The African Pastoralism Technical Specialist provides technical leadership, oversight, and support through advisory and active testing of ideas on site-based grasslands and savannah projects within Conservation International’s Africa Field Division, with a specific focus on Herding for Health (H4H) implementation. The technical specialist will ensure grasslands and savannah are adhering to the best sustainable livestock regenerative agriculture and land management practices and will directly coordinate with site-based technical staff to provide guidance and support as needed, for example in grazing area management and farmer engagements. They will operationalize fit-for-purpose sustainable livestock management approaches across all H4H sites, considering the different ecosystem types, cultural diversity, environmental variabilities, and animal health challenges that are prevalent in the different landscapes. They will update technical learning materials based on research and experience from demonstration sites and provide input to training partners for the development and implementation of relevant training materials.
- In addition to providing site-specific technical input, the
African Pastoralism Technical Specialist will form part of the CI
Grasslands and Savannah Team, and will provide input to strategic
planning, and fundraising proposals. They will work closely with other
technical divisions in Conservation International and Peace Parks
Foundation, responsible for restoration, technology development,
Conservation Stewardship Agreements, and mapping.
- The Technical Specialist will work closely with the
Conservation Stewardship Program and site-based teams to engage and
implement Stewardship Agreements.
Responsibilities
Strategy Implementation
- Livestock Production
- Provide technical leadership in sustainable livestock
management techniques including animal health, productivity, and nutrition
for communal livestock farming.
- Provide technical support to herding for health implementation
with a focus on animal productivity, animal handling, branding, herd
dynamics, herd health, and record keeping.
- Develop fit-for-purpose community livestock management
approaches that support healthier animals and healthier grasslands.
- Assess herd genetics and engage farmers on suitable approaches
to improve herd genetics in each of the Herding for Health cohorts.
- Work together with veterinarians to affiliated with the
projects and landscape leads to support the development of herd health
plans and ensure site-specific diseases are managed as part of the herding
for health approach.
- Support landscape leaders to enhance farmers/ farmer group
engagements and guide the establishment of appropriate community
governance structures.
- Work with landscape leads/H4Hsites leads to develop measures
and partnerships that will unlock relevant livestock value chains and
provide access to markets for pastoralists and implement a market-based
incentive approach for sustained implementation of the H4H model in the
landscape.
- Where necessary, support the implementation of commodity-based
trade in line with the World Organization for Animal Health.
- Provide technical input in implementing a One Health Approach
in H4H sites.
- Together with policy development teams, contribute to policy
briefs on enhancing livestock trade and commodity-based trade in Africa.
- Grasslands, Savannah, and Scrublands Management
- Implement climate-smart grazing plans to ensure sustainable
healthy grasslands and in-line with the needs of the landscape.
- Conduct farmer engagements together with site teams to
co-create grazing plans (rotational grazing and planned rest, considering
frequency, timing, duration, and intensity to support restoration of
degraded grasslands
- Together with the site teams, relevant government departments,
support the operationalization of grazing plans at the landscape level to
maximize the ecological impact from the intervention.
- Ensure livestock production measures implemented align with
ecological imperatives to restore biodiversity and sustain ecosystem functions.
- Contribute to policy briefs on sustainable livestock
management as a mechanism for climate adaptation and mitigation.
- Support the Grasslands and Savannah Senior Program Manager in
leading a technical community of practice focused on grasslands and
savannah at the landscape level.
- Community Engagements and Governance
- Engage livestock farmers/pastoralists to better manage their
livestock herds for better productivity along the livestock value chain.
- Develop strategies for improved community governance that
empower farmers to build sustainable grazing management, enhance livestock
health, and obtain better markets,
- Provide technical leadership in ensuring quality
implementation of the herding for health amplification strategy at
landscape implementation/site level and help consolidate existing
projects, establish new project sites, and support the development of strong
sustainability mechanisms in each site.
- Work together with the Stewardship Agreement and Site Teams,
to support farmer engagements on Rangeland Stewardship Agreements.
Capacity Building
- Support landscape leads and where needed provide leadership in
the establishment of the technical advisory committee in each landscape to
tap into local experience and expertise that will help improve the
delivery of outcomes of the project in each implementation site.
- Provide technical input on training manuals, toolkits, online
courses, and other learning-related materials.
- Work closely with training partners (e.g. Southern Africa
Wildlife College, Herding Academy, Afrivet and ILRI, and other relevant
training institutes in East and Southern Africa) to develop relevant H4H
training material.
- Support and when needed conduct H4H training to identified
groups and stakeholders in support of implementation of CI and partner
projects.
- Capacitate and strengthen farmers to be better stewards of
their land with robust governance systems.
Financial Sustainability
- Together with partners, establish market access opportunities
and support farmer engagements in implementing prioritized opportunities.
- Develop and support the effective implementation of technical
proposals and action plans related to livestock work, to deliver planned
outcomes.
- Provide technical contributions to innovative finance
initiatives such as Soil Organic Carbon, and Payment for Ecosystem
Services, among others.
Compliance, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
- Support with data collection for the H4H Monitoring,
Evaluation, and Learning framework covering indicators such as land cover changes,
livestock, and livelihood/socio-economic impacts.
- Ensure each site is compliant with relevant organizational
policies, protocols, and frameworks.
- Record and track risks for H4H sites together with the
Grasslands and Savannah Senior Manager.
- Ensure each site is compliant with Environmental and Social
Safeguards in place.
- Catalogue relevant project/program information in planning,
monitoring, or related systems.
- Support adaptive management for H4H sites in line with the
lessons learned.
- Develop and deliver high-quality landscape-based technical
products, analysis, and information that lead to conservation outcomes.
- Provide periodic reports and assessments on progress against
goals for internal and external audiences. Assess progress and refine
action plans and outcomes as needed.
- Work closely with Africa Grasslands and Savannah team in CI
and H4H team in Peace Parks Foundation to ensure harmony and synergy
between teams for optimal results achievement.
Additional Responsibilities
Logistics and communication
- Support communication team with information and media presence
of the Africa grassland and savannah portfolio.
- Assist with logistical support as and when needed.
- Coordinate virtual and in-person workshops and meetings that
bring out and amplify voices from the field to internal and external
audiences.
Team Culture
- Build camaraderie and team spirit among implementation teams.
- Create a sense of team unity across all implementation sites.
- Create opportunities for learning across sites.
People and resource management responsibilities
- This position does not have direct supervisory authority but
assists and mentors less-experienced team members.
- Serves as a subject matter expert on effective grassland and
livestock management, climate-smart livestock management, and agriculture
enterprise development.
Working Conditions
- Extended work hours may be required.
- Ability and willingness to travel on a regular basis to field
sites within southern, and east Africa and when needed other countries in
the rest of Africa where CI is supporting H4H implementation.
- May need to work out of doors in adverse weather conditions.
- This position follows a hybrid work structure, working some
days from the office and some remotely. Guidance will be shared during the
interview process.
- Expected to be a 3-year assignment.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in animal production or grasslands and
savannah management, grassland ecology, rangelands grasslands and
savannah, animal health or other relevant fields.
- 4 to 6 years of experience as a livestock production expert
and working with livestock farmers. Demonstrable experience working with
farmers/pastoralism or as a livestock farmer and land management
experience.
- Up to 2 years of supervisory experience.
- Demonstrable experience in linking farmers to markets.
- Experience with implementing projects in communal farming
systems will be an advantage.
- Livestock farming credentials will be highly recognized.
- Good academic record with a strong publications profile will
be considered.
Preferred
- Master’s degree in any of these relevant fields.
- Strong communication and presentation skills including the
ability to effectively convey complex details or technical information.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Basic administration and coordination skills are essential.
- Highly familiar with etiquette, protocol, and employing
cultural awareness and sensitivity.
- Proven team player.
- Self-driven with strong leadership and performance management.
- Highly organized and able to manage multiple priorities
simultaneously in a dynamic environment.
How To Apply
