Rangeland & Livelihoods Technical Advisor at Frankfurt Zoological Society

Frankfurt Zoological Society
Serengeti Ecosystem Conservation Programme

Job Profile

Name of the position: Rangeland & Livelihoods Technical Advisor

FZS Serengeti Ecosystem Conservation Programme

 Position in the organisation

• The Technical Advisor will report directly to the Serengeti Ecosystem Conservation Programme Manager
• The Technical Advisor will directly supervise field officer(s), community conservation officers, and consultants assigned to them

Purpose of the job

FZS mission:

We conserve wildlife and ecosystems focusing on protected areas and outstanding wild places

FZS Serengeti Ecosystem Conservation Programme office purpose:

To empower local communities in the Serengeti Ecosystem to engage in the conservation of wildlife and other natural resources and adopt conservation compatible livelihoods

FZS SECP recognizes that supporting pastoralist communities living within the Serengeti ecosystem to plan, demarcate and manage community rangelands is key to maintaining ecosystem functions and livelihood improvements. As part of our growing conservation efforts within the greater Serengeti Ecosystem, FZS is seeking a Technical Advisor to facilitate a Holistic Rangeland Management program in Loliondo. The successful applicant will have proven knowledge and experience with stakeholder mobilization, rangeland management, land-use planning, and livelihood diversification. The Rangeland Technical Advisor will work with partners and key stakeholders to balance the needs for more sustainable livestock production as well as promoting diverse livelihood options, while maintaining natural ecosystem processes. The successful applicant will demonstrate experience in working with pastoralists to develop and implement grazing plans, improved husbandry and invasive species control as well as implementation of a monitoring system to assess the quality of the rangeland.
The applicant will also work to identify and promote new economic opportunities for communities in Loliondo, including adding value to livestock products, improving equitable access to micro-credit through Community Conservation Banks, and strengthening community engagement in new tourism potential. An applicant with experience in implementing community-focused tourism strategies is also a plus.
The Rangeland Technical Advisor will supervise FZS conservation, rangeland management and livelihood diversification activities within communities, supervise FZS staff, manage FZS and third-party funds budgets and conduct project and activity planning, and maintain relations with project partners and collaborators.

Main outputs

Specific Duties:

• Work with District council and villages around Loliondo to prepare participatory grazing plans
• Integrate mechanisms for reducing threats to conservation of the ecosystem into grazing plans at village and ward level
• Manage and coordinate all aspects of participatory grazing planning implementation, in collaboration with District Councils and project partners
• Establish systems for grazing control by-laws and reviewing adherence to grazing plans, in partnership with district and communities
• Supervise external consultants to ensure high quality rangeland plans
• Establish collaborations with institutions and technical experts to contribute to high-quality Rangeland planning
• Synthesize and incorporate existing data and knowledge to inform best practices for Rangeland planning around Serengeti ecosystem
• Provide technical advice, facilitation and capacity building to District authorities and other relevant stakeholders on rangelands management.
• Liase with the District council to develop, manage and coordinate tourism planning in Loliondo which maximizes benefits to communities and minimizes environmental impacts
• Work with village and District authorities to improve mechanisms by which communities can equitably benefit from tourism investments
• Monitor existing Community Conservation Banks (COCOBAs), and explore potential for scaling up
  • Identify and support potential for adding value to household livestock through markets for livestock products (eg: skins, cheese, milk, etc)

General Duties:

• Prepare work plans, budgets, and technical or donor reports as needed
• Ensure project monitoring and evaluation in line with monitoring plan
• Maintain relationships with project partners, ensuring two-way flow of information
• Represent FZS-SEMA in meetings with key ecosystem stakeholders
• Identify and develop effective partnerships and collaborations with key stakeholders and institutions
• Ensure project strategies are based on best-practices wherever possible, and advise project team to promote adaptive management
• Promote long-term sustainability of community initiatives
• Manage, mentor and build the capacity of project and partner staff
• Adhere to all FZS financial and administrative policies and regulations
• Assure proper, efficient and transparent use of project funds
• Responsible use and care of project equipment and assets including vehicles, office equipment, field equipment, housing, furniture, etc
• Timely retirement of funds, well-organised financial management
• Follow FZS financial guidelines and procedures on imprests, advances and retirements of funds
• Report any problems, damage or disrepair of FZS project assets including vehicles, office equipment, field equipment, housing, furniture, etc

Note: These outputs are general. In the individual plan they will be specified annually.

Qualifications and Experience

Required

• Master’s degree in Rangeland Management, Zoology or Livestock production
• Extensive knowledge of range management and pastoralism
• Extensive knowledge of Tanzanian laws, acts and regulations pertaining to rangelands and land tenure
• At least 5 years’ experience in Livestock development in Tanzania
• At least 3 years experience working in natural resource conservation or related field
• Fluency in Kiswahili and English
• Ability and willingness to live and work in remote areas and travel extensively within Serengeti ecosystem including rural field sites
• Excellent communication skills

Desired:

• Post-graduate degree in natural resource planning
• Experience working in Serengeti ecosystem
• Experiense in community-focused tourism initiatives
• Experience in livestock product development

Behavioural Competencies:

• Work systematically: Structuring one’s work in an orderly and transparent manner; carrying it out with and eye for detail and accuracy.
• Integrity: Maintaining high ethical standards both personally and professionally: being incorruptible.
• Sensitivity: Showing consideration, concern and respect for other people’s attitudes, feelings, or circumstances and being aware of the influence of one’s own behaviour on them.
• Negotiating: Obtaining maximum results in situations of different interests in such a way that all parties accept and agree and relationship is not damaged.
• Team work: Cooperating and working effectively in order to achieve a shared goal – even when the topic involved does not directly serve one’s own interests.

Terms

A competitive salary will be offered to a successful candidate depending on qualifications and experience.The position will be based in Loliondo (Wasso) Town (Ngorongoro District) with frequent visits to the field.
Additional benefits include:

► Basic housing provided
► Medical insurance
► 30 days paid leave per annum

Mode of application:

Candidates should submit a letter of intent describing how they qualify for this position, a CV, and three referees including contact phone numbers, and email addresses at their earliest convenience.

Deadline: December 20th, 2022.

Submit your application to FZS at: [email protected]

Only qualifying shortlisted candidates will be contacted.