Reports to:                              Regional Director, Melanesia Program

Location:                                Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea

Country Program/Sector:    Global Conservation Program – Melanesia Region

Position Type:                       Full-time

Expected travel:                    As and when required within/outside the country/region

Organizational background:

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 and based in New York, 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 the biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities.

Program Summary:

WCS is the longest established international non-government conservation organisation within Papua New Guinea (PNG). At key and representative landscapes and seascapes, from the country’s coral islands to its forested highlands, WCS works with local communities and provincial, national and international partners, to sustainably manage and conserve the biodiversity and cultural values of Papua New Guinea’s wildlife and wild places. WCS PNG vision is “Gutpela sindaun, gutpela bus, gutpela solwara” (“Empowered people with healthy forests and seas”). WCS’s organizational capacity in PNG includes facilitating community-based conservation and adaptation, habitat and species monitoring, data management, education and outreach, and policy development. The WCS PNG program is headquartered in Goroka, with field offices in Manus and Kavieng and staff embedded with government in Port Moresby. The Country Program Director position will be based in Goroka.

Position Summary:

The Country Program Director will lead the development and management of WCS’s conservation program in PNG in line with the emerging WCS 2030 and WCS Melanesia 2025 strategies. The WCS PNG Country Director will be responsible for: leading on the establishment of program priorities, strategy, and approaches for terrestrial and marine conservation and climate adaptation initiatives;  supporting conservation project development and implementation; managing and overseeing staff and program operations and finances; fundraising and grants oversight; coordination with government and non-government partners; and directing national and international attention to PNG for conservation and influence policies that promote preservation of biodiversity and sustainable development, while reducing vulnerability to future climate and environmental change.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Coordinating and supervising the implementation of PNG Country Program projects and activities, including ensuring financial and administrative support for field and office activities.
• Establishing and maintaining excellent working relationships with partners and donors.  Meeting regularly with project partners, relevant government agencies, and community leaders. Serving as a liaison between the PNG Country Program and other scientific and conservation bodies in PNG and elsewhere.

• Raising the profile of WCS’s conservation efforts in PNG through the dissemination of project results widely in the peer-reviewed and popular literatures. Writing and publishing documents, reports, books and papers. Maintaining active roles in professional societies. Attending relevant meetings, workshops, and strategy sessions in PNG and the region (where required).

• Leading efforts to secure funding for the PNG Country Program, working with staff from Melanesia and the Global Conservation Program’s cross-cutting programs. Working to maintain a diversified funding base at a sustainable level to support PNG Country Program activities.
• Overseeing grant and financial reporting.
• Hiring, managing and contributing to capacity building of PNG Country Program staff, while contributing to, enlarging and upholding the Society’s policies towards equal employment opportunities for women, minorities, veterans, the handicapped and other protected groups.
• Acting as the legal representative of WCS in PNG ensuring all activities are in accordance with the relevant PNG laws and regulations.
• Participating in and contributing to WCS’s cross-cutting and global conservation initiatives in the Melanesia region.
• Liaising with other parts of WCS where appropriate, including communications, international policy, Global Resources, Program Development, Conservation Solutions, Wildlife Health, etc. trustees, executive staff, policy staff, Public Affairs, Animal Health Program, Science Resource Center, Curatorial departments, Exhibits and Graphics, and Education.

Qualifications

• Applicants should have a PhD, MBA, or MSc with commensurate experience managing complex institutions, with expertise from the conservation, natural resource management and/or development sectors.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience managing terrestrial and/or marine field conservation projects, project budgets, and staff, particularly in remote and/or developing country settings.
• Experience managing European Union and/or USAID funded projects desirable
• Demonstrated success working with diverse partners to achieve common objectives.
• Ability to train and build capacity in field research, community-based natural resource management, conservation advocacy, and project management.
• Familiar with conservation issues in PNG and the region, and committed to the mission of the Wildlife Conservation Society.
• Applicants should be willing to live full-time in PNG, be willing to travel extensively in remote locations, have excellent problem solving skills and be flexible to developing country constraints. Experience working in Melanesian countries strongly preferred. Salary level commensurate with experience.

Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications, should apply by sending an application letter and CV together with the names and contact information of three references to globalrecruitment@wcs.org or via WCS main career site at https://www.wcs.org/about-us/careers at the soonest possible time. We will start our prescreening by May 15th 2020.

WCS is an equal opportunity employer and the organization complies with all employment and labor laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are 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. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate for employment based on age, color, disability, gender identify, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by laws and regulations.

Please note that only short listed candidates will be contacted for interview.