Job offer: Regional Environmental Monitoring Officer (EN)

[Heather Cohen]

Job offer: Regional Environmental Monitoring Officer

Hiring body:  Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF)

We are looking for an expert in ecological monitoring for the position of Regional Environmental Monitoring Officer.

Background:

The mission of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) is to improve the survival of the remaining wild chimpanzee populations and their habitat, thereby helping to safeguard the behavioural diversity of this fascinating species. WCF's philosophy is threefold: to implement education, conservation and research projects for and by the African people.

WCF works in four West African countries to preserve key populations of wild chimpanzees in three major landscapes: 1). Moyen-Bafing National Park, created in 2021 by presidential decree, is recognised as the largest reservoir of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in West Africa, 2). The Taï-Sapo forest complex between Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire representing the largest block of the Upper Guinea Forest Ecosystem, a biodiversity hotspot, and 3). The OKKPS forest landscape complex (Outamba-Kilimi (Sierra Leone), Kuru Hills (Sierra Leone) and Pinselli-Soya (Guinea)), a priority conservation landscape.

The different intervention areas have various conservation profiles. Regular monitoring of animal populations and threat assessments are a priority for improving management and targeting interventions. Ecological monitoring is one of the flagship activities for conservation and has been carried out for almost 20 years by WCF teams, and since 2015, an adapted method based on camera trapping is ongoing.

Job description:

Support, training, and development of ecological monitoring in WCF's intervention areas in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire.

Tasks and main activities

The main activities will be carried out at WCF Abidjan. Travel to the field and to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone will be regularly organised for training and programme supervision.

The expert will be expected to perform the following tasks:

- Supervise WCF biomonitoring work in West Africa.

- Train WCF teams in data collection and analysis.

- Support the development of a qualified biomonitoring unit in Abidjan to facilitate data processing and storage

- Produce appropriate and accurate statistical analyses of the data using R. Support research through statistical analysis.

- Use the databases and develop analyses to respond to problems observed in the field in collaboration with the project leaders.

- Support the production of written reports for the different environmental monitoring projects in collaboration with the project leaders.

- Oversee the management of databases of each survey.

- Seek to improve the methods currently used for data collection and analysis; especially with regard to reducing method-related biases, optimising data analysis, evaluating estimates over time.

- Support the search for programme funding.

- Contribute to relevant scientific publications.

- Actively collaborate with local biomonitoring staff, WCF Côte d'Ivoire Director, WCF President, WCF representatives, and government officials.

 

Qualifications/Experience

This position is aimed at a qualified and experienced individual in the field of ecological monitoring with strong expertise in data analysis and statistics.

Qualifications

- Master2 or PhD in Ecology/Biodiversity/Environment/Biology or equivalent

- Previous professional experience in the field is essential;

- Experience in ecological monitoring projects; data collection to report writing is an asset;

- Mastery of statistical analysis (descriptive, differential, and predictive), knowledge of R and Distance tools are essential;

- Ability to write reports in both French and English

- Mastery of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and online media (social media, websites, etc.).

- Having relevant publications will be an asset;

 

Profile / Desired skills

- Strong listening and communication skills;

- Good interpersonal skills and team spirit;

- Ability to synthesise information and have excellent written and oral expression skills in French and English;

- Have a strong interest in biodiversity conservation and the protection of natural resources in the context of a protected area;

- Knowledge of specialised computer tools (QGIS, SMART, CyberTracker, Distance, etc.);

- Willingness and open-mindedness to work in an international, intercultural and multidisciplinary environment;

- Be stress resistant (conflict management and handling of unforeseen events) and flexible in working hours;

- Have a sense of organisation, autonomy and rigour in their work.

 

Language requirements:

- French (proven writing skills);

- English (advanced reading and comprehension skills).

In all areas of activity, the employee must be proactive, i.e. be able to make proposals for improvement or adaptation. This job description includes the main responsibilities inherent to this position. However, he/she may be asked to carry out tasks other than those listed above, and to be flexible in expected work tasks without this being considered as a modification of the contract.

- Application: current CV, contact details of 2 referees, and a letter of motivation to the attention of the Director of WCF Côte d'Ivoire;

- Workplace: Abidjan - Côte d'Ivoire

- Working hours: From 08:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00 from Monday to Friday.

Type of Contract: 18 months renewable

To apply: Please send your CV and cover letter (preferably in French) to: nor...@wildchimps.org with the job reference: “Expert Biomonitoring” in the subject line.

- Deadline for applications: 30 May, 2022 at 17:30 GMT (UTC +0)

- Salary: 2500 to 4000 Euros negotiable, depending on experience

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for a test and interview.