Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary is hiring! January 2022
Conservation Coordinator – Job Description
Location: Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Sierra Leone, West Africa
Position: Conservation Coordinator
Minimum Stay Required: 1 year;
Start Date: ASAP
Background
Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary (TCS) was established in 1995 by Mr. Bala Amarasekaran. The initial (and still crucial) goal of the sanctuary was to rescue and protect western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) recently declared as Critically Endangered, meaning the species is extremely close to extinction. Since its establishment TCS has rescued hundreds of chimpanzees and currently hosts a resident population of 108 individuals.
Despite one priority focus of TCS being the care of the resident chimpanzees, in 2011 TCS established its own outreach department to begin addressing the cause leading to the high number of orphans at the sanctuary. Now, another one of TCS' major and most critical objectives is the development of this department. The Tacugama Community Outreach program is responsible for conducting biodiversity and social research, as well as raising awareness and sensitizing the local people, stakeholders, government officials and others, through media engagement and environmental education.
The Vacancy
The Conservation Coordinator will work alongside the Deputy Conservation Manager and report to the Conservation Manager.
Conservation Coordinator – Main Responsibilities
· Office Administration – assist the Conservation Management team with financial planning, invoicing, record keeping, marketing, personnel and logistics;
· Capacity Building – conduct regular capacity building and training sessions for the outreach staff to improve the skills of the team;
· Content Development – develop content for the different outreach projects, from conservation lessons to primary schools to agricultural workshops with rural communities;
· Volunteer Program Coordination – assist with the coordination and supervision of outreach interns and volunteers alongside the Conservation Management team;
· Fieldwork – join trips to rural communities to conduct wildlife research and monitoring; staff training; implementing school lessons, socio-economic research, etc.
· Data analysis & entry – analyse and enter data collected in the field;
· Report writing
· Project Planning and implementation
· Communications (article writing, social media management, radio discussions, etc)
Conservation Coordinator Person Specification (Essential)
· Ability to work independently and as part of a team
· Proactive
· Good problem-solving skills and ability to be adaptive
· Excellent communication skills
· Fluent in English (verbal & written)
· Computer literacy, including Excel
· Willingness to work long and flexible hours
· Ability to live and work closely with the rest of the team, comprising both International and National Staff
· Analytical and critical thinking skills
· Patience and a willingness to work to different cultural values
· Experience working in West Africa - an advantage.
· Experience with GIS and/or R Statistics – an advantage
· Experience with socio-economic research – an advantage
· Suitable candidates must be able to commit for a minimum of 1 year
Requirements
University degree in biology, ecology, conservation, community development or related subjects.
Contract
This is a full-time, six (6) day a week position with a $300 salary per month after a trial period of 3 months.
The contract includes: on-site accommodation; one African style meal per day; annual return airfare
(subject to contract completion). The chosen candidate must provide evidence of personal health insurance,
negative TB test, COVID and yellow fever vaccination.
To apply