HEAD OF COMMUNITY CONSERVATION, OKAPI WILDLIFE RESERVE, DRC

DRC

Global Conservation Full-Time

GLOBAL CONSERVATION

 

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Job Description

WCS-Regional Community Conservation Coordinator, Central Africa

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Job Description
Position type: Full-time
Location: Epulu, Okapi Wildlife Reserve (OWR), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Reports to: Program Manager
Collaborators: DRC Community Conservation and Conflict Sensitivity Advisor, DRC Director of programs, Site Social Safeguarding Team, Site MEAL Team and Regional Rights & Communities team.
Direct reports: Deputy Head of Community Conservation, Natural Resource Governance Coordinator, Livelihoods Coordinator and Community Engagement Coordinator.
Start date: January 2026 (upon funding approval)

Position overview
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is seeking an innovative and adaptive Head of Community Conservation to deliver a program of community conservation interventions for the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (OWR). WCS is implementing a 10-year agreement with the DRC Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN – Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature) to manage the OWR under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).  OWR’s community conservation program is diverse and includes activities both within the Reserve and its 50km buffer zone. The community conservation goal is to ensure communities sustainably benefit from conservation and support the protection of the Reserve’s unparalleled and globally significant biodiversity. The OWR presents a challenging yet rewarding work environment in a unique and complex landscape. The Reserve is faced with several threats to its biodiversity, including poaching, wildlife trafficking, mining, illegal logging, in-migration, land clearance and sporadic insecurity from armed groups.

Key responsibilities
To lead, strategize and implement WCS Conservation efforts in OWR to ensure community living within and around the reserve are empowered, well represented, and benefit from conservation while key biodiversity values are preserved.  This includes aligning community conservation strategy with WCS’s human rights-based conservation approach, and socio-economic research and monitoring.
Leadership and team management 

• Build, manage and mentor an inclusive team of capable staff through motivational and performance-based personnel management.
• Ensure a community-oriented, collaborative and mission-led work ethic amongst all community conservation team members.
• Foster a culture of participatory learning and adaptive problem-solving and accountability of team members to reflect and design effective field interventions that deliver biodiversity outcomes.
• As a member of the OWR Management Unit, ensure good coordination with other reserve departments to implement community conservation activities.

Project planning and implementation

• Lead in the finalization of OWR’s community conservation strategy
• Lead periodic updates to the reserve’s community conservation strategy and ensure adaptive implementation of the strategy in line with the reserves management plan.
• Ensure project activities build positive relationships with communities, prevent and resolve conflict, and address gender and Indigenous Peoples’ issues.
• Work with the Program Manager and community conservation team members to develop work plans and budgets for community conservation activities that are realistic, participatory, and include community input.
• Promote sustainable natural resource management, alternative livelihoods and practices that promote effective community engagement.
• Ensure a rights-based community approach to conservation, including adherence to Free, Prior, Informed Consent. Gender and social inclusion planning are integrated in all community conservation interventions.
• Ensure accountable, evidence-based, and impactful project implementation.
• Coordinate closely with logistics personnel on procurement and fieldwork planning.

Socio-economic research and monitoring

• Manage the design, implementation, and analysis of socio-economic research activities with support from relevant internal scientific experts (e.g. BNS, NRGT, and other socio-economic surveys).
• Collaborate with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Adaption and Learning (MEAL) team to support the development and implementation of an integrated MEAL system, including the standardization of Community Conservation indicators and Means of Verification.

External relationships

• Cultivate a strong relationship with Indigenous People (IPs), local communities, traditional authorities and communicate conservation messages.
• Work with the Program Manager to liaise with OWR partners to enhance the Reserve’s approaches with local communities and ensure they are linked to biodiversity outcomes.
• Work with the Program Manager to liaise with OWR partners on community development activities to harmonize approaches and avoid duplication of effort.
• Represent the OWR community conservation team to donors and government stakeholders, as requested.

Reporting, fundraising and budget management

• Provide substantive inputs to regular donor progress reports
• Contribute to fundraising proposals for the community conservation portfolio
• Produce technical outputs such as natural resource management plans, and issue-specific analyses of best practices and lessons learned
• Ensure efficient use of budget, oversight of procurement, partnership and financial accountability.
• Generate high-quality visual and written material to support public communications
• Engage with local media, such as radio, to communicate conservation messages

Other

• Maintain strong collaborative working relationships with the Program Manager, Reserve Director, and other management units.
• Conduct any other responsibilities as requested by the Program Manager or OWR management

Qualification Requirements

Qualification Requirements

• A minimum of a master’s degree in social or environmental sciences, or a bachelor’s degree in combination with additional experience
• At least 3 years of field experience with international organizations in Africa working on community-based conservation and natural resource management in Eastern DRC
• Experience in managing the delivery of activities funded by large bilateral and multilateral donors
• Proven ability to manage, motivate, and train a team of field personnel.
• Proven ability to work sensitively with diverse groups of people such as those of different cultures, nationalities and backgrounds.
• Knowledge and understanding of logistics and financial management for projects in complex environments.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in French and English; Swahili an advantage.
• Strong commitment to wildlife conservation.
• Innovative, proactive, resilient, team-oriented, and ambitious.
• Willingness to live in a remote field site with basic amenities in a multi-cultural environment.

How to apply

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications, skills, and experience are encouraged to apply via the application tab until December 31,2025.

WCS is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share that same value.

Salary Range

Competitive salary commensurate with experience

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