Regional Program Officer, Central Africa

The Wildlife Conservation Society is an international NGO headquartered at Bronx Zoo in New York City working to save wildlife and wild lands and to meet global challenges in over 50 countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas and the world’s oceans. The Africa Program is the largest of WCS’s field programs, with approximately 1,100 staff in 12 country programs focused across three major regions (Central Africa, Sudano-Sahel, Eastern Africa, Madagascar and Western Indian Ocean).
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) seeks a dynamic and motivated individual with excellent communication and organizational skills to support the regional management of WCS’s Central Africa & Gulf of Guinea program. The Central Africa and Gulf of Guinea program is one of the largest of WCS’s 13 Global Regional Programs, spanning Nigeria, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo and Gabon. This is a rapidly growing program with a diverse and expanding portfolio of donors, partners and projects. The region presents a set of complex conservation challenges to biodiversity and their habitats and WCS field programs are addressing these through a number of initiatives including protected area management, community engagement, sustainable livelihoods, policy reform and sustainable financing. WCS recently formally established its regional hub in Kigali, Rwanda which hosts a growing team of technical specialists and regional management to support our country programs and field offices.

Qualification Requirements

• Either an advanced degree (Master's) in the fields of international relations, development, social or natural sciences or similar, or a first degree (Bachelor’s) with demonstrated and appropriate experience
• Minimum 3+ years of experience with European and/or US donors, including grant management and proposal development
• Ability to multi-task and deliver high quality reports sometimes within short deadlines
• Demonstrated experience working as an effective member of a multi-cultural team, with experience working in Central Africa and across time-zones a distinct advantage 
• Experience working, coordinating and collaborating with diverse sets of stakeholders, including partner NGOs 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and in French 
• Interest in conservation and committed to the mission of the Wildlife Conservation Society