Job Vacancies at WWF South Africa

• The purpose of this role is to provide operational and project management leadership across all WWF’s Freshwater projects, with key focus on the special projects. The role will ensure that projects are delivered in line with agreed objectives, scope, budget, and timeline, while maintaining quality, stakeholder satisfaction and compliance with WWF and donor requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities    
Freshwater Project Coordination  

• Apply effective project management approaches to effectively manage all freshwater projects to ensure they deliver successful outcomes in a timeous and acceptable manner.
• Provide operational coordination across multiple freshwater projects, ensuring clear workplans, activities and reporting requirements.
• Apply technical understanding of freshwater systems to support project delivery, including spatial planning inputs, interpretation of water-related data, and alignment with national and regional water policies and strategies.
• Coordinate and facilitate collaboration across thematic and cluster teams (e.g. freshwater, biodiversity, climate, finance, and policy), ensuring alignment with project objectives.

Ensure Continuous Project Tracking

• Monitor progress against agreed plans, identify risks, and implement appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Experience with project management tool for overseeing workflows.
• Prepare regular status updates and executive summaries and provide high level overall insights for internal leadership, partners and funders.
• Engage and work closely with the Senior Freshwater Technical Specialist, Business Development & Marketing (BD&M), finance and administrative teams to ensure compliance with organizational policies and relevant regulations.
• Lead the financial management of the freshwater projects including funder contract conditions, actioning and tracking project cost recoveries, coordinating annual budget preparation and monitoring project expenses.

Support Stakeholder Engagement

• Facilitate stakeholder engagement and communication across freshwater projects, ensuring timely information sharing, reporting and alignment with project objectives.
• Actively support the Senior Technical Specialist in managing partnerships, including coordination with funders, implementing partners, government counterparts, and landscape stakeholders.
• Contribute to and participate in relevant partnership platforms, and technical working groups

Minimum Requirements    

• A minimum of a MSc level qualification in Science, in freshwater sciences or related discipline.
• Proven experience in managing complex projects, with experience of more than 7 years.
• Proficiency in Project management tools, including software’s for project management.
• A sound understanding of the freshwater policy landscape, with high level strategic relationships in government.
• Strong coordination and administrative management capabilities
• Must be fluent in English
• Must have report/ technical writing skills
• Strong communication, and problem-solving skills .
• An innovative team player likes to participate in interdisciplinary teams.
• Experience in coordinating teams on project delivery.
• Experience in stakeholder management and change facilitation.
• Must have good interpersonal skills.
• Good time management.
• A good understanding of the broad range of projects undertaken by WWF and knowledge of the relevant institutional and socio-economic landscapes in South Africa. 
• A valid driver’s license
• You recognise yourself in the values of WWF: Courage, Integrity, Respect, Collaboration and Inclusion

Deadline:5th April,2026

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• The WWF Nedbank Green Trust is transitioning from a traditional conservation funding model to a systemic, people-centered approach. Our goal is to catalyse locally led, nature-positive economies across priority landscapes. This pivotal role sits at the heart of this shift, ensuring institutional alignment between WWF-SA and the Green Trust.
• As the Green Trust Manager, you will act as the primary integrator between WWF, Nedbank’s Social Impact Unit (SIU), implementing partners, and local communities. You will be a portfolio manager, a co-creator of sustainable partnerships, and a catalyst for nature-positive enterprise development and stewardship.

Duties and Responsibilities    
Strategy Implementation & Portfolio Management

• Oversee the Green Trust strategy and operating model, ensuring all funded projects deliver integrated ecological, social, and economic outcomes.
• Manage the full project lifecycle: from concept co-creation and due diligence to implementation support and exit.
• Maintain a balanced, diversified, and catalytic portfolio that strengthens governance and enabling conditions for lasting impact.

Nature-Positive Economies & Enterprise Support

• Guide implementing partners in identifying and incubating nature-positive enterprises.
• Access technical skill sets to strengthen business models, market access, and investment readiness.
• Coordinate business development funding and facilitate connections to Nedbank SIU support and impact investors.

Partnership Management & Convening

• Manage complex relationships between PBOs, community institutions, and corporate stakeholders.
• Convene cross-partner engagements to align roles and resolve tensions.
• Build trust-based, long-term partnerships rooted in adaptive management.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Support the Board of Trustees and ManCom with portfolio reporting, risk mitigation, and budget oversight.
• Ensure all projects meet fiduciary, legal, and Section 18A requirements.
• Oversee the design of a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) framework that aligns with WWF-SA standards to track socio-ecological returns.

Leadership & Communications

• Line-manage the GT Communications & Marketing Manager to translate impact into compelling narratives.
• Provide day-to-day leadership and mentoring to the GT Intern/Programme staff.
• Ensure timely and professional stakeholder reporting to both Nedbank and WWF.

Minimum Requirements    

• Postgraduate qualification in Conservation / Sustainability / Development Finance / Economics / Business, or a related field
• 8–12+ years of experience in conservation, development, or landscape-based programmes.
• Demonstrated experience working at the interface of ecology, livelihoods, and finance.
• Proven track record in portfolio management and working with PBOs and community institutions.
• Systems Thinking: Ability to view conservation through a strategic, integrated lens.
• Adaptive Leadership: Skilled at navigating complex environments and managing diverse actor interests.
• Communication: High-level facilitation, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Integrity & Judgment: A high degree of professional ethics and the ability to make sound decisions under pressure.
• Experience with nature-based value chains, blended finance, or catalytic funding.
• Familiarity with SROI (Social Return on Investment) frameworks.
• Experience working within South African corporate sustainability or social impact units.
• You recognise yourself in the values of WWF: Courage, Integrity, Respect, Collaboration and Inclusion.

Deadline:16th March,2026

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• The Project Coordinator will be responsible for the coordination and implementation of the agroecology project across Eastern Cape sites and selected WWF South Africa priority landscapes, while actively contributing to the delivery of WWF South Africa’s 2030 strategy and programme targets. The role will support the translation of strategic objectives into practical, field-level action by driving farmer mobilisation, capacity building, stakeholder coordination, data management, and ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery of project activities.

Duties and Responsibilities    
Strategic Alignment, Partnerships and Programme Support

• Support the implementation of WWF South Africa’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme and 2030 Strategy objectives at field level, ensuring high-quality delivery of project activities.
• Assist in translating programme strategies and workplans into practical, site-level action across Eastern Cape project sites and other priority landscapes.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of a holistic, landscape-based support approach for smallholder farmers, aligned to WWF priority areas and water source catchments.
• Support the strengthening of strategic partnerships with NGOs, government, private sector, service providers and community structures to ensure coordinated, aligned and impactful interventions.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing, learning and documentation of best practices, case studies, and lessons learned, promoting collaboration across WWF programmes and external partners.

Stakeholder Relationships and Community Engagement

Community Engagement

• Support the introduction of the project to community members, traditional leadership, local authorities and partner organisations alongside the Senior Technical Specialist.
• Facilitate the establishment and functioning of local steering committees with farmers, NGOs, private sector, municipalities and relevant government departments.
• Ensure active and inclusive participation of stakeholders in project planning, implementation and review processes.

Farmer Database and Profiling

• Develop and maintain a detailed register of participating farmers, stakeholders and rightsholders (including GPS mapping and profiling).
• Assess farmer readiness, capacity needs and enterprise potential to inform tailored support plans.
• Project Implementation and Coordination

Operational and Logistical Support

• Ensure effective use and basic maintenance of the project vehicle and equipment.
• Support procurement, distribution, tracking and accountability of project materials and inputs.

Project Implementation and Field Support

• Coordinate day-to-day activities across agroecology project sites.
• Support the establishment and management of demonstration plots, seedling nurseries and learning sites.
• Provide ongoing agronomic and technical support to participating farmers in collaboration with partners and specialists.

Capacity Building and Training

• Assist in organising and delivering farmer training sessions, exchange visits and learning events.
• Support knowledge sharing on agroecology, soil health, biodiversity and climate-smart agriculture practices.
• Link farmers and stakeholders to relevant resources, services and information, and facilitate networks for peer learning and knowledge exchange.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Conduct regular field visits and maintain up-to-date records of activities and outcomes.
• Collect data for project indicators, case studies, and success stories.
• Compile monthly and quarterly progress reports for submission to the Senior Technical Specialist

Minimum Requirements    

• Honours, bachelor's degree or Diploma in Agriculture or a related field.
• A master's degree (MSc) in a relevant field will be a strong advantage.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in agroecology; community-based agricultural project implementation.
• Demonstrated experience in agroecology, farmer mobilisation, training, and coordination of agricultural activities.
• Experience working with NGOs, local municipalities, or rural development programmes will be advantageous.
• Good understanding of agroecology, conservation agriculture, and smallholder production systems.
• Skills in data collection, farmer profiling, and reporting.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Strong interpersonal and facilitation skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage time effectively.
• High integrity and commitment to accountability and transparency.
• Flexibility and adaptability to work in remote, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks under pressure.
• Valid South African driver’s license (Code 8/B) and willingness to travel extensively.
• Advanced driving skills 
• Languages
• Excellent command of English (both written and verbal).
• Proficiency in local languages (IsiXhosa and/or Sesotho) is essential.
• You recognise yourself in the values of WWF: Courage, Integrity, Respect, Collaboration and Inclusion

Deadline:3rd April,2026