Kenya Community Technical Manager (Full-Time / 1 Year Fixed-Term Contract)

We’re ZSL, an international conservation charity. Our vision is a world where wildlife thrives and we’re working every day to achieve this. From investigating the health threats facing animals, to helping people and wildlife live alongside each other, we are committed to bringing wildlife back from the brink of extinction. Through the work of our pioneering scientists, our dedicated conservationists and our unrivalled animal experts in our two zoos, we guide and enable others in the UK and all across the world. Inspiring, informing, empowering – working for wildlife.

ZSL has been working in Kenya since 1989, with a country office registered in 2016. ZSL’s programme in Kenya provides technical, logistical, and capacity building support to the Kenya Wildlife Service, local communities and partner NGOs, with a geographical focus in the Tsavo Conservation Area. For more information click here.

ZSL launched its first community-based conservation project in Kenya in 2019 under the Darwin Initiative funded by the UK Government’s DEFRA. This is a 3-year project, working with two communities on the northern border of Tsavo National Parks to foster human-wildlife coexistence through building financial resilience and improving wellbeing. This project finishes on 31st May 2022.

ZSL also recently launched the UK Aid Match (UKAM) Project: “For People For Wildlife” in Kenya and Nepal funded by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and managed by Mannion Daniels (1st Nov 2020 – 31st Oct 2023). The project seeks to improve livelihood opportunities, financial resilience, human-wildlife co-existence and relationships between communities and protected area management authorities.

ZSL Kenya has the responsibility for leading the management and technical quality assurance of the Darwin Project and the UKAM Project based on the border of Tsavo West NP.

Working alongside the Tsavo Field Manager, this post will lead the on the ground implementation, including managing the workplan, partners and the in-country community team.  The Community Technical Manager will drive the activities grounded in their proven experience as experts in the implementation of sustainable livelihoods, community banking, community-based conservation and human-wildlife coexistence strategies. The post holder will ensure there is good coordination and prioritisation with the Nepal country office for UKAM and ZSL London head office, to achieve the logframe indicators and purpose.

The main workstreams include: 

• Providing technical expertise and experience to help facilitate programming for community banking, livelihood development, human-wildlife conflict mitigation and community-based conservation.
• Increasing the performance and monitoring across all project activities and indicators.
• Liaising with in-country project partners, between country offices and the ZSL head office in London.

Planning and reporting

• Work with the programme management team at HQ to lead the team’s contribution to the annual workplans, including preparation of annual costed workplans for programme activities.
• Prepare and manage a quarterly workplan for mobilising project activities, coordinating with partners and enabling (quarterly in the case of UKAM) narrative and financial reporting to the donor.
• As part of the team, contribute to normal project cycle management as necessary.

Managing implementation

• Draft and agree Terms of Reference for consultants where required, quality assure reports and other deliverables, produced either internally or through external bodies.
• Conduct continuous performance monitoring of project activities and use findings to provide information as required by the Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) team at ZSL Head office, including analysis of data on impact and outcomes for the M&E framework.
• Provide technical assistance to government and other implementing partners to effectively support the delivery of the programme.
• Oversee and quality assure processes to sustain interventions beyond the life of the programme, to ensure sustainability.
• Oversee and quality assure implementing partners supporting Civil Society Organisations to engage more effectively in community banking, Livelihoods, Human-Wildlife Conflict mitigation, and support the field team with linking into planning and budgeting processes.
• Oversee and, as necessary, improve, monitoring and evaluation of project interventions to ensure that the impact is well documented and fed into the programme’s knowledge management strategies.
• Oversee the UKAM project risk register, regularly reviewing the levels of risk and associated mitigation action.

Coordination

• Engage with the team to promote an understanding about voice and accountability issues in order to ensure there is an effective integration with other areas of work in the programme.
• Actively engage with the partners and the Nepal country office to ensure the UKAM project strategy and workplan are appropriately adjusted in relation to emergent issues and, similarly, that the other technical strategies are adapting to any changes emerging from the project work.
• Maintain up to date knowledge about the Programme’s implementation progress to ensure the project activities are progressing as expected.
• Ensure the project systems are at all times designed to provide efficient and effective delivery of the projects and respond to environmental and programmatic needs and changes.
• Work closely with ZSL’s field partner, Tsavo Trust to share implementation and technical approaches across community field sites.
• Coordinate with the ZSL communication team in head office to ensure the project team provide relevant information emerging from the work that demonstrates the effectiveness of approaches.
• Participate in team meetings and other team events as appropriate.

Skills and Experience

• Extensive demonstrable experience of working within a conservation or international development setting, including a proven track record in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes.
• A sound understanding of core conservation development concepts, including voice, accountability, rights-based approaches, gender, equity and social inclusion and citizen participation.
• Proven experience of working at the community level with vulnerable and marginalised groups on rural community and livelihood development projects.
• A commitment to ensuring that all Kenyan citizens, including women, the poorest and other marginalised groups, are able to have equal voice and participate in the projectExcellent project and team management skills.
• Experience in the design, planning, implementation and management of conservation/development projects.
• Experience of managing the administration, delivery, and reporting of large grants, with strict compliance conditions.
• Proven experience of engaging and managing relationships with a wide range of stakeholders including international, national, governmental and non-governmental organisations and donors.
• Experience of technical and financial report writing.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to work to deadlines.
• Self-starter and able to set strategic direction for a technical assistance programme.
• Team player, with excellent interpersonal skills and comfortable working in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Ability to work to deadlines.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively in Kenya (and possibly Nepal).

Knowledge

• A working knowledge of the project cycle and project management tools.
• A good knowledge of and contacts in funding bodies and conservation organisations relevant to the work in the country.
• A knowledge of Kiswahili and Kamba desirable.
• Good knowledge of HR, Finance and Health and Safety policies, procedures and best practice, with experience of applying them in international organisations.
• Clean driving licence. Motorcycle licence desirable.

Please note: This is a full-time / 1 year fixed-term contract position based in Mtito Andei, Tsavo, Kenya. As the position is based in Kenya, please ensure you have the right to work in Kenya when applying. The position is to start as soon as possible. 

Applicants will need to upload their CV and covering letter (detailing relevant experience and skills, stating why they want the position and including details of availability) and can do this by clicking the "Apply for this job online" button. If you have any queries regarding this position or when applying through the system please contact Human Resources at hr@zsl.org.

Closing date for applications: 23:59pm EAT / 9:00pm GMT Sunday 10th January 2021

The Zoological Society of London is a charity registered in England and Wales: no. 208728