Conservation South Africa (CSA) Available Job Position

Conservation South Africa (CSA) is a local affiliate of Conservation International and committed to helping societies adopt a more sustainable approach to development, one that improves human well-being through the conservation of healthy ecosystems and the goods and services they provide.

Job Title: Executive Director
Job Location: Either Johannesburg or Cape Town

Job Description

The Executive Director of Conservation International South Africa provides the strategic and programmatic direction of the country program, proactively identifying opportunities and trends for the achievement of the institutional goals. S/he is responsible for senior-level program management and ensuring that program strategies, initiatives and outcomes advance CI’s human development and conservation priorities. Duties are complex and include leading the design, implementation and integration of program strategies throughout the country program and integrated across CI.

The Executive Director provides broad programmatic, project, monitoring and technical oversight and continuously engages key internal and external partners critical to program success. He/she represents CI in the country and has a key role in building alliances, a central focus for CI strategy. The Executive Director ensures that CI’s work is presented effectively to donors and key stakeholders to ensure strategic and sustainable partnerships.

The Executive Director ensures compliance with CI policies, program and funding agreements and local requirements. Additionally, s/he is responsible for managing the country program and all its component projects, leading the team, raising funds and managing financial and other resources. S/he will also ensure that the program is integrated with CI’s strategic fundraising and partnership goals and works in collaboration with CI headquarters-based technical and operations units to support the needs of the field programs.

The Executive Director directly manages staff, interdisciplinary teams, and/or outside partners. S/he works with a high degree of independence and serves as a technical expert in CI’s multidisciplinary approach of conservation. S/he exercises a high level of creativity and strategic thinking to efficiently manage the country program and build the local capacity within environments that are complex and full of challenges.

Key responsibilities

Fundraising (30%)

• With a strong focus on private fundraising, ensure program financial sustainability by entrenching a robust fundraising strategy, securing program funding and managing financial resources, from both the public and private sectors, within and out of South Africa, by regularly partnering with CI AfFD and HQ staff on funding proposals including coordinating and finalizing the writing of funding documents (proposals & budgets), and regional/global fundraising efforts

Strategy Development and Impact Reporting (20%)

• Develop Country Program strategies, objectives, work plans and metrics aligned to both the Global and Africa Field Division Strategies
• Through the Annual Strategic Planning,process monitor and report to both the CSA Executive Board, and the leadership of the Africa Field Division on the achievement and impact of the same on a quarterly basis

Representation (20%)

• Represent CI in South Africa and build alliances with governmental and non-governmental organizations to support CI outcomes, serving as a trusted and visible point of contact for CI
• Enable CI to promote national institutional and policy frameworks for development, that favor biodiversity conservation, and to support national capacity for conservation in CI field programs
• Continuously cultivate and engage stakeholders including donors, government and NGOs, technical colleagues and other partners critical to program success