WCS Bushmeat Specialist, Central Africa

The bushmeat specialist will serve as the technical lead to the WCS urban bushmeat team, leading the design of research with partners, supervising field research, co-designing and tracking the program’s monitoring and evaluation work, providing advice to country programs on bushmeat related issues, and reporting and writing up program results for scientific and lay audiences. 

Project Description

WCS has been developing a bushmeat program to address threats to wildlife from rural zones, provincial towns, and large urban cities.  As part of these efforts, WCS has instituted an urban bushmeat project in Kinshasa, Brazzaville, and Pointe Noire to reduce the luxury consumption of bushmeat.  The goal of this project is to reduce the hunting threat to wildlife populations around nearby protected areas by developing an approach that raises societal awareness, builds constituencies and support, and uses a first-of-its-kind mass media behavior change campaign to reduce the level of bushmeat consumption.

Principal Responsibilities

1)      Design and implement urban bushmeat research and monitoring evaluation systems in Pointe Noire, Brazzaville and Kinshasa, in collaboration with urban bushmeat project partners

2)      Supervise and manage field research teams (including national and international research staff)

3)      Oversee and manage field bushmeat data collection and analysis

4)      Provide training and mentoring to national research teams

5)      Produce regular technical reports and provide reporting support to  Urban Bushmeat Coordinator

6)      Provide general technical support to WCS project staff and sites in Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo on bushmeat-related projects as requested

         by program management

7)      Participate in Central African regional bushmeat initiatives

Key deliverables

1. Research framework and database for the Urban Bushmeat Project
2. M/E framework for the Urban Bushmeat Project
3. Research report for each of the 3 cities that maps out consumption, sale, and point of origin of bushmeat, and detail drivers of consumption and sale of bushmeat. 

Period of performance

The position is immediately available and a one-year contract will be issued.

Key qualifications

This position requires a minimum of the following:

• A master’s degree in natural resource management/conservation or related field with a particular focus on bushmeat
• Demonstrated experience in monitoring and evaluation systems and access databases
• A proven publishing record
• At least 5 years field experience including managing field teams,
• Conversant in French 

Payment

Pay will be commensurate with experience.

Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications, should apply by emailing an application letter and CV together with the names and contact information of three references to: africaapplications@wcs.org. Please include “Bushmeat Specialist, Central Africa” in the subject line of your email. Candidates must also apply online via the WCS career portal by searching job title at: http://www.wcs.org/about-us/careers. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.

Application Deadline: March 30, 217

Position: WCS Bushmeat Specialist, Central Africa

Division: Wildlife Conservation Society – Africa Program

Reports to: The WCS Congo Country Director

Location: Brazzaville, Republic of Congo