Position: Rights & Communities Manager (R&C)
Reports to: Deputy Country Director-Conservation Program
Positions Managed: Managers and Coordinators responsible for
Environmental and Social Safeguards,
Livelihoods, Behaviour Change, Community Engagement and Governance.
Location: Maroantsetra, Madagascar
Country Program/Sector: Madagascar / Global Conservation
Scope: Madagascar Country Program
Position Type: Full-Time
Collaboration with: MaMaBay Landscape & Seascape Director, Program Manager, Nature Based Solutions Manager, Science Manager, Makira Park Director, Finance & Operations Director, North-West Seascape Manager, Deep South Coordinator
Job Summary
The Rights & Communities Manager works closely with the MaMaBay, Nosy Be, and Deep South Management, Programmatic, and Operational teams to implement the community conservation strategy across the country program landscapes. They will coordinate with the landscapes’ Environmental and Social Safeguards teams to ensure that a human rights–based approach guides efforts to reduce biodiversity threats in the broader landscape and foster direct community engagement in conservation initiatives to reduce threats to key species and habitats.
Within MaMaBay, the Community Conservation Manager will provide technical supervision of the staff on Livelihoods, Community Engagement, Marine Community Engagement, Governance, and Behaviour Change. The R&C Manager will guide these sub-departments to ensure consistency, technical quality, and alignment with MaMaBay’s community conservation strategy.
Major Responsibilities
Technical Leadership and Team Support
- Provide technical guidance and coaching to Community Conservation and Environmental and Social Safeguards staff, ensuring an inclusive and collaborative work ethic across the team.
- Promote participatory learning and adaptive problem-solving to strengthen the design of field interventions led by site leaders.
- Contribute to the Program Team by aligning Rights & Communities activities with the Conservation Strategy.
Strategic Planning and Technical Oversight
- Provide technical oversight of the Rights & Communities program and ensure alignment with donor commitments.
- Support the Environmental & Social Safeguards teams and Landscape & Seascape Directors and integrate rights-based approaches (including Free, Prior and Informed Consent) into field operations.
- Work with the Green Economy team and ensure that their work is integrated into community conservation activities in MaMaBay.
- Work with the REDD+ team to ensure that community engagement, local governance processes and community benefit sharing are aligned with and contribute to landscape conservation of the Makira Natural Park, and the REDD+ compliance and commitments are integrated into work planning.
- Lead the preparation of R&C workplans with input from staff and site leaders, ensuring coherence across WCS sites.
- Ensure accountability, evidence-based approaches, and the integration of gender and Indigenous Peoples’ considerations into all strategies.
- Provide technical input into budget planning and activity design, while site leaders manage operational implementation.
- Regularly update and refine the MaMaBay Community Conservation Strategy with contributions from communities, staff, and partners.
Research and Monitoring
- Guide the design of socio-economic and anthropological research in collaboration with technical teams.
- Work with the Conservation Impact team to strengthen integrated systems that measure biodiversity and community outcomes.
- Collaborate with the Science Manager to ensure socio-economic data are collected, analysed, and integrated into the MaMaBay database to inform adaptive management
Partnerships and External Engagement
- Support the Landscape & Seascape Directors and Site leaders in liaising with communities, local authorities, and partners to align conservation and community development initiatives.
- Provide technical representation of the Rights & Communities portfolio in donor, partner, and government forums, as requested.
- Contribute to the harmonisation of approaches with partner organisations to maximise impact and avoid duplication.
Reporting, Knowledge, and Communications
- Contribute to donor progress reports with high-quality technical inputs and support the preparation of REDD+ validation and verification documentation, relevant to community-focused activities.
- Support the development of fundraising proposals for the Rights & Communities portfolio.
- Produce technical outputs, such as resource management plans and analyses of best practices and lessons learned.
- Collaborate with the Communications team to generate visual and written materials showcasing program achievements.
- Maintain close coordination with national and landscape teams, ensuring technical alignment with site-level implementation.
- Carry out any other responsibilities assigned by the Deputy Conservation Country Director.
Qualification Requirements
Minimum Requirements and Job Skills:
- A minimum of a master’s degree in social or environmental sciences, PhD preferred.
- 5 to 10 years’ field experience with international organisations in Africa working on community-based conservation and natural resource management, experience in Madagascar will be a distinct advantage.
- Experience in managing the delivery of activities funded by large bilateral and multilateral donors.
- Proven ability to manage, motivate, and strengthen the capacity of field personnel.
- Proven ability to develop work plans and budgets, implement MEAL systems, and produce project progress reports.
- Proven ability to design and deliver socio-economic research in international development contexts.
- Proven ability to work sensitively with diverse groups of people, such as those of different cultures, nationalities and backgrounds.
- Knowledge and understanding of logistics and financial management for projects in complex environments.
- Excellent written and spoken communication skills in French and English; Malagasy is a distinct advantage.
- Strong commitment to wildlife conservation.
- Innovative, proactive, resilient, team-oriented, and ambitious.
- Willingness to spend time in a remote field site with basic amenities in a multi-cultural environment.
How to apply
Interested candidates who meet the above qualifications, skills and experience should apply through the application link by 23 April 2026.
Please send a detailed application/cover letter and a detailed CV. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.
WCS is an equal opportunity employer, and the organisation complies with all employment and labour laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensure that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and engaging a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share the same values. The organisation provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organisation does not discriminate for employment based on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, colour, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, caste, genetic information or any other covered status or characteristic protected by laws and regulations/and similar categories.
It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based upon a person’s membership in one of these protected categories in areas such as recruitment, selection, job assignment, supervision, training, promotions, job grading, transfers, termination, compensation, benefits, educational opportunities, WCS-sponsored recreational activities and facilities. The organisation complies with the spirit and intent of relevant local laws and WCS’s employment policies.
More Information
- Job City Madagascar
