The Nature Conservancy Great Lakes Project Manager Job Vacancy in Kenya

The Nature Conservancy

Job Title: Africa Great Lakes Project Manager, Africa Region (Program Director II)
 

Location: Nairobi, Kenya preferred (other options include, but are not limited to, TNC’s offices in Lusaka, Zambia and Arusha, Tanzania)

Job Family: Conservation
 

Job Number: 250006
 

Salary Grade: 8
 

Status: Salaried - 2 year limited term

Summary: The African Great Lakes Region (AGLR), as delineated by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), covers ten countries and seven major Lake Basins in East and Central Africa, holds approximately one-third of the world’s fresh surface water and supports some 50 million people who rely on the services nature provides for their lives and livelihoods (e.g., food, drinking water, transportation). 

 

The AGLR also is rich in biological diversity, including more than 1,400 freshwater fish species.  While many of the basins within the AGLR remain in good ecological health, others have suffered significant degradation in the last few decades. 

Emerging threats from the energy and mining sectors, combined with climate change, are putting the near- and long-term health of even the most intact basins at risk. 

Recent workshops and publications—including the Great Lakes to Great Lakes Initiative meeting convened by the U.S. Department of State’s Special Envoy for the African Great Lakes and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in February 2015 and the Conservation Strategy for the Great Lakes Region of East and Central Africa published by the MacArthur Foundation and BirdLife International in 2012—have identified information access and regional coordination as key gaps in AGLR conservation efforts. 

Such cross-fertilization, data sharing and collaboration would encourage conservation at the scale required to avoid and mitigate the challenges communities in these basins face.

The Africa Great Lakes Project Manager will lead TNC’s effort to work with partners to organize and host an African Great Lakes Summit, facilitate long-term connections and create the foundation for a related, web-based information platform to:

• Foster much-needed collaboration among a selected group of regional and national stakeholders
• Encourage a whole basin approach to lake management.
• Increase access to data and best practices.

Essential Functions

The Africa Great Lakes Project Manager will be responsible for recruiting and liaising with high level government, NGO, academic and private sector representative to create an Advisory Committee and Technical Committee for the Summit.  

The position will also work with other TNC staff, contractors and partners to develop the Summit and website/data portal to facilitate greater information access and collaboration in the region.

The Africa Great Lakes Project Manager establishes the Conservancy as a major conservation partner within the AGLR, refining and communicating conservation priorities and long-term conservation strategies. 

S/he develops key partnerships with public and private organizations to identify and resolve technical issues and to widely communicate solutions and best practices. 

S/he develops innovative tools and frameworks to address the natural system needs and develops innovative solutions with government agencies and communities to conserve and protect natural communities. 

Responsibilities & Scope

• Leads TNC and partner efforts to coordinate and exchange across the Rift Lakes of the AGLR and their coastal watersheds: Albert, Edward, Kivu, Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa, Tanganyika, Turkana, Victoria
• Programmatic scope will require working across 10 African countries and multiple lake-basin organizations (e.g., Lake Tanganyika Authority, Lake Victoria Basin Commission, Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization and the Trilateral Lake Kivu and Ruzizi River Basin Authority to develop relationships and common goals
• Leads and manages team that will organize and host an African Great Lakes Summit in late 2016 or early 2017.
• Establish and maintain optimal standards of performance while controlling costs and administering budgets.
• Responsible for ensuring that public and private funds are properly managed to achieve common goals
• Frequently makes independently strategic decision based on analysis, ambiguous information and judgment.
• Negotiates complex agreements, in a political environment.
• Frequent travel domestically and/or internationally, evening and weekend hours.

Minimum Qualifications

• Masters’ degree and 7 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Fundraising experience, including identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation
• Experience managing complex or multiple projects, including managing finances and coordinating the work of other professionals and partners.  
• Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives and managing performance.
• Experience developing partnerships (NGOs, community, government, private sector).
• Negotiation skills.
• Knowledge, relationships, and experience in the African Great Lakes Region
• Willingness to travel throughout the AGLR

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• 7-10 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience influencing, developing and implementing conservation policy and plans.
• Knowledge of current trends, conservation innovations, and management approaches in the AGLR
• Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information management
• Communicating clearly via written and spoken means in English
• Basic communication skills in French desirable
• Experience in organizing a major meeting or conference with tangible outcomes
• Comfort articulating and advocating for The Nature Conservancy’s conservation mission.

Organizational Competencies

Communications

• Effectively expresses messages verbally and in writing.  
• Actively listens to others.  
• Fosters open exchange of issues.  
• Is timely with information.

Flexibility & Innovation

• Flexible to changing circumstances. 
• Takes innovative approaches towards work.  
• Takes calculated risks and makes dependable decisions in the fact of uncertainty.

Interpersonal Savvy

• Maintains positive working relationships.
• Contributes to productive partnerships inside and outside the organization.
• Understands team member roles and values the contributions of others.
• Effectively deals with conflict.

Open to Learning

• Versatile learner and committed to self-improvement. 
• Employs strengths effectively.
• Willingly shares knowledge with others
• Seeks coaching on areas needing improvement.
• Adjusts behavior/performance as needed.
• Views mistakes as learning opportunities.

Organizational Awareness

• Understands the basics of our business.
• Knows how local job relates to the big picture & contributes to the overall strategy.
• Easily moves through internal and external networks and channels for success.

Produces Results

• Takes Initiative.
• Focuses on priorities
• Strives for excellence.
• Is dependable and accountable for results.
• Persistent in the face of obstacles and meets deadlines.

How to Apply:
 

To apply for this position, please submit a resume/CV and cover letter to Africa@tnc.org subject line: Africa Great Lakes Project Manager, Africa Region Position. 

Applications must be submitted by Friday, June 26th, 2015 to be considered.

This description is not designed to be a complete list of all duties and responsibilities required for this job.

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 men and women of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and cultures. 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 orientations, gender identities, military or veteran status or other status protected by law.