DRC: Salonga Program Manager/Landscape Leader

Sep 8, 2014 | WWF

World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world’s leading conservation organization, seeks a Salonga Program Manager/Landscape Leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The position is based in Monkoto, DRC with frequent trips to Kinshasa (40% of time).

We are an international NGO committed to environmental protection active in almost 100 countries. WWF has been working in the Congo Basin in Central Africa since 1978.

The WWF has embarked on ambitious, field-based conservation programs across the Congo Basin. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), WWF is active in several landscape-scale sites, including the over 10 million ha Salonga landscape, encompassing Salonga National Park (SNP), the second largest forest park in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a critical refuge for bonobos and forest elephants. The landscape program also works in peripheral community and extractive areas. In addition to its importance for biodiversity conservation, this humid forest region is of significant consequence for carbon storage and maintaining water supplies. The program takes an integrated conservation approach with a consortium of NGO, government, community, and academic partners.  Key conservation strategies include: protected area management; land use planning; law enforcement and species conservation; community-based natural resource management and livelihood improvement; and forest certification.

The WWF seeks a Program Manager/Landscape Leader with expertise in broad-scale/landscape conservation management to ensure the direct management and cordination of the Salonga landscape component of the Central Africa Forest Ecosystems Conservation (CAFEC) project funded by USAID by:

- Working closely with partners in and outside Salonga National Park (SNP) to obtain optimum conservation results;

- Coordinating the implementation of the project with the support of the CoP (Chief of Party, designated by WWF - US for the national  coordination of the CAFEC project) and the Director of Conservation;

- Overseeing technical, administrative and logistical staff of the program staff and will be in permanent contact with field partners to optimize results.

Duration of the assignment: 2 years renewable.

Main responsibilities:

• Supervision and direction of the program: under the direct supervision of the Conservation Director, the Landscape Leader will support the overall management of WWF Salonga program. He/she will provide leadership in the design of the conservation strategy and the development of new projects in strategic areas.
• Technical coordination: He/she will develop operational plans, budgets and contractual arrangements for activities under the direct responsibility of WWF and will coordinate with ICCN and other partners in order to ensure the necessary synergies in their implementation.
• Human and financial resources management: with the direct support of the Human resources manager, WWF DRC Finance and its local administrator, the Landscape Leader will ensure the technical supervision of the employees as well as financial management of the program. He/she may also support fund-raising for a better management of the PNS and its landscape.
• Strengthening partnerships: the candidate must build and maintain a strategic partnership with ICCN and other consortium partners active in Salonga to put in place a Public Private Partnership (PPP) type management structure for a significant improvement in the management of the SNP.