Job Opportunities at Conservation International

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African Pastoralism Technical Specialist 

• The African Pastoralism Technical Specialist provides technical leadership, oversight, and support through advisory and active testing of ideas on site-based grasslands and savannah projects within Conservation International’s Africa Field Division, with a specific focus on Herding for Health (H4H) implementation. The technical specialist will ensure grasslands and savannah are adhering to the best sustainable livestock regenerative agriculture and land management practices and will directly coordinate with site-based technical staff to provide guidance and support as needed, for example in grazing area management and farmer engagements. They will operationalize fit-for-purpose sustainable livestock management approaches across all H4H sites, considering the different ecosystem types, cultural diversity, environmental variabilities, and animal health challenges that are prevalent in the different landscapes. They will update technical learning materials based on research and experience from demonstration sites and provide input to training partners for the development and implementation of relevant training materials.
• In addition to providing site-specific technical input, the African Pastoralism Technical Specialist will form part of the CI Grasslands and Savannah Team, and will provide input to strategic planning, and fundraising proposals. They will work closely with other technical divisions in Conservation International and Peace Parks Foundation, responsible for restoration, technology development, Conservation Stewardship Agreements, and mapping.
• The Technical Specialist will work closely with the Conservation Stewardship Program and site-based teams to engage and implement Stewardship Agreements.

Responsibilities
Strategy Implementation

• Livestock Production
• Provide technical leadership in sustainable livestock management techniques including animal health, productivity, and nutrition for communal livestock farming.
• Provide technical support to herding for health implementation with a focus on animal productivity, animal handling, branding, herd dynamics, herd health, and record keeping.
• Develop fit-for-purpose community livestock management approaches that support healthier animals and healthier grasslands.
• Assess herd genetics and engage farmers on suitable approaches to improve herd genetics in each of the Herding for Health cohorts.
• Work together with veterinarians to affiliated with the projects and landscape leads to support the development of herd health plans and ensure site-specific diseases are managed as part of the herding for health approach.
• Support landscape leaders to enhance farmers/ farmer group engagements and guide the establishment of appropriate community governance structures.
• Work with landscape leads/H4Hsites leads to develop measures and partnerships that will unlock relevant livestock value chains and provide access to markets for pastoralists and implement a market-based incentive approach for sustained implementation of the H4H model in the landscape.
• Where necessary, support the implementation of commodity-based trade in line with the World Organization for Animal Health.
• Provide technical input in implementing a One Health Approach in H4H sites.
• Together with policy development teams, contribute to policy briefs on enhancing livestock trade and commodity-based trade in Africa.
• Grasslands, Savannah, and Scrublands Management
• Implement climate-smart grazing plans to ensure sustainable healthy grasslands and in-line with the needs of the landscape.
• Conduct farmer engagements together with site teams to co-create grazing plans (rotational grazing and planned rest, considering frequency, timing, duration, and intensity to support restoration of degraded grasslands
• Together with the site teams, relevant government departments, support the operationalization of grazing plans at the landscape level to maximize the ecological impact from the intervention.
• Ensure livestock production measures implemented align with ecological imperatives to restore biodiversity and sustain ecosystem functions.
• Contribute to policy briefs on sustainable livestock management as a mechanism for climate adaptation and mitigation.
• Support the Grasslands and Savannah Senior Program Manager in leading a technical community of practice focused on grasslands and savannah at the landscape level.
• Community Engagements and Governance
• Engage livestock farmers/pastoralists to better manage their livestock herds for better productivity along the livestock value chain.
• Develop strategies for improved community governance that empower farmers to build sustainable grazing management, enhance livestock health, and obtain better markets,
• Provide technical leadership in ensuring quality implementation of the herding for health amplification strategy at landscape implementation/site level and help consolidate existing projects, establish new project sites, and support the development of strong sustainability mechanisms in each site.
• Work together with the Stewardship Agreement and Site Teams, to support farmer engagements on Rangeland Stewardship Agreements.

Capacity Building

• Support landscape leads and where needed provide leadership in the establishment of the technical advisory committee in each landscape to tap into local experience and expertise that will help improve the delivery of outcomes of the project in each implementation site.
• Provide technical input on training manuals, toolkits, online courses, and other learning-related materials.
• Work closely with training partners (e.g. Southern Africa Wildlife College, Herding Academy, Afrivet and ILRI, and other relevant training institutes in East and Southern Africa) to develop relevant H4H training material.
• Support and when needed conduct H4H training to identified groups and stakeholders in support of implementation of CI and partner projects.
• Capacitate and strengthen farmers to be better stewards of their land with robust governance systems.

Financial Sustainability

• Together with partners, establish market access opportunities and support farmer engagements in implementing prioritized opportunities.
• Develop and support the effective implementation of technical proposals and action plans related to livestock work, to deliver planned outcomes.
• Provide technical contributions to innovative finance initiatives such as Soil Organic Carbon, and Payment for Ecosystem Services, among others.

Compliance, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Support with data collection for the H4H Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning framework covering indicators such as land cover changes, livestock, and livelihood/socio-economic impacts.
• Ensure each site is compliant with relevant organizational policies, protocols, and frameworks.
• Record and track risks for H4H sites together with the Grasslands and Savannah Senior Manager.
• Ensure each site is compliant with Environmental and Social Safeguards in place.
• Catalogue relevant project/program information in planning, monitoring, or related systems.
• Support adaptive management for H4H sites in line with the lessons learned.
• Develop and deliver high-quality landscape-based technical products, analysis, and information that lead to conservation outcomes.
• Provide periodic reports and assessments on progress against goals for internal and external audiences. Assess progress and refine action plans and outcomes as needed.
• Work closely with Africa Grasslands and Savannah team in CI and H4H team in Peace Parks Foundation to ensure harmony and synergy between teams for optimal results achievement.

Additional Responsibilities
Logistics and communication

• Support communication team with information and media presence of the Africa grassland and savannah portfolio.
• Assist with logistical support as and when needed.
• Coordinate virtual and in-person workshops and meetings that bring out and amplify voices from the field to internal and external audiences.

Team Culture

• Build camaraderie and team spirit among implementation teams.
• Create a sense of team unity across all implementation sites.
• Create opportunities for learning across sites.

People and resource management responsibilities

• This position does not have direct supervisory authority but assists and mentors less-experienced team members.
• Serves as a subject matter expert on effective grassland and livestock management, climate-smart livestock management, and agriculture enterprise development.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Extended work hours may be required.
• Ability and willingness to travel on a regular basis to field sites within southern, and east Africa and when needed other countries in the rest of Africa where CI is supporting H4H implementation.
• May need to work out of doors in adverse weather conditions.
• This position follows a hybrid work structure, working some days from the office and some remotely. Guidance will be shared during the interview process.
• Expected to be a 3-year assignment.

Qualifications
Required

• Bachelor’s degree in animal production or grasslands and savannah management, grassland ecology, rangelands grasslands and savannah, animal health or other relevant fields.
• 4 to 6 years of experience as a livestock production expert and working with livestock farmers. Demonstrable experience working with farmers/pastoralism or as a livestock farmer and land management experience.
• Up to 2 years of supervisory experience.
• Demonstrable experience in linking farmers to markets.
• Experience with implementing projects in communal farming systems will be an advantage.
• Livestock farming credentials will be highly recognized.
• Good academic record with a strong publications profile will be considered.

Preferred

• Master’s degree in any of these relevant fields.
• Strong communication and presentation skills including the ability to effectively convey complex details or technical information.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Basic administration and coordination skills are essential.
• Highly familiar with etiquette, protocol, and employing cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Proven team player.
• Self-driven with strong leadership and performance management.
• Highly organized and able to manage multiple priorities simultaneously in a dynamic environment.

Africa Grasslands and Pastoralists Senior Manager

Overall Responsibilities

• The African Grasslands and Pastoralists Senior Manager is responsible for managing and supporting a range of technical and strategic duties and partnerships. This includes working closely with the Regional Grasslands and Savannah Senior Director and with local, regional, and global technical staff to deliver high-quality strategic and technical support. They monitor progress and provide periodic technical reports on progress against goals. The Senior Manager will significantly contribute to the oversight of external partnerships and support in building partner capacity on demand across the African region.
• As directed, the Senior Manager supports fundraising efforts including developing funding proposals and budgets and supporting senior staff in pursuing funding opportunities.
• This position supervises the Science Communication and Knowledge Management Manager, the Regional Grasslands and Savannah Impact Manager and the H4H Restoration Manager, and the African Pastoralism Technical Specialist.

Responsibilities
Strategy, Planning and Governance

• Contribute to CI’s Grassland and Savannah strategy development and implementation in support of the Regional Grasslands and Savannah Senior Director.
• Together with technical support teams, identify and prioritize activities needed to successfully achieve conservation and human development outcomes in grasslands, savannah, and other dryland ecosystems.
• Lead CI teams in implementing the Herding for Health amplification strategy by working closely with PPF partner and CI’s Regional Project Managers and landscape leads and supporting external partners .
• Provide technical leadership in rangeland ecology, climate adaptation, and mitigation strategies for deployment in Herding for Health sites and in line with the needs of the landscape.
• Provide strategic and technical leadership in sustainable livestock management techniques including animal health, productivity, and nutrition for communal livestock farming.
• Provide support to Herding for Health team in landscapes to ensure enhanced engagement of farmers/farmer groups and support landscape teams to establish community governance structures.
• Provide strategic leadership to H4H teams and through working closely with enterprise partners. Act as a bridge between enterprises, and H4H implementation to ensure H4H implementation follows necessary standards for relevant markets.
• Work with enterprise partners to help unlock relevant livestock value chains and provide access to markets for pastoralists and implement a market-based incentive approach for sustained implementation of the H4H model in the landscape.

CI’s H4H Portfolio Management and Reporting

• Ensure all CI projects implementing the H4H model are aligned and delivering against objectives and intended outcomes in a consistent manner.
• Develop annual work plans with H4H Implementation managers.
• Ensure compliance with CI policies and frameworks across all implementation sites
• Provide input in policy briefs developed from the evidence generated during implementation.
• Where relevant, manage H4H budgets and costs in line with donor requirements and keep track of H4H budgets being implemented by other leads within CI.
• Working with relevant project managers, provide periodic reports and assessments on progress against goals for internal and external audiences on the overall success of the H4H portfolio. Assess progress and refine action plans and outcomes as needed.
• Supervise H4H technical team(s) including partner staff and contractors and ensure alignment with the H4H Toolkit
• Collaborate with H4H Partners in Peace Parks Foundation and other organizations to implement and deliver commitments for the Herding for Health (H4H) program.
• Co-lead the development of the H4H implementation framework together with PPF.
• Co-lead in designing and implementing the Africa Rangeland Watch as part of regional monitoring of restoration activities across Africa.
• Co-develop H4H feasibility studies as needed.
• Support the development of Rangeland Stewardship Agreements together with H4H teams.
• Oversee H4H reporting.
• Develop capacity-building plans to support the implementation of H4H model and engage relevant training partners and institutions to conduct training.

Risk Management and Impact Monitoring

• Support the design and review of H4H MEL framework.
• Provide leadership needed for the implementation of the H4H MEL framework consistently across all CI sites.
• Ensure the implementation of Environmental and Social Safeguards in H4H projects across all CI sites.
• Record and manage risks across all CI sites and document and share lessons for adaptive management across all H4H sites.
• Coordinate and manage H4H knowledge exchange events and participate in regional and international conferences

Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Support the Africa Grassland Director in leading a technical community of practice focused on grasslands and savannah in Africa.
• Cultivate new partnerships and manage existing ones in all CI H4H sites, and when needed, provide technical support to partners to ensure they achieve their intended H4H targets.
• Create and manage partnerships with relevant research institutions to support H4H sites with applied research activities.
• Serve as a recognized technical resource and share technical best practices within and outside CI.

Research, Knowledge Management and Science Communication

• Oversee the search, knowledge management, and science communication activities for the Africa Grasslands Program to ensure the successful delivery.
• Guide the t preparation of appropriate internal and external communication materials including case studies, fact sheets, and lessons learned from project sites.
• Ensure research carried out in H4H sites is helpful, respectful, applied, and relevant to implementation with local community needs taking priority.
• Archive and organize CI H4H program materials in SharePoint.
• Oversee the H4H Impact portfolio and support partners to have an updated monitoring system.
• Support in organizing high-level meetings including steering committee meetings, stakeholders’ meetings, training and partner meetings.

Financial Sustainability and Resource Mobilization/Fundraising

• Support the development and implementation of an H4H investment strategy including innovative conservation financing and unlocking soil organic carbon revenue opportunities for CI sites.
• Support fundraising for the Africa Grasslands and Savannah Program portfolio.
• Support the creation and growth of a funding pipeline for the Africa Grasslands and Savannah Program portfolio.

People Management

• Supervise the Science Communication and Knowledge Management Manager, the Regional Grasslands and Savannah Impact Manager, and the African Pastoralism Technical Specialist
• Where necessary, supervise Division and Country Level Technical staff.
• Foster a culture of building a team for collaboration and teamwork and motivate and support team members as needed.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Extended work hours may be required.
• Frequent travel of more than 30% may be necessary including travel to remote locations.
• May need to work out of doors in adverse weather conditions.
• This position follows a hybrid work structure, working some days from the office and some remotely. Guidance will be shared during the interview process.
• Expected to be a 3-year assignment.

Qualifications
Required

• Bachelor’s in grasslands ecology, climate, and related sciences, grasslands and savannah production ecology, natural resource economics, livestock production, veterinary sciences, or wildlife management.
• 5 to 7 years of work experience in sustainable livestock management, community development with Pastoralists or landscape/grassland management involving pastoralists. At least 3 years working with communal livestock farmers and pastoralists on livestock management, with a proven track record of providing relevant market access opportunities and strategy development experience.
• Up to 2 years of experience supervising implementation teams.
• Someone who has a passion for African Pastoralism and the great potential pastoralism presents as a nature-based grasslands restoration solution.
• Proven ability to understand, interpret, and apply technical and scientific information and data to achieve tangible results.
• Excellent working knowledge of carbon projects.
• Proven ability to work in a team environment and work well across cultures and within and across organizations.
• Fluency in English is required.

Preferred

• Multidisciplinary expertise and a Masters/PhD degree in any related field is an advantage.
• Advanced skills in Project Management.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Experience in scientific procedures and reporting.
• Passion for strategy design and delivery combined with a passion for the successful delivery of livestock interventions that provide benefits to farmers/pastoralists while delivering ecological outcomes.
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Attention to detail and time management skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.
• Be a highly flexible and dynamic individual able to work under pressure and deliver under various field conditions as part of a small and very dynamic team working with multiple partner organizations.

Method of Application

Use the link(s) below to apply on company website.

• African Pastoralism Technical Specialist
• Africa Grasslands and Pastoralists Senior Manager