Technical Advisor

Position: Technical Advisor (1 Year FTC)

(West and North Africa Conservation Programme)

Salary: £27,891 - £32,198 per annum

Location: Benin

About Us:

ZSL’s West and North Africa Programme is looking for a Technical Advisor to support Pendjari and W national parks in Benin.  The successful candidate will be responsible for the delivery of this new initiative to strengthen capacity for conservation of the W-Arli-Pendjari complex.

Main Duties:

The main focus in the initial phase is to support effective law enforcement monitoring and protection in Pendjari and W national parks through the implementation of the SMART approach (http://www.smartconservationsoftware.org/). The Technical Advisor will also work alongside colleagues at ZSL and partner organisations to develop the project further and secure additional funds for its delivery.

• Support establishment of research programmes aimed at sustainable management of the parks and surrounding areas;
• Develop the capacity of local and regional partners to manage and protect the parks, and carry out any other relevant aspects of project activities; and
• Engage with other stakeholders to integrate the project into existing and future initiatives for conservation in the region.

Person Specification:

• Successful applicants will have an excellent standard of written and spoken French,
• Ability to communicate effectively in English,
• A Master’s degree in a relevant subject or equivalent level of work experience in a relevant field.
• Experience in protected area management, wildlife protection and/or patrol based monitoring (ideally SMART or similar approaches) is essential
• Proven experience in capacity development.
• Solid personal and collaborative skills and proven experience of working with multiple collaborators and stakeholders.
• Experience of project management and development is highly desirable,
• Good understanding of biodiversity conservation issues in the region essential.

For full job description please refer to ZSL Website Job page: Current vacancies | Zoological Society of London (ZSL)

The candidate should have proven budget management and report writing ability, and excellent communication skills. Ideally the candidate should also have experience of living and working in developing countries, preferably in West Africa. The post will be primarily based in and around Pendjari and W national parks, with regular travel to ZSL’s office in Cotonou and the wider region as appropriate. This is a 1 year renewable contract, dependant on funding. The position is to start as soon as possible.

To Apply:

Applicants should send their CV, Equality of Opportunity Monitoring Form and a Covering Letter detailing relevant experience and skills and stating why they want the position, by email to hr@zsl.org. We regret that we will only be able to contact applicants who have been selected for interview. 

Closing Date:

Closing date for applications: 8^th February 2015.

Anticipated interviews date: 18^th or 19^th February 2015

Start date: ASAP

The Zoological Society of London is a charity registered in England and Wales: no. 208728.