Senior Programme Officer – Large Mammal Conservation

TITLE:Senior Programme Officer – Large Mammal Conservation

LOCATION: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania or Nairobi, Kenya

REPORTS TO:East Africa Programme Coordinator

SALARY:Dependent on skills, experience and location of the role

CONTRACT DURATION: 24 months with possibility of extension 

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: 1st September 2014

TRAFFIC has a challenging new position of Senior Programme Officer – Large Mammal Conservation within its regional East/Southern Africa Programme. The position will be based in Tanzania or Kenya.

BACKGROUND
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild animals and plants is not a threat to the conservation of nature. We actively monitor and investigate wildlife trade and provide information to diverse audiences worldwide as a basis for effective conservation policies and programmes. TRAFFIC is a strategic alliance of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is an international network, organised into seven regional offices.

DUTIES
This is a fixed-term position for a period of 24 months with a possibility of extension. Reporting to the East Africa Coordinator of TRAFFIC, the Senior Programme Officer – Large Mammals will assist with implementing TRAFFIC’s regional large mammal conservation programme in close collaboration with TRAFFIC’s partners WWF and IUCN.

SPECIFIC DUTIES
The Senior Programme Officer – Large Mammals will support regional interventions to reduce illegal trade in elephants, rhinoceros and other large mammals and will perform the following tasks:

1.Lead implementation of activities under the USAID funded project, Wildlife Trafficking, Response, Assessment, Priority Setting (Wildlife-TRAPS), including organising stakeholder workshops, assessing the scope and scale of illegal wildlife trade in Kenya and East Africa, and undertaking trans-continental exchange visits to Asia to highlight best practices;

2.Lead implementation of projects such as sniffer dog trials, delivering wildlife trade regulation and enforcement training, providing support to illegal wildlife trade awareness campaigns, and undertaking research to identify the scope and scale of illegal wildlife trade in sub-region; 

3.Lead on the delivery and further development of TRAFFIC’s global programmes on ‘Wild Animals used for Food and Medicine’ and ‘Flagship Species’ as relevant;

4.Assist in establishing and maintaining relationships with an ‘international community’ of stakeholders and collaborators including both private and public sectors; 

5.Implement a rigorous evaluation process for all activities and interventions delivered through projects; 

6.Support project management processes, including maintaining appropriate records and preparing financial and technical reporting information as required;

7.Provide technical assistance, data analysis, scientific information and research support on illegal wildlife trade in the East and Southern Africa regions, including formulation of recommendations for TRAFFIC, WWF and IUCN;

8.Lead on the preparation and submission of fundraising concepts and proposals pertaining to large mammal conservation; 

9.Provide input on the production of regional annual reports, work plans and budgets and other documents;

10.Liaise with other offices of the TRAFFIC Network, the CITES Secretariat, and government wildlife authorities in the region to foster understanding and support programme objectives in a positive manner; 

11.Represent TRAFFIC at national, regional and international meetings, and other events as required;

12.Communicate the results of TRAFFIC works such as through articles in the TRAFFIC Bulletin and reports; and,

13.Support other tasks as agreed with the East Africa Coordinator and Regional Director – East/Southern Africa.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s Degree in relevant discipline or the equivalent in field and educational experience;
• A minimum of 10 years practical experience in international wildlife conservation preferably in East/Southern Africa with an international non-governmental organization (NGO) or an inter-governmental organization (IGO); experience in wildlife law enforcement and capacity building a definite advantage;
• Strong research and analytical skills, and an ability to articulate complex issues clearly;
• Relevant and proven experience in project cycle management (i.e. co-ordinating larger projects, including overseeing consultants and managing project budgets and reporting);
• Strong presentation and communication skills with excellent fluency in spoken and written English;
• Strong working knowledge of political and policy making processes within East and Southern Africa;
• Experience in implementing USAID-funded projects a strong advantage;
• Excellent interpersonal skills; and,
• Willingness to travel frequently.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: Consultants

APPLICATIONS
Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System, by opening the vacancy announcement and pressing the "Apply" button: https://hrms.iucn.org/iresy/index.cfm?event=vac.show&vacId=866 Please state where you first saw the role advertised in your cover letter.

Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The vacancy closes at midnight on 1st September 2014, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST). 

Please note that this role will be hosted on an IUCN or WWF employment contract (depending on location) and seconded to TRAFFIC.

For further information about TRAFFIC, please visit our website at http://www.traffic.org