Practices
• Lead and coordinate WWF MCO’s collaboration with civil society, Government Ministries and Agencies, academia, and private sector

Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework (ESSF)

• Champion and supervise the implementation of ESSF policies into conservation programme to ensure a no-harm principle is embedded in all works from policies to work on ground
• Collaborate with the ESSF Officer to ensure capacity building of WWF staff and relevant third parties for better understanding and implementation of ESSF related policies
• Support the conservation teams on safeguards screening, categorization, mitigation planning and implementation for all projects and programmes
• Champion and supervise the implementation of WWF Mozambique’s Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM)
• Performs other duties as requested by the Country Director or his/her designate

Requisites

• Minimum of Master of Science (MSc) degree in environmental sciences, biodiversity conservation, natural resource management, ecology or an appropriate field. Additional academic training in a project management would be a strong asset
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in leading, developing, and managing programmes/large-scale projects in one or more of the above-mentioned fields
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience working in the above fields in developing countries, preferably in the Southern Africa region. Experience in the Mozambique context would be a strong asset
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in senior management in leading diverse and multi-disciplinary teams in an NGO setting
• Knowledge of and practical experience with monitoring and evaluation of programmes / projects, and
• Knowledge of the institutional and legal framework of the environment and conservation in Mozambique, as well as of relevant policy issues
• Required Skills and Competencies:
• Experience working in countries in Africa
• Proven leadership skills
• Demonstrated experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating strategic plans and policy
• Strong skills in project planning, financing, management, implementation, and evaluation
• Experience working with government and with donors’/government aid agencies;
• Proven knowledge and experience of the not-for-profit sector, preferably of environmental non-government organizations
• Excellent inter-personal skills, including the ability to develop and maintain strong relationships at all levels, including with local communities, government agencies, the not-for-profit sector, and the scientific community
• Excellent oral and written communications skills in English and preferably Portuguese and
• Adherence to WWF’s values, Courage, Integrity, Respect and Collaboration

Notes

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
• Internal: Interacts and works closely and on a regular basis with project implementation personnel in general and project leaders in particular, both in Maputo and in the field. Coordinates and interacts as appropriate with members of region or transboundary teams, and WWF Regional Office for Africa, WWF International, and other WWF Network staff
• External: Interacts with governmental institutions, local civil society, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, the media, donors, specialists/consultants, and other stakeholders, in collaboration with the Country Director as appropriate
• This job description covers the main tasks and conveys the spirit of the sort of tasks that are anticipated proactively from staff. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organizational needs