WILD CHIMPANZEE FOUNDATION
Project Assistant
BACKGROUND:
The Wild Chimpanzee Foundation’s mission is to enhance the survival of the remaining wild chimpanzee populations and their habitat, thereby participating in ensuring the behavioural diversity of this fascinating species. The philosophy of the WCF is threefold: Implement projects in education, conservation, and research for and by the African people.
WCF implements conservation projects in Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. We concentrate our activities in regions where wild western chimpanzees are still abundant, to ensure their future survival.
In Guinea, and recently in Sierra Leone, WCF is working with government, through the Office Guinéen des Parcs Nationaux et Réserves de Faune (OGPRF) to initiate the creation of a national park along the Bafing River, in the Fouta-Djalon and Upper Guinea regions.
Several other protected areas are also supported by the WCF in Guinea and Sierra Leone to foster the creation of the new national park. To ensure that its objectives are met, the management team is restructuring to meet the challenges that accompany the process of creating and managing these protected areas. This project covers a wide range of themes related to the ecology of the fauna and flora, socio-economic aspects, as well as those related to the sociology of the local communities.
JOB OVERVIEW:
WCF seeks a Project Assistant to support the Special Projects Manager, who will assist the WCF Guinea Country Director with the overall coordination between each site. Tasks include internal and external report writing, grant reporting, proposal preparation, and support for various departments with technical and administrative tasks where required. The Project Assistant will also support the Special Projects Manager in monitoring and evaluation processes, including the development of relevant indicators.
As a support role, the Project Assistant will be hired as an independent consultant; all intellectual property will be maintained solely with the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, and confidentiality and discretion with regard to the data and results obtained by WCF is required for this role.
MAIN ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
Coordination
• Prepare internal and partner meetings;
• Support the Special Project Manager in project reporting;
• Assist with communication, organization, and coordination of workshops, meetings, and events as required;
• Assist the WCF Special Project Manager with various tasks including reporting, tendering, or others to ensure the continuity of operations.
Grants Management
• Support the Special Project Manager to ensure compliance with donor implementation requirements and reporting guidelines, as well as contractual obligations;
• Support the Special Project Manager in preparing interim, final, and other required reports.
Proposal Development
• Support the Special Project Manager in the coordination and development of competitively strong proposals and concept notes for WCF Guinea projects;
• Support the development of conservation activities in the field of conservation and protection of endangered species such as chimpanzees, elephants, etc. with the Special Project Manager.
Communications
· Take initiative for the development of communications to promote WCF’s innovative approaches.
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
· Special Project Manager WCF Guinea;
· Country Director WCF Guinea;
· Logistics & Procurement WCF manager;
· Guinean and Sierra Leone Head of Sustainable Development
· Guinean and Sierra Leone Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
· Institutional and private donors
· Researchers and scientists
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
· Minimum two years of experience working in conservation project management or coordination roles,
· Excellent organizational, analytical, oral and written communications skills in English and French;
· Experience in grant management, report and proposal writing. Experience with EU, AfD, KfW and USAID is an advantage;
· A master's degree in biodiversity conservation or related field of study is an advantage;
· Communications experience is an advantage;
· Strong capacity to manage time and competing priorities;
· Strong initiative, perseverance, and resilience;
· Willingness to travel in remote sites and with previous experience living in Africa;
· Good team player with experience working with multicultural teams.
In all areas of the Project Assistant’s activity, the employee is expected to be proactive in the improvement or adaptation of project activities and development. This job description covers the main responsibilities inherent to this position. However, flexibility is essential in this role, and it may be required to perform other tasks than those listed above, without this being considered as a contract modification.