Position Title: Funding and Reporting Manager

Reports to: Park Manager

Location: Kafue National Park

Background

African Parks is a non-profit conservation organization that takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities. We currently manage 20 national parks and protected areas in 11 countries covering over 17 million hectares in: Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The funding and reporting manager FRM is accountable for effective and compliant delivery of the park’s grant portfolio, high-quality reporting for internal and external purposes, and both identifying as well as effectively relaying the park’s funding needs. It is a critical position which links the park’s strategy and operational reality with funders, partners and the teams at APN Headquarters, most notably fundraising. This requires coordination and close collaboration with the park manager, financial controller as well as the other Heads of Department responsible for implementation of park projects, and a thorough understanding of African Parks’ Standard Operating Procedures. Management of Park data collection and monitoring systems and coordination will play a role in this important position.

The incumbent will need a high level of experience in all aspects of funding and grants management to ensure a high level of compliance with internal processes and a smooth flow of funding for operations. Experience in the field of data collection and management of monitoring programs will of great value to the incumbent.

Primary Functions and Responsibilities

• Oversees the park’s grant portfolio, monitoring effective and compliant delivery of respective projects. This includes working closely with the financial controller to ensure correct allocations of donor funding and tracking burn rates, coordinating grant work plans and briefing the heads of department on key deliverables, providing required partner visibility and monitoring risks to grant project components’ delivery. Represents the park in the bi-monthly calls debriefing APN funding and finance teams on grant delivery, key updates and risks.

• Coordinates and collates park reporting, both for internal and external purposes. This includes ensuring AP Reporter data is accurate and up-to-date, park information is accurate on SIMBA as well as the calendar and the monthly and annual reports, operational analytical reports can be compiled and providing timely and high-quality donor reports that reinforce our reputation, in addition to developing general factsheets about the park for external purposes.

• Understands, monitors and maps the park’s funding needs, and can effectively develop well-written documents that relay why the park needs funding for specified activities to enable effective
• Co-writes, with the funding team, the park’s grant proposals and ensures these are closely aligned with the park’s business plan and monitoring programme.   

• Coordinates or collates park-level surveys, case studies, data collection and analyses that inform impact assessments for donors and partners.

Secondary Functions and Responsibilities

• In parks where the outlined primary responsibilities do not require 100% of the funding and reporting managers’ time, other, secondary responsibilities can be crowded in as per the park manager’s discretion, based on the park’s needs and candidates’ respective strengths and qualifications. These may include for example:
• Liaison for the African Parks assurance department to support not only internal performance improvement cycles but also the compliance officer and legal & safeguards manager.
• Support the writing of operational documents such as business plans and special project descriptions.
• In liaison with the park manager, regional team and APN’s funding, communications and tourism teams, supports management of the park’s external relationships at park-level, for example by supporting the coordination of donor visits.
• Where applicable, provides carbon monetization project support.

Qualification & experience

• An appropriate tertiary education, supporting the role and responsibilities;
• At least 10 years of relevant experience in the conservation sector, specifically in a large scale, complex, protected area environment;
• Experience in Grant Delivery and Compliance ;
• Experience with management of grants from large donor institutions with complex reporting requirements ;
• Experience in management of monitoring and evaluation of data;
• A demonstrated team approach to staff management;
• Solutions centered with an understanding of the need for confidentiality;
• Demonstrated personal interest in the protection of the environment and particularly wildlife;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Excellent ability to write reports and present project progress in presentation format;
• IT – Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook. Any other data presentation programs that can demonstrate progress against objectives.