National Forest Programme Coordinator at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Kenya

Major Functions:

The Coordinator is responsible for overall coordination and leadership of the national forest programme,strategic and technical support of the WWF-Kenya Forest work. At national level and regional level, the incumbent will work to influence the country’s National Forest Programme (NFP) including policy and technical commitments under the National Forest policies and strategies as well as the globally and regionally under theBonn Challenge/AFR 100 and other regional and global Multi-Lateral Environmental Agreements (MEA’s) related to forestry. The Coordinator, working with Programme teams at the landscapes, will be responsible for strategic development and diversification of the Organization’s forest work to ensure a coherent and well-articulated portfolio of interventions jointly implemented by WWF and its partners.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide strategic guidance and technical oversight for the systematic growth and diversification of WWF-K forest work in line with WWF-Kenya’s Strategic Plan 2020-2030 and WWF network forest programme while adopting the Global Best Practices.
•  Influence the country’s National Forest Programme (NFP) including policy and technical commitments under the Bonn Challenge/AFR 100 and other regional and global MEAs related to forestry.
• Identify and build strategic alliances and partnerships with Civil Society Organizations and networks, private sector, and government and non-governmental agencies to lobby and advocate for improved governance of forests in the country. This will involve routine participation in review
• processes for relevant policies and legislation and submission of appropriate policy recommendations to strengthen forest governance.
• ( EARFP ended as part of Ecoregion programmes and replaced by practice captured below
• Working with Programme and Landscape Managers, coordinate the development and implementation of a comprehensive monitoring, evaluation, and reporting plan for forest work as part of our landscape approach to ensure effective monitoring of program performance against set targets, timely progress reporting, and periodic evaluation of program impacts.
• Coordinate resource mobilization efforts for forest work either as part of the landscape approach or singly through proactive identification of potential funding opportunities and periodic development of funding proposals and concepts in collaboration with Programme teams and partners.
• Advice and support planning and implementation of targeted scientific studies and surveys to generate new information and innovative ideas to address specific issues of interest to our forest work aligning to WWF-Kenya’s Strategic Plan.
• Lead WWF-Kenya's effective participation and contribution to regional and international Forest processes to share/leverage lessons and broaden partnerships for sustainable forest management and conservation in Kenya.
• Coordinate documentation and sharing of lessons learnt across WWF-Kenya Programmes and the region, including profiling forest conservation achievements through the Communication Unit.
• Lead in the preparation and implementation of Forest Programme Strategies and annual work plans and budgets to deliver high impact results.
• Act as WWF Kenya’s focal point and represent the organization in the Forest Practice and initiatives and work with Africa Focal Points and Leadership Team members for consolidated input into Practice operations.
• Offer leadership in innovation in forest conservation and management through various approaches including (but not limited to) development of projects under the REDD+ schemes under UNFCCC, sustainable forest financing and working with the Sustainable Investments Hub on influencing developments for sustainability.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• At least a Masters’ Degree in Forestry Management and other closely related fields. A Ph.D in the above fields would be an added advantage.
• At least 10 years professional experience in Environmental and Natural Resources management, preferably in Sustainable Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation related work in Kenya.
• Past experience in engagement with Civil Society Organizations and Networks, Private Sector, and Government Agencies on advocacy work on improved natural resources management.
• Past experience in development and implementation of Strategic Plans and demonstrated success in resource mobilization.
• Demonstrated understanding of relevant MEAs related to forestry management, experience in the development of carbon financed forestry projects under the REDD+ schemes, including sustainable forest financing.

Required Skills and Competences

• Strategic and visionary as well as capable of achieving outstanding results while working with others.
• Experienced with demonstratable technical knowledge and skills in delivering excellent results on sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation.
• Highly developed conceptual, analytical and innovative problem-solving ability and excellent oral and written communication.
• Experience in organization development, civil society engagement, communication, lobbying and advocacy.
• Proven interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people in a multi-cultural, multi-interest, multi-ethnic environment.
• Must be detail-oriented and have the ability to multi-task under limited supervision.