Kabobo-Luama Landscape Director; Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)


Location: Kalemie, Kabobo Wildlife Reserve headquarters, DRC
Reports: Country Program Director, WCS DRC
Direct Reports: KLL Program Manager, KLL Biomonitoring Officer, KLL Head of Finance, KLL Logistics Officer
Coordinates  WCS DRC Program Director, WCS DRC Finance Director, WCS DRC Operations Director, WCS DRC Human Resources Director
Position type: Full-time
Occasional travel to WCS-DRC hub offices in Goma, Bukavu, Kinshasha; local monitoring missions as necessary

Background

The Wildlife Conservation Society is an international NGO headquartered at Bronx Zoo in New York City, USA, working to save wildlife and wildlands and to meet global challenges in over 60 countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas and the world’s oceans. WCS believes that conservation of nature and natural resources is essential to life on earth, the future of humanity, and the wellbeing and cultural identities of Indigenous Peoples and traditional and local communities.
The Central Africa and Gulf of Guinea program is one of the largest of WCS’s 13 Global Regional Programs, including Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, and Gabon. The region presents a set of complex conservation challenges to biodiversity and their habitats and WCS field programs are addressing these through several initiatives including protected area management, community engagement, sustainable livelihoods, policy reform and sustainable financing.

Job Description
The WCS Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Program is looking for an experienced, dynamic, individual to oversee development, implementation, coordination and administration of a landscape strategy in the Kabobo-Luama Landscape (KLL), encapsulating the Kabobo Wildlife Reserve and Luama Wildlife Reserve .

The successful candidate will have demonstrated competency in conservation and site-based management, a strong background in community conservation approaches and an interest in the nexus between wildlife, habitats, climate change and local people. This is a full-time position that will require managing a team of several staff, and a close coordination and cooperation with the local authorities. The position will be expected to provide representative and strategic leadership with donor partners supporting WCS investments in Kabobo-Luama landscape.

Position Responsibilities:
The Kabobo-Luama Landscape Director will deliver on the following principal responsibilities in full coordination with, and supported by, the WCS DRC Senior management team and the WCS Central Africa Regional team:

  • Direct the KLL senior management team in the management of projects and grants including assistance with development of proposals, coordination of timely reporting, and compliance with donor regulations
  • Work in close coordination with the WCS DRC Senior Management Team and the Central Africa Regional Technical team to revise the strategic approach being used in the Reserve.
  • Provide technical support to field teams in Annual Workplan development as well as implementation of existing work plans
  • Grow and professionalise KLL’s conservation data management, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and technology capacity
  • Monitor effectiveness and impact of conservation interventions, ensuring continuous improvement and scalability.
  • Coordinate and oversee the WCS team community conservation outreach team and the research team.
  • Work with international and national staff and organizations to create an awareness to promote wildlife conservation, sustainable natural resource management, and human-wildlife conflict resolution, and address particular land-use management issues, including mineral extraction.
  • Advise on development priorities and work with other senior staff to plan and implement activities related to health, human rights, education, etc.
  • Work with the WCS staff to integrate the socio-economic and land-use/tenure data into the relevant GIS databases to contribute to the overall natural resource, protected area, and zoning plans.
  • As a senior member of the WCS DRC Program Team, participate in strategy meetings and advance the tasks identified to help ensure sound operations of the program.
  • As requested by the WCS-DRC Country Director, represent WCS at meetings on a national and international level

Qualification Requirements:


    • A master’s degree (or higher education level) in community conservation, natural resource management, or other relevant field experience in African conservation.
    • Experience working on conservation projects and with living and working in isolated areas, under difficult field conditions.
    • Experience working in the Central Africa region would be an advantage.
    • Strong program and project management skills based on at least 5 years’ experience in a relevant role
    • Experience working in interdisciplinary and multi-cultural teams and managing several major activities simultaneously, proven ability to achieve project targets and objectives
    • Experience managing international donor-funded projects, with multiple project partners and diverse project elements preferred.
    • Experience in gender mainstreaming and demonstrated ability to encourage active participation of diverse stakeholders including local communities, traditional leaders, research partners, and field based staff.
    • Experience implementing monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
    • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
    • Demonstrated high-level competency in writing and editing of professional technical reports and other written products.
    • Fluency in French and English language required, and Swahili an advantage

How to apply

Interested candidates who meet the above qualifications, skills and experience should apply through the application link by July 31, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

WCS is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share that same value.