CONSERVATION DIRECTOR

I. MISSION OF THE DIVISION:

Lead the development, implementation and coordination of WWF conservation programs in the Republic of Congo (RoC). Ensure the ongoing alignment of the WWF-RoC strategic and conservation plans with WWF priorities as well as national government priorities.

II. MAJOR FUNCTIONS:

II.a. Conservation The RoC Conservation Director is responsible for implementing the WWF-RoC conservation strategy, programs development and managing the RoC conservation team; In addition, the Conservation Director is responsible for fostering collaboration with WWF network entities and The World Wide Fund for Nature is looking for a CONSERVATION DIRECTOR for its Republic of Congo Office implementation of WWF’s environmental and social safeguards framework (ESSF) in the Republic of Congo.

II.b. Policy and Advocacy Regularly engage with key actors (national and decentralized government entities, international actors, technical and financial partners, local communities including Indigenous People) to establish and operate platforms for dialogue. Working closely with the Country Director when it comes to national level programming and engagement with stakeholders as well as to ensure the links between WWF’s landscape programs and national level dialogues.

III. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

● Develop a common understanding of national priorities, regional trends and opportunities for delivering impact aligned with national conservation objectives and WWF Global goals.

● Accelerate the development, design and implementation of the high-quality national programs and projects, fully compliant with quality assurance and ESSF frameworks

● Support the Practices in promoting innovation within national/regional geographies and advise on how new ideas can be best supported, incubated, prototyped and accelerated.

● Ensure that WWF’s conservation work on the ground is aligned to WWF’s social policies, clearly upholding the human rights of local communities and indigenous people.

● Through the platforms, identify areas where policy changes or developments are needed to achieve WWF’s objectives in the Republic of Congo.

● Support the Government of Republic of Congo to progress on national level policies, dialogues, and forums, especially on land use planning, conservation of biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, peatland conservation, etc.

● Work closely with the fundraising/resource mobilization teams in the development of sustainable donor agreements for conservation delivery.

● Partner with the Country Director to identify and pursue crucial opportunities for joint action with other conservation groups and external partners locally and regionally, to colead and promote unified conservation agendas.

● Facilitate collaboration frameworks, guide and provide oversight and support for seamless delivery of transboundary conservation initiatives.

● Identify funding opportunities for WWF, and discuss these with the Country Director so to jointly decide on which ones to pursue. For those identified, plan, direct and oversee the development of concepts and proposals in accordance with WWF field operations policies and procedures.

● Establish a system to track funding opportunities as is responsible for implementation and to keep the Country Director and the regional conservation director for the Congo Basin informed on those opportunities and any critical issues and deadlines

● Identify and prioritize the most promising opportunities for external partnerships to support delivering impact at national level.

● Provide technical support in the recruitment and selection of experienced WWF-RoC conservation staff and consultants.

● Lead the conservation team and ensure clarity on roles, responsibilities and objectives.

● Identify and address capacity and operational constraints to the effective implementation of Global program strategies and Initiatives (if applicable) at national level.

● Support learning and ensure best practices are adopted to improve conservation outcomes and operational excellence.

● Ensure effective performance monitoring of the implementation of conservation plans, by promoting timely and effective reporting against the WWF dashboard and KPIs, based on annual and strategic plans.

● Represent WWF in the Republic of Congo in relevant engagements with local partners and help to manage key conservation relationships.

● Provide inputs to communications products/campaigns at all levels to ensure accurate information is published to promote the image of WWF-Congo and its conservation activities.

● Act as spokesperson for conservation issues as required in coordination with the Country Director, the communications team, and the Congo Basin Conservation Director, as appropriate.

● Participate in the Conservation Directors’ Forum and other appropriate Networks involving other WWF country offices to influence conservation impact at global scale.

● Support the development and implementation of a WWF-RoC communication strategy together with the regional communication team.

● Undertakes other tasks as requested and agreed with the Country Director.

IV. Required Qualifications, Skills and Competencies:

Required qualifications:

● Post-graduate qualification in Environmental/Conservation science or practice, environmental policy, forestry, international development or related field of study.

● At least 10 years’ experience in a senior conservation leadership role.

● Clear evidence and experience of enabling conservation delivery.

● Proven knowledge and experience of human rights, community-based approaches to Conservation, and environmental and social safeguards.

● Proven track record of managing internal and external multi-cultural stakeholders to influence and drive change.

● Strong background in environmental policy, inclusive natural resource management, including species conservation, protected area planning and management, climate change adaptation and mitigation (REDD+), land-use planning, and/or related topics.

● Strong knowledge base on the policies and environmental regulation issues of Central Africa that affect sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation is preferred.

● Experience building good working relationships with local and international partners, including government authorities, NGOs, technical partners, and bi-lateral and multilateral donors is highly desirable.

● Program management skills must include

i) program planning,

ii) technical direction and oversight.

● Position requires excellent communication skills, both oral and written English and French (Required)

Required Skills and Competencies:

● A passion and commitment for conservation and sustainable development.

● The aptitude for ‘leading through influence’ and a management style focused on enabling others.

● Strong ability to bring together and inspire teams together for impact delivery;

● Experience of working in an international, matrix organisation would be an advantage.

● An entrepreneurial approach and eye for spotting innovation.

● Superb interpersonal skills that help connect people across different communities.

● Must be a team player with very strong diplomatic and communication skills.

● The highest level of integrity and confidentiality.

Values & Behaviors:

● Aligns and identifies with the core values of the WWF organization: Courage, Integrity, Respect and Collaboration;

● Demonstrates WWF’s behaviour in ways of working: Strive for Impact, Listen Deeply, collaborate openly, Innovate Fearlessly;

● Self-starter, proactive approach to meeting deadlines and achieving results in a tight schedule;

● Adheres to WWF’s brand characteristics, which are: Knowledgeable, Optimistic, Determined and Engaging

V. Working Relationships:

Internal – Works closely with the WWF-RoC P&C Director; the WWF-RoC Finance Director; the Congo Basin Conservation Director, the Country Conservation Directors, the Africa ESSF & Social Policy Head, Initiative leads, relevant Practice Leaders, their core teams, Country Directors in the Congo Basin region, and other relevant stakeholders within the broader WWF network. External – Creates and fosters close collaboration with external partners in governments, intergovernmental institutions, business and industry, INGOs, civil society, Internal & external donors, local NGOs and local communities.