The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science-based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, presence in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding, and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and organizations, that knowledge is applied to address species, habitat and ecosystem management issues critical to improving the quality of life of poor rural people whose livelihoods depend on the direct utilization of natural resources.

The Sudano-Sahel Region presents unparalleled opportunities for WCS to play a direct role in saving some of the last remaining intact wildernesses on the planet and contributing significantly to people and wildlife's security. The savannas, forests, and wetlands of the region support key populations of endangered elephant, northern giraffe, lion, eland, chimpanzee, gorilla, bongo, and the second largest antelope migration on the planet. Hundreds of bird species occur in the area, including the shoebill and the crowned crane. Communities also depend on the land for their livelihoods through pastoralism, agriculture, fishing, and hunting. WCS has a significant presence in the Sudano-Sahel region, with a strong conservation history and proven success in protected area management. WCS currently has conservation initiatives in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, CAR, South Sudan, with new program activities developing in Ethiopia. We work actively to support protected area management and wildlife law enforcement, local livelihoods, develop conservation-security partnerships, enhance anti-trafficking activities, and implement our policy and scientific programs. Program Overview: The Central Chari Basin Landscape includes Bamingui-Manovo Gounda St Floris National Parks (CAR) and the South of Chad (Moyen Chari Province).

Program Overview:

In CAR, WCS has recently launched a private-public partnership program with the federal government to manage the Northeaster CAR Protected Area Complex. This is a multi-faceted, long-term program entailing park management, law enforcement, and community engagement within the Bamingui-Bangoran and Manovo-Gouda St. Floris National Parks in Northeaster CAR.

WCS has recently launched the Chad program, the most recent of the Sudano-Sahel Region's country programs, mainly focused on developing a landscape approach in the Chari Central Basin. WCS Chad works directly with the WCS CAR and WCS Cameroon programs to integrate the Chari Basin's transboundary landscapes into a long-term multi-faceted program that includes park management, law enforcement, community engagement, and land-use planning and management.

The purposes of the Chari Basin’s transboundary landscape program are the land-use planning and management, the support for regulation, management and cross-border control to counter threats to Protected Areas, fauna and flora.

Job Summary:

The Landscape Manager plays the lead role in planning, coordinating, and managing the WCS implementation of the conserve the Chari Basin's transboundary landscape program. He/she is responsible for developing and overseeing a landscape-based strategy. This is a full-time position based in the Chad sector of the Chari Basin landscape with frequent travels and work throughout the northern CAR and southeastern Chad sectors of the landscapes.

Duties and responsibilities include:

• Coordinate and lead the Chari Central Basin Project, covering planning, management, and reporting duties.
• Work with the WCS Chad and WCS CAR staff and directors to ensure high effectiveness and efficiency in work plans, reporting, budgeting, logistics, and accountability.
• Supervise and manage the WCS staff and consultants hired for the Chari Central Basin landscape program.
• Lead meetings and coordination with the Chari Central Basin Project stakeholders ensuring technical and financial parties' involvement.
• Organize local steering committee meetings between the Chari Central Basin Project and other EU partner projects.
• Organize meetings with the technical representatives of conservation, pastoralism, and agriculture aspects of the Chari Central Basin Project and other EU partner projects.
• Support for integrated and concerted territorial management in north-eastern CAR's landscape and its cross-border areas, including the Chari Central Basin.
• Support and supervise the development of management plans for the north-eastern CAR's protected areas.
• Support for regulation, management, and cross-border control to counter threats to Protected Areas, fauna, and flora in the north-eastern CAR's landscape.
• Analyse and identify opportunities for developing community-engagement schemes such as Payments for Ecosystem Services (including REDD+) in the north-eastern CAR's landscape and cross-border areas.
• Develop an environmental and socio-economic GIS model for the north-eastern CAR's landscape, including the Chari Central Basin.
• Coordinate and work with the transboundary transhumance pastoralism engagement and management program.
• Design and implement community sustainable livelihoods programs (fisheries management and tree plantations)
• Work with international, national, and local staff and organizations to raise awareness for wildlife conservation, sustainable natural resource management, and conflict resolution, and to strengthen WCS's landscape approach.
• Work closely with senior staff and advise on development priorities to frame WCS's interventions in health, human rights, education, among other crucial components.
• As a senior member of the WCS Chad and CAR Program Teams, participate in strategy meetings and required tasks to help ensure the program operations.

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