Technical Director, WCS Gabon program 22 views0 applications

Reports to: Country Director

Location: Libreville, Gabon

Country Program/Sector: WCS Gabon Program

Position Type: Full-time

Internal liaison: WCS Gabon National Program Manager, WCS Gabon Marine Program Coordinator, and senior staff, WCS Central Africa regional technical staff, Africa Protected Areas Management Unit (APAMU) WCS Africa staff in New York

Expected travel: Local travel to field sites, sub-offices, national and international

Organizational Background:

WCS stands for wildlife and wild places. As the world’s premier wildlife conservation organization, WCS has a long track record of achieving innovative, impactful results at scale. We run programs spanning the entire ocean and more than 3 million biologically critical square miles in nearly 60 countries. We build on a unique foundation: Our reach is global; we discover through best-in-class science; we protect through work on the ground with local and indigenous people; we inspire through our world-class zoos, aquarium, and education programs; and we leverage our resources through partnerships and powerful policy influence. Our 4,000 diverse, passionately committed team members in New York City and around the world work collectively to achieve our conservation mission.

Regional Overview:

The Central Africa and Gulf of Guinea program is one of the largest of WCS’s 13 Global Regional Programs, spanning Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, and Gabon. This is a rapidly growing program with a diverse and expanding portfolio of donors, partners and projects. The region presents a set of complex conservation challenges to biodiversity and their habitats and WCS field programs are addressing these through a number of initiatives including protected area management, community engagement, sustainable livelihoods, policy reform and sustainable financing. WCS recently formally established its regional hub in Kigali, Rwanda which hosts a growing team of technical specialists and regional management to support our country programs and field offices.

Gabon Program Overview:

WCS’s history in Gabon began in 1985 with the first nationwide forest elephants census, followed by a comprehensive conservation priority assessment. These ground-breaking studies bore remarkable results when WCS helped the government establish its National Park system in 2002, encompassing 13 Parks and more than 11% of the country’s total land area and in 2017 the creation of 20 marine protected areas representing 26% of the country’s economic exclusive zone. Today, WCS remains the largest and most influential international conservation Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) working in Gabon. Strengthening WCS’s Prescence in Gabon, in October 2025, WCS and the Gabonese National Parks Agency (ANPN) signed the country’s first ever partnership commitment toward the establishment of management agreements for Ivindo, Loango, Lopé and Mayumba National Parks. The MoU lays out a 2-year roadmap towards new long-term management agreements for these parks between WCS and ANPN. The signing is part of a new national policy to diversify management models, foster innovative solutions for sustainable financing, and facilitate the sharing of technical expertise with conservation partners. This new partnership demonstrates the government’s continued confidence in WCS, reinforces recognition of its enduring role in the country, and consolidates the government’s commitment to the conservation of the country’s ecosystems.

Job Summary:

The Technical Director will provide specialized leadership and technical direction to build a fully staffed and operational protected areas program across the four national parks of Ivindo, Loango, Lopé and Mayumba under WCS delegated management. This will include but not be limited to ensuring all aspects of operations and day-to-day management in compliance with WCS SOPs and alignment with Gabon Parks Service (ANPN) expectations – including protected areas’ management planning, staffing, equipping, strategic development, law enforcement, biomonitoring, community engagement, infrastructure, administration and finance. This position will work closely with the Country Director, the National Program Manager, HR Director, Finance Director, Social Safeguards Manager, Marine Coordinator, Logistics Manager, Protected Areas and Law Enforcement Technical Assistant as well as in coordination with the WCS Central Africa Regional team and APAMU.

Primary Responsibilities:

This position’s responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

Site-based operations

• Develop and ensure a full operational protected areas program across the four national parks of Ivindo, Loango, Lopé and Mayumba under WCS delegated management.
• Provide on-site guidance and remote support to site leadership and site-based staff to ensure that international best practices and WCS’s code of conduct are understood and followed for optimal protected area management outcomes in all areas of operational management.
• Initiate cross-learning initiatives, where appropriate conduct and/or support trainings and inductions to incoming site-based leadership and field staff on operational strategies.
• Assist in mitigating capacity gaps by developing appropriate strategies for the recruitment of suitable site-based personnel across needed disciplines. This will include spending time in the field to fill a specific capacity gap when required.
• Work with finance, HR and logistics teams to ensure operational support systems can be effectively integrated into national park management.
• Work with the WCS Safety & Security team to provide support where needed to site teams to carry out security assessments and development of security planning following WCS best practices

Strategic Development

• Participate in strategic planning for the WCS Gabon Program.
• Provide continuous technical support to site leadership in the development and implementation of work plans.
• Work with the National Program Manager and Finance Director to build and monitor both marine and terrestrial program budgets.
• Ensuring regular site-based reporting systems are in place for all aspects of operations.
• As requested by the WCS Gabon Country Director, represent WCS at meetings on a national and international level.
• As requested by the WCS Gabon Country Director, support the capacity building of ANPN staff in the implementation of delegated management system
• Maintain good relationships with existing national and international NGOs and technical partners in-country, national delegation offices of bilateral and multi-lateral donors, and foster, where possible, the participation of existing and new partners in relevant aspects of program implementation and strategy development.

Minimum Qualifications:

• At least ten years of proven leadership experience in areas such as protected area management, strategic and operational planning, risk analysis and training/development, with experience in Gabon or Central Africa a distinct advantage
• Experience in large project or program management, personnel management, administration, and fundraising
• Knowledge of conservation biology, practical conservation, and African conservation issues.
• Excellent communication and inter-personal skills and demonstrated success in working in a leadership role with diverse partners, including national governments, to achieve common objectives.
• Fluent French language skills required, and English an advantage with an ability to convey information effectively and clearly in writing and verbally.
• Willingness to travel extensively at the site level.
• Commitment to conservation.

Workplace Conditions and Environment:

• Periodic need to work overlapping hours with teams located in different time zones.
• Periodic need to work in the field, potentially including long hours and weekends.