The RSPB is offering a fantastic opportunity to manage our transboundary Greater Gola Landscape Programme. The Greater Gola Landscape, spanning forest in southern Sierra Leone and neighbouring Liberia comprises the largest remaining expanse of the Upper Guinea rainforest Biodiversity Hotspot (over 350,000 hectares). The RSPB is working with BirdLife partners, governments and local communities in both Liberia and Sierra Leone to protect this unique area.
In Sierra Leone, our work focuses on the Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP) and buffer zones, an area which forms the first REDD+ project for West Africa. Forest Protection, governance, research & monitoring, and community development form the core of our programme. Our community cocoa project in particular is rapidly growing, with the first international shipment of Gola cocoa in 2017. In Liberia we are working in and around the recently designated Gola Forest National Park and Foya Forest Reserve, and focusing on community forestry in the GolaMA buffer area.
The work across this landscape is steadily expanding and we need a strong leader with excellent programme management, strategic planning and partnership skills to take forward the work.
We would especially encourage you to apply if you have:
- Strong leadership skills
- Experience of managing large complex programmes, including strategic planning, project development, reporting and M&E
- Familiar with financial procedures and have skills in preparing and managing budgets
- Experience in leading diverse teams and line managing staff based overseas
- Good understanding of REDD+ and ideally some experience of voluntary REDD+ projects
- Ability to build strong relationships and partnerships with stakeholders, being sensitive of the local context
- Evidence of fund-raising ability, and skills in writing proposals for a variety of different sources
- Good crisis management, and ability to manage changing work pressures
- Extensive experience of working overseas ideally some experience in West Africa
- Good understanding of global forest conservation initiatives, commitments and policies
We expect the successful candidate to spend up to 20% of their time overseas supporting the teams on the ground in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
For further information and to download an information pack, please visit our website at https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/rspb-job-vacancies/vacancies-listing/
