Community & Education Program Officer – Leopard Ecology & Conservation (LEC) 908 views

The corona lockdown forced us to put on hold our appointment process and so now we would like to reopen to candidates: Leopard Ecology & Conservation is looking for a dedicated

Community & Education Program Officer

Leopard Ecology & Conservation (LEC) is a project that seeks to promote the long-term survival of leopard and lion populations in Botswana by integrating conservation and community education. The Community & Education program is a partly independent unit of the research project. Its chief mandate is to combat human-wildlife conflict highly prevalent in our current study area. It aims to achieve this by initiating and implementing a long-term, sustainable program to help livestock farmers around Khutse Game Reserve raise their livestock in the presence of free-roaming predators and to support the sustainable use of natural resources in the local community. For more information, please visit our website: https://leopard.ch/en/

Job Brief

We are looking for a reliable experienced person to undertake a variety of administrative and project management tasks onsite in our field camp in Botswana. You will help in planning, organizing and running projects as well as activities in the community such as events or stakeholder meetings.

To be a Program Officer of our choice, you must be organized, communicative and bring projects independently to success. If you have experience in project management, a strong knowledge in social science, know how to deal with human-wildlife conflicts and you are familiar with working with local communities, we are looking forward for your application.

This is a full-time job in a remote area and you need to be happy working in this harsh climate. We expect the successful applicant to begin his or her work in August 2020. This job opportunity provides a competitive salary, accommodation at the research camp just outside Khutse Game Reserve, contribution to pension and medical aid.

Responsibilities

In terms of content, the following fields form the focal points of the work, the Community & Education officer is encouraged to:

build positive and trusting relationship with farmers and herders as well as government departments and the wider local community, including village and school authorities.
research, develop and implement ideas, initiatives and programs, which should all be in line with addressing the human-wildlife conflict and the sustainable use of natural resources.
assist with fundraising for projects and maintain budgets as well as track expenditures
manage the overall development and practical implementation of the program’s projects, plan and coordinate projects and activities, including data management
continuously monitor, evaluate and report on the progress of projects.
help prepare Education project reports for sponsors, DWNP and other funding organizations
communicate and work effectively with the LEC team and involved stakeholders (such as government, vaccination teams, veterinarians, farmers, communities, researchers, team etc.).
schedule and organize meetings/events.
perform other office functions assigned to you by the supervisors.

Requirements and desirable skills

The applicant must be a Motswana and hold a driving license
proven experience as project manager
A university degree in the field of environmental science, conservation, social science, geography or similar. Knowledge of social science research techniques would be an advantage
good knowledge of project management techniques, budgeting and reporting as well as great time-management and organizational skills
experience in the field of environmental education and/or sustainable development
socially sensitive and able to work with the local community and in a cultural diversity and multidisciplinary team
proficient in MS Office, GIS and statistics software
great Setswana and English verbal and written communication skills
high motivation and capable of working in a remote area (field camp near Kaudwane