DRC: Program Officer, Conservation Programs

Nov 28, 2022 | Virunga National Park
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Virunga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated in the North Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Created in 1925, it is Africa’s oldest national park and is the most biologically diverse protected area on the continent—home to over 2,000 plant species, 706 bird species, and 218 mammal species. Virunga is also the only park in the world that harbors three species of Great Apes, including chimpanzees, eastern lowland gorillas, and mountain gorillas.

In addition to its mandate to protect the national park and its biological assets, Virunga authorities are also responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of the populations that live and travel across the park’s 3,000 square miles. In 2012, the park authority launched the Virunga Alliance, a development vision with the mission to responsibly develop the park’s natural resources in a way that fosters peace and prosperity for the five million people that live within a day’s walk of the park’s borders. Virunga National Park is co-managed under a 25-year public-private partnership between the Congolese Wildlife Authorities, or the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), and the Virunga Foundation.

Roles and Responsibilities

  • Coordinate closely with various departments to ensure that donor grants are monitored effectively, reports are of high quality and submitted in a timely manner and that compliance is being maintained both in respect to donors and VF’s own policies and procedures
  • Support for the compilation and updating of key documents as required by the Foundation including but not limited to the development of donor proposals, well written quarterly and annual donor reports, internal reports, work plans and logical frameworks
  • Help identify sources of funding and provide support through the development of fundraising ideas and campaign initiatives
  • Work closely with the Digital Media Team to create meaningful content for the park’s website and social media accounts
  • Provide strategic direction and technical support for the development of the park’s various protected area restoration and management strategies as well as species specific action plans
  • Provide day-to-day support to the Conservation Programs Department as required

Qualifications and Requirements

  • Minimum Bachelor’s degree in international relations, development, social or natural sciences
  • Minimum 3+ years of experience in project management related to USAID and other USG funded programs
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, particularly in proposal writing and cross cutting strategy planning
  • Ability to manage work on multiple projects at once, with a collaborative and proactive approach and an aptitude to identify specific tasks and next steps
  • Strong understanding of complex challenges faced by field teams in difficult operating environments
  • Working knowledge in French and familiarity of approaches in biodiversity protection for protected areas in Africa are an added advantage

Contractual Terms

Contract for 12 months, renewable and starting as soon as possible.

How to apply

Applications should be submitted by e-mail to recruitement@virunga.org, citing the job title in the subject line. This should include a cover letter and CV. The deadline for applications is 20 December 2022. Only applications submitted by the deadline will be considered.

Due to the volume of applications received, receipt of applications cannot be acknowledged individually.

Candidates who do not receive any feedback within three months of the deadline should consider their application as unsuccessful.