Community Conservation Manager job at Wildlife Conservation Society

GLOBAL CONSERVATION

Job Description

Reports to: Sector Manager

Positions Managed: HWC Officers, Community Engagement Coordinator, Community Wildlife Scouts and other staff as needed

Location: Ishasha, Queen Elizabeth Protected Area

Position Type: Full-time

Scope/Capacity: Site

Coordinates with: Assistant Warden Community Conservation, Law Enforcement leadership, Biodiversity Management leadership, Logistics Manager, Social Safeguards Coordinator, regional and global Rights+ Communities staff.

JOB PURPOSE

The Community Conservation (CoCo) Manager plays a critical role in engaging with local communities to ensure the successful integration of the Protected Area into the wider socio-political landscape. Their work is essential in securing stakeholder buy-in, managing expectations, and mitigating potential conflicts that could impact the Protected Area (PA). Given the dynamic nature of PA management, the CoCo Manager must prioritise engagement efforts based on community and operational needs, ensuring alignment with the overall strategic and annual plans for Ishasha.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Community and Stakeholder Relations

Develop and maintain relationships with local communities, traditional and local authorities, partner organizations and other stakeholders as required, building a strong constituency of support for conservation initiatives.

Implement a stakeholder engagement strategy, ensuring clear communication channels.

Facilitate local employment opportunities within the Protected Area to build goodwill.

Support and build capacity of community institutions in governance and participation in PA management

Obtain a strong understanding of local community dynamics around Ishasha, maintaining a strong situational awareness and incorporate insights into PA management and security efforts

Community Conservation Strategic Implementation.

Lead the implementation and adaptive management of a community conservation strategic implementation plan based on agreed strategic priorities, including but not limited to:

Lead, develop and oversee human-wildlife conflict mitigation measures

Lead consultations and engagement with communities relating to PA management activities (e.g. species recovery efforts)

Implement initiatives with partner organizations where appropriate, to incentivize and engage communities in conservation (e.g. scholarship programs, skills development)

Support land-use planning or other initiatives for Ishasha to mitigate pressures on the PA and park-people conflict

Oversee targeted research and monitoring initiatives that measure and monitor impacts and inform adaptive management

Support the development and implementation of social safeguards mechanisms, such as a grievance redress mechanism, through community engagement and assisting the resolution of grievances that have a social dimension.

Management and Coordination

Manage and mentor an inclusive and diverse team of staff to achieve community conservation objectives

Encourage a culture of participatory learning and adaptive problem-solving so that team members reflect and design effective field interventions that deliver biodiversity and community outcomes

Coordinate closely with the other departmental leads to ensure the work of the community conservation department is well integrated with other efforts (e.g. law enforcement, biodiversity management, logistics, security), enhancing overall PA management

Plan monthly activities and lead annual review and work planning processes for the Community Conservation Department

Contribute to annual and donor reports and fundraising efforts, ensuring implementation of associated commitments to donors within budget and on-time

Ensure timely and accurate budget planning and expense reconciliation to support activity implementation in coordination with finance personnel

Qualification Requirements

A minimum of a Master’s degree in social sciences, anthropology, rural development or equivalent;

5 to 10 years’ field experience with international organizations in Africa working on community engagement;

Experience in managing the delivery of activities funded by donors focused on community engagement

Proven ability to manage, motivate, and train a team of field personnel

Proven ability at developing work plans and budgets, and producing project progress reports

Proven ability to work sensitively with diverse groups of people such as those of different cultures, nationalities and backgrounds

Experience in designing and delivering socio-economic research in international development contexts

Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English and languages local to the area

Strong commitment to wildlife conservation

Pro-active, resilient, team-oriented, creative, and ambitious

Additional Requirements

Conservation and natural resource management experience is a plus

Experience in conflict resolution, including human wildlife conflict mitigation, highly desirable

• Develop and maintain relationships with local communities, traditional and local authorities, partner organizations and other stakeholders as required, building a strong constituency of support for conservation initiatives.
• Implement a stakeholder engagement strategy, ensuring clear communication channels.
• Facilitate local employment opportunities within the Protected Area to build goodwill.
• Support and build capacity of community institutions in governance and participation in PA management
• Obtain a strong understanding of local community dynamics around Ishasha, maintaining a strong situational awareness and incorporate insights into PA management and security efforts
• Lead the implementation and adaptive management of a community conservation strategic implementation plan based on agreed strategic priorities, including but not limited to:
• Lead, develop and oversee human-wildlife conflict mitigation measures
• Lead consultations and engagement with communities relating to PA management activities (e.g. species recovery efforts)
• Implement initiatives with partner organizations where appropriate, to incentivize and engage communities in conservation (e.g. scholarship programs, skills development)
• Support land-use planning or other initiatives for Ishasha to mitigate pressures on the PA and park-people conflict
• Oversee targeted research and monitoring initiatives that measure and monitor impacts and inform adaptive management
• Support the development and implementation of social safeguards mechanisms, such as a grievance redress mechanism, through community engagement and assisting the resolution of grievances that have a social dimension.
• Manage and mentor an inclusive and diverse team of staff to achieve community conservation objectives
• Encourage a culture of participatory learning and adaptive problem-solving so that team members reflect and design effective field interventions that deliver biodiversity and community outcomes
• Coordinate closely with the other departmental leads to ensure the work of the community conservation department is well integrated with other efforts (e.g. law enforcement, biodiversity management, logistics, security), enhancing overall PA management
• Plan monthly activities and lead annual review and work planning processes for the Community Conservation Department
• Contribute to annual and donor reports and fundraising efforts, ensuring implementation of associated commitments to donors within budget and on-time
• Ensure timely and accurate budget planning and expense reconciliation to support activity implementation in coordination with finance personnel

• Proven ability to manage, motivate, and train a team of field personnel
• Proven ability at developing work plans and budgets, and producing project progress reports
• Proven ability to work sensitively with diverse groups of people such as those of different cultures, nationalities and backgrounds
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English and languages local to the area
• Strong commitment to wildlife conservation
• Pro-active, resilient, team-oriented, creative, and ambitious
• Experience in conflict resolution, including human wildlife conflict mitigation, highly desirable

• A minimum of a Master’s degree in social sciences, anthropology, rural development or equivalent;
• 5 to 10 years’ field experience with international organizations in Africa working on community engagement;
• Experience in managing the delivery of activities funded by donors focused on community engagement
• Experience in designing and delivering socio-economic research in international development contexts
• Conservation and natural resource management experience is a plus