Reports to : Field Operations Manager

Manages : Sustainable Development Manager, HWC team, Institutional Governance Manager, Community Monitoring team, Small Grants team, Environmental Education team

Location : Mbatamila, Niassa

Country Program/Sector : Mozambique/ Eastern Africa, Madagascar and Western Indian Ocean Region

Start date : February/March 2021

Application deadline : 15 January 2021

Internal liaison : Senior member of the NSR management team (with the NSR Project Manager, Field Operations Manager and other departmental heads)

Organization Background :

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science-based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, presence in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and organizations, that knowledge is applied to address species, habitat and ecosystem management issues critical to improving the quality of life of poor rural people whose livelihoods depend on the direct utilization of natural resources.

Mozambique Program Overview :

WCS has accumulated biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that vibrant places, with flora and fauna, thrive together with local communities. Working with local communities and organizations, this knowledge is applied to address issues of management of species, habitats and critical ecosystems to improve the quality of life of rural poor people, whose livelihoods depend on the direct use of natural resources.

WCS created a national program in Mozambique in 2012, with two main objectives :

• Increase the protection of the Niassa Special Reserve (NSR), a vast landscape in the north of the country and improve the conservation status of its elephants through co-management of the Reserve; and ;
• Strengthen the management of protected areas at the national level, contributing to improving policies and strengthening the government’s capacity to implement legislation on crimes against wildlife through the strategic involvement of government agencies in Maputo.

WCS Mozambique continues to work towards these objectives but has also commenced projects related to sustainable financing of conservation through the development of mechanisms for biodiversity offsets, the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) and marine/coastal conservation.

Resolution 01/2020 of the Council of Ministers of 9 June approved a 20-year co-management agreement between the National Conservation Area Administration (ANAC) and WCS for NSR. Under this arrangement, programs exist for conservation comprising law enforcement, community development, conservation management and tourism development. These efforts are supported by a variety of donors, including the European Union (EU), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Global Environment Fund (GEF) and the French Development agency (AFD).

Position Profile :

The Community Development Manager is based permanently in the NSR community offices in Mbatamila HQ and Mecula town, Niassa Province, with travel to other communities within the Reserve in other districts of Niassa and Cabo Delgado provinces. The community development portfolio is large and diverse and involves working with isolated local communities within core NSR areas, more easily accessible ones in community development zones and those in the buffer zone. The Community Development Manager supports actions that reconcile conservation and sustainable development to promote and maintain the Reserve’s integrity as a globally important conservation area. This portfolio focuses on social approaches towards natural resources management including: sustainable land use plans & community-based natural resource management, promotion of improved/conservation agriculture techniques, sustainable wildlife management including HWC mitigation and reaction, agroforestry value chains, green enterprises, environmental education & communication platforms, and social safeguards.

Position Objective :

This position relates to components of donor-funded projects for community engagement and livelihoods development that support the wildlife and ecosystem conservation objectives of NSR in order to achieve the following specific objectives :

• Reduced community-based threats to wildlife and other natural resources ;
• Improved relations between local communities and NSR ;
• Human-wildlife conflict mitigated ;
• Conservation-compatible livelihoods development ;
• Operational small-grants scheme ;
• Strengthened community institutional capacity to manage community finances ;
• Improved community governance of community conservancies, wildlife and other Miombo products.

Primary Responsibilities :

The Community Development Manager is expected to oversee the development of the NSR’s community development strategy and lead the design of a strong portfolio on a community-centered approach to the reduction of anthropogenic threats to wildlife & forests in the NSR and its buffer zone. S/He will lead the socioeconomic team to ensure effective implementation of interventions within the portfolio by ensuring that the technical capacity of the team responds to the priority needs of the socio-economic program for the NSR. S/He will develop, coordinate and maintain a comprehensive framework & monitoring system for all socio-economic activities that shows a clear theory of change to livelihood and conservation benefits and leads to more targeted conservation planning.  Management of team members, including technical leads for specific funding streams will be a key responsibility of this position.

Oversee the Community Program Team :

• Supervise the community program staff, including goal setting and performance management. Assume a mentoring, development and advisory role, in line with each individual position’s objectives and responsibilities ;
• Build and lead a strong, cohesive team to achieve quarterly and annual community program targets, whilst responding and adapting to changing situations on the ground ;
• Ensure all staff members in field operations are equipped with the appropriate tools, equipment and clothing to perform their job ;
• Ensure a positive working environment to maintain staff motivation and commitment.

Oversee environmental and conservation awareness raising in communities :

• Coordinate with partners in developing awareness raising program and materials covering relevant laws and regulations related to reserve management, community rights, governance, zoning and usage plans etc. ;
• Establish mechanisms for dissemination and discussion of relevant information through local radio, theatre, festivals, schools, local Government agencies and sessions ;
• Create and maintain strategic partnerships with civil society to develop a collaborative approach to raising community awareness ;
• Seek opportunities to identify key students for support in higher education at the provincial and national level in areas related to conservation.

Lead the development of institutional capacity of NSR communities :

• Build the capacity of the Community Natural Resource Management Committees (CGRNs) and other community institutions as identified, including through training, mentoring, supervised exchange visits/ field demonstrations, facilitated quarterly planning meetings and internal CGRN meetings – with a focus on financial management, business planning, planning and management, governance, reporting, gender, rights, negotiation etc. ;
• Support CGRNs in the development of equitable benefit sharing mechanisms that benefit the wider community (avoiding elite capture) for financial and other benefits including employment and training ;
• Assist CGRNs in the compilation and presentation of their quarterly reporting to Reserve Management, other Government agencies, Operators and to other CGRNs.

Establish natural resource management capacity :

• In close coordination with NSR partners and stakeholders, oversee the implementation of natural resource management (NRM) related activities in designated community areas in alignment with the NSR General Management Plan (GMP), NSR Community Program Annual NRM work Plan, Operator Agreements, other relevant Reserve policies and management plans, and best practice for community-based NRM, land use planning and community and stakeholder engagement ;
• Facilitate the development, implementation and monitoring of community-based NRM plans, including zoning and usage plans, for designated community areas ;
• Explore selecting and training members from the CGRN or other community-based initiatives to undertake and receive payment for environmental services, such as fire management, road/ bridge building and maintenance, airstrip building and maintenance, wildlife monitoring, support to intel and law enforcement activities ;
• Provide oversight for non-lethal human-wildlife conflict (HWC) mitigation and crop and livestock protection measures, problem animal control and the community quota system in collaboration with NSR Law Enforcement Department, local Government and Operators ;
• Oversee scheduled assessments of the CGRNs as to their effectiveness in meeting responsibilities as outlined in agreed NRM plans and (after reaching agreement with Government) linking this performance to flow of the 20% revenue sharing scheme, as well as other benefits such as payment for environmental services, employment, capacity building.

Promote the establishment of community development activities :

• Identify partners for community development and actively work towards establishing projects/ initiatives designed to address poverty alleviation, food security, health, education and others as and where permitted by the GMP and building on existing initiatives being undertaken in the Reserve ;
• Create and facilitate a coordination and learning platform for all actors involved in community development within NSR ;
• Evaluate effectiveness and capture lessons learnt related to the intersection of conservation and development for dissemination and advocacy at the local, provincial and national levels.

Maintain positive and productive relationships with all key stakeholders and strategic partners :

• Build relationships, coordination and communication mechanisms related to community program activities, with the operators and relevant local authorities and communities. Facilitate data sharing and analysis between the CGRNs, the Reserve and the Operators ;
• Maintain productive communications with all parties, both internal and external to the Reserve ;
• Implement coordinated field operations with operators, local authorities and communities as per relevant plans.

Coordinate Planning, Evaluation, Monitoring and Reporting :

• Lead the planning, evaluation and monitoring of the NSR Community Program activities, including Developing the NSR Community Program annual operations plan and budget for submission to the Reserve leadership team, based on allocated funding from government, Reserve revenues and donors ;
• Oversee the design and implementation of social surveys and research to inform the Community Program’s strategy ;
• Compile and submit monthly and quarterly reports on progress against the Community Program Annual/Quarterly Work Plans, including: i. implementation status, opportunities and challenges of the past month; and ii. planned activities for the month ahead ;
• Support all reporting requirements for NSR with information relevant to the community program, including reporting to ANAC and donors ;
• Undertake internal staff and program evaluations as required ;
• Operate in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Mozambique, the Reserve internal regulations, and the policies and procedures of WCS Mozambique.

Ensure that Gender and Indigenous Peoples (IP) Issues are Fully Incorporated into all Aspects of NSR’s Socio-economic Program : Collaborate with the WCS Mozambique, regional and global technical team to deliver gender-based training modules, monitor gender/IP approaches in the landscape, update gender/IP strategies, and ensure each year gender/IPs are incorporated into the work plan.

Other Duties : Carry out any other duties as may be assigned from time to time