Africa Forestry Specialist at The Nature Conservancy

The Africa Forestry Specialist helps to develop, manage and advance TNC Africa’s forestry programs, plans and methods for large-scale forestry in East Africa with a focus on Kenya. This position will be based in Nairobi.

Essential Functions

The Africa forestry specialist will help develop and implement TNC’s forestry strategy in Africa. Specifically they will be working on the ‘Tree Fund’ and sustainable woodfuels programme TNC is developing. The Tree Fund is an innovative new finance facility to stimulate tree planting across East Africa. The sustainable woodfuels programme involves both on the ground pilots of sustainable charcoal and assessing more broadly different methods and policies related to sustainable woodfuel production.

The Africa forestry specialist would work alongside the project lead in order to accomplish all project deliverables. Initially this would be a 12 month contract in line with the project funding. The hope is that the position would be extended subject to good performance and subsequent project funding.

Responsibilities And Scope

• Responsible for project management of specific deliverables such as developing environmental assessment criteria for the Tree Fund, overseeing sustainable charcoal pilots, managing woodfuel economics & policy study
• Providing technical expertise and advice to TNC project lead on all technical forestry related aspects of Tree Fund
• Participating in Kenya and AFR100 land restoration strategies
• Helping design a coherent forestry strategy by co-ordinating various TNC Africa programmes involving forestry such as Tree Fund, woodfuels pilots, Nairobi Water Fund and Tanzania programmes.
• Manage multi-disciplinary administrative and professional staff both TNC and contractual staff
• Gain cooperation from outside parties to accomplish program goals.
• Financial responsibility may include working within/managing a budget to complete projects, negotiating and contracting with vendors, assisting with budget development, and meeting fundraising targets.
• Ensures program compliance with internal policies and external requirements.
• Under minimal supervision, makes independent decisions based on analysis, experience and context.

Minimum Qualifications

• BA/BS, forestry or relevant natural resource management degree and 5 years’ experience in forestry or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with established forestry company, NGO or research institution
• Experience negotiating complex agreements.
• Supervisory experience.
• Experience using applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Web Browsers.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Knowledge of forestry and conservation science.
• Ability to explain conservation practices to technical and non-technical audiences
• Knowledge of current trends and practices in African forestry and woodfuels.
• Working knowledge of forestry finance appreciated
• Completing tasks independently with respect to timeline(s).
• Excellent communication skills via written, spoken and graphical means in English and other relevant languages.