Position: Africa Conservation Coordinator
WHO WE ARE
Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters, and oceans at unprecedented scale, and providing food and water sustainably. One of our core values is our commitment to diversity. Therefore, we strive for a globally diverse and culturally competent workforce. Working in 72 countries, including all 50 United States, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit http://www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.Anchor
Since establishing the Africa Program in 2007, The Nature Conservancy’s vision in Africa is to work towards fostering a sustainable future for people and nature, partnering with indigenous communities across 55 million acres on the continent. Our efforts are firmly rooted in people, leveraging scientific and technical expertise as we collaborate with governments and organizations to conserve and enhance Africa’s shared resources in the 9 countries we operate.
TNC’s work in Africa transcends three key pillars: securing ownership rights to lands and resources for indigenous people, strengthening leadership and resource management and helping communities value nature through a holistic appreciation of its benefits while increasing revenue streams for conservation efforts and socio-economic development. Together with our partners, we are witnessing critical milestones in integrated land and fisheries management, ocean and source water protection, energy development and sustainable food production, working together and strengthening our resolve in tackling global challenges such as climate change, habitat and biodiversity loss that stands to adversely impact the nearly 1.4 billion people that share Africa.
YOUR POSITION WITH TNC
The Africa Conservation Coordinator, Africa Region provides day-to-day management, general operations and programmatic support to the Africa Conservation Director including coordination of freshwater, oceans, forest, climate and terrestrial programs across the region. They will assist in ensuring conservation projects execute according to plans, within budgets and by agreed deadlines. They will be responsible for managing Conservation helpdesk queries and distributing to the respective Strategy Leads and Program Directors and providing budgeting coordination and programmatic support to the Africa Program. Reporting to the Africa Conservation Director, the position can be based at the TNC offices in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia or South Africa. No employment visas or assistance is being offered with this position except for the local labor employment requirements.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
The Africa Conservation Coordinator will provide support to meet the conservation priorities of the Africa program and work closely with the Conservation Director to provide operational support to program planning, implementation and budgeting. This position will support the Conservation Director in for example the development of annual budget guidelines in close cooperation with budget managers and the Finance and Operations team. The Africa Conservation Coordinator will maintain expert knowledge of the systems and resources utilized by the conservation team and apply knowledge to managing support and planning communications related to Conservation Team resources. They will lead diverse activities, analyze situations, evaluate alternatives, track project outcomes, and implement solutions to improve effectiveness.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
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- Provide programmatic management support and budget tracking for the Africa Region conservation strategies and programs.
- Assist with management of biannual Strategy Review and quarterly Program Review calls to include scheduling, holding leads accountable to deadlines, notetaking, and follow up.
- Coordinate with Africa Region Strategy Leads and Program Directors to ensure workplans are kept up to date and objective setting is completed for approval by the Conservation Director towards a desired outcome.
- Use TNC’s Highly Effective Teams approach to effectively coordinate and manage key projects to support the Africa conservation strategy.
- Coordinates and supports conservation team engagement, including team meetings and retreats.
- Manage the Africa Conservation Management Team, supporting recurring meetings with scheduling, agenda setting, notetaking and follow up.
- Provide coordination such as scheduling, circulating materials, and maintaining records, in support of the Africa Local Project Review Committee.
- Coordinate the Conservation Director’s Annual Performance Partnership Process schedule for direct reports.
- Manage the Conservation Director’s calendar and email inbox, and ensure timely scheduling of meetings with TNC Staff, stakeholders, and partners.
- Assist the Africa Conservation Director in crafting presentations and slide decks, planning complex trips, preparing meetings with partners and donors.
- Coordinate multiple complex conservation projects, including coordinating project teams, setting deadlines, and ensuring accountability.
- Support strategy leads and management of project budgets and assist with budget development related to strategic projects.
- Ensure programmatic commitments, Conservancy policies and procedures, financial standards, and legal requirements are met and managed for compliance; decisions may bind the organization financially or legally.
- Accountable for meeting proposal development goals, objectives and deadlines as well as supporting public/private funding development projects.
- Maintain a calendar and workflow to ensure timely submission of proposal related documentation.
- Prioritize work to keep multiple project applications moving in a timely manner, meet deadlines and manage supplemental material required for proposals.
- Make recommendations for strategic decisions when needed, based on analysis, experience, and judgement.
- Write and complete document review for a range of materials to support budget implementation.
- Travel occasionally, working long and flexible hours as needed.
- Work is diversified and may not always fall under established practices and guidelines
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree and 4 years related experience or equivalent combination, including 2 years managing operations functions.
- 2 years’ experience in Natural Resource management and / Project management an added advantage
- Analytical and project management experience.
- Experience supporting complex projects and strategic initiatives in an unstructured environment.
- Experience supervising staff, interns, and/or volunteers; and
- Experience working with cross-functional teams.
- Demonstrated experience handling confidential information.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Policy, Resource Management or related field and 6+ years of related experience or equivalent combination.
- Multi-lingual skills (especially French and Portuguese) and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experiences are appreciated.
- Ability to manage and implement complex processes.
- Demonstrated attention to detail.
- Experience with coordinating complex plans and budgets with a diverse and distributed team.
- Communications experience, including shaping and supporting presentations.
- Strong team player who can build relationships and work collaboratively across the organization and with partners.
- Ability to work in partnership with others in a collaborative role.
- Advanced knowledge in current and evolving technology related to field of experience.
- Knowledge of current and evolving trends in the Operations field, preferably in a non-profit environment.
- Strong organization, planning, and problem-solving skills.
APPLY NOW
To apply for job ID 51330, submit your materials online by using the Apply Now button at https://careers.nature.org/. Need help applying? Visit our recruitment page or contact applyhelp@tnc.org.
The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.
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