Program Manager, Volcanoes National Park

Position description

The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has led innovation in African conservation approaches for nearly 60 years. AWF advocates for the protection of wildlife and wild lands as an essential part of a modern and prosperous Africa. AWF articulates a uniquely African vision, bridges science and public policy, and demonstrates the economic and social benefits of conservation to with outcomes that are simultaneously ‘good’ for both wildlife and people.

AWF is proud to have partnered with the Government of Rwanda (GoR) and people living in the Virungas for more than four decades resulting in increasing populations of endangered mountain gorillas and improved human livelihoods. AWF enthusiastically endorses the ‘green growth’ conservation model for which Rwanda is globally known. AWF’s 10-year vision aspires to replicate this model throughout Africa.

Rwanda has demonstrated to the world that conservation and development are not mutually exclusive. The country is leading holistic conservation and green growth initiatives as part of ambitious Vision 2050 plans. These efforts will create 1.5 million jobs by 2024. AWF’s ambition is to contribute to these plans by catalyzing biodiversity-based economic growth. While communities living around protected areas are benefitting from conservation – $5.8 million USD were invested in community projects over the last 14 years – the ambition is to increase these benefits and link economic development across all sectors around the park in a way that secures wildlife as a source of opportunity for Rwandans. Wildlife tourism, ecological restoration, agricultural processing, and innovative forestry products for domestic and regional and international export markets are all part of an integrated solution to catalyzing an economic transformation anchored on the protection and restoration of wildlife and the ecological system around the park. The Park expansion plan presents an opportunity to jumpstart this transformation.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Landscape Leadership

• Coordinate the implementation and all technical aspects of the Volcanoes Landscape Program to ensure the program attains its goals, meets its deliverables, and produces results required in a timely manner;
• Coordinate the development of the conservation and development master plan of the volcanoes landscape;
• Coordinate the development and implementation of the resettlement action plan;
• Coordinate the development and implementation of land restoration projects;
• Work with key partners and coordinate the development and establishment of smart villages and other social infrastructure projects.

Project Management

• Support the country coordinator in the day-to-day management operations of the program, which includes building and managing an effective team, effective administration and tracking of project finances, program monitoring and evaluation, timely donor reporting, and effective coordination and cooperation between project implementing partners among others;
• Ensure full compliance with AWF policies and procedures including, in particular, AWF’s Policy and Standard for Rights Based Conservation;
• Ensure quarterly and yearly means of verification (MOVs) are defined, delivered and recorded in a timely and transparent manner;
• Ensure implementation of activities and expected outputs in line with respective grants’ terms and conditions, and donor expectations;
• Oversee sub-grantees and facilitate technical assistance, steer them towards results oriented activities.

Technical Assistant to RDB

• Work closely with the conservation department to:
  • Coordinate all partners supporting the park expansion program;
  • Produce regular reports on the status of the program.
• Development of Terms of Reference for different studies and works;
• Field supervisions;
• Coordinate and supporting governance bodies such as Program Steering Committees, Technical Committees and/or Advisory bodies.

Requirements and skills

• Bachelor’ degree in Natural Resource Management, Conservation, Environmental studies or a related field;
• At least 8 years of proven experience in conservation; knowledge and experience in the Volcano National Park or similar protected areas;
• Experience supervising a professional team;
• Experience in Project Management is a strong advantage;
• Self-starter and strategic thinker, with the ability to see actions through from conceptualization to implementation and evaluation;
• Outstanding interpersonal skills including the ability to build coalitions, to negotiate, and to manage and resolve conflict;
• Proven ability to write project documents and reports;
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide group of collaborators, including proactive sharing of information and reporting;
• Willingness to travel to and or work in remote areas.

Application instructions

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