Overview

Community Conservation Educator

Nsumbu Tanganyika Conservation Programme

An opportunity exists within Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), Zambia through the Nsumbu Tanganyika Conservation Programme (NTCP) for a well-organized, highly motivated, and independent person to join the team in Nsumbu as a Community Conservation Educator (CCE). NTCP has been in existence in Nsama Chiefdom since 2017, working closely with Government partners and the Nsama community to improve management of wildlife and other Natural Resources. This led to the development of a Conservation Education programme, with a view of increasing conservation knowledge in the surrounding community. The program called SUFINA (Sungeni Ifilengwa Na Lesa) was rolled out in 2021 targeting primary school learners and is currently working with five schools in the project area, and NTCP is exploring expansion options to additional schools focusing on standalone lessons and key conservation messaging.

Location: Nsumbu, Nsama District, Zambia

Reports to: Senior Technical Advisor and Senior Community Conservation Officer, NTCP

Working closely with: Conservation Teachers, DNPW and CBOs.

Purpose of the Job

Deliver an effective conservation-oriented education programme in schools around the project areas, contributing to conserving landscapes and enriching lives.

Key Responsibilities

The CCE will work to support the activities of the Conservation Education Programme, working to improve conservation awareness and increasing access to conservation knowledge, in collaboration with Conservation teachers. This will be done through the following areas of focus:

  1. Conservation education lessons and school activities: support and guide teachers on delivering high-quality conservation curriculum, while being proactive in anticipating new curriculum needs and co-creating new curriculum and lesson plans.
  2. Community Outreach Programme/Activities in the Community: work with different partners (community, government, NGOs) to create engaging events, supporting conservation clubs and other relevant activities to change mindsets and attitudes towards conservation and NTCP.
  3. Monitoring and evaluation: assess teacher and programme performance, identifying challenges and best practices. Design data collection methods to enable review and to improve upon programs.
  4. General: Ensure all SUFINA components are delivered on time, within budget, with funds used in a transparent manner.

Capabilities, Competencies and Experience needed for the job

The CCE should be a goal-oriented, highly motivated qualified individual with relevant work experience. S/He should be willing to work with minimum supervision with majority of the work being field based. Should be willing to work with different individuals from community level to Government partners, cultivating and maintaining positive relationships for the success of the program. Should be able to design and implement workable programs and contribute to the expansion of the program with new ideas.

Note that the successful candidate will be expected to spend significant time working with rural communities, with the occasional night spent in the village.

The following criteria will be used in shortlisting candidates:

Minimum qualifications

  • A Degree in Education, Sociology, Community Development, Natural Resources Management, or any related program.
  • Knowledge of the Zambian Education system.
  • Minimum 2 years work experience in a relevant field; experience working in a rural setup will be an added advantage.
  • Good written and spoken communication skills.
  • Strong facilitation and presentation skills.
  • Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.).
  • Must be able to communicate in Bemba or Tabwa.

Preferred knowledge, skills & experience

  • Knowledge of CBNRM, principles of good governance, and general wildlife and natural resources management practices will be an added advantage.
  • Must have experience driving a motorbike and manual vehicle.

Working Conditions/Physical Effort

  • Willingness to travel and work flexible hours.
  • Willingness to work in a rural set up, to listen to, and work with rural communities.
  • Ability to work under stress during peak workload periods.
  • Willingness to spend occasional nights in rural villages to foster community partnership.
  • Willingness to ride a motorbike in rural areas.

Terms & benefits

A competitive salary with benefits on an annual contract basis will be negotiated.

Your application should include:

  1. A cover letter (maximum 2 pages) including your earliest possible starting date. The cover letter will be used to judge the quality of your application and should answer the following questions:
  2. What interests you most about the position?
  3. What is the most important technical ability that you will bring to the role?
  4. Describe how you envision being able to improve the conservation education program and increase awareness on conservation knowledge in the target communities.
  5. What is your most important personal characteristic that you will bring to FZS Zambia in this role?
  6. At least 2 traceable references with a short description of your working relationship, and their contact details.
  7. A chronological CV in PDF format

Only candidates who meet the minimum requirements will be considered for the position. Applications must be received according to the instructions above or will not be considered.

Please send applications to jobs.ntcp@fzs.org. Ensure the subject line in your email application states, “Community Conservation Educator Application”.  Applications close on 30th April 2023.

Please address applications to:

Frankfurt Zoological Society, Zambia

  1. O. B0X 450189 Mpika

Nsumbu Tanganyika Conservation Programme