Special Projects Manager at African Parks

POSITION: Special Projects Manager ORGANISATION: African Parks – RCA LOCATION: Chinko, Central African Republic REPORTING TO: General Manager

EXPECTED START DATE: As soon as possible

BACKGROUND:

African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities. We currently manage 18 national parks and protected areas in 11 countries covering over 14.1 million hectares in: Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Chinko’s mosaic of ecosystems at such latitude on the African continent makes this area incredibly rich and unique in biodiversity. The Chinko Conservation Area (CCA) is an important area for endangered wildlife as well a vast ecosystem with complex interactions and is the only managed protected environment in the remote eastern part of CAR.

Most recently, a “functional landscape” of about 64’645 km2 which the government of the CAR designated the mandate to APN to develop a comprehensive conservation strategy and land-use plan. This will need protecting.

JOB OVERVIEW:

African Parks – RCA, engaged in the protection and rehabilitation of the CCA in the Central African Republic, is looking for a dynamic Special Projects Manager who will primarily assist the General Manager with the overall coordination across the park, including internal and external report writing, grant reporting, proposal preparation and support for various departments with technical and administrative tasks where required.

MAIN ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Coordination

· Contribute to the preparation of key strategic documents including but not limited to, five-year business plan and annual workplan;

· Manage central calendars for Chinko Conservation Area: schedule meetings and travel, group events, and other commitments;

· Coordinate booking travel for stakeholders in accordance with African Parks policies and procedures;

· Maintain continuity of work operations by documenting and communicating required actions to management;

· Assist with coordination of workshops, meetings and events as needed;

· Maintain effective communication with key stakeholders, partners and other organizations;

· Assist the General Manager with various tasks including reporting to ensure

the continuity of operations.

Grants Management

· Manage a diverse grants portfolio funded by private and institutional donors;

· Ensure compliance with donor implementation and reporting guidelines as well as contractual obligations;

· Coordinate with Heads of Department in preparing interim, final and other required reports, including working together with M&E team as required;

· Analyse grant progress, ensure proper budget follow-up, analysis, projections and budget realignments where needed.

Proposal Development

· Lead the coordination and development of competitively strong proposals and concept notes in coordination with the fundraising team;

· Work collaboratively with wider funding team to help identify and plan strategies to position CCA with potential partners and donors.

Communications

· Oversees the creation of necessary promotion materials across multiple platforms, including, but not limited to presentations, social content, video, photography, website content, email, external reports, and press releases;

· Manage social media channels for Chinko Conservation Area;

· Manage media visits to the Park in conjunction with African Parks Communication team.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS:

· General Manager, CCA

· Heads of Department, CCA or Director of Law Enforcement

· Director of Research and Development

· Director of Operations

· Regional Human Resources Director

· Human Resources Manager

· Head of Finance

· Logistics & Procurement Manager

· Head of Sustainable Development

· Fundraising, African Parks

· Operations, African Parks

· Monitoring and Evaluation

· Institutional and private donors

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

· Minimum eight (8) years of experience working in project management or coordination roles, with a preference of five years (5) years with a conservation or non-profit organization;

· Excellent organizational, analytical, oral and written communications skills in English in French;

· Experience in grant management, report and proposal writing with EU and USAID experience an advantage;

· A post-graduate degree in biodiversity conservation or other related field of study is an advantage;

· Communications experience is an advantage;

· Strong capacity to manage time and competing priorities;

· Strong initiative, perseverance, and resilience;

· Willingness to live in a remote setting and with previous experience living in Africa;

· Good team player with experience working with multicultural teams.