Community Conservation Coordinator

Job Title: Community Conservation Coordinator – Southern Kafue

Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at unprecedented scale and providing food and water sustainably.  One of our core values is our commitment to diversity. Therefore, we strive for a globally diverse and culturally competent workforce. Working in 80 countries, including all 50 United States, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners.

The Nature Conservancy Africa program follows a holistic approach to protect vital lands and waters, transform the way natural resources are used and managed and inspire to equip others to contribute to the shared vision of a healthy and sustainable future for Africa’s lands, waters, wildlife and people. We use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.orq or follow @nature press on Twitter.

In Zambia, TNC has a primary geographical focus on the Greater Kafue Ecosystem (GKE). This is Zambia’s largest conservation landscape, a 66,000 sq. km complex of great biodiversity value, dominated by the 22,000 sq. km Kafue National Park and nine Game Management Areas (GMAs) under communal tenure that span an additional 44,000 sq. km. TNC is working with communities and diverse public and private stakeholders in this ecosystem to strengthen community tenure over natural resources, develop effective natural resource governance and management systems and create sustainable conservation and wealth generation models for the landscape.

The Community Conservation Coordinator shall be primarily responsible for the implementation of TNC’s community conservation activities in Mulobezi and Sichifulo Game Management Areas and in the community conservation areas to the south of these GMAs. They will work with TNC’s public and private partners, communities and community-based conservation organizations to ensure the delivery of conservation and community development outcomes consistent with TNC Zambia’s conservation strategy. The Community Conservation Coordinator will be based in Mulobezi District, Western Province, and will report to TNC’s Community Conservation Programme Manager.

The Community Conservation Coordinator coordinates and manages TNC’s conservation activities in the Southern GKE and the Zambian component of the Zambezi-Chobe Floodplain Wildlife Dispersal Area. They will serve as the principle point of contact to local public, private and community stakeholders involved in TNC’s interventions in that area, which are determined by the needs of specific funded projects. The role will provide technical support to project partners, including government, NGO and community organizations, and be responsible for the successful undertaking of project activities, reporting on those activities and ensuring the outcomes of the projects are achieved. They will be responsible for coordinating the partnerships and activities of individual projects and drawing these into a single coherent workstream that contributes to TNC’s wider goals for the southern segment of GKE

• Cultivates and develops partnerships with key stakeholders in the landscape, including communities, government agencies, project implementing partners, collaborating partners and private sector actors.
• Works with and supports project partners to undertake initiatives in community conservation and nature-based enterprise development to achieve project outcomes.
• Provides technical support to community conservation organizations to strengthen governance and management capacities, implement resource protection and management plans, develop self-reliance and financial sustainability and cultivate linkages with private market actors in the nature-based business sector.
• Creates linkages to and manages relationships with regional and national level partners in community conservation.
• Contributes to the design and development of community conservation models that empower local communities through properly defined property tenure rights and access and benefit sharing mechanisms and facilitate the development of viable nature-based enterprises on communal lands that will spur conservation outcomes and increased economic returns to local communities.
• Works as part of TNC Zambia’s conservation team, ensuring close communication, collaboration and learning with peers in the team.
• Works with TNC Zambia’s monitoring and evaluation team to report on project activities and measure outcomes in accordance with individual project requirements.
• Communicates TNC’s vision consistently across the area of work focus with partners and stakeholders.
• May require frequent travel domestically and evening and weekend hours.
• May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations and under physically demanding circumstances.

•  BA/BS degree and 7 years’ experience in conservation practice or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in conservation project management.
• Experience in partnership development and management with non-profit partners, private sector, community groups and/or government agencies.
• Experience in negotiating and conflict management.
• Experience with communication skills in written, spoken and graphical means in English.
• Experience with computer skills (e.g. Excel, Word).

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• 7-10 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge of current trends and practices in the wildlife, natural resource management and community conservation sectors in Zambia.
• Knowledge of community-based conservation organizations and/or nature-based business.
• Experience in resource stewardship e.g. managing and tracking budgets.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of rural or environmental projects.
• Ability to communicate in the local languages spoken in the focal area.
• Ability to work independently with strong self-motivation.

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