Summary
Date Posted: Monday, December 20, 2021 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
WeForest has been active around agroforestry and sustainable reforestation in Zambia since 2011, starting in Kitwe district, Copperbelt. Currently, four projects are running, two in the Copperbelt and two in Muchinga province.
The position available would focus across projects, on the consolidation of the projects in Muchinga as well as the expansion of WeForest impact in the larger Muchinga province:
• The Chintumukulu project, which started in 2020, aims to establish and functionalize a community conservancy of 8,500 ha and support sustainable income sources to run the conservancy in the long-term.
• The forest landscape around Chintumukulu and within the Mutinondo river catchment (Mpumba Chiefdom) is an important buffer zone to protected areas and can become a corridor between two national parks – Lavushi Manda and South Luangwa. The area is at risk from increasing levels of deforestation and encroachment driven by agricultural expansion, charcoal production and land privatization.
• The community forest reserves bordering the Lavushi Manda National Park are currently undergoing a feasibility study for long-term support by WeForest. If succesful, the project could start in Q3 2022.
• The HEARTH project for Luangwa will start in Q1 2022 and WeForest plays a beekeeping lead role in Mukungule and Mpumba Chiefdoms.
• The Mafinga project, which started in 2021 aims to establish a community forest with sustainable management practicess away from resource depletion by implementing training, environmental stewardship and changing agricultural techniques. This will be a project led by WECSZ and your role will be to play an external controller on the ground (one week field visit in 2022).

Role
The role of the Lead Community Officer would be to:
• Provide expert technical support to the project’s primary target beneficiaries, being the local communities that depend on the landscape for their livelihoods and survival.
• Provide expert advice in partnership management, related to public and private collaborating partners, private market actors and contractors with which the projects will engage.
• Provide hands-on strategic guidance and technical oversight for community capacity building and practices for improving community natural resource management and reducing the human, economic, and ecological burdens that are prohibiting sustainable resource management currently.
• Provide a strong liaison and collaboration with local communities and community groups (e.g. Community Forest Management Groups), relevant Government agencies (e.g. Forest department) and private partners (e.g. NGO’s).
• Coordinate and organize joint meetings, trainings and workshops to work out concepts for Income generating Activities away from natural resource depletion.
• Drive the development of training manuals, community awareness and school programs
• Drive, together with the livelihood’s advisor, the development of sustainable income generating activities.
• Smooth coordination and implementation of field activities related to community outreach programs
• Assist the Project Managers in the design, implementation and running of day to day activities and monitoring of community projects in the respective field sites and community areas
• Conduct quality control field visits on a regular basis (at least yearly) where applicable.

Expected outcomes through your work
• In consultation with local authorities and communities, project partners and other stakeholders, you determine the target communities for outreach programs in the different areas
• Working with and supporting project partners, you ensure that communities living in target intervention areas and surrounding areas benefit from our interventions and have increased access to and knowledge of forestry and agricultural services and information.
• You manage and coordinate chiefdom-based community outreach officers as they mobilize community institutions and members in project activities
• You collaborate with project partners and other stakeholders in the landscape to ensure consistency, synergy and effective messaging of community conservation and forest-related topics across our portfolio in Muchinga.
• You establish community outreach-specific goals and priorities in the execution of your (teams) workplan.
• You contribute to the development and implementation of the Gender Integration Action Plan and takes the lead in ensuring its implementation in Muchinga.
• You ensure that a participatory dialogue, planning and decision-making process around natural resource governance and management includes the principles of FPIC and “Do no harm” (both during implementation and development of new project components).
• You work as a part of the project implementation team and as part of the broader WeForest Zambia team, ensuring close communication, collaboration and learning with peers across projects, teams (and potentially countries).
• You work with the project’s monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) staff to implement the MEL Plan, report on project activities, measure outcomes in accordance with project requirements and document key lessons learned from stakeholder engagements and community interactions, ensuring these lessons learned are also shared with those stakeholders and communities.

Candidate Profile
Core competencies
• Innovation and delivery-oriented: Ability to make new and useful ideas work, and to get things done.
• People and partnership management: Ability to improve performance and satisfaction of team members/stakeholders.
• Communication and facilitation: Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform; excellent interpersonal skills.
• Participatory, bottom-up approaches: Ability to foster a sense of ownership in partners and local stakeholders with different backgrounds.
• Compromising: Ability to comprise and keep different stakeholders in line with the common goal. Bridge-builder rather than pushing through.

Technical/functional competencies
• Forests and development: Theoretical knowledge of forestry, legislation and economic principles, including establishing and supporting Community Forest Areas and Management groups.
• Land Use planning: Practical knowledge of the procedure for participatory (village) land use planning.
• Systems thinking and strategy development: Ability to gather, structure and analyse complex information and relationships to inform realistic strategies.
• Community oriented: Ability to plan, organise and mobilize communities
• Knowledge Management and Adaptive Management: Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge and adapt strategies in real-time.
• Advocacy and representation: Ability to productively share knowledge and activities for various venues and stakeholders.
• Negotiation and strategic partnership development: Ability to facilitate and negotiate partnerships; ability to understand complex landscapes and interests.

Qualifications and other requirements:
a. Education
• A B.Sc., or equivalent experience, in Forestry, Rural development, Agro-ecology, Planning or related field

b. Experience
• A minimum of 5 years’ relevant work experience with at least 4 years practical experience in community-based natural resource management and community outreach programs
• Experience in gender integration and community participation
• Experience in negotiating and conflict management
• Experience in community conservation and/or conservation education
• Experience with leading multi-stakeholder conversations and develop common concepts that are workable for a variety of stakeholders.
• Demonstrable skills in management, coordination, training and reporting

c. Language requirements
• Fluent in English (both speaking and writing)
• Fluent in Bemba/Bisa (both speaking and writing)
d. Considered a plus
• Experience with driving motorbikes is considered a plus
• Experience working in Miombo ecosystems
• Experience with CFA establishment, CFMG governance and/or CWC
• Flexible in terms of traveling (evenings/weekend) and living conditions. Ability to live in remote areas with few comfort and facilities.

Terms & Conditions
Start date: First of February 2022
Duration of Contract: One year with possibility of a multi-year contract upon performance
Salary: Level 3.b Senior officer
Location: Based in Mpika. Predominantly working in Lavushi Manda and Mpika districts, Muchinga province.
Extras: Bonus of 5% based on performance, please note that there are no field allowances though this position is also expected to carry out fieldwork regularly. We do offer professional health insurance (Essential).
Hours of Work: Full-time, working a minimum of 8 hours per day and 4 hours on Saturday. Hours will however vary depending on project needs and flexibility is essential.
Reporting line: The officer will work under the supervision of and report to the project manager on site, with regular contacts with the livelihood officer and Country director.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 60

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure

• Please send applications to recruitment.zambia@weforest.org with your CV, a motivation letter, and 2 recent references by January 9th 2022.
• Make sure to mention the job title in the subject of the email, and to indicate where you saw the job post. In your motivation letter, we’d love to read about what makes you interested to work with WeForest.
• Due to the anticipated high number of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We thank you in advance for your interest.

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