CAFI Project coordinator- Human -Elephant Wildlife Conflict, Gabon

Location: Libreville, Gabon
Reports To: WCS Country Director
Collaboration with: WCS project managers and Central Africa regional team, implementing partners and communities.
Position type: Full time
Start Date: ASAP
Duration: 2 years

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 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.

WCS’s history in Gabon began in 1985 with the first surveys of forest elephants, followed by a nationwide conservation priority assessment. These ground-breaking studies bore remarkable results when WCS helped the government establish its National Park system in 2002, encompassing 13 Parks and more than 11 percent of the country’s total land area. Today, WCS
remains the largest and most influential international conservation Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) working in Gabon. WCS has increased its commitment to two major landscapes: Gabon’s coast & ocean, and the forested interior. WCS is helping build Gabon’s capacity to manage its wildlife and ocean resources and monitoring the outcomes of conservation
activities on wildlife.

Project Background:

Gabon is the second most forested country in the world (more than 88% of the territory covered by resilient tropical forests) and one of the few to have a positive carbon footprint. From 2018 to 2020, a non-invasive survey technique applied by WCS, Gabon’s National Park Agency (ANPN) and Vulcan Inc. confirms that Gabon remains the principal stronghold for the forest elephant, a critically endangered species. While the protection of forests and wildlife has been a triumph for Gabon’s conservation and climate change policies, it has also contributed to unintended consequences for local people; specifically increased incidents of crop destruction and food insecurity and, in some cases, direct conflicts between humans and elephants resulting in loss of human life. As such, Gabon is refining the countries conservation and climate change policies to ensure they are not only environmentally effective but also socially equitable, with real positive impacts on rural communities. The government’s vision is to create mechanisms that mitigate the negative effects of conservation activities, such as the increase in human-elephant conflict, while promoting the enabling conditions required for nature, people and wildlife to coexist harmoniously and sustainably.

In 2015, Gabon signed the Joint Declaration of the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) to mitigate climate change, reduce poverty and contribute to sustainable development. As part of its participation in CAFI, Gabon developed its National Investment Framework (NIF), which outlines programs for potential CAFI support. To address the human elephant conflicts, a new project entitled “Peaceful human-elephant co-existence in Gabon” will be executed with WCS as the implementing organization. The project defines an integrated approach to human-elephant conflict (HEC) designed to reduce negative human-elephant interactions while improving the food security of rural communities, significantly contributing to their physical security and reducing deforestation by smallholders. The project builds on successes of an existing electric fencing project coupled with the development of a smart agriculture extension activities to optimize food production in fenced agricultural fields. The project will also develop multidisciplinary assistance for populations affected by human-elephant conflict through an intensive education and awareness campaign and an innovative insurance system to cover elephant damage.

WCS is recruiting someone who will coordinate this project and work closely with the Government department and implementing partners to deliver project outcomes and impact during the next two years.

Job Summary

The project coordinator reports to WCS Gabon country director and is responsible for overseeing the planning, the day-to-day activities, and tracking the project from start to finish. This includes communicating with the Government and implementing partners, coordinating timelines, allocating resources, and ensuring all deliverables are completed on time and within budget. Specific responsibilities may include creating project plans, coordinating team meetings, and documenting project progress.

Based in Libreville, there will be frequent travel to field sites to support the field-based implementing partners and team members.

Responsibilities

The project coordinator will be expected to possess excellent organizational, communication, and leadership skills, as well as the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously. His/her primary focus will be on ensuring that the project runs smoothly and that all implementing partners and team members are working effectively towards achieving the project outcomes and impact.

Tasks

• Develop and maintain project plans, timelines, and budgets in collaboration with implementing partners
• Coordinate project resources and allocate tasks to implementing partners and team members
• Develop Terms of Reference for project consultants/experts hired on a short term basis and ensure proper delivery of technical services and submission of technical and other deliverables, manage consultants
• Ensure the administrative and human management of the project including project operations and data collection
• Ensure the interface with the central public administration in Libreville and its decentralized services at the local level.
• Ensure interface with the implementing partners and delivery of resources and results according to planned targets
• Monitor project progress and identify potential issues or risks
• Communicate project status updates to stakeholders and internally
• Ensure project deliverables meet quality standards and are delivered on time
• Facilitate team meetings and provide meeting minutes and action items
• Manage project documentation and ensure all project information is up-to-date and accessible
• Ensure compliance with WCS policies and procedures
• Provide guidance and support to implementing partners and team members to ensure successful project completion
• Coordinate technical reporting with implementing partners; lead the drafting of interim and final reports to ensure timely submission of high-quality reports
• Ensure compliance of narrative reports with the Project Document, WCS policies and Steering Committee framework

Requirements

• Master’s degree in conservation biology, ecology, forestry, sociology, anthropology, economy with proven qualifications in project management
• Justify at least 5 years of professional experience in project management with government, multi-lateral and private donors; experience with programme coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building an asset
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Experience in resource allocation and program management
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment
• Attention to detail and ability to prioritize tasks
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
• French and English language fluency
• Experience working in a developing country setting
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, as well as strong analytical skills
• Proven managerial skill and ability to work in a team setting within an organization
• Proven knowledge of the sustainable development strategy in Gabon
• Candidate should demonstrate autonomy, professionalism and listening and communication skills
• Ability to interact with different stakeholders at different levels
• Good experience in preparing and facilitating workshops.