Job Vacancy at The Nature Conservancy - East Africa Forestry Specialist

About the job

OFFICE LOCATION

Arusha, Tanzania.

a Little About Us

Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has been doing work you can believe in protecting the lands and waters that all life depends on. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive.

We’re rooted in our Mission and guided by our Values, which includes a Commitment to Diversity and Respect for People, Communities, and Cultures. We know we’ll only achieve our Mission by hiring and engaging a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we work. Whether it’s career development, work/life balance, or a rewarding mission, there’s lots of reasons to love life #insideTNC. Our goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all of our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging, and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued.

YOUR POSITION WITH TNC

The East Africa Forestry Specialist will be a member of TNC’s Tackle Climate Change team in Africa helping deliver on the Conservancy’s Natural Climate Solution goals. The position will work closely with other teams, including the Africa Forest Carbon Catalyst Director, Africa REDD+ Specialist and Director in charge of Tackle Climate Change priority. The position will provide technical and scientific support including the development of scientific tools, stewardship, and community relations within the Africa program. The East Africa forestry specialist will serve as the principle contact to some government agencies in the region, other conservation organizations, foundations and the academic community.

Essential Functions

East Africa Forestry Specialist establishes the Conservancy as a major conservation partner within the area of responsibility, defines conservation priorities and long-term conservation strategies, builds strategic, scientific, and technical capacity in the field and develops key partnerships with public and private organizations to identify and resolve technical issues and widely communicate solutions and best practices. They develop innovative scientific methods, analysis, tools and frameworks to address the natural system needs, engage local community support for local conservation efforts, and negotiate complex and innovative solutions with government agencies and landowners to conserve and protect natural communities

Responsibilities And Scope

Responsible for establishing and maintaining key relationships with key external partners in the Africa forestry program to define conservation strategies; especially on ground demonstration projects with partners.
Responsible for developing and maintaining environmental and social management system for Africa forestry work, including development of monitoring & evaluation plans and refining environmental & social impact frameworks.
Oversee delivery and generation of key knowledge products to enhance forest conservation and restoration work
Participate and contribute to regional and national technical forestry discourse such as forest policy development, AFR100, Evergreen Alliance among others.
Serve as the technical advisor to partners and TNC programs in Africa on matters related to technical forestry best practice while promoting compliance with host country’s national standards and other applicable international forestry standards. These includes managing Bamboo 4 Kenya program, Plant A billion Tree Campaign amongst other programs.
Works closely with Africa Tackle Climate Change Team and philanthropy staff to leverage key donor engagement and support.
Manage multi-disciplinary administrative and professional staff, with responsibility for performance management, training and career development.
Carrying out project management duties such as managing consultants, negotiates contracts with vendors, and work planning
Responsible for drafting annual program budget estimates and coordinating implementation expenditure to ensure compliance with donor requirements
Participate in fundraising activities to ensure that public and private funds are raised to meet program needs.
May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances.
Frequently makes independent decision based on analysis, experience, and context.

Minimum Qualifications

BA/BS degree and 5 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience managing complex or multiple projects, including staffing, workloads and finances under deadlines.
Experience supervising; including motivating, leading, setting objectives and managing performance.
Experience in partnership development with non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies
Experience negotiating.

Desired Qualifications

Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
5-7 years’ experience in conservation practice or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Demonstrated experience influencing, developing and implementing conservation policy and plans.
Knowledge of current trends and practices in relevant discipline(s) and regions.
Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives or related field.
Communicating clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means in English and other relevant languages.
Demonstrated experience in fundraising.
Politically savvy.

How To Apply

To apply to position number 49383, submit resume (required) and cover letter separately using the upload buttons. Applications will be reviewed in the order they’re received and the position will remain open until filled.

Click “submit” to apply for the position or “save for later” to create a draft application for future submission. Once submitted, applications cannot be revised or edited. Failure to complete required fields may result in your application being disqualified from consideration.

If you experience technical issues, please refer to our applicant user guide or contact applyhelp@tnc.org .

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

The successful applicant must meet the requirements of The Nature Conservancy’s background screening process.