Wildlife Conservation Society Job Vacancy: Sustainable Landscape Unit manager, Bogor – West Java

BACKGROUND

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) works in almost 60 countries to save wildlife and wild places through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. WCS has worked in Indonesia for over 20 years supporting the Ministry of Forestry in conserving Indonesia’s biodiversity in several priority landscapes. WCS works closely with relevant government agencies, local communities, schools and universities, and the private sector.

The WCS Indonesia Program (WCS-IP) is structured under five core thematic programs: Forests; Marine; Wildlife Trade and Policy; One Health; and Rights and Communities. Within this, the Forests Program is implemented in the five WCS-IP priority Landscapes (Leuser, Bukit Barisan Selatan, Way Kambas, Bogani Nani and Rote Island), with core activities including protected area strengthening and wildlife management. Under the Forest Program, a Sustainable Landscapes initiatives established to support the Indonesian Government in addressing the one of main drivers of deforestation –smallholder farmland expansion.

To increase the effectiveness of our interventions in the WCS-IP priority landscapes in Sulawesi and Sumatra, and to maximize the effectiveness of our efforts to support protected area management in these landscapes, WCS-IP is implementing a three strategy through its: i) Forest First approach – leveraging collective action and partnerships to remove deforestation risk from major commodity supply chains by engaging and supporting smallholder farmers, ii) crafting robust and strategic sustainable business plans and strategies to leverage community engagement effectively, and iii) technical assistance to national, provincial, and district government agencies to strengthen ecosystem restoration strategy from land-based economic activities. The Sustainable Landscape Unit Manager will guide a team in three landscapes (Bukit Barisan Selatan, Singkil, and North Sulawesi) to implement this approach, whilst working at the subnational and national levels to strengthen relevant regulations and policies.

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Management

• Lead on the overall implementation of the Sustainable Landscapes Initiative by ensuring that approved work plans and activities are undertaken promptly in line with budgetary means, as well as adapting the objectives, strategies, work plans, budgets, and exit strategies as circumstances dictate, ensuring that annual, mid-term and end-of-project targets will be fully met.
• Prepare activity reports and assist in preparing financial reports as required by WCS, donors, and/or stakeholders, in Indonesian or English.
• Manage a small Bogor-based team: 1) Business Development Senior Specialist, 2) Agroconservation Specialist, and 3) Monitoring, Knowledge, Learning, and Reporting Specialist; by providing supervision, technical assistance, and training to ensure high levels of motivation and productivity.
• Maintain coordination with Aceh Manager, BBS Manager, and Sulawesi Manager to ensure effective delivery of field activities in line with the approved workplans and wider landscape objectives.
• Oversee the recruitment and operation of project consultants and their timely delivery of high-quality outputs.
• Support the Forest Senior Program Manager in the development of project concept notes and proposals to ensure the ongoing operation of the Sustainable Landscapes Program.
• Oversee the implementation of a robust monitoring and evaluation system across projects, integrated within the Forests Program overall, to support adaptive management, implementation of the Forest First approach, lessons learned documentation, and stakeholder engagement. 8. Support the Forest Senior Program Manager in driving institutional transformation within the Forest Program domain, emphasizing the smooth integration of Sustainable Landscapes teams across landscapes.

Program Innovation

• Lead on the implementation of the Forest First approach to address commodities driven deforestation in priority landscapes in Lampung, Aceh, and North Sulawesi, with a current focus on coffee, palm oil, and coconut supply chains, working in close collaboration with the Forests and Climate Senior Advisor and Regional Sustainable Landscapes Advisor, who will provide key technical expertise.
• Design and deliver Good Agricultural Practices training for farmers, with focus to support forest and biodiversity conservation.
• Strengthening farmer group capacity including farmer financial management, access to market through collective marketing, access to finance, and increase commodities value addition.
• Enabling landscape-level partnerships and progress – developing collective action to ensure the demand signals for deforestation-free commodities, working with the government on enabling policies and sustainable.
• Establishing commodity-based business groups at the local level that contribute to sustainable value chains and preserving nature.
• Provide critical thinking into the development and piloting of new concepts, through the Forest First approach of the Buffer zone management and sustainable financing.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

• Ensure a collaborative approach to the Program involving government, civil society organizations, and private sector commodity partners, with support from the Forests and Climate Senior Advisor who will lead on private sector engagement.
• Support the facilitation and/or participate in district, provincial, and national meetings, workshops, and discussions with various government agencies.

REQUIREMENTS

• MSc in natural resource management, conservation science, environmental/forest economics, or related topics.
• Broad scale background knowledge of protected area management, wildlife conservation and monitoring, sustainable landscapes approach, nature-based solutions, business development, ecosystem restoration, and community development, with at least 10 years of relevant experience at the managerial level.
• Demonstrated project management skills including workflow and budget planning, prioritizing tasks across multiple project components, mentoring project teams, and delivering high-quality products (e.g. reports) within the set deadline.
• Proven track record of program management, including project development, implementation, staff supervision, and budget oversight.
• Strong managerial capacities, as well as strategic technical and intellectual skills in conservation and protected area management.
• Fluency in Indonesian and English.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact with a wide variety of individuals and organizations, national and international.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively either independently or within a team.
• Willingness to travel, particularly to remote field sites. • Interest in wildlife and conservation and a commitment to the mission and values of WCS.

Please send a cover letter and CV in English to idrecruitment@wcs.org stating in the subject line “SL Unit Manager_(name)” at the latest on 22 June 2025. No correspondence as only short-listed candidates will be notified.