Livelihood Officer at Wildlife Conservation Society

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 the 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 directly utilizing natural resources.
• The communities surrounding Yankari Game Reserve are poor and have several development challenges. Many communities suffer varying degrees of crop damage by certain species of wildlife from Yankari Game Reserve, resulting in human-wildlife conflict.
• Support for sustainable agricultural practices, provision of water and sanitation facilities, training in skills acquisition for youth, veterinary services, support for beekeeping, provision of improved wood stoves, support for adult education, support for nomadic education and tree planting are recommended. Support for women through savings and loan schemes is also recommended.

Position Overview

• The Livelihood Officer will develop and lead a programme of community-related activities around Yankari Game Reserve to improve local support for conservation and reduce community-based threats to conservation targets through incentives.

Primary Responsibilities

• Oversee livelihood activities in communities surrounding Yankari. Working with other WCS staff in Yankari, the Livelihood Officer will develop a livelihood support programme for local communities.
• The Livelihood Officer will ensure adequate communication with the Landscape Director on support needed to provide vital interventions.
• Monthly planning and tracking of field activities and reporting successes are required.
• Work with the monitoring team to develop, coordinate, and maintain a comprehensive monitoring system for all livelihood projects, socio-economic research that leads to more targeted conservation planning, and maintaining up-to-date database information.
• Liaise with WCS partners in the landscape on socio-economic activities to harmonize approaches and avoid duplication of effort.

Required Skills and Experience

Educational Qualification

• Minimum of Bachelor's Degree in Development, Agricultural Sciences, Economics, Social Sciences, or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 4 years of relevant experience in designing, implementing, and managing livelihood recovery and development programmes.
• Experience building and maintaining partnerships with Government, other development partners, and the private sector.
• Prior experience with USAID projects is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Written and oral fluency in English and Hausa.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

Fundamental knowledge of own discipline

• Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position.
• Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks.
• Strives to keep job knowledge up to date through self-directed study and other means of learning.
• Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments.
• Demonstrates in-depth understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments.

Competencies:
Functional Competencies:

• Results-Based Programme Development and Management

Maintaining a network of contacts:

• Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and remaining current on partnership-related issues.
• Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders.
• Innovation and Marketing New Approaches

Enhancing processes or products:

• Generates new ideas and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things.
• Documents and analyses innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches.
• Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

Basic research and analysis:

• Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices, and proposes new, more effective ways.
• Documents and analyses innovative strategies and new approaches.

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity.
• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
• Self-development, initiative-taking.
• Acting as a team player and facilitating teamwork.
• Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively.
• Creating synergies through self-control.
• Managing conflict.
• Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member.
• Informed and transparent decision making.