Job Vacancies At Conservation International-Climate Change and Communications Manager

Based in Johannesburg

Career Vacancies At Conservation International-Climate Change and Communications Manager Conservation South Africa (CSA), as a local affiliate of Conservation International, is committed to helping societies adopt a more sustainable approach to development—one that considers and values nature at every turn and improves human well-being through the conservation of healthy ecosystems and the goods and services they provide.  Conservation South Africa seeks to influence policy, develop markets, engage the private sector, and support communities to build resilience to climate change through Nature Based Solutions, whilst developing and implementing conservation- based economic growth models for long-term human well-being.

CSA focuses on building climate resilience both through influencing policy from the local, provincial and national levels through to international policy and private sector strategy, as well as supporting ecosystem based adaptation and mitigation, approaches on the ground, within the communities where we work. This position provides for dedicated support to CSA climate change programme in both the enabling/policy arena and in the on the ground support to carry out effective Nature based solutions within our landscapes across South Africa.

Conservation South Africa is seeking a Climate Change and Communications Manager, who will provide expertise in planning, development and implementation of climate finance and climate related policy focused at landscape level but also providing important connections to the national and international level. The role includes the communication of key messages and lessons from the development and implementation of Nature Based Solutions to climate change, including Ecosystem Based Adaptation and Mitigation.

The Climate Change and Communications Manager will provide expertise on the mainstreaming of climate change into government and policy engagements at both the national and subnational levels, working closely with the Climate Strategy Advisor and CSA Landscapes teams/clusters. Opportunities may also arise for lesson sharing and engagement within the international policy arena and across the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa (GDSA) and Conservation International Africa field division platform.

The position will focus on governance oversight for implementation of climate finance at a landscape level, initially with a focus on Carbon finance in the Kruger to Canyon Biosphere and Eastern Cape Landscape. The incumbent will also provide project management support to all adaptation and mitigation projects across CSA portfolio, including finding linkages, developing key lessons and capacity building programmes and addressing any challenges these projects may have. The incumbent will support the development and implementation of the EbA and EbM learnings at the landscape level and the development of further policy tools and metrics for adaptation at this level in alignment with Conservation International and other local partners.

Lastly the Climate Change and Communications Manager will develop communications materials based on the lessons from projects and be responsible for donor reporting and budget administration where necessary for adaptation (EbA and EbM) projects working closely with the landscape teams and technical directors. They will also coordinate regular communications between all landscapes and technical teams on climate change and support the teams in capacity building both internally and externally on EbA and EbM broadly. The role will include the management of the climate and communications coordinators in each landscape.

The Main duties of this position are:

• Climate Finance:
  • Oversee all elements of governance of climate finance, with key focus on development of a carbon finance project within the Kruger to Canyon Biosphere and other landscapes as they emerge
  • Development of International climate finance proposals with other Technical Directors
• Policy:
  • Work with landscapes and Climate Advisor in the development of a policy framework and strategy for each landscape, including integration between Green economic development (restoration economy), EbA/EbM and sustainable agriculture.
  • Drive CSA’s application of CI EbA toolkit, EbA guidelines and policy evaluation tools at landscape level through training and materials development
  • Provide policy support to the Landscapes and their District and Local Municipalities and Provinces using the Lets respond toolkit as a guide- eg. Supporting the climate coordinators in guiding strategy and inputs into Integrated Development Plans and Local Economic Development planning annually
  • Assist in providing inputs into National policy as relevant
  • Attend National policy meetings and represent CSA in networks /communities of practice (as required)
• Project Management: 
  • Oversee project management of all Mitigation and Adaptation projects across CSA landscapes, supporting the landscape teams and providing input into CSA’s Monitoring, Evaluation Research and Learning framework (MERL) on Nature Based solutions
  • Provide support to landscapes in management of project budgets and donor reporting Adaptation and Mitigation projects across CSA landscapes
  • Site visits to projects and problem solving on key challenges
• Communications and Capacity Building: 
  • Networking and relationship building with key stakeholders regularly with a particular focus on policy engagement for carbon projects (includes Government, communities, civil society)
  • Develop and communicate lessons learnt from our demonstration and policy work both internally and externally including case studies, fact sheets and policy briefs
  • Guide and help facilitate capacity building on Nature Based Solutions within CSA and in the communities where we work as well as government and the private sector
  • Coordinate Nature Based Solutions and communications within CSA-including monthly meetings, reports etc linkages with Monitoring and Evaluation, Research, Green Economic Development and Sustainable Agriculture
  • Assist in sharing developments, lessons and successes with Africa Field Division and CI
• Fundraising and Proposal Development:
  • Assist in development of Funding Proposals with Climate Advisor and other Technical directors for Nature Based Solutions as required
  • Contribute to key discussions on strategy for Nature Based Solutions to Climate Change in CSA

Requirements for application: 

• Masters in Environmental Management or some relevant science discipline including social science
• At least 5 years’ experience in project management, and must include at least 3 years in managing climate related projects (adaptation and / mitigation)
• Experience in engagement with government decision-makers and /policy development at any level within SA or abroad
• Experience in facilitation of stakeholder workshops with a variety of stakeholders
• Experience in development of dynamic communications materials, eg. Fact sheets, articles etc
• Experience with managing budgets and financial management skills, preferably in climate finance
• Experience in fundraising or proposal development and particularly for international climate finance (Green Climate Fund etc)

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Preferable knowledge or skills:

• A good understanding of South Africa’s policy environment
• A good understanding of adaptation and mitigation and knowledge on Nature Based Solutions to climate
• Experience with giving presentations and workshop facilitation is required
• Comfortable with a variety of stakeholders
• Good writing skills including report writing, articles, fact sheets etc
• Preferable to able to communicate in Afrikaans and / Xhosa
• Preferable to have some experience with research, especially climate change related

This position will be on a 12 month contract, to be based in the Johannesburg office preferably but working from Pretoria is also feasible. The applicant must have the flexibility to travel to landscapes and internationally as required for the position. The salary will be in the range of R30K-R35k cost to company (including benefits) per month.

Please submit your abbreviated CV (no longer than 3 pages) with contact details of 3 referees and a cover letter motivating why you should be selected by 11 January 2020 to: [email protected]. using the reference CSA-CCM-JHB Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Candidates who have received no response within 14 days of the closing should kindly assume that their application was unsuccessful. CSA reserves the right not to fill this position.