Summary
Date Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2022 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Partnerships Manager
Overview
WeForest is a fast growing international non-profit association with headquarters in Belgium and legal entities in France, USA, Ethiopia and Zambia. Our aim is to demonstrate, through the restoration of entire regions, that well planned tree planting and reforestation can be the solutions to today’s biggest challenge: climate change. Promoting Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR), implementing holistic projects and creating a movement of likeminded organisations, we are rapidly scaling. We are therefore urgently looking for an experienced senior profile to further capacitate our Zambian team, and drive the projects there to full landscape size while maintaining the highest standards.
WeForest Zambia programme
WeForest has been active around agroforestry, farm forestry and sustainable reforestation in Zambia since 2011. WeForest Zambia Ltd. was established in 2019 with six projects running at the moment: two in the Copperbelt and four in Muchinga province.
The position would focus across projects, on the consolidation of higher-level partnerships in the projects in Copperbelt and Muchinga as well as the expansion of WeForest impact within these project areas:
• The Copperbelt project,which started in 2016, aims to reduce deforestation amongst small-holder farm land in Luanshya, Mpongwe and Ndola districts by introducing the concept of Farm Forestry. Farmers are sensitised to keep a minimum of 0.5ha of Miombo woodlot on their farm land. Farmers are trained and equipped in Forest-friendly livelihoods to bring economic sustainability to the intervention. The farmers are grouped in farmer associations that provide markets and expertise. Currently, approximately 3,500 ha is conserved with over 1,000 farmers.
• The Katanino project, which started in 2019, aims to increase forest cover inside the 4,500ha Katanino Forest Reserve and Miombo woodlots in a 5km buffer zone around the Reserve as well as implementing agroforestry and timber woodlots on smallholder farms in the buffer zone as a scalable solution for climate mitigation and adaptation, livelihood improvement and gender equitable development. The total landscape is approximately 30,000 ha.
• The Chintumukulu project, which started in 2020, aims to establish and functionalize a community conservancy of 8,500 ha and support sustainable income sources to run the conservancy in the long-term.
• The forest landscape around Chintumukulu and within the Mutinondo river catchment (Mpumba Chiefdom) is an important buffer zone to protected areas and can become a larger forest landscape between two national parks – Lavushi Manda and South Luangwa. The area is at risk from increasing levels of deforestation and encroachment driven by agricultural expansion, charcoal production and land privatisation.
• The HEARTH project is a USAID funded 5-year project managed by Frankfurt Zoological Society (=main implementer) with a subcontract to WeForest Zambia. WeForest Zambia plays an expert role in beekeeping and an implementer role in community forestry in Mukungule and Mpumba chiefdoms. The project started in Q1 2022 and would cover an estimated 1,500 farmers across 4,000 ha of farm forestry.
• The Mpumba community forest areas (CFAs) bordering the Lavushi Manda National Park are set up by Kasanka Trust and could be supported by WeForest Zambia but are currently undergoing a feasibility study for long-term support. If successful, the project could start in Q3 2022. The focus would lie on sustainable forest management of approximately 28,000 ha across three CFA’s in combination with providing livelihood opportunities away from natural resource depletion.

Role
The role of the Partnership manager would be to:
• Consolidate our current partnerships through regular meetings, feedback sessions, sharing of best practices and lessons learnt.
• Partnership development: Lead on the identification and negotiation of partnerships with forest-friendly and forest-incentivising sectors, businesses and organisations.
• Participate in networking events, conferences and donor outreach events, and engage in technically relevant communities of practice in Zambia.
• Increase collaboration and communication between a varied set of stakeholders including but not limited to: Companies, international and national NGOs, local communities, government bodies (DNPW, FD, council) and private landowners.
• Be the main contact point for the A2C (Alternatives To Charcoal) task force and the Forestry Department at national level
• Drive stakeholders closer together by organising joint meetings and workshops to work out concept notes for larger Forest Landscape Restoration projects.
• Conduct feasibility studies of the potential for larger, multi-stakeholder forest landscapes in the project areas mentioned above.
• Where needed, explore land title procedure and track ownership of land with the relevant ministry both at their head branches in Lusaka and at their local offices
• Assess the opportunity for and modalities of long-term agreements with interested parties (incl. but not limited to MoU’s, partnership agreements, conservation agreements and others).
• Support carbon feasibility studies and the subsequent rolling out of carbon projects in the project areas.
• Co-develop a (carbon-based) benefit system for the different stakeholders in the different areas we work in.
• Evaluate the type of multi-stakeholder governing body that may be needed for the above to succeed. Understand the procedures needed to establish and set-up such a body with support from all stakeholders involved.
• Leverage our current relationships, and build bridges with new partners to inspire the vision and collaboration that creating a larger forest landscape will need.
Other tasks:
• Provide marketable communication material on a regular basis about the Forest Landscape progress
• Provide direct support to project field teams in terms of capacity building and coaching
• Provide input and actively contribute to fundraising, where relevant to the position
• Internal collaboration and learning: Promote and cultivate opportunities for tool/resource development, learning and collaboration across projects in Zambia and organisationally.

Candidate Profile
1) Core competencies
• Innovation and delivery-oriented: Ability to make new and useful ideas work, and to get things done.
• People and partnership management: Ability to improve performance and satisfaction of team members/stakeholders.
• Leadership: Ability to take decisions, when supported by evidence/data
• Communication and facilitation: Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform; excellent interpersonal skills.
• Participatory, bottom-up approaches: Ability to foster a sense of ownership in partners and local stakeholders with different backgrounds.
• Compromising: Ability to comprise and keep different stakeholders in line with the common goal. Bridge-builder rather than pushing through.
2) Technical/functional competencies
• Forests and development: Theoretical knowledge of forestry, legislation and economic principles, including establishing and supporting Community Forest Areas and Management groups.
• Land Use planning: Practical knowledge of the procedure for participatory (village) land use planning.
• Carbon financing: you have theoretical and practical knowledge of the principles behind carbon financing for forest landscape restoration projects.
• Deforestation drivers: good theoretical knowledge of the main drivers of deforestation in Zambia, how they link to the current policies and how they can be mitigated.
• Systems thinking and strategy development: Ability to gather, structure and analyse complex information and relationships to inform realistic strategies.
• Stakeholder oriented: Ability to plan, organise and mobilize different types of stakeholders, including local communities and private landowners.
• Project Management: Ability to plan, organise and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
• Knowledge Management and Adaptive Management: Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge and adapt strategies in real-time.
• Advocacy and representation: Ability to productively share knowledge and activities for various venues and stakeholders.
• Negotiation and strategic partnership development: Ability to facilitate and negotiate partnerships; ability to understand complex landscapes and interests.
3) Qualifications and other requirements:
a. Education
• A M.Sc. or equivalent experience, in Forestry, Rural development, Agro-ecology, Planning, Legislation, Economics or related field

Experience
• A minimum of 7 years’ relevant work experience
• Experience with leading multi-stakeholder conversations and develop common concepts that are workable for a variety of stakeholders
• Experience in land-related topics (land titles, land conflicts, cadaster, land survey, etc.) from an economical, environmental and social angle
• Proven experience in establishing/developing networks and larger partnerships.
• Demonstrated experience and technical knowledge in, strategy development and
managing private sector partnerships.
• Demonstrated experience in project development or feasibility studies.
• Experience in developing log frames & work plans, delivering projects against milestones
and targets
• Demonstrable skills and experience in management, coordination, training and reporting skills
c. Language requirements
• Fluent in English (both speaking and writing)
• Fluent in Bemba/Bisa (both speaking and writing)
d. Considered a plus
• A drivers licence
• Experience working in Miombo ecosystems
• Flexible in terms of travelling (evenings/weekend) and living conditions.

Terms & Conditions
Start date: First of May 2022
Duration of Contract: One year with possibility for extension based on performance
Salary: Manager, level 4a.
Location: Based in Lusaka, with regular trips to Copperbelt and Muchinga provinces pending project needs (est. 1 week/month). This position is also expected to carry out fieldwork in collaboration with our teams on the ground.
Extras: Bonus of 5% based on performance and professional health insurance.
Hours of Work: Full-time, working a minimum of 8 hours per day. Hours will however vary depending on project needs and flexibility is essential.
Reporting line: The Manager will work under the supervision of and report to the Deputy Director with regular contacts with the Muchinga Manager and Country Director.

Education Requirement: No Requirements

Job Experience: No Requirements

Work Hours: 8

Job application procedure
Contact us by no later than the 1st of April 2022 on recruitment.zambia@weforest.org  with 3 documents in attachment: Your full CV, a 1-pager cover letter (stating your motivation) and a 1-pager roadmap (how you would approach a larger forest landscape stakeholder consultation process). Please restrain from applying if you do not meet the above criteria. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

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