Conservation Operations Lead

Position:                                 Conservation Operations Lead
Reports to:                              Mark Gately, Director of the Africa Protected Areas Management Unit
Location:                                Kigali-Rwanda
Country Program/Sector:     Africa Protected Areas Management Unit (APAMU)
Capacity:                                Africa-wide
Position Type:                        Full-time
Coordinates with:                  WCS APAMU team, Landscape Teams.

About Us
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a private, nonprofit U.S. organisation founded in 1895. Its mission is to preserve wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, developing science-based solutions, and taking conservation action that benefits nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, a presence in more than 60 countries, and experience in creating more than 150 protected areas around the world, WCS has accumulated the biological knowledge, cultural understanding, and partnerships necessary to ensure that wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and organisations, this knowledge is applied to address species, habitat, and ecosystem management issues that are critical to improving the quality of life for poor rural people whose livelihoods depend on the direct use of natural resources.

 Job Purpose:
The Conservation Operations Lead will provide high-level operational expertise and strategic support to strengthen the efficiency, compliance, and effectiveness of WCS’s conservation programs across Africa. This role is responsible for strengthening operational systems and standards that ensure high-impact delivery. He/she will serve as a key advisor and support function to landscape programs, providing hands-on technical assistance and adaptive support, capacity building, operational planning, and organisational effectiveness. He/she will also support the strategic use of conservation technology to enhance the effectiveness, transparency, and sustainability of conservation operations across WCS’s Africa portfolio of protected areas.

He/She will combine a strong understanding of conservation management with technical expertise in information systems, field data collection tools, and monitoring technologies, while also providing leadership in operational planning and coordination for new site engagement, staff capacity development, and systems integration.

Major Responsibilities

• Support the operationalisation of the Start-Up Toolkit in sites where WCS has upgraded its collaborative management partnership or in new WCS-managed sites.

  • Development of appropriate management systems in new start-up sites.

  • Capacity building and mentoring of teams.

  • Management auditing: implementation review of management systems

• Contribute to strategic planning and program design to ensure operational feasibility and alignment with conservation objectives.

• Conduct management assessments and develop appropriate mitigation strategies in collaboration with site, country, and regional leadership, as requested.

• Collaborate with operations and field teams to identify bottlenecks and implement solutions that improve efficiency and accountability.

• Build the capacity of field teams through training and monitoring.

• Support the development of SOPs, performance and impact indicator dashboards for optimal monitoring of field activities.

• Pilot and scale innovative tools and platforms that enhance data-driven decision-making in WCS-managed protected areas.

• Support the use of technology in strategic planning and impact assessments.

• Support the development and roll-out of standard operational systems, tools, and SOPs across the region.

Minimum Requirements and Job Skills (Required):

• Master’s degree in conservation science, natural resource management, operations management, or related field.
• 10 years of proven experience and skills in conservation field operations and data-driven field management, ideally in Africa or Asia.
• Proven proficiency and working experience implementing technology solutions for conservation or natural resource management (EarthRanger, SMART, etc.)
• Strong project management skills, with experience leading teams and managing multi-site systems deployment
• Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and mentor a team
• Highly adept with various software, including spreadsheets, databases, data analysis, presentations, and statistics.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills (written and oral).
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and decision-making skills.
• English/French fluency preferred.
• Experience working in at least one African country is highly desirable

How to apply
Interested candidates who meet the above qualifications, skills and experience should apply through the application tab below by March 23rd, 2026.

Please send a detailed application/cover letter and a detailed CV. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.

WCS is an equal opportunity employer, and the organisation complies with all employment and labour laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and engaging a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and looking for future team members who share the same values. The organisation provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organisation does not discriminate for employment based on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, colour, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, caste, genetic information or any other covered status or characteristic protected by laws and regulations/and similar categories.
It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based upon a person’s membership in one of these protected categories in areas such as recruitment, selection, job assignment, supervision, training, promotions, job grading, transfers, termination, compensation, benefits, educational opportunities, WCS-sponsored recreational activities and facilities.

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