WABiLED Capacity Development Manager

At the heart of Pact is the promise of a better tomorrow. A nonprofit international development organization founded in 1971, Pact works on the ground in nearly 40 countries to improve the lives of those who are challenged by poverty and marginalization. We serve these communities because we envision a world where everyone owns their future. To do this, we build systemic solutions in partnership with local organizations, businesses, and governments that create sustainable and resilient communities where those we serve are heard, capable, and vibrant. Pact is a recognized global leader in international development. Our staff have a range of expertise in areas including public health, capacity development, governance and civil society, natural resource management, poverty, fragile states, monitoring and evaluation, small-scale and artisanal mining, microfinance and more. This expertise is combined in Pact’s unique integrated approach, which focuses on systemic changes needed to improve people’s lives.

Department

Program Delivery (PDEL) - Pact exists to help create a world where those who are poor and marginalized exercise their voice, build their own solutions, and take ownership of their future. The Program Delivery Team, contributes to realizing this purpose by: Forging smart partnerships and treating all people with dignity and respect; Applying organizational policies and regulatory compliance appropriately and consistently; Facilitating team spirit among colleagues and promoting the organization through communications; Influencing decision makers through focused, relevant communications; Continually striving to learn and share knowledge and find small ways to make the workplace more enjoyable for all; Cultivating and harvesting innovation; Contributing to the organization’s ability to think and act strategically at all times; Inspiring and spreading our desired organizational culture across the global enterprise.

Position Overview

Pact is seeking an experienced Capacity Development Manager for the anticipated USAID- West Africa Biodiversity and Low Emissions Development (WABiLED) Activity. The overall goal of WABiLED is to promote biodiversity conservation and climate resilient, low-emissions development in West Africa. The activity will be implemented across Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries, with field work in terrestrial transboundary landscapes of Mano River Union countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire). WABiLED’s main components include: combatting wildlife trafficking; reducing deforestation, forest degradation and biodiversity loss; and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration from improved land use. This is anticipated to be a five-year activity. This position is contingent upon award and location of office for the position will be in one of the four activity countries: Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire.

The Capacity Development Manager will provide technical leadership and oversight of the project’s strategy to strengthen regional, national, and local partners’ operational and technical functions through the provision of high-quality, demand-driven support services. The Capacity Development Manager will lead in the coordination and articulation of capacity development activities to these partners across key landscapes in the Upper Guinean Forest region and aforementioned technical areas of focus towards achieving sustainable results. S/he will supervise a team with the shared responsibility to facilitate assessments, provide direct support, and coordinate the provision of support to regional, national and local partners.

Key Responsibilities

• S/he will lead the development and implementation of the project’s comprehensive Capacity Development strategy to strengthen the organizational and technical capacity of regional, national, and local partners.
• S/he will design and provide direct capacity development services to partners for a wide range of institutional areas including financial and administrative management, human resources, institutional governance, marketing and communication, monitoring and evaluation, etc.
• S/he will also collaborate with technical specialists from across the project to support improvements in technical capacity for NRM and biodiversity conservation and provide direct support in said technical areas, as appropriate.
• S/he will coordinate the development, implementation, and monitoring of project activities concerning capacity development of regional, national and local partners.
• S/he will lead the technical and contextual adaptation of Pact’s organizational assessment tools and supervise or directly implement baseline and follow-up assessments.
• S/he will supervise and mentor a team of Capacity Development Specialists who will share in the responsibility of conducting assessments, creating action plans, delivering direct support and providing ongoing mentorship to local partners and grantees.
• S/he will ensure high-quality technical programming through participatory methodologies, co-creation, and contextualization, as per Pact’s capacity development overarching principles, approaches, and tools.
• S/he will foster strong collaboration and coordination with the grants management team to integrate Capacity Development and subaward monitoring processes and to ensure that capacity development is incorporated into subawards, as appropriate.
• S/he will manage and maintain updated programmatic data in close coordination with the MEL Manager.
• S/he will support knowledge management, linkages and exchange of learnings and best practices across program activities and project teams.

Basic Requirements

• Master’s degree in a relevant field including organizational development, adult education, ecological sciences, natural resource management, forestry, etc.
• Training and/or experience in natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, protected areas management, sustainable forestry, and/or related fields and a good understanding of USAID’s Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) Framework
• Seven to ten years of experience in strengthening of civil society, government institutions, and other relevant entities; community-based natural resource management; and/or other relevant programming, preferably for USAID natural resource management or biodiversity conservation programs.
• Excellent grasp and demonstrated experience in participatory capacity development, organizational development, adult learning, and other related methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience in strengthening the organizational and technical capabilities of government, NGOs and civil society organizations.
• Excellent facilitation, training, and mentoring skills in a variety of organizational development and technical topics.
• Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with civil society partners and other strategic stakeholders in government and private sector.
• Proven ability to manage a team, set realistic priorities, and plan for the successful implementation of activities.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including presentations and preparations of written reports.
• Proven interpersonal and communication skills, verbal and written.
• Fluency in French and English (oral, writing and reading).

Preferred Qualifications

• Solid understanding of the contemporary challenges and opportunities facing the civil society and NGO sector in the NRM space in West Africa.
• Experience engaging with civil society organizations, government institutions, the private sector, and biodiversity conservation organizations relevant to the WABILED program e.g. Mano River Union, ECOWAS Environment Directorate, CITES, Gola Rainforest Conservation, IUCN, Fauna & Flora International, West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), etc.
• Nationals of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire are encouraged to apply.

Pact is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, citizenship status, genetic information, matriculation, family responsibilities, personal appearance, credit information, tobacco use (except in the workplace), membership in an employee organization, or other protected classifications or non-merit factors.

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