Community Based Conservation Expert, South Sudan 117 views1 applications

Position: Community Based Conservation Expert, South Sudan

Reports to: Country Director, South SudanLocation: Southern Sudan

Country Program/Sector: Global Conservation/Africa Program

Position Type: Full-Time

Organization Background:

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science-based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, presence in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and organizations, that knowledge is applied to address species, habitat and ecosystem management issues critical to improving the quality of life of poor rural people whose livelihoods depend on the direct utilization of natural resources.

among others, endangered elephant, northern giraffe, lion, cheetah, African wild dog, Nile lechwe, eland, the second largest antelope migration on the planet (white-eared kob, Mongalla gazelle, tian), and more than 800 bird species, including the iconic shoebill and globally threatened vulture species. Communities depend intimately on the land and ecosystem services for their livelihoods through pastoralism, agriculture, fishing, and hunting. Emerging out of the past five years of armed conflict, protected area management and natural resource law enforcement will be key for helping to secure the remaining wildlife resources, improve security, and stabilize the country.

WCS is the main international conservation organization working in South Sudan, with a more than 10 years conservation history and proven success in protected area and natural resource management in the country. WCS has field sites in Boma, Badingilo and Southern National Parks, working with local stakeholders to ensure effective conservation of key wildlife species and habitat, improve security and mitigate conflicts, enhance sustainable and resilient livelihoods for local communities and build partnerships with other programs and initiatives to multiply positive impacts for people and wildlife. Funding partners include USAID, GEF, USFWS, Elephant Crisis Fund, the Lion Recovery Fund, and private donors. USAID support focusses on the Boma-Badingilo landscape program, which has transboundary connections with neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya.

Southern Sudan Program Overview:

WCS’s Sudano-Sahel Region Program focusses on robust long term protected area management, land-use planning, wildlife law enforcement, community conservation, conservation-security partnerships to protect wildlife and wild places in a set of core landscapes across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Ethiopia. The WCS South Sudan presents unparalleled opportunities for saving some of the last remaining intact wildernesses on the planet and to contribute significantly to the security of people and wildlife. The savannas, forests, and wetlands of the country support key populations of, among others, endangered elephant, northern giraffe, lion, cheetah, African wild dog, Nile lechwe, eland, the second largest antelope migration on the planet (white-eared kob, Mongalla gazelle, tian), and more than 800 bird species, including the iconic shoebill and globally threatened vulture species. Communities depend intimately on the land and ecosystem services for their livelihoods through pastoralism, agriculture, fishing, and hunting. Emerging out of the past five years of armed conflict, protected area management and natural resource law enforcement will be key for helping to secure the remaining wildlife resources, improve security, and stabilize the country.

WCS is the main international conservation organization working in South Sudan, with a more than 10 years conservation history and proven success in protected area and natural resource management in the country. WCS has field sites in Boma, Badingilo and Southern National Parks, working with local stakeholders to ensure effective conservation of key wildlife species and habitat, improve security and mitigate conflicts, enhance sustainable and resilient livelihoods for local communities and build partnerships with other programs and initiatives to multiply positive impacts for people and wildlife. Funding partners include USAID, GEF, USFWS, Elephant Crisis Fund, the Lion Recovery Fund, and private donors. USAID support focusses on the Boma-Badingilo landscape program, which has transboundary connections with neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya.

Job Summary

This is a full-time position responsible for the design and implementation of socio-economic research and monitoring systems; to design and implement (climate change resilient) livelihood, natural resource management, and conflict resolution strategies; to design and integrate strategies for community conservation initiatives, e.g. community conservancies, and community conservation-security partnerships; to train, build capacity and provide oversight national socio-economic and community outreach teams; to implement other community and socio-economic related aspects of the program; and to work as a senior staff member of the WCS South Sudan Program team to advance WCS conservation, natural resource management and research programs in South Sudan. The position will be based at Boma and Badingilo National Parks with frequent travel throughout the landscape.

Major Responsibilities:

• Oversee design, development, and implementation, of the community conservation components of the Boma-Badingilo landscape program.
• Provide training, mentoring, and expertise to the WCS South Sudan Program staff and assist in training and mentoring of nationals in socio-economic data collection, analysis, community relations and engagement, and community awareness/outreach methods.
• Design research, oversee data collection and analyze baseline data on socio-economics, community relations, people-wildlife interactions, and traditional land-use patterns in the region.
• Develop strategies to integrate and implement community and socio-economic related aspects of the overall program.
• Organize, arrange, and facilitate local meetings, workshops, and other participatory processes working with communities, State and local authorities, WCS staff, and other relevant partners to integrate community concerns into conservation, natural resource management and the land-use planning processes.
• Coordinate and oversee the WCS community conservation outreach teams.
• Work with international, national and local staff and organizations to create an awareness to promote wildlife conservation, sustainable natural resource management, and conflict resolution, and address particular land-use management issues.
• Work with consultants and the WCS team to train for, implement and monitor a community livelihoods program (including the small grants program) that directly links with conservation, natural resource management, conflict mitigation, and climate change resilience.
• Work with the WCS staff and GIS expert to integrate the socio-economic and land-use/tenure data into the relevant GIS databases to contribute to the overall natural resource, protected area, and zoning plans.
• As a senior member of the WCS South Sudan Program Team, participate in strategy meetings and the tasks identified to help ensure sound operations of the program.
• Work with the WCS South Sudan staff and Director to ensure on work plans, and budgets, organization of logistics, and responsibility for basic accounting.
• Assist in fundraising for the WCS South Sudan Program.

Minimum Requirements:

The successful candidate must have strong interpersonal skills and display evidence of good leadership, be pragmatic and result-orientated. S/He must have excellent written and oral communication skills. S/He must be well organized, self-motivated, resourceful, flexible, effective and efficient at coordinating multiple resources to get things done; can work on multiple tasks at multiple levels and switch between them; can foresee and plan around obstacles, i.e.:

• Master degree (or higher education level) in a relevant study of community conservation and natural resource management, wildlife management, etc.
• Commitment for wildlife conservation.
• Proven experience with international organizations in Africa (5+ years) in community based conservation and natural resource management, experience with working in South Sudan and/or neighbouring countries is considered a benefit.
• Proven experience and comfortable with living and working in a multicultural environment in isolated areas.
• Effective “roll up the sleeves” work ethic; ability to get things done.
• Self-motivated, diplomatic, able to work with limited supervision.
• Creative, solution oriented with excellent leadership and interpersonal skills.
• English fluency required.