Job Title: Conservation Monitoring Coordinator
Hiring Organization: Space for Giants
Location – Locality: Nairobi
Location – Region: Kenya
Industry: Non Profit
Job Type: Full Time
Salary: KES
Date Posted: 07/22/2024
Space for Giants is an international conservation
organisation that protects the great wildlife landscapes that Africa’s
remaining elephants need to survive and thrive. These landscapes give homes to
giants, but they also bring great value to people and nations: biodiversity,
livelihoods and enterprise, new medicines, carbon storage, even the very oxygen
we breathe.
Overview of Role
The Conservation Monitoring Coordinator at Space for
Giants will play a pivotal role in implementing and managing conservation
monitoring tools to collect, analyze, and disseminate data across various
conservation programs. This position requires strong experience in conservation
technology systems and methodologies, a proven track record in capacity
building among field-based teams (e.g., rangers, researchers), and the ability
to oversee the integration of various types of data and information into a central
point. The Coordinator will have a proven track record working with
Earthranger, SMART, and ArcGIS along with Monitoring and Evaluation skills.
Responsibilities & Scope
- Manage and drive data collection, storage,
visualization, and reporting (social, ecological, and spatial) and
associated protocols necessary to ensure Space for Giants can track
project implementation and impact and also disseminate data across the
conservation programmes that will feed into Space for Giant’s M&E
strategy.
- Lead the implementation of existing mobile phone
monitoring across our portfolio of projects including the training of
stakeholders, storage/management/analysis/reporting of data to relevant
stakeholders (conservancies, wildlife authorities, donors, etc.), and
ongoing oversight and mentorship for partners and Space for Giants staff.
- Drive innovation and conservation technology
integration to establish a Space for Giants Data Hub that will incorporate
varied streams of data from across our portfolio of projects in an
efficient way – using Earthranger as a key integrator.
- Conduct Rapid Technology Needs Assessments
across our portfolio of projects to guide management on appropriate
technologies to adopt.
- Work closely with the Conservation Programmes
Manager to develop and implement appropriate monitoring technology to
document Space for Giants conservation impact.
- Design and establish robust M&E frameworks
to track and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of conservation
programs.
- Work with the Space for Giants Conservation,
Fundraising, Communication & Finance teams to support grant proposals,
reporting, presentations, and wider communication (including project
reporting as necessary for donors and funders).
- Work closely with the Managing Director of
Conservation to develop appropriate strategies and develop project
concepts and budgetary components for Annual Planning purposes.
- Actively build relationships and partnerships
with Conservation Technology providers (e.g. SMART Partnership, Vulcan,
ESRI, Motorola, etc.) and Conservation Partners to achieve synergy,
economies of scale and standardize data collection, management, and reporting.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with
government partners, including the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the
Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI), and ensure compliance
with national policies and regulations related to wildlife conservation
and data management.
- Provide regular updates to government partners
on project progress, findings, and impacts through detailed reports and
presentations.
- Heavy focus on training, capacity building, and
mentorship of field teams and partners on the use of appropriate
technology, protocols, and systems.
- Develop detailed project plans, including
timelines, budgets, and resource allocation, and oversee the execution of
projects, ensuring they stay on schedule and within budget.
- Line management of Monitoring and Evaluation
officer and interns.
- Uphold and promote Space for Giants’ core
values.
- Conduct research/assessments on special
projects/assignments and report on findings as requested.
- Any other relevant tasks related to the role as
directed by the Supervisor.
Minimum Qualifications
- Multi-lingual (Swahili and/or English or French
desirable) and multicultural experience appreciated.
- At least three years of work experience in
conservation project management, with hands-on implementation of M&E
strategies, and field-based capacity building.
- Educated to at least Master’s degree level or
equivalent experience in a relevant field.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to write both technical and
non-technical reports.
- Ability to multitask and meet deadlines.
- Proven proficiency and working experience
implementing impact measuring systems, data, and information management
from multiple streams and associated analyses.
- Excellent analytical skills and excellent
attention to detail.
- Highly Proficient in GIS and related software
packages.
- Excellent proficiency in conservation monitoring
technology and methodologies with specific reference to SMART,
Earthranger, Cyber tracker, (please do not apply if you do not have
advanced experience in these) camera traps, GPS collars, cloud-based systems,
remote sensors, etc.
- Knowledge and experience of social science
methodologies and analyses.
- Ability to write complex funding proposals
including budgetary elements.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to
interact with Government, private sector, research, and third-sector
organizations.
- Demonstrated experience in conservation-related
research.
- Knowledge of Kenya laws and strategies relevant
to environmental restrictions, policies, etc.
- Ability to spend extended periods in the field
away from the office to conduct training & capacity building;
- Willingness to go the extra mile to get the job
done.
- Demonstrated ability to think critically about
conservation problems.
- Valid driving license
- Requires willingness to travel regularly both
domestically and internationally, and to work weekends and evenings
occasionally.
- The successful candidate must demonstrate the
ability to work in Kenya, must be able to move to Nanyuki and work from
the office full-time.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with remote sensing and field-based
analyses of habitat types and change over time.
- Familiar with statistical analysis programs,
including “R”.
- Experience with undertaking socio-economic
surveys and analysis of associated data.
- Strong team player who can build relationships
and work collaboratively across the organization, including with Space for
Giants’ senior leadership and partners.
- Self-starter with the ability to generate work
products with limited support.
- Strong coordination and communication skills;
with demonstrated public speaking experience.
- Proven ability to work effectively in
partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, and private sector
stakeholders in Kenya.
- Ability to lead and motivate a team toward the
successful completion of projects.
