Sustainable Markets Manager

Location: Ouesso, Republic of Congo

Reports To: Program Coordinator WCS Congo

Start date: June 2022

Duration: 1 year (renewable)

Position type: Full-time

Organization 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 the direct utilization of natural resources.

Republic of Congo Program Overview:
Over the past 25 years WCS Congo has been the government’s principle conservation partner, assisting the Ministry of Forest Economy (MEF) in managing wildlife and its habitat in several of the country’s national parks, reserves, and protected area buffer zones. Within these sites WCS is developing and implementing actions for effective wildlife protection; community based natural resource management; ecological monitoring; scientific research; and environmental education. The program is the largest in WCS’s global portfolio and reports to the Regional Program for Central Africa and Gulf of Guinea. WCS Congo’s current portfolio of programs includes, but is not limited to, the management of the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park through a Public-Private Partnership with the Government of Congo, wildlife management in the substantial buffer zones of the Park, and the co-management of Lac Tele Community Reserve.

Job Summary:
Unsustainable consumption of wildlife due to the lack of affordable domestic proteins and viable livelihoods for wildmeat value chain actors is a key driver of wildlife loss in northern Congo. To address this, WCS has developed a broad portfolio of innovative programming to reduce wildmeat demand through behavior change initiatives, increase poultry supply through private sector development, and diversify livelihoods through microenterprise programming The Sustainable Markets Manager will oversee this portfolio and have two main responsibilities (i) manage the USAID-funded protein value chain project, “USAID’s Poultry EPP project”, and (ii) provide technical expertise to other projects involving work on protein diversification, sustainable market development and microenterprise with communities.

Major Responsibilities:
The Sustainable Markets Manager will deliver on the following principal responsibilities in full coordination with, and supported by, the WCS Congo management team and the WCS Central Africa Regional team:

• As the USAID’s Poultry EPP Manager:
  • Serve as the Chief of Party and primary WCS point of contact and authorized representative with USAID in regard to all communications on the USAID’s Poultry EPP project.
  • Maintain good working relationships with all project participants, stakeholders, beneficiaries and other relevant organizations both in the RoC and in the wider Central Africa region.
  • Maintain a strong and responsive relationship with the CARPE Director, AO, AOR and other relevant USAID and USG staff.
  • Maintain close working relationships with the WCS Congo and Nouabale Ndoki National Park (NNNP) management teams.
  • Ensure that USAID and project stakeholders are kept regularly up to date on project activities, deliverables and events.
  • Ensure that all USAID reporting requirements are met to a high standard and on schedule
  • Coordinate the implementation, management and administration of the USAID’s Poultry EPP project:
  • Coordinate with management teams to ensure that project objectives are achieved to a high standard and on schedule.
  • Oversee and, in some cases, carry out the delivery of the project’s technical activities in accordance with the project work plan.
  • Ensure that adequate technical assistance is available, in close collaboration with the human resources department, supervising the recruitment and engagement of technical experts, partners and project staff, as appropriate, to help achieve the project objectives.
  • In liaison with the WCS Congo Country Program Director, liaise with the Congolese Government, civil society and business groups, and other organizations as needed to coordinate activities and achieve the project objectives.
  • In liaison with the WCS finance team, ensure financial planning and execution of approved budgets is in compliance with financial and administrative policies and procedures of USAID and WCS.
  • In liaison with the WCS Regional Grants Manager, ensure contractual and procurement procedures are executed in a timely manner in compliance with administrative policies and procedures of USAID and WCS.
  • Ensure strong engagement with the private sector
  • Strengthen and develop dialogue with key private sector actors involved in agriculture and livestock production.
  • Develop agreements and strategic planning with them.
  • In liaison the WCS Congo Management team, liaise with the social teams from forestry companies present in our landscapes to ensure close cooperation in the management and supply of their commissaries.
• As a technical expert :
  • Liaise with the various project Directors, protected area field teams to provide technical support on all our programs in Northern Congo involved in livestock production, sustainable agriculture, and microenterprise
  • Foster synergies between field teams involved on these thematic issues, and act as a focal points on all questions related to markets, protein value chains, and microenterprise

Qualification Requirements

• Significant experience in project management.
  • Experience working in interdisciplinary and multicultural teams and managing several major activities simultaneously, proven ability to achieve project targets and objectives.
  • Experience managing international donor-funded projects, with multiple project partners and diverse project elements preferred.
  • Experience in gender mainstreaming and social inclusion as required by the program and the ability to encourage active participation of diverse stakeholders preferred.
  • Experience implementing monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
• Strong understanding of U.S. Government rules and regulations that govern the implementation of USAID-funded activities, with experience of managing USAID-funded projects preferred.
• Technical expertise in micro-enterprise, value chains, livestock production and agriculture
  • A Masters or PhD degree in agriculture-related fields, social sciences, or significant program management in African conservation.
  • Extensive experience in the private sector a strong advantage
  • Experience working in the Central Africa region would be an advantage.
• Interest in wildlife conservation
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Demonstrated representational skills, with an ability to maintain favourable public relations.
  • Demonstrated high-level competency in writing and editing of professional technical reports and other written products
  • Easily adaptable to work with a large and diverse team, strong team spirit and patience
  • Fluency in French and professional competency in English.