Arusha, Tanzania

Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable.  One of our core values is our commitment to diversity. Therefore, we strive for a globally diverse and culturally competent workforce. Working in 72 countries, including all 50 United States, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.

Since establishing the Africa Program in 2007, The Nature Conservancy’s vision in Africa is to work towards fostering a sustainable future for people and nature, partnering with indigenous communities across 55 million acres on the continent. Our efforts are firmly rooted in people, leveraging scientific and technical expertise as we collaborate with governments and organizations to conserve and enhance Africa’s shared resources in the 9 countries we operate.

TNC’s work in Africa transcends three key pillars: securing ownership rights to lands and resources for indigenous people, strengthening leadership and resource management and helping communities value nature through a holistic appreciation of its benefits while increasing revenue streams for conservation efforts and socio-economic development. Together with our partners, we are witnessing critical milestones in integrated land and fisheries management, ocean and source water protection, energy development and sustainable food production, working together and strengthening our resolve in tackling global challenges such as climate change, habitat and biodiversity loss that stand to adversely impact the nearly 1.4 billion people that share Africa.

In the northern rangelands of Tanzania, TNC and key partners are working to save one of the world’s largest wildlife migrations by keeping habitat and movement corridors open and improving the lives of pastoralist and hunter-gatherer communities that rely on these lands. In collaboration with local communities, government, partners NGOs and the private sector, we will: (1) improve habitat health and overall biodiversity and protect movement corridors, through land use planning, invasive plants removal, and native plants revegetation; (2) create sustainable revenue flows for conservation and communities including through a prospective soil carbon project; and (3) improve the capacity of communities and government to carry out conservation after the project ends.

Project Assistant- Resilient Ecosystem will support the Project Manager -Resilient Ecosystem in leadership of project implementation, coordination and joint planning with partners and funding subrecipients, and effective project monitoring and reporting to the Project Manager -Resilient Ecosystem. As a member of the Project Management Unit, the Project Assistant- Resilient Ecosystem will engage with Northern Tanzania Rangelands Initiative (NTRI) partners and other stakeholders such as communities and government actors to achieve integrated outcomes for biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction, including through the development of a soil carbon project with pastoralist communities. This is a four-year term public award for the Northern Tanzania Rangelands. Reporting to the Project Manager -Resilient Ecosystem, the position will be based in Arusha, Tanzania. No employment visas or assistance is being offered with this position except for the local labor employment requirements.

The Project Assistant- Resilient Ecosystem is responsible for supporting the project implementation to achieve TNC’s landscape project objectives by representing TNC in relationships and negotiations with government agencies, partners, communities, and other stakeholders. Their expertise in community-based conservation and carbon finance mechanisms will support delivery of the project’s objective to create sustainable revenue flows including through a prospective soil carbon project. They will help identify and resolve any challenges to effective project management and compliance. position them to support the Project Manager -Resilient Ecosystem and team where they are most needed in the field as well as office-based management duties.

• Collaborates with the Project Manager -Resilient Ecosystem and partners to develop annual work plans and coordinate activity implementation in accordance with approved work plans.
• Establishes and maintains optimal performance standards to meet targets and expected outcomes of annual work plans and the funder agreement while remaining within budget.
• Ensures high quality implementation of the project field operations to realize progress towards project objectives, including through field visits.
• Ensures that logistics are in place for the implementation of events; ensures that activities are reported on technically and financially.
• Organizes and reports upon project partner meetings and provides follow-up.
• Supports the monitoring of key deliverables, outputs, and outcomes as per work plans, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) plan, and sub-grantee/contractor agreements.
• Manages, in coordination with the Project Manager -Resilient Ecosystem , relationships with local and national government institutions and partner organizations.
• Ensures coordination for planning and feedback with district and village governmental institutions, other stakeholders, partners, and beneficiaries for the project.
• Facilitates communications and information flow for the project.
• Coordinates annual work planning and quarterly and annual performance reports.
• Prepares presentations, lessons learned, and other communications and training products as needed.
• Contributes to management and implementation of a complex landscape-scale public award project.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently and on short notice, sometimes on weekends.
• Support the coordination and negotiates with TNC partners and other stakeholders.
• Contributes to planning and delivery of a soil carbon finance project with communities in the landscape, including management of consultants and experts.
• May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances

• BA/BS degree in natural resources management, conservation, business administration, economic development, carbon financing or another related field of study and 3 years of related work experience in conservation, carbon finance, conservation-oriented market and investment development, and/or other related experience.
• Experience in managing multiple projects and timelines within budget and compliance requirements.
• Experience developing partnerships (partners, community, government).
• Experience with reporting to public funders on technical delivery of projects.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint. 
• 3 to 5 years of related work experience in carbon financing, community-based conservation, rangelands management, conservation-oriented market, and investment development and small and medium- sized agribusiness and/or carbon finance programs or other related experience.
• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated – Proficiency in Swahili is an added advantage
• Flexibility and attention to detail are key requirements to get work done.
• Knowledge of Tanzania’s environment sector and wildlife management policies, laws, and development issues.
• Knowledge of current trends and strategies in conservation, carbon financing and land protection.
• Politically savvy and experienced in partnership development (partners, community, government).
• Effective communicator, both interpersonal and written, in English and Kiswahili.
• Experience negotiating complex agreements.