Community Technical Advisor (Full-Time / 2 Years Fixed Term Contract)

About Us:

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a charity founded in 1826, is a world-renowned centre of excellence for conservation science and applied conservation. ZSL’s mission is to promote and achieve the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. This is realised by carrying out field conservation and research in over 50 countries across the globe and through education and awareness-raising at our two zoos, ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, inspiring people to take conservation action.

Overview of role:

ZSL is seeking an experienced, innovative and adaptable individual to oversee all aspects of ZSL’s work in engaging with local communities within the Dja landscape and around Deng Deng national park under our Darwin Initiative and IWT challenge fund projects. The post-holder will also provide technical input on project development, design, delivery and reporting. The successful candidate will assist with maintaining existing and developing new relationships and partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including Cameroonian authorities, donor agencies, local and international NGOs, private sector actors, research institutions and local communities.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

The key main duties comprise of three components: A) Empowering communities negatively impacted by illegal wildlife trade; B) Development of Sustainable Livelihoods through NTFP value chain enhancement; C) Ensuring effective project management. The post holder will be report to the Cameroon Country Manager and work alongside the wider Cameroon team and other ZSL colleagues (IoZ) to support livelihood interventions, develop and carry out socio-economic surveys and develop locally relevant metrics for well-being that enable the programme to evaluate and monitor the effects of the project on local community members. Other main responsibilities will include:

• Supervising the identification, establishment and running of Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) in communities within the two project sites.
• Providing technical advice and support to staff and partners, to ensure the quality of outputs and maximum impact of the project.
• Ensure technical and financial reports to ZSL, donors and partners are produced on time and to a professional standard.
• Represent ZSL at key meetings and workshops and develop ZSL’s profile in Cameroon and the wider region as required.

Person Specification:

• Ideally prior experience of living and working in developing countries, ideally Central Africa.
• Masters degree or equivalent qualification in related discipline (conservation, natural resource management, social science, community development) or equivalent level of work experience in a relevant field.
• Strong experience in the field of community engagement (applying free prior and informed consent approaches, developing sustainable livelihoods for communities, etc.)
• A good understanding of current international and Africa specific social issues linked to illegal wildlife trade.
• In-depth experience of technical and financial report writing.
• Ability to speak and write fluent French is essential as is having excellent written and spoken English.
• Strong interpersonal and organisational skills with ability to carry out multiple tasks to deadlines.
• Proven success in planning, managing and implementing conservation projects (project, financial and personnel management) and strategies.

Please Note: this is a full-time, 2 year fixed-term contract position that will be based at ZSL’s office in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The post will also require spending long periods based at field sites in communities around the Dja Biosphere Reserve and Deng Deng national park with additional national and regional travel as required.

To Apply:

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 these positions or when applying through the system please contact Human Resources at hr@zsl.org.

Closing Date: Midnight Thursday 14^th July 2016.

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