Northern Kenya  Conservation Coordinator

Laikipia County, Kenya 

The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the Earth’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our Mission and guided by our Values, which includes a Commitment to Diversity and Respect for People, Communities, and Cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s lots of reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube  or on Glassdoor.  

Our goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging, and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. We know we’ll only achieve our Mission by hiring and engaging a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we work. In addition to the requirements in our postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of inclusion! Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote myriad TNC staff members, “you’ll join for our mission, and you’ll stay for our people.”

TNC’s work in Africa transcends three key pillars: securing ownership rights to lands and resources for indigenous people, strengthening leadership and resource management, and helping communities value nature through a holistic appreciation of its benefits while increasing revenue streams for conservation efforts and socio-economic development. Together with our partners, we are witnessing critical milestones in integrated land and fisheries management, ocean and source water protection, energy development, and sustainable food production working together and strengthening our resolve in tackling global challenges such as climate change, habitat and biodiversity loss that stands to adversely impact the nearly 1.4 billion people that share Africa

In Kenya, The Nature Conservancy is working collaboratively in support of the country’s ambitious biodiversity and community conservation goals. TNC works across freshwater, ocean and terrestrial ecosystems to protect and sustainable manage critical habitats for species, ecosystems, and carbon stocks. TNC brings science and innovative tools and approaches to inform better decision-making, develops innovative financial mechanisms for long-term sustainability, cultivates strategic partnership and fosters the needs for inclusive, equitable conservation that benefits nature and people.

The Conservation Program Coordinator provides technical support to TNC partner organisations to implement the Northern Kenya program in line with the Kenya conservation Strategic Plan 2030 and manage the Kenya Focal Place project.

They will support and work closely with the Program Manager - Northern Kenya in developing key partnerships with stakeholders,  and building their capacity for timely implementation of TNC Northern Kenya Program. They will ensure that critical threats to the northern Kenya program are addressed in a  timely manner, whilst working closely with a wide range of partners and TNC staff, and ensuring all program deliverables are met towards advancing TNC’s 2030 goals. Reporting to the Northern Kenya Program Manager, the position will be responsible for monitoring and reporting on implementation of TNC work with partners in the Northern Kenya landscape. The  position will be based in Laikipia County, Kenya. No employment visas or assistance is being offered with this position except for the local labor employment requirements.

The ideal candidate should have exceptional communication and collaboration skills and experience in management of controls and reports.

The responsibilities and scope for this position are:

1. Provide technical support to TNC partners in northern Kenya  to identify and strengthen linkages between organizations working on community based natural resource management, community development, species protection and wildlife security.
2. Facilitate continued working relationships with conservation partners, stakeholders and private and community conservancies.
3. Support fundraising activities for the northern Kenya program
4. Facilitate timely  project implementation  and reporting for northern Kenya Program and the Focal Place Project.  
5. Organize and support meetings and workshops to build collaboration across a wide range of partners, government agencies and key stakeholders (including indigenous people and local communities) in northern Kenya to accomplish program goals.
6. Monitor and document program activities and initiatives in line with the established monitoring and action plan (based on human rights risks assessments and gender analyses) to ensure that environmental and social safeguards for community activities are being upheld.
7. Carry our regular social and environmental audits on partner organisations and community conservancies  and provide feedback to partners and TNC.
8. Assess and identify capacity gaps of TNC partner organisations in Northern Kenya and ensure that mitigation measures are put in place to address the gaps.
9. Identify, mitigate and monitor potential reputational risks for TNC as a result of projects supported in the northern Kenya portfolio. All while building the capacity of TNC partners in northern Kenya to develop and implement risk management protocols and improve quality controls of projects.
10. Participate in the development and tracking of work plans and ensure alignment to TNC’s Kenya program strategy, agreement on milestones, and inclusion of monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities in the work plan.
11. Maintain and manage a document register system for Northern Kenya Programs and the Focal Place Projects  that team members can easily access and reference.
12. Provide programmatic support on documentation, procurement, contracting, budget development,  and financial and deliverable tracking for the projects within the northern Kenya and Focal Place portfolio.
13. Communicate TNC’s vision consistently across the area of work focus with partners and stakeholders and work with TNC Africa Communications and Marketing team in identifying and documenting stories of change within the Northern Kenya landscape

• BA/BS degree and 5 years’ experience in conservation, natural resource management, environmental sciences or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in conservation or related project management
• Demonstrated experience influencing, developing, and implementing community-based natural resource management plans.
• Experience in partnership development with non-profit partners, community groups and   government agencies. 
• Experience negotiating complex agreements. 
• Experience in grant / resources acquisition and project management.
• Experience using applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Web Browsers.
• Experience completing tasks with minimal supervision with respect to timeline(s).   

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Over 7 years experience working in natural resources management
• A Masters degree in natural resource management, environmental sciences or a related field will be an added advantage
• Knowledge of current trends and practices in conservation, environmental policy, land management, and natural resource preservation in Kenya.
• Knowledge of the Northern Kenya ecosystem and community-based natural resource management principles and the legislative provisions that facilitate a co-management approach.
• Knowledge of land management conservation practices and conservation science in Kenya.
• Ability to explain conservation practices to technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of rural or environmental projects
• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated with excellent communication skills via written, spoken and graphical means in English and Kiswahili. Knowledge of Maasai and/or Samburu language would be beneficial.
• Strong organizational and communications skills.  
• Completing tasks with minimal supervision with respect to timeline(s).   
• Sensitivity in handling confidential information with respect to project activities and outcomes

Since 1951, TNC has been doing work you can believe in. Through grassroots action, we have grown from a small non-profit into one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and partners, we impact conservation around the world! 

TNC offers competitive and comprehensive benefits packages tailored to the individual countries where we work. These may include health care benefits, retirement benefits, parental leave, paid time off, life insurance, and disability coverage as well as an employee assistance program and other life and well-being benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our on nature.org/careers. 

We’re proud to offer a flexible work environment that supports the health and well-being of the people we employ.

To apply for job ID 53410, submit your materials online by using the Apply Now button at . Need help applying? Visit our page or contact .

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

TNC is committed to offering accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please send a note to with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.

Where legally permissible, TNC requires all new employees to be fully vaccinated and willing to keep up to date with vaccines that protect against COVID-19.   By accepting an offer of employment, you agree to comply with this requirement, unless you are entitled to a legally mandated exemption.

An attractive salary and benefits package is part of TNC’s value proposition to our employees. TNC strives to provide competitive pay and bases salaries on the geographic location of the role committing to being equitable across groups and providing hiring salary ranges when possible.

Since we support flexible and remote work for our employees, many positions have a flexible location within countries where we’re registered as a Non-government Organization and established as an employer. This may mean we’re unable to provide a hiring salary range in the posting for some of our positions. However, candidates invited to be part of our interview process will be provided their location specific range upon request.