Senior Manager, Climate & Landscape Restoration at Conservation International

POSITION SUMMARY - This position is based in Acornhoek, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

• The Senior Manager, Climate & Landscape Restoration reports to the Senior Advisor: Greater Kruger & Mozambique and assists in the delivery of CSA’s rangeland restoration portfolio.
• This Senior Manager is responsible for ensuring the effective implementation and long-term sustainability of CSA’s land management, land restoration, and Herding for Health (H4H) programs in the Greater Kruger and GLTFCA landscapes. This will include working closely with local communities and CSA’s implementing partners in the landscape coordinate, to build and improve climate change resilience, scale the adoption of climate change resilience solutions to improve community resilience, and thereby improve socio-economic well-being.
• In addition, the Senior Manager will be responsible for the provision of management and guidance to landscape staff to ensure goals and outcomes are in line with CSA’s mission, vision, and strategies, and the creation and maintenance of strategic partnerships with Government (local and provincial), local governance structures, traditional authorities, landscape partners and stakeholders, and relevant Biosphere Reserves.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Landscape restoration thought leadership
• Take overall responsibility for ensuring the delivery of all Landscape Restoration interventions with communities and key partners through mentorship and close guidance.
• Ensure the successful implementation of the H4H model, and the efficient management of all components comprising the model, for a successful outcome.
• Ensure that stewardship agreements with the relevant communities are finalized and implemented where relevant.
• Develop and share appropriate landscape restoration, herding for health, and conservation stewardship training materials and skills development programs, together with relevant skills partners.
• Capture ‘lessons learned’ and provide support for the development of appropriate landscape restoration and Herding 4 Health toolkits to support the improved protection, management, and restoration of high biodiversity grasslands, savannas, and associated watersheds and water courses.
• Ensure landscape restoration initiatives are appropriately aligned with diversity, equity, and inclusion targets that prioritize the participation of women and youth in landscape restoration opportunities and provides them with control over natural resources.
• Oversee and supervise external consultants who will be hired to support certain landscape restoration functions from time to time.
• Support the updating of CPLUS maps to identify natural climate solutions for targeted communities that have long-term revenue streams, will create local financial resilience and are scalable.
• Categorize and document scalable restoration activities for wetlands, riparian areas, grazing areas, and areas covered in alien plants for replication across the landscape.
• Landscape restoration program management
• Provide strategic oversight and team leadership to the K2C Landscape program and technical staff to enable the effective implementation of program activities and ensure high-impact landscape restoration outputs.
• Ensure that program activities are aligned with organizational goals and donor objectives and that all deliverables are met on time and within the budget, and ensure the project budget is managed according to donor/grant agreements.
• Implement a hands-on approach and ensure efficient overall project management and compliance with protocols.
• Maintain project metrics on all landscape restoration including relevant Rangeland Carbon indicators.
• Ensure the monitoring and evaluation of the Landscape’s Key Performance Indicators and project goals is taking place and is properly recorded and reported on.
• Ensure that progress reports are submitted when scheduled, and monthly site reports are submitted on timeously.
• Provide regular updates to program partners, and community leaders and identify, suggest, or motivate for amendments or corrective action to senior management.
• Ensure continued compliance with local regulations and policies including those related to health, environment, and social safeguards.
• Stakeholder mobilization and pipeline development
• Work closely with community structures, partners, and other key stakeholders to ensure coherence and a common understanding of the landscape restoration ambitions and the interventions of the Herding 4 Health Program.
• Support CSA’s implementing partners in the landscape to coordinate, build and improve climate change resilience, and scale the adoption of climate change resilience solutions to improve community resilience.
• Work closely with communities and project partners to identify and scope landscape restoration and conservation stewardship opportunities and keep an up-to-date database of such prospect opportunities.
• Train local partners to implement conservation/stewardship agreements to implement restoration, unlock finance, and support conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, riparian and forest areas with local communities.
• Develop investment profiles and business cases for opportunities identified, with a clear and actionable plan of intervention.
• Sustain landscape restoration interventions
• Work together with the Herding 4 Health team, Meat Naturally, the Director for Green Economies, the Conservation Finance Division, and local partners and staff to identify appropriate funders and investors for landscape restoration opportunities.
• Work together with partners and the staff to ensure communities are well organized and trained to independently participate in long-term restoration activities.
• Create and manage a database of funders that support landscape restoration within the Greater Kruger.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• People and Resource Management Responsibilities
• This position will be responsible for the management of approximately 30 staff in the Kruger to Canyons Landscape and requires a balance of high challenge and high support for employees.
• Create a nurturing environment of mentorship and guidance for staff, whilst providing clear boundaries.
• Contribute to the formulation of annual plans, operating plans, budgets, and project expenditure requests in line with all CI’s strategic goals and objectives, and operations.
• Ensure accurate and timely financial and progress reporting to Senior Management, donors, and key partners.
• Oversee day-to-day operations, including the recruitment and management of staff, and coordinating with partners and stakeholders.
• Coordinate and provide assistance to activities relating to the funding, financial planning, and budgeting of the Greater Kruger Landscape.
• Take responsibility for stakeholder relationships by means of regular and professional communication with relevant farmers, community leaders, government departments, and employees, as well as other relevant stakeholders.
• Initiate and facilitate community meetings and workshops as and when required.
• Initiate and facilitate stakeholder meetings and workshops.
• Ensure feedback and reporting to meeting stakeholders is completed timeously and professionally.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Local office conditions in a rural landscape.
• 30% travel domestically.
• Flexible work arrangements.
• This position follows a hybrid work structure, working some days from the office and some remotely. Guidance will be shared during the interview process.
• This is a fixed-term assignment, anticipated to begin on August 1, 2025, and end on July 31, 2026.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor's degree.
• 5 to 7 years of experience in a restoration management role in landscape restoration, agricultural value chain development, conservation conservancy, rangeland, animal health or livestock management, and climate adaptation and mitigation. Experience in ecology, geography, rangeland, animal, or conservation science, or similar. Experience in project management and reporting, including the management of funds, deliverables, and stakeholders.
• Up to 2 years of supervisory experience.
• Working knowledge of rangeland management, and experience in the implementation of both climate change and conservation programs.
• Experience in staff recruitment and management of teams.
• Self-driven with strong leadership and team management experience, including the ability to motivate, reach consensus, set objectives, and manage performance.
• Proven ability to work in and lead a diverse team in a rural setting.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Proven experience with monitoring and reporting on donor projects.
• Very good knowledge of MS Office, especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Practical community engagement experience with an understanding and passion for working with rural people.
• English and working knowledge of at least one vernacular language (Tsonga, Sepedi, or Siswati).
• Valid Driver’s license.
• Right to live and work in South Africa.

Preferred

• Master’s Degree.
• Experience in the implementation of land management and land restoration projects.
• Experience in the implementation and management of livestock (agricultural) value chain interventions.