The Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) is an internationally operating conservation organisation based in Germany that has been supporting conservation projects in Africa, South America, South East Asia and Europe for many decades.
The mission of the Africa Programme is to maximise FZS’s conservation impact by safeguarding large wilderness areas of high biodiversity, for both their intrinsic value and their contribution to the social and economic well-being of present and future generations. Visit our website to learn more about FZS and its Africa programs.
An outstanding opportunity exists to join Frankfurt Zoological Society. We are hiring a highly motivated and result-oriented conservation professional to lead our Africa Programme.
Director Africa Programme
Currently the FZS Africa Regional Office (ARO) is based in Arusha, Tanzania but the location is flexible. The purpose of the position is to ensure maximum biodiversity conservation impact and high operational performance by the development and effective implementation of the FZS Africa Strategy in line with the overall mission and vision of the FZS. The Director Africa Programme Reports to the FZS Executive Director and line manages the Africa Country Directors and the ARO core team
Key areas of responsibility:
Offering effective management and support to all programmatic and operational aspects of the Africa Programme including financial control and management, project development, monitoring and evaluation and Human Resource Management
The development and effective implementation of the annual African Conservation Programme budget, delivery of the annual statement of revenue and expenditure and the external auditing reports for the African Programme
Ensuring that all legal and reporting requirements are met and programs adhere to FZS’s policies, procedures and standards
Participating actively in strategy processes of the Africa Programme and of FZS in general
Leading negotiations with national governments in the development of new areas and models for protected area support
Providing strong and effective leadership to ensure motivated and high-performing staff
Foreseeing and avoiding risks for FZS and its staff by taking adequate precautions
Supporting top-level fundraising among third parties and individual donors to enable financial security and growth of the Africa Programme
Representing, promoting and developing FZS within Africa and the Africa Programme internally and externally vis-à-vis key national and international target audiences
Ensuring that lessons learned and best practise from across the programme are shared internally and externally
Using and contributing to conservation science to ensure that engagement is guided by science
Job Requirements
Excellent leadership skills with experience in leading change and driving the vision of an organisation
Highly organized and experienced in managing administrative and financial systems and human resources
Strong negotiation skills, and the capacity to develop and maintain strong relationships at all levels in the business, not-for-profit, scientific and political sectors
Passion for wildlife and wild places with a strong commitment to protected areas as a conservation strategy including productive engagement with local communities
Strategic thinking and the stamina to follow a focused approach
Capacity to anticipate and navigate political, cultural and environmental fluctuations and to adapt accordingly
Ability to delegate responsibilities in order to build and empower the Africa team
Clear and eloquent communication skills
Willingness and ability to travel frequently, sometimes under difficult conditions
Education and Experience
Master or PhD in the management of natural resources, biology or another related field
A minimum of 10 years’ experience leading and implementing conservation programmes, at least 5 years of which should be in Africa
Experience overseeing programmes with financial responsibility in excess of 5 million USD per year
Track record of implementing multifaceted conservation strategies and achieving outcomes
Experience managing culturally diverse teams, preferably across multiple countries or regions
Ability to cultivate and manage relationships with external partners, across private, public and NGO sectors
Excellent written and oral communications skills. Fluency in English is required. Familiarity with German, French and Swahili is an added advantage
View the full job description and application instructions on the Vacancies page at www.actionappointments.co.za and email your application by Monday 4th May 2020 to [email protected]