Position: Project Assistant – Kabompo

Reports to: Kabompo Landscape Program Officer

Location: Kabompo Field Office (Mufumbwe)

Background

The World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is the world’s leading independent conservation organisation with a global network in over 100 countries. Our mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature. We have been working in Zambia since 1962 organising our efforts across Freshwater, Wildlife, Forests and People.

WWF Zambia seeks to recruit a young Zambian with an interest and passion in Conservation and Administration, willing to take up the position of Project Assistant to perform various Conservation and Administrative tasks and support our Kabompo Field Office knowledge management processes and daily activities for a period of 12 months.

The Role

Project Assistant responsibilities include conducting administrative work, communication support, conservation support and basic knowledge management. The conservation and administrative intern will be responsible for driving the knowledge management strategy focusing on the critical valuable facts of operational information, best practices and conservation lessons that will be created both within and outside the Kabompo Landscape.

Specific duties and tasks

Under the supervision of the Kabompo Landscape Program Officer, the Project Assistant shall amongst other tasks provide:

• Set specific learning objectives at the beginning of the internship based on which they will be reporting at the end of the period;
• Liaise with the finance department and procurement on the various relevant aspects of the Mufumbwe Field Office.
• Assist in the stamping and/or approval of payment vouchers and pay sheet forms;
• Assist in filing of finance and procurement documents for the field office;
• Assist in the purchase and supply of goods and materials in the field office;
• Ensuring that there is a proper filing system for incoming and outgoing mails and other documents for the core management;
• Liaising and coordinating with the WWF Zambia Communications Officer on Landscape awareness activities around biodiversity conservation, management and sustainable development aspects.
• Documenting field activities; drafting conservation field stories through photography and videography.
• Assist in regular populating and maintenance of a monitoring and evaluation framework for conservation initiatives in the Kabompo Ecosystem
• Assist in key aspects of knowledge management through organizing online meetings (e.g. webinars) and facilitating knowledge-sharing events, curating content for knowledge-sharing platforms, fostering communities of practice and distributing brochures, flyers, and newsletters in the landscape.
• Support socio-economic and biological research fieldwork in the Kabompo Landscape when required.
• Support the coordination of meetings and workshops with communities or other stakeholders in the landscape.
• Support the Kabompo Landscape Office in liaison with the WWF Zambia technical conservation teams (in wildlife, freshwater, and forestry pillars) on the various landscape Programme.
• Support outreach activities and engagement with local communities, traditional leaders, district and provincial offices and relevant government departments to ensure synergy and support for site activities.
• Perform any other project-related activities/duties as the supervisor requires and directs.

Required Qualifications, Skills and Competencies 

• At least a BSc. in Environmental Economics, Wildlife Management, Ecology and Biodiversity Management, Environmental Science, Fisheries Science, Forestry Science or similar field.
• Minimum of at least two years’ work experience as a Research / Field Assistant or similar junior Conservation Management role is a plus
• High interest in data science with a familiarity with SPSS, R, and Stata for data analysis
• Added advantage of basic Knowledge of GIS (Arc or Quantum), Google Earth Pro, and SMART for monitoring implementation and progress of field activities.
• Experience with MS Office (Excel, Word, Access).
• Must be willing or able to ride a motorbike
• Basic understanding of Knowledge Management (KM) and Project Management (PM) cycles.
• Basic knowledge of Zambian laws in natural resources management (Acts, Regulations, Policies, etc.)
• Excellent oral and written communications skills in English;
• A good command of at least one of the following Zambian local languages Kaonde, Lunda, Luvale or Nyanja.
• Ability to work in a culturally and professionally diverse team;

Working Relationships

Internal: Interacts regularly with other WWF ZCO staff.

External: Interacts with various partners in government, private sector, CSOs, traditional authorities and community members.

This job description covers the main tasks and conveys the spirit of sort of tasks that are anticipated proactively from staff. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organisational needs for effective programme implementation.