Conservation Monitoring Coordinator At Space for Giants

Conservation Monitoring Coordinator

Department: Programmes

Location: Kenya HQ – Nanyuki

Contract Type: Permanent-Full Time

Reporting to: Conservation Programme Manager

Direct Reports:

Hours: 40 hrs per week

About Us

Space for Giants is an international conservation organization, based in Africa, founded in 2011. Our mission is to protect the natural ecosystems on which Africa’s large wild animals depend, ensuring they are valued by local people. We currently work in 11 countries across Central, East, and Southern Africa, focusing on some of the most pressing challenges facing the conservation of megafauna today. We have three thematic pillars of work to achieve our mission which are: 1) The protection and management of natural ecosystems and associated value creation for local citizens; 2) Combating the illegal wildlife trade; and 3) Promoting Human-Wildlife Coexistence. We pride ourselves on our highly collaborative approach with national governments, recognizing the importance of being relevant to elected leaders and their constituents, and striving to ensure that our conservation work is aligned with their priorities. Grounded in world-class science, we bring high-quality technical expertise and experience to inform and deliver our conservation programmes, wherever we work. We also pride ourselves on being adaptable and nimble to respond quickly to emerging opportunities and evolving challenges in a very dynamic space.

We have grown rapidly since we were founded – from working to study, protect, and manage elephants in a single landscape in central Kenya; to engaging in policy and strategy development across international, national, and landscape-level environments. To better position Space for Giants for current conservation challenges and opportunities, we developed a new five-year strategic plan in 2021. This broadened the focus of the organization beyond African elephants, which are still an anchor and symbol for our work, to the critical ecosystems on which they and other large wild animals, and indeed all of us, depend. To read more visit: www.spaceforgiants.org

Overview of Role

The Conservation Monitoring Coordinator at Space for Giants will play a pivotal role in implementing and managing conservation monitoring tools to collect, analyze, and disseminate data across various conservation programs. This position requires strong experience in conservation technology systems and methodologies, a proven track record in capacity building among field-based teams (e.g., rangers, researchers), and the ability to oversee the integration of various types of data and information into a central point. The Coordinator will have a proven track record working with Earthranger, SMART, and ArcGIS along with Monitoring and Evaluation skills.

Responsibilities & Scope

• Manage and drive data collection, storage, visualization, and reporting (social, ecological, and spatial) and associated protocols necessary to ensure Space for Giants can track project implementation and impact and also disseminate data across the conservation programmes that will feed into Space for Giant’s M&E strategy.
• Lead the implementation of existing mobile phone monitoring across our portfolio of projects including the training of stakeholders, storage/management/analysis/reporting of data to relevant stakeholders (conservancies, wildlife authorities, donors, etc.), and ongoing oversight and mentorship for partners and Space for Giants staff.
• Drive innovation and conservation technology integration to establish a Space for Giants Data Hub that will incorporate varied streams of data from across our portfolio of projects in an efficient way – using Earthranger as a key integrator.
• Conduct Rapid Technology Needs Assessments across our portfolio of projects to guide management on appropriate technologies to adopt.
• Work closely with the Conservation Programmes Manager to develop and implement appropriate monitoring technology to document Space for Giants conservation impact.
• Design and establish robust M&E frameworks to track and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of conservation programs.
• Work with the Space for Giants Conservation, Fundraising, Communication & Finance teams to support grant proposals, reporting, presentations, and wider communication (including project reporting as necessary for donors and funders).
• Work closely with the Managing Director of Conservation to develop appropriate strategies and develop project concepts and budgetary components for Annual Planning purposes.
• Actively build relationships and partnerships with Conservation Technology providers (e.g. SMART Partnership, Vulcan, ESRI, Motorola, etc.) and Conservation Partners to achieve synergy, economies of scale and standardize data collection, management, and reporting.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with government partners, including the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI), and ensure compliance with national policies and regulations related to wildlife conservation and data management.
• Provide regular updates to government partners on project progress, findings, and impacts through detailed reports and presentations.
• Heavy focus on training, capacity building, and mentorship of field teams and partners on the use of appropriate technology, protocols, and systems.
• Develop detailed project plans, including timelines, budgets, and resource allocation, and oversee the execution of projects, ensuring they stay on schedule and within budget.
• Line management of Monitoring and Evaluation officer and interns.
• Uphold and promote Space for Giants’ core values.
• Conduct research/assessments on special projects/assignments and report on findings as requested.

Any other relevant tasks related to the role as directed by the Supervisor.

Minimum Qualifications

• Multi-lingual (Swahili and/or English or French desirable) and multicultural experience appreciated.
• At least three years of work experience in conservation project management, with hands-on implementation of M&E strategies, and field-based capacity building.
• Educated to at least Master’s degree level or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to write both technical and non-technical reports.
• Ability to multitask and meet deadlines.
• Proven proficiency and working experience implementing impact measuring systems, data, and information management from multiple streams and associated analyses.
• Excellent analytical skills and excellent attention to detail.
• Highly Proficient in GIS and related software packages.
• Excellent proficiency in conservation monitoring technology and methodologies with specific reference to SMART, Earthranger, Cyber tracker, (please do not apply if you do not have advanced experience in these) camera traps, GPS collars, cloud-based systems, remote sensors, etc.
• Knowledge and experience of social science methodologies and analyses.
• Ability to write complex funding proposals including budgetary elements.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to interact with Government, private sector, research, and third-sector organizations.
• Demonstrated experience in conservation-related research.
• Knowledge of Kenya laws and strategies relevant to environmental restrictions, policies, etc.
• Ability to spend extended periods in the field away from the office to conduct training & capacity building;
• Willingness to go the extra mile to get the job done.
• Demonstrated ability to think critically about conservation problems.
• Valid driving license
• Requires willingness to travel regularly both domestically and internationally, and to work weekends and evenings occasionally.
• The successful candidate must demonstrate the ability to work in Kenya, must be able to move to Nanyuki and work from the office full-time.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with remote sensing and field-based analyses of habitat types and change over time.
• Familiar with statistical analysis programs, including “R”.
• Experience with undertaking socio-economic surveys and analysis of associated data.
• Strong team player who can build relationships and work collaboratively across the organization, including with Space for Giants’ senior leadership and partners.
• Self-starter with the ability to generate work products with limited support.
• Strong coordination and communication skills; with demonstrated public speaking experience.
• Proven ability to work effectively in partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, and private sector stakeholders in Kenya.
• Ability to lead and motivate a team toward the successful completion of projects.