Funding and Reporting Manager

Role Specification | Park Funding and Reporting Manager

Background

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.

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 operations are funded 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. Fundraising is conducted by account managers across the world with teams in the US, Europe, Asia, and Africa and supported by a central Proposal, Impact Reporting and Analysis Team (PIRATE) that facilitates communication and exchanges between front-facing fundraising account managers, head office support functions, and park teams.

The funding and reporting manager (FRM) is a key position within the Park Management Unit and plays a critical bridge between the park team and the fundraising team. Reporting to the Park Manager and working closely with the PIRATE team, the FRM is the focal point for all fundraising-related matters at the park level. This role requires strong leadership, analytical excellence, and project management capabilities as it has to navigate between the park’s long-term strategy, financial and operational realities, funder’s interests, regulations, and reporting requirements.

Key functions and responsibilities:

• The FRM is accountable for the effective, timely, and compliant delivery of the park’s grant portfolio. This requires very close collaboration with the park manager, the finance manager, and the different heads of departments (e.g., biodiversity conservation and community development) to make sure activities are conducted in line with contracted grants, funding allocated to the right activities, and that any changes to spending or activities is communicated and aligned with account managers in the fundraising team. The FRM is responsible for ensuring that park’s business plans are aligned with the grant portfolio and vice-versa.
• The FRM is responsible for providing the fundraising team with accurate and timely input for regular donor reporting. This includes tracking of progress against the park’s long-term sustainability strategy and associated impact metrics, spending against the park’s business plan and specific grant objectives as well as updates on key developments in the park. It also includes timely and regular incident reporting and follow-up in line with AP’s guidelines.
• The FRM is the key resource person for the fundraising team to understand the park’s funding needs and develop high-quality proposals to close the park’s funding gap through multi-year restricted as well as unrestricted funding both with public funders (i.e., European Union and USAID) or private donors (i.e., UHNWI and foundations). The FRM is also the key project manager for the development of projects to monetize nature-based solutions (i.e., carbon credits or nature units). Together with the Park Manager, the FRM works closely with the account managers in the fundraising team to align on donor engagement strategies, either during donor visits to parks or with local/regional delegations and embassies of public funders.

Required Qualification, Competencies, and Experience for the Role:

• At least BSc. or BA and 4 years of experience working in a project management role and in close collaboration with philanthropic and institutional funders (i.e., European Union, GIZ, USAID and large private foundations) in the field of conservation and/or sustainable development in Africa.
• Proven track record in grants management and fundraising support, including program budgeting and financial planning, application of monitoring and evaluation frameworks and coordinating input from across different departments. In-depth understanding of complex donor requirements.
• Strong writing and communication skills with the ability to synthesise various complex activities into simple and compelling reports for funders.
• Full professional competency in English and French (both written and spoken)
• Good people and leadership skills, sensitivity to cultural differences and strong capacity-building skills.
• Strong project manager, organized and able to manage 2-3 complex projects in parallel while staying organized and ensuring teams are delivering input in a timely and accurate fashion.
• Problem-solving and can-do attitude with the ability to get things done and motivate people despite often challenging contexts that come with working in remote places in Africa.
• A passion for conservation and community development and am excited about the possibility of living in a park in central Africa.

This position is a field-based position with a 9-week rotation in the park and subsequent 3-week home leave for expatriates.

Values and Culture:

• We have a passion; for Africa, its conservation areas, and its people.
• All employees and all governance structures should be accountable to the conservation cause at all times. In our commitment to our purpose, we do what we say we will do.
• We are patient, and we are always polite, but perseverance and resilience are what get us there in spite of ongoing challenges and frustrations.
• We tell it as it is; bad news is shared along with the good news. We never fail to communicate emergencies, mistakes, or other bad news immediately.
• We are pragmatic and results-oriented and keep sight of the main objective. We own the problem, and we are responsible for the solution.
• We put our partners first, as we manage other people’s protected areas utilising other people’s money. We are always respectful of and give credit to our partners.
• We learn from our mistakes. Mistakes only arise from “doing” and are therefore tolerated and treated as learning experiences.
• We have fun. It is a privilege to work for African Parks, so connect with what we do. Working for African Parks should be fun.

How to apply

African Parks Network is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, tribe, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state, or national law. Hence, persons of all gender, race, sex, orientation, age, and identity are encouraged to apply.

Shortlist (www.shortlist.net) is our exclusive recruitment partner for this role. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is closed, though early applications are strongly encouraged. If you believe you meet the attributes and skills above, please apply at the following link: job link. In case you have any questions, please forward them via email along with your updated resume to the following addresses:

Reynold Owuor

Principal Consultant, Global Search

reynold@shortlist.net

Neema Waweru

Talent Analyst - Global Search

neema@shortlist.net