Community Manager Niassa National Reserve Full-Time

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), is hiring a Community Manager Niassa National Reserve based in Niassa.

Job Description

• Position: Community Development Manager
• Reports to: Field Operations Manager
• Manages: Sustainable Development Manager, HWC team, Institutional Governance Manager, Community Monitoring team, Small Grants team, Environmental Education team
• Location: Mbatamila, Niassa
• Country Program/Sector: Mozambique/ Eastern Africa, Madagascar and Western Indian Ocean Region
• Start date: February/March 2021
• Application deadline: 15 January 2021
• Internal liaison: Senior member of the NSR management team (with the NSR Project Manager, Field Operations Manager and other departmental heads)

Position Profile

Position Objective

• 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.

Primary Responsibilities

The Community Development Manager is expected to oversee the development of the NSR’s community development strategy and lead the design of a strong portfolio on a community-centered approach to the reduction of anthropogenic threats to wildlife & forests in the NSR and its buffer zone. S/He will lead the socioeconomic team to ensure effective implementation of interventions within the portfolio by ensuring that the technical capacity of the team responds to the priority needs of the socio-economic program for the NSR. S/He will develop, coordinate and maintain a comprehensive framework & monitoring system for all socio-economic activities that shows a clear theory of change to livelihood and conservation benefits and leads to more targeted conservation planning. Management of team members, including technical leads for specific funding streams will be a key responsibility of this position.

• Supervise the community program staff, including goal setting and performance management. Assume a mentoring, development and advisory role, in line with each individual position’s objectives and responsibilities;
• Ensure a positive working environment to maintain staff motivation and commitment;
• Build the capacity of the Community Natural Resource Management Committees (CGRNs) and other community institutions as identified, including through training, mentoring, supervised exchange visits/ field demonstrations, facilitated quarterly planning meetings and internal CGRN meetings – with a focus on financial management, business planning, planning and management, governance, reporting, gender, rights, negotiation etc;
• Support CGRNs in the development of equitable benefit sharing mechanisms that benefit the wider community (avoiding elite capture) for financial and other benefits including employment and training;
• Assist CGRNs in the compilation and presentation of their quarterly reporting to Reserve Management, other Government agencies, Operators and to other CGRNs. Establish natural resource management capacity;
• In close coordination with NSR partners and stakeholders, oversee the implementation of natural resource management (NRM) related activities in designated community areas in alignment with the NSR General Management Plan (GMP), NSR Community Program Annual NRM work Plan, Operator Agreements, other relevant Reserve policies and management plans, and best practice for community-based NRM, land use planning and community and stakeholder engagement;
• Facilitate the development, implementation and monitoring of community-based NRM plans, including zoning and usage plans, for designated community areas;
• Explore selecting and training members from the CGRN or other community-based initiatives to undertake and receive payment for environmental services, such as fire management, road/ bridge building and maintenance, airstrip building and maintenance, wildlife monitoring, support to intel and law enforcement activities;
• Provide oversight for non-lethal human-wildlife conflict (HWC) mitigation and crop and livestock protection measures, problem animal control and the community quota system in collaboration with NSR Law Enforcement Department, local Government and Operators;
• Oversee scheduled assessments of the CGRNs as to their effectiveness in meeting responsibilities as outlined in agreed NRM plans and (after reaching agreement with Government) linking this performance to flow of the 20% revenue sharing scheme, as well as other benefits such as payment for environmental services, employment, capacity building;
• Maintain productive communications with all parties, both internal and external to the Reserve;
• Implement coordinated field operations with operators, local authorities and communities as per relevant plans. Coordinate Planning, Evaluation, Monitoring and Reporting;
• Lead the planning, evaluation and monitoring of the NSR Community Program activities, including Developing the NSR Community Program annual operations plan and budget for submission to the Reserve leadership team, based on allocated funding from government, Reserve revenues and donors;
• Support all reporting requirements for NSR with information relevant to the community program, including reporting to ANAC and donors;
• Operate in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Mozambique, the Reserve internal regulations, and the policies and procedures of WCS Mozambique. Ensure that Gender and Indigenous Peoples (IP) Issues are Fully Incorporated into all Aspects of NSR’s Socio-economic Program;
• Collaborate with the WCS Mozambique, regional and global technical team to deliver gender-based training modules, monitor gender/IP approaches in the landscape, update gender/IP strategies, and ensure each year gender/IPs are incorporated into the work plan;
• Other DutiesCarry out any other duties as may be assigned from time to time If an expatriate Provide guidance and training to a Mozambican national to allow for adequate skills transfer

Qualification Requirements

• A minimum of a master’s degree in social or environmental sciences; PhD preferred
• >5 years’ field experience designing and implementing socioeconomic development projects in conservation areas.
• Experience in Mozambique an advantage.
• 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
• Good analytical and reporting skills.
• Strong ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks.
• 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.

Application Process: