Position : Greater Virunga Landscape (GVL) Coordinator
Reports to : WWF Country Director in Uganda with a dotted line to the WWF Country Director in DRC and Director of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)
Grade : TBD
Location : WWF Uganda Country Office with frequent travel to Rwanda and DRC

Mission of the Programme:
The Greater Virunga Landscape (GVL) is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. It is an interconnected set of protected areas that contains more terrestrial vertebrate species and more endemic and threatened vertebrate species than any other site in Africa. The landscape’s diverse mosaic of ancient tropical forests, ice-capped mountains, active volcanoes, savannah, swamps and wetlands provide habitats for important populations of African elephant, buffalo, okapi and the largest concentration of hippo globally. It is also the only place on Earth where 20 primate species coexist, including the entirety of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population. It contains three World Heritage Sites, one Ramsar Site, and one Man and Biosphere Reserve. The GVL also has immense socio-economic value. A large and growing human population depends on the GVL’s rich natural capital, which also contributes significantly to sustainable national and regional economic growth. Forest products are a key income source, supplemented by income from small-scale agriculture and fisheries and increasingly tourism. The GVL’s forested and mountainous nature makes it a transboundary water tower for the entire region, providing millions of people with fresh water for drinking and farming as well as being the highest and most permanent source of the River Nile. Lake George and Lake Edward within GVL are two of Africa’s most productive lakes and form important fisheries as well as being home to very high levels of endemic fish species. There are multiple pressures on the GVL, including the pressure for additional agricultural land and freshwater resources from the growing rural population, the impact of armed conflict in Eastern DRC, unsustainable poaching and illegal trade in timber and wildlife products, and the pressure from extractive industries and infrastructure development. At the same time, the biogeography of the GVL renders it, and the people living within it, highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In response, both government agencies and NGOs have been active in conservation and livelihood initiatives over several decades, both within and outside the Protected Areas. This effort has achieved some significant successes, including the recovery of large mammal populations in many areas and, through exemplary collaboration, the
increase in mountain gorilla numbers. We seek to build on these successes in the face of ever-increasing pressures and challenges, which have been brought even more sharply into focus by the global coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has resulted in the abrupt loss of tourism income, which previously funded much of the conservation work and supported many local community livelihoods, and underlined the importance of developing new, alternative, bold and innovative approaches. WWF seeks to establish a coalition of interdisciplinary NGOs working in the GVL that make an explicit commitment to coordinate with one another, aligning to co-develop an overarching GVL strategy and shared vision that strengthens existing mechanisms for strategic, transboundary and collaborative management through government, non-government and private partnerships. Our aims in doing this are that impact will be amplified, resources will be used more efficiently, and new opportunities can be more effectively leveraged. By facilitating a coalition-led strategy development process during a 1-2-year inception period, we intend to enable bottom-up development of a people-centred, transboundary landscape initiative that will embrace integrated and holistic approaches, as well as learning and sharing of experience. Building on the breadth of existing work, the proposed transboundary landscape strategy will be high-level, but informed by a robust process, with focus on agreeing coalition principles, action and implementation including clear roles and responsibilities.

Major Functions:
The Greater Virunga Landscape Coordinator is being sought to lead coalition building and the design and implementation of a GVL strategy. Through the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC), the governments of DRC, Uganda and Rwanda have already demonstrated commitment to, and developed platforms for, the strategic, transboundary and collaborative management of the natural resources of the GVL for long term economic development in the three countries. An NGO coalition can potentially provide enhanced support to Government institutions, whilst also effectively holding them to account. This role is being recruited by WWF but with the ultimate aspiration that the role will support, and be supported by, an interdisciplinary coalition of NGOs working in collaboration within the GVL. Operational arrangements may change and evolve as the coalition develops.

Specific tasks:
• In close collaboration with the WWF GVL working group (which includes representation of relevant WWF Network technical expertise), responsible for identifying potential interdisciplinary GVL coalition members and then supporting relationship building and ongoing relationship management with these organisations (forming the ‘GVL coalition’).
• In close collaboration with the GVL coalition, drawing from the WWF GVL working group as needed, and building on best practice for multi-stakeholder processes, responsible for designing and upholding GVL coalition principles. This will include, but not limited to, ensuring that environmental and social safeguards are built into all stages of planning.

• Responsible for facilitating GVL coalition members (WWF and non-WWF) to co-develop an overarching, transboundary GVL strategy and shared vision that is people-centred and strengthens existing mechanisms for strategic, transboundary and collaborative management. This will be high-level, but informed by a robust process, with focus on implementing coalition principles and agreeing action and implementation, including clear roles and responsibilities. This process is supported by secured consultancy support and the technical expertise of the WWF GVL working group.
• In close collaboration with the WWF GVL working group, support WWF country offices within the GVL to review strategic plans and, as necessary, respond / adapt to the agreed GVL strategy and coalition principles, including identifying opportunities for transboundary collaboration between WWF offices. In time, the aspiration is that this responsibility will expand to supporting other GVL coalition members also.
• Provide technical support as needed to WWF (and IGCP) implementing teams to develop and implement those work plans and annual budgets that are in alignment with the agreed GVL strategy. In time, the aspiration is that this responsibility will expand to supporting other GVL coalition members also.
• Support GVL coalition members and associated implementing teams to develop, grow and maintain effective partnerships (beyond the GVL coalition) with a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, private sector and local communities. There is a particular focus on ensuring effective and appropriate transboundary work and so working with transboundary organisations, and in particular the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC), will be key relationships.

• Effectively represent the GVL coalition in internal and external platforms, meetings, fora etc. to build increased understanding, interest and commitment to the GVL; positively influence decision making; and ensure that knowledge and learning from this programme is effectively shared.
• In close collaboration with the WWF GVL working group and WWF network fundraising teams, responsible for securing funds to support the GVL coalition coordination function and supporting fundraising for implementation of activities in line with the agreed transboundary GVL strategy. Over time, responsible for supporting multiple GVL coalition members to jointly develop and secure resources for projects / programmes implemented by two or more coalition partners working in partnership.
• Maintain an overview of all relevant projects, programmes and initiatives being undertaken by the GVL coalition, identify key gaps and potential niches and assist relevant coalition member staff to address these, for example through improved habitat and species connectivity, participatory land-use and governance planning, nature-based enterprises, transboundary collaboration, human wildlife conflict mitigation, policy engagement etc.
• Undertake such other duties as appropriate and as may be directed and agreed by his / her line manager.

Profile
Required Qualifications
• A postgraduate qualification (MSc or PhD) in a relevant discipline (e.g. natural sciences, social sciences, conservation biology, landscape ecology, economics, conservation planning or related field).
• At least 10 years working experience in wildlife conservation and socio-economic issues in Africa, preferably in an NGO context, with a proven track record in the design and implementation of large-scale programmes, preferably transboundary and within Africa.
• At least 10 years’ experience of working on complex programmes with multiple and diverse implementation partners and stakeholders -including high level political engagement, community livelihood initiatives -with cross-cutting themes and multiple objectives;
• At least 10 years’ experience in programme development and management, including preparing and managing sizeable and complex budgets, technical and financial reporting, matrix working, programme monitoring and evaluation and ensuring compliance with donor requirements for implementation.

Required Skills and Competences.
• Excellent strategic thinking, programme management and planning skills;
• Excellent written English and communication skills
• Ability to develop, interpret and manage budgets and financial reporting effectively.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills including the ability to build coalitions, negotiate, manage conflict with high level diplomacy, solve problems and overcome obstacles;
• Familiar with protocols associated with working in Africa, ideally East Africa;
• Excellent written, presentation and communication skills. WWF’s operating language is English, but fluency in both English and French is highly desirable for this role. Proficiency in Swahili is desirable;
• Visionary and results focused leadership approach with a thorough understanding of programme management disciplines;
• Demonstrated ability to drive multi-stakeholder engagement processes including stakeholder workshops, and to build capacity of multiple stakeholders to engage in landscape planning and management;
• Recognizes, respects and builds on the skills and perspectives of communities, partner organizations and the private sector;
• Demonstrated ability to engage with technical experts including academics, to understand and fill knowledge gaps, establish new research as necessary, and use science, including social science, knowledge to inform programme design and monitoring;
• Awareness and experience of implementing landscape-level conservation approaches –ideally trans-boundary –which support both biodiversity conservation and social development;
• Demonstrated ability of effectively working with communities to support sustainable natural resource management and improved wellbeing.
• Experience in ensuring environmental and social safeguarding
• Adherence to WWF’s values, which are: Passionate & Optimistic, Challenging & Inspiring, Credible & Accountable, Persevering & Delivering Results.
• Exemplification of WWF’s key behaviors: Strive for Impact, Listen Deeply, Collaborate Openly, and Innovate Fearlessly.

Working Relationships:
• Internal: Interacts and closely works with the WWF Country Director in Uganda, the programme teams and the entire administrative staff in Uganda Country Office.
• External :Interacts with the WWF Country Director in DRC and Director of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) , WWF GVL working group, which includes representation of relevant WWF network technical expertise. As the GVL coalition forms, this role will work in close collaboration with all GVL coalition members.

This job description covers the main tasks and conveys the spirit of the sort of tasks that are anticipated proactively from staff. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organizational needs.