WeForest

WeForest is a fast-growing international non-profit association headquartered in Belgium and with current projects in Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Tanzania, Malawi, Senegal and Zambia. The mission of the organisation is to advance innovative, scalable and lasting solutions to restore forest and landscapes for climate, people and planet. We promote scientific evidence for the ways in which forests contribute to climate change mitigation, beyond their impacts as stocks of carbon, by increasing water availability, enhancing local biodiversity conservation and rural livelihood and resilience.

Job Summary

The Project Manager will work in a dynamic team on our objective towards increasing forest cover on small farm holdings through Agroforestry & Sustainable Agriculture, and Sustainable Forest Management of miombo woodlands on farms as a scalable solution for climate mitigation and adaptation, livelihood improvement and gender equitable development. The Project Manager will work under the direct supervision of the Country Director and will have their office base in Mpongwe District with a project catchment area of Mpongwe, Luanshya and Ndola Districts.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Project management, coordination and monitoring & evaluation

1. Deliver on-time, and on-budget, the Copperbelt “Forest on Farms” Project.

2. Oversee planning, budgeting and project implementation.

3. Oversee the development of the project’s logframe and monitoring plan.

4. Liaise with local, district and national authorities on forest restoration and conservation as required.

5. Efficient and effective communication with WeForest Zambia Country Director, workforce, local communities, Forestry Department and other relevant stakeholders.

6. Lead the local team to excellent project management, performance and M&E.

7. In close collaboration with the HR Manager, develop capacity of local team.

Technical leadership

1. Lead socio-economic and ecological resource assessments and monitoring in the project area.

2. Oversee and coordinate land use planning at Farm level

3. Support capacity building of Farmers Associations and Forest Commodities Associations to develop sustainable value chains for agriculture, agroforestry and forest products.

4. Facilitate for farmers in the project area to implement Agroforestry and Sustainable Climate SMART Agriculture.

5. Encourage Sustainable Forest Management practices through promotion of bee keeping and pine production.

6. Promote Community Forest Management by facilitating for the establishment of Community Forest Areas in the project area.

7. Coordinate and facilitate the development, validation and adoption of a Forest Management Plan for Imanda CFA.

8. Organise training for farmers in crop and animal production in collaboration with Government Departments at the district level.

Programme development

1. If and when required: assist in grant writing to boost the programme

Candidate Profile

Essential

An M.Sc., or equivalent experience in, Forestry, Forest ecology and conservation, Economics, Rural development, Agro-ecology or equivalent

Fluent in English (both speaking and writing)

Minimum 3 years’ relevant experience in community-based forest restoration, management and conservation in a developing country, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa. Experience in Community Forest Management practices in Zambia is essential.

Demonstrable experience of developing livelihood value chains in collaboration with small-scale farmers, communities and business

·Excellent management, coordination, training, reporting and communication skills

Flexible in terms of traveling and living conditions

Excellent team player

Ability to develop and manage complex budgets

Experience in developing log frames and work plans and delivering projects against milestones and targets

Ability to use and understand GIS

Desirable:

Knowledge of Lamba

Track record with gender-sensitive participatory, governance and inclusion approaches

Track record in grant applications

Track record in writing scientific articles

TASKS

Implement best practices in day to day management of the project activities

Demonstrate leadership and show own initiative

Coordinate and assist the staff under your responsibility

Ensure Training and extensionist services towards farmers are up to standards and timely.

·Technical advisor ensuring a good partnership with all stakeholders to guarantee project outputs

Ensure collection of quality quantitative & qualitative field data (socio-economic data, forest inventory/vegetation survey, GPS coordinates, etc.)

Facilitate consultancies, project visits and other services on behalf of WeForest/ third parties for scientific studies & analysis.

Appropriate and frequent reporting in full transparency and integrity, being coachable for improvement

Ensure a safe working environment for WeForest Staff, local community and other stakeholders as well as the organisation’s assets.

Terms & Conditions

Position: Full-time employee, 5 or 6 days per week.

Base: Mpongwe, Zambia

Start date: As soon as possible, preferably by 16/01/2023

Package: Competitive package for a small organisation, level 4a salary package