Program Manager Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo

The Wildlife Conservation Society seeks a full-time Program Manager for the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This role involves providing technical and administrative support, managing program planning and budgets, ensuring effective implementation, and supervising the OWR Program Team. The successful candidate will work closely with WCS leadership and collaborate with various stakeholders to drive impact according to the OWR Strategic Plan.
Location: Epulu, Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Ituri, DR Congo
Reports to: WCS OWR Director, DRC Program Director (Technical Supervision)
Start Date: ASAP
Position Type: Full-time

Purpose:

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is seeking a dynamic, experienced and motivated Program Manager to provide technical, administrative and program implementation support to a large and complex protected area; the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. WCS is implementing a 10-year agreement with the DRC Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN – Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature) to manage the OWR under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The successful candidate will provide programmatic leadership to the OWR team, working closely with the OWR and DRC country leadership. S/he will ensure that the OWR program works effectively and efficiently to drive impact according to the OWR Strategic Plan.
Candidates must demonstrate they have the necessary experience and skills to work within a challenging, dynamic and complex program. They will need to demonstrate that they are able to grasp the complexities of situations as they arise, adapt work accordingly and manage their time well. The Program Manager will be part of the WCS DRC country program, with the opportunity to interact and exchange experiences with other protected area programs and technical support staff in the region.

Working Relationships
The Program Manager reports to the OWR Site Director with a technical reporting line to the DRC Program Director. The Program Manager will supervise the OWR Program Team, with direct supervision over the Grants and Reporting Officer, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, Communications Coordinator, Head of Community Conservation, the Head of Research and Biomonitoring and the Head of Sustainable Financing and Tourism. The Program Manager will collaborate closely with the OWR Site Manager, Social and Environmental Safeguards Team and Law Enforcement Advisor.

Responsibilities:
Working closely with the OWR Director and WCS Program Director, and liaising regularly with the Senior Management team in DRC and the Regional Management and Technical team in Kigali, the Program Manager will:
Program Management (40%)
• Manage program planning – including annual work plans and budgets – to ensure alignment with the 5-year OWR strategic plan
• Working closely with the country program and technical team, ensure a high quality of implementation through the development and dissemination of standard tools, procedures, methodological guidelines, etc. in relevant technical/programmatic areas (Social and Environmental Safeguards, Livelihoods, Education, Natural Resource Management, etc.)
• Ensure management of program budget in close collaboration with the Site Manager and Head of Finance
• Working with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Department, to ensure adaptive management through strict adherence to MEL standards, tools and processes
• Ensure the recruitment, onboarding and quality control of program consultants and partners
• Ensure adherence to WCS program management processes and guidelines at the national and global levels
• Provide specific, direct support in the organization of certain strategic activities, such as the OWR Board of Directors Meeting, the Site Coordination Meeting, etc.
• Assist with the process of recruiting staff for the OWR – including the development of a recruitment plan and organigramme, developing Terms of Reference, and the screening, interviewing, selection and onboarding of new staff.
• Coordinate with the MEL department to ensure the OWR SharePoint is regularly updated with all grant/program documentation and technical documents.

Grants Management and Reporting (30%)
• Manage the project/grant cycle from effective and timely start-up to clean and clear close-out of OWR awards
• Ensure respect for donor rules and regulations
• Manage OWR-focused grants to ensure effective, efficient and transparent budget management
• Coordinate grant reporting to ensure high quality, timely submission of grant technical/narrative reports

Capacity Building (10%)
• Identify capacity gaps within the team and brainstorm with site, national and regional leadership to find and deliver solutions
• Build capacity of the technical departments on quality reporting and donor compliance

Business and Program Development (10%)
• Lead the development of OWR-specific proposals in close collaboration with the DRC Program Director and Regional Support Team.
• Provide high quality inputs to program/business development processes linked to OWR (in cases where the proposal is for multiple sites)

Donor, External Relations and Coordination (10%)
• Ensure effective and clear communication with donor focal points for OWR-focused grants
• Provide oversight and coordination for OWR partners and consultants working across various fields and sectors within the OWR
• Represent WCS to external donors and stakeholders as appropriate
• Ensure that internal and external OWR partners are kept regularly up to date on project activities, deliverables and events.