Role Summary

The Conservation Planner is responsible for developing and implementing KWCA’s conservation planning Strategy and program, monitoring conservation planning impacts on priority landscapes and community conserved areas. S/he will coordinate engagements to strengthen conservation planning, implementation reporting and monitoring in line with national and county policies on conservation and natural resource planning.

The planner will lead in deployment of systems, tools and partnership to accelerate ecosystem and conserved areas management planning and monitor implementation of conservancies management plans and their alignment with County and national spatial plans. S/he will lead in data management to inform design of Kenya’s Project Finance for Permanence and the attainment of the 30×30 targets. S/He will represent KWCA in the process of identifying criteria and recommended priority sites for expanding conservancies. Build capacity for conservancies to develop and implement plans, catalyze development of priority ecosystem plans and facilitate effectiveness of ecosystem and management plans for reporting to national status reports. S/he shall ensure conservation plans integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation, gender equality, youth inclusion and comply with Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) guidelines, including attaining public participation guidelines as prescribed in environment, natural resources and wildlife sub-sectors.

Key Responsibilities

Planning activities:

• Design KWCA’s Strategy and approach to optimize conservation planning among community and privately conserved areas
• Disseminate conservation planning toolkits, guidelines and manuals to support planning activities among the conservancy network and compliance to among the conservancy network natural resource management plans.
• Provide technical support and forge partnerships to catalyze the design and implementation of ecosystem management plans in priority landscapes
• Deploy KWCA Conservancy Management guidelines to support conservancies in developing conservancy management plans in line with the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2023
• Deploy effectiveness assessment tools to monitor governance, management, equity and sustainability of community and privately conserved areas
• Work with stakeholders to set conservation targets, identify priority conservation areas, planning requirements and management actions required to contribute to the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) with a focus on contribution towards the attainment of 30X30 Targets
• Strengthen Liaison with the Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) management team and facilitation of PFP conservation and community engagement work during the PFP planning and implementation phases
• Support KWCA policy advocacy team in developing conservation policy positions to influence global and national policy ensuring KWCA memoranda are highly credible, well-researched and globally benchmarked.
• Mobilize partnerships to expand collaboration that champion conservation planning among KWCA’s member conservancies and emerging conservancies
• Liaise with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage to, facilitate approvals and gazetting of ecosystem and conservancy management plans submitted by landscape associations and conservancies
• Design a monitoring toolkit to track progress in development, implementation and reporting of conservation plans
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative research and analysis to ascertain conservation plans contribution to, and compliance with county, national and international conservation goals
• Design and disseminate a strategy for conservancies integrate ecosystem restoration, rangeland restoration activities in their conservation initiatives
• Identify fiscal and non-monetary incentives needed to promote conservation as a preferred land use for communities living with wildlife
• Support KWCA communication team to build robust relationships with civil society networks and private sector on land restoration
• Facilitate and undertake mapping of key natural resources, priority 
wildlife areas and areas of ecological significance for which conservation action is to be prioritized

Other Responsibilities

• Represent KWCA in diverse meetings and workshops to share the organization conservation plan, progress and impacts
• Prepare, present, and submit quality and timely weekly/quarterly/annual work-plans and reports work relating to the area of conservation planning
• Advise the KWCA’s leadership on key conservation issues and requirements including opportunities identified to further advance the Associations work.
• Read, understand, and abide by the KWCA institutional policies
• Support in fundraising efforts, proposal development and program management
• Any other duties as assigned from time to time.

Business Competencies

Leadership

• Demonstrates strong leadership, a team player and possess emotional intelligence making him/her a trusted team member
• Delivers results and significantly contribute to KWCA institutional impact on an organization through the teams managed

Business Acumen

• Displays a business-oriented mind-set that drives enterprise in conservation planning
• Applies knowledge of industry, market and business trends to identify opportunities, prioritize activities and deliver business results.

Financial Acumen

•  Able to analyze and interpret financial data to make appropriate business suggestions and decisions
• Understands the connection between operations and financial performance.

Stakeholder Engagement (Internal/External)

• Possesses strong belief in stakeholder engagement and tactical experience in managing relations with partners
• Resolves stakeholders’ queries and challenges in organized way, providing the highest quality service and monitors to confirm that the stakeholders’ needs have been comprehensively addressed
• Provides prompt and insightful feedback to relevant stakeholders to enable them to address the root cause of the challenges faced by stakeholders.

Tech Led

• Utilises technology to innovate, create value and fuel more interactions, building the customer-brand relationship
• Leads the change process, to re-balance the existing way of working with new innovations, limiting disruption and inconvenience to customers and the business.

Functional Competences

Integrated Communications

• Creates powerful integrated communications delivered through an effective mix of channels that promotes KWCA’s services and safeguards organization reputation
• Uses processes systems and practice to maximise stakeholder value loyalty and advocacy
• Sets standards for the development of inspiring, insightful communication briefs
• Provides strong creative judgment to guide and challenge internal teams and agency partners
• Explores new ways of connecting with the target stakeholder.
• Leads integrated communications design to build advocacy and loyalty across specific target segments.

Negotiation

• Responds positively and professionally to objections, and addresses the stakeholder’s needs to successfully close the matter/issue
• Uses a range of techniques and approaches to make agreements that add value for KWCA and her stakeholders
• Understands stakeholders’ rational and key drivers and leverages them in negotiations
• Provides the stakeholder with another perspective to eliminate or neutralise objections
• Responds to concerns by flexing the components of the deal
• Creates a formal negotiation strategy early in the discussion
• Uses various but acceptable informal processes to prepare and influence negotiations
• Links the proposal to the achievement of business and personal goals of the decision maker(s) and final 
approver to strengthen own position
• Applies appropriate questioning techniques to lead the stakeholder to a close
• Demonstrates negative consequences and risks of delaying the decision.

Risk Management

• Balances risk and benefits within appropriate control frameworks
• Identifies and mitigates operational, financial and business risks in critical processes and projects
• Ensures plans and controls are in place to protect value and meet regulatory requirements
• Quantifies unclear or emerging risks
• Sets and reviews acceptable risk thresholds in partnership with business
• Identifies and assesses risk within business projects and proposed change to processes and systems
• Accesses and communicates resource costs to address potential risks
• Evaluates existing controls and implements improvements that reduce residual risk
• Quantifies and advises on the balance between risk and opportunity within business cases.

Working and Collaborating with Partners

• Partners with suppliers and vendors to develop and promote industry best practice in line with KWCA vision, values and goals and translates KWCA business requirements into partner and vendor performance management processes as required.

Reporting

• Delivers timely and accurate reports to satisfy statutory and business requirements. Identifies key performance and variances, and provides recommendations
• Applies knowledge of internal and external reporting standards to ensure reports meet required level of quality and integrity
• Develops and implements an integrated reporting plan that aligns with business strategy
• Prepares reports and guidance for investors and other stakeholders
• Combines expertise and commercial awareness to deliver value added solutions
• Anticipates, understands and evaluates consequences of developments in the local and international 
environment
• Evaluates and implements improvements to company policies relating to the tax function
• Understands international tax laws and cross border tax strategies.

Actionable Insights

• Uses a range of research and data analysis techniques to identify priority actions
• Translates data into insights that identify opportunities to drive value in programme segments
• Embeds insightful behaviors and regular connection across the team
• Identifies insight generation projects to address significant business challenges
• Pioneers new ways to connect with partners.

Project and Programme Management

• Understands scope and deliverables in terms of time, cost, quality and business benefit
• Monitors activity and articulates resource needs, dependencies and synergies
• Evaluates progress, mitigates risks and addresses issues
• Co-ordinates a portfolio of multi-dimensional programmes
• Implements procedures for programme quality reviews.

Requirements

Academic & Professional Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental planning and related sciences, Conservation Management, Wildlife Management or any other related field from a recognized institution of learning
• Certification in conservation planning an added advantage
• A masters in related field is an added advantage
• Member of a registered and recognized conservation body.

Relevant Skills & Expertise

• At least six (10) years of proven experience in leading the development, implementation review and reporting/analysis of conservation strategies and work plans within the NGO environment, and preferably in wildlife conservation
• Advanced knowledge community based conservation and the conservancy network in Kenya.
• Ability to carry out research, collect and analyse data needed inform comprehensive conservation
• Ability to produce work products using computers and Microsoft Office applications as well as use of 
research and analysis tools and applications
• General Knowledge of national and county government conservation planning programs
• Results-oriented, entrepreneurial, self-motivated, self-starter, who is flexible and adaptable to rapid change 
and has the ability to work in a fast-paced, high demand environment
• Good consultative and influencing skills with the ability to build strong working relationships across all 
levels
• Experience of working with national and local government entities, legal entities and other relevant 
agencies and research institutions
• In-depth understanding of conservation programming issues and policy work at national, county and 
international levels
• Sound knowledge in the political, social, economic and historic environment in which KWCA’s thematic 
programmes are operating at both national and community levels
• Excellent understanding of development partnerships, fund-raising, donor strategies, governmental and 
international relations in the country
• Demonstrated ability in conservation research driving performance, consistently producing superior 
results, cultivating ownership while enforcing company conservation policies
• Ability to develop innovative solutions to complicated conservation planning process issues in a fast- 
paced and demanding environment
• A collaborative team work style and a strong customer service orientation
• High level of integrity, confidentiality, trust and dependability with a strong sense of urgency
• Results-oriented, entrepreneurial, self-motivated, self-starter, who is flexible and adaptable to rapid change 
and has the ability to work in a fast-paced, high demand environment
• Strong consultative and influencing skills with the ability to build strong working relationships across all 
levels
• Experience translating KPIs to teams to get buy in and results
• Strong interpersonal, communication and presentation skills with a good focus on organization, and 
enhanced multitasking abilities
• Ability to communicate information, whether technical or non-technical to staff members and other 
stakeholders in a clear and concise manner.