Context

African Parks (AP) is a not-for-profit conservation organisation that takes full responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks and protected areas in partnership with governments and local communities. African Parks currently manages 23 national parks and protected areas in 13 countries, covering more than 20 million hectares in Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Zambia, South Sudan and Zimbabwe.

In eastern Central African Republic (CAR), African Parks has been working for over 10 years to restore and manage the Chinko Conservation Area (CCA), which covers over 55,000 km² with a core conservation area of 24,300 km². The CCA is located at the heart of a larger wilderness with no human settlement, covering 200,000 km² straddling CAR, South Sudan and Sudan, linking the forests of the Congo Basin with Sahelian ecosystems in a single ecotone. Despite the many challenges inherent of the operating context (political instability, cross-border transhumance, deforestation, remoteness), African Parks has succeeded in building robust and resilient management systems within a protected area that is now recognised for the innovation developed in terms of peaceful transhumance management (TANGO teams), land-use planning, fire management, and carbon finance. In this context, the management and development of a substantial and diversified funding portfolio is essential to continue the restoration of key species (elephants, northern lion, wild dog, leopard, chimpanzee, Giant eland, bongo, etc.) and to support inclusive local development based on the sustainable harvest of natural resources.

Job Overview:

The primary responsibility of the Fleet Manager is to provide operational support to field teams as needed, under the supervision of the Field Operations Manager. This role demands a diverse skill with a wide range of responsibilities, including but not limited to:

• Management and coordination of fleet activities
• Training and mentoring of staff
• Ensuring fleet operations comply with African Parks’ Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Vehicles Management:

• Assess the condition of each vehicle.
• Identify root causes of major/common issues.
• Implement maintenance procedures ;
• Modify/adapt vehicles ;
• Determine required spare parts stock and manage the resupply plan.
• Enforce and follow up vehicle inspection procedures after each mission.

Fleet Maintenance, Drivers and Mechanics:

• Asses staff and take necessary actions as and when required.
• Identify training needs and coordinate on the successful implementation.
• Provide necessary training or refreshing courses as and when necessary.

Garage Management:

• Monitor spare parts and consumables stock and always ensure at least 6 months’ supply.
• Assist the logistics team in sourcing of genuine and correct spare parts.
• Follow up with the stock manager to ensure accurate reporting and maintain an overview of available stock. Ensure zero out of stock policy.
• Organize and implement all garage activities.
• Plan and follow up on proper staff rotation so that work is not interrupted.

Reporting:

• Ensure all repairs follow established procedures by issuing a work order, recorded in the breakdown register.
• Complete all reports accurately and submit them to management within deadlines.
• Track all incidents and ensure follow-up and corrective measures are implemented.

Mentoring:

• Train the current head of garage to develop skills to manage staff and garage operations/reporting.
• Train other garage team members for future senior positions.

Fuel Storage/Monitoring:

• Ensure proper equipment are available/operational for fuel handling and management.
• Implement processes and reporting for proper fuel management (including aviation fuel).
• Implement safety measures to prevent contamination and spills

Equipment and Safety:

• Ensure all staff have and properly use adequate safety equipment (incl. uniforms).
• Assist logistics in purchasing safety items.
• Ensure teams have proper garage equipment/machines so that they can perform their works in a professional, safe and timely manner (including welding machines, grinders, etc.).

Other:

• Successfully complete garage-related/Operations projects within agreed timelines.
• Implement AP SOP within operations.
• Perform other tasks/support operations as needed.
• Support the development of a standardized fleet management plan.
• Any other works project assigned by the Field Operations manager.

Qualifications and Required Experience:

1. Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent qualification.
2. Minimum of 2 years of experience in a similar role, preferably in engineering or technical operations.
3. Proven experience working in remote or challenging environments, with adaptability to limited resources and infrastructure.
4. Strong team leadership and management skills, with the ability to motivate and guide diverse teams.
5. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, fostering collaboration and positive relationships.
6. High adaptability and resilience, capable of adjusting to continuously changing conditions in very remote settings.