Conservation Funding Specialist

Job Title:           Conservation Funding Specialist

Organization:   African Parks Foundation of America

Location:           Washington, DC

Reporting to:    Executive Director, African Parks Foundation of America

Position Type:   Full Time

About African Parks Foundation of America: 

African Parks Foundation of America (APFA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and sustainable management of Africa's national parks and protected areas. APFA raises and grants funding to African Parks Network.

African Parks Network (APN) is a South African-based conservation organization and the leading conservation organization in Africa, partnering with governments and local communities in the rehabilitation and management of African national parks and protected areas. The organization currently manages 22 protected areas, totalling 20 million hectares (50 million acres), across 12 countries. These parks include some of Africa’s largest and most well-known protected areas, including Kafue, Zambia’s largest national park; Odzala-Kokoua, one of the largest intact rainforest parks in West Africa; and Bazaruto Archipelago, a world heritage site and marine park that hosts the last viable population of dugongs on the eastern coast of Africa. AP secures long-term mandates from national governments to protect these parks and provides comprehensive programming, including biodiversity conservation, community development and revenue generation, underpinned by infrastructure development and strong management.

African Parks has experienced extraordinary growth over the past several years and currently has a staff of 5,400, 98% local, and an operating budget of over $130M. This budget will continue to grow as AP delivers on its vision that 30% of Africa's ecosystems and the unique biodiversity they contain are secured and valued in perpetuity.

African Parks’ global funding team consists of multiple independent fundraising units, including the African Parks Foundation of America, several fundraising entities across Europe (APEU), a team in Asia Pacific, an institutional funding team and a Nature-Based Solutions team. These teams have a main responsibility to raise enough funding to sustain APN’s operations and growth plans. Funding comes primarily from major private donors (high-net-worth individuals), institutional donors (i.e., European Union, US Government and German Government) as well as foundations, conservation organizations, and increasingly from corporate partnerships. The organization maintains strong relationships with its key donors. Many of them are long-term supporters of African Parks. The Proposals, Impact Reporting and Analysis Team (PIRATE) is the backbone of AP’s funding operations and builds the bridge between the fundraising entities and the park operations and other departments at Home Office in Johannesburg.

Job Summary:

African Parks Foundation of America (APFA) seeks a Conservation Funding Specialist who will support the management of the entire lifecycle of grant projects with meticulous attention to detail and exceptional project management skills. This role will be functionally integrated into the Proposal, Impact Reporting and Analysis Team (PIRATE) with team members spread across the United States, Europe and Africa. We are looking for a strong and experienced writer, at ease with supporting the development of funding proposals and impact reports. This position requires experience and interest with the following topics: conservation management, ecosystem functioning, community development, social development issues, sustainable land use and/or climate change adaptation. Ideally the candidate would also bring a good understanding of the funding landscape and priorities with regards to these themes. First and foremost, this position requires strong technical skills with regard to the development of budgets, log frames and monitoring and evaluation frameworks used by the main institutional funders such as the US Government and the major private foundations funding nature.

Working at the intersection between the front-facing fundraising teams across the world and the park teams, strong candidates have a service mindset, eager to understand the objectives and needs of fundraisers and helping to package information from the parks into compelling pitches and insightful reports. At the same time, a strong candidate will also bring strong people and communication skills and be able to engage with park-based Funding and Reporting Managers (FRMs) and other park staff to provide accurate and timely input into reports and proposals while being sensitive to the realities of remote protected areas.

Key Responsibilities:

·     Support fundraising account managers and park teams with the oversight of grant-funded projects, including timeline management, budget and milestone tracking, and resource allocation;

·     Support the development of rigorous proposals and impact reports, including building accurate and precise grant budgets, and ensuring quality financial reports and compliance with grant requirements and regulations. This also includes content development with experts across the organization and editing and refining content provided by program team members to ensure content accuracy, clarity, and alignment with funder guidelines.

·     Develop concept notes, factsheets, case studies and position papers based on needs shared across the fundraising team and with input from other African Parks departments;

·     Compile risk assessments and facilitate go/no go decisions on large, restricted opportunities;

·     Coordinate with the project teams, most notably the Funding and Reporting Managers (FRMs) in the parks, to marry donor priorities and restrictions with the strategic needs and planned interventions of the park;

·     Support the in-park FRMs with grant management and compliant grant delivery through start-up workshops, regular check-ins and troubleshooting;

Competencies, qualifications and experience needed for the role:

·     A proven track record in grants management of philanthropic and/or institutional funding, supporting the development of proposals, budgets and reports that are aligned with donor interests and requirements.

·     A solid handle on monitoring & evaluation frameworks, theories of change and Log-frames and capable of handling complex budgets and impact data;

·     Effective communication skills and experience with facilitating different stakeholders: you need to quickly grasp the needs of fundraising and how they intersect with the reality of African Parks and the teams on the ground;

·     Strong English writing and storytelling skills; fluency and strong writing skills in French would be a strong plus;

·     Able to multitask, prioritize and manage multiple deadlines simultaneously while maintaining and improving African Parks’ quality standard;

·     Willing to travel to remote protected areas and African Parks Home Office in Johannesburg;

·     Master’s degree preferred in relevant field such as International Development, Environmental Studies, Social Sciences, Conservation, Ecology, Biology, International Relations, etc.;

·     At least 3 years of professional experience in the field of grant management, conservation, social development and/or sustainable land use management in a developing country context. 

How to Apply: 

Interested candidates should submit a resume and a cover letter.

Note: This position will remain open until filled. African Parks Foundation of America is an equal-opportunity employer.