Senior Scientist

~ The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is the largest and longest-serving international conservation NGO in Gabon, having worked in the country for over 30 years. ~

Our work began by supporting elephant surveys in the 1980s that included pioneering research on forest elephant monitoring methods and ecology. Our role evolved into that of key political advisor in the creation of a network of 13 National Parks in 2002.

WCS Gabon has subsequently significantly expanded its operations to support the Government on a range of issues from science-based wildlife monitoring and marine protected area spatial planning, to management plan development, law enforcement monitoring and capacity building for protected area management. Today, WCS works closely with Gabon's National Parks Agency (ANPN - Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux) in providing technical advice and support to protecting Gabon's wildlife and wild places.  

Position Overview

The Wildlife Conservation Society seeks a full-time experienced and qualified scientist to lead a new research, conservation and monitoring program in Gabon, with a focus on elephants and other large terrestrial mammals. This is an exciting, rare and unique opportunity to apply rigorous and cutting-edge science to conservation action and management.

From 2016-2018 WCS is planning to lead a nationwide elephant survey across some of Gabon's most important elephant populations and protected areas. WCS is looking to leverage this opportunity to scale up its scientific capacity in Gabon to develop a cutting-edge science-based support program to inform and improve conservation management and protection efforts in the country.

This program will coordinate and work closely with ANPN in achieving their protection and management objectives. The Senior Scientist for WCS Gabon will lead this program.

The position reports to the WCS-Gabon Country Director and works closely with Gabonese government representatives and WCS regional technical advisors. This positon starts as soon as possible and will run for 2 years full-time, with possibility of renewal. This role includes travel into the field in Gabon, wider region & abroad, and reports to WCS Gabon Country Director. 

Objectives: 

• The Senior Scientist is responsible for the leadership and management of the terrestrial component of the WCS Gabon program. The position will implement a wildlife research and monitoring program in collaboration with ANPN and other partners, and explore opportunities to expand the program by building on WCS's range of expertise in conservation. 

• The Senior Scientist will oversee the design, implementation, and analysis of the national Gabon elephant surveys. S/he will build a collaborative, innovative and cutting-edge applied research and monitoring program for WCS Gabon's terrestrial conservation that responds directly to ANPN conservation and management goals and help build the next generation of Gabon's conservation scientists.

• The successful candidate will have practical field experience in wildlife monitoring and experience in project management and development. S/he will ensure integration of WCS Gabon's research and monitoring activities with WCS regional initiatives and Gabon's national authorities' strategic priorities. S/he will be involved in a broad portfolio of activities with particular focus on research, planning, fundraising and coordination of WCS conservation strategy in Gabon. The position is based in Libreville with frequent travel.

Responsibilities

For nationwide elephant surveys:

• As PI for the Gabon national elephant survey, lead a National Technical Coordination Team of government & NGO partners in the design, implementation, data quality, data analysis
• Identify, recruit, evaluate & coordinate training & regular mentoring for Gabonese field staff to implement the surveys 
• Develop & oversee parallel research & development of new & improved methodology for surveying forest elephants 
• Develop workplans, budgets, terms of reference for new field staff 
• Coordinate & procure equipment with WCS-New York purchasing department 
• Provide regular technical and financial reports

For WCS Gabon's broader terrestrial conservation portfolio:

• Design, implement & manage daily operations of a targeted research & monitoring program on WCS priority species & habitats, that responds to information gaps & aligns to strategic priorities of the WCS Gabon program & wider regional surveys and monitoring program
• Work with WCS Gabon country director & government partners to build strong research & monitoring team 
• Develop partnerships to assist in implementing & supporting the research & monitoring program 
• Produce analyses & meta-analyses on the status of threats, wildlife & impact of conservation activities, exploiting long-term databases such as SMART law enforcement monitoring database 
• Work with Ministry & logging companies, to support development & implementation of wildlife management plans of logging concessions in priority areas
• Provide technical support & guidance to WCS Gabon & government partners on conservation strategy development, protected area management, research & monitoring, and tourism development in Gabon 
• Contribute to strategic plans, annual work plans, & overall project planning in collaboration with WCS Africa Program & other partners
• Support project fundraising activities 
• Compile reports & support project managers in preparing reports to donors & collaborators 
• Monitor project expenditures & budgets; ensure reporting & justification of expenditure following WCS procedures & donor criteria 
• Supervise work of external experts contracted to work on research/monitoring activities; oversee & evaluate delivered outputs 
• Prepare & distribute promotional & educational material for WCS communications
• Represent program nationally and internationally, by participation in conservation events, workshops, & symposia in collaboration with partners
• Maintain linkages to WCS regional initiatives in Central Africa, Africa, & New York; identify opportunities for cooperation

Qualifications & Experience

• Masters or PhD degree & experience in terrestrial conservation biology and/or natural resources management with min. 5 years' experience in Africa 
• Proven experience in project management & implementation (e.g., managing large budgets, staff, liaising with government)
• Proven experience & technical competency in up-to-date scientific approaches & methodologies, i.e. GIS & spatial planning, wildlife ecology research design, wildlife monitoring program design 
• Fully computer literate & familiar with advanced statistical software packages, including Distance, R, mark-recapture applications 
• Proven publication record & competitive research ranking (impact factor) 
• Good command of English, good grasp of French 
• Sufficient physical fitness to undertake field work in challenging conditions 
• Excellent organizational capacity, interpersonal & networking skills, ability to work in a team
• Strong communications & presentation skills, including strong technical writing & demonstrated ability to communicate to a wide range of audiences across different cultures
• Must be able to work effectively under pressure & meet deadlines
• Must be committed to conservation & the WCS mission

To Apply

• Candidates who meet above qualifications must click below: "Apply Now Online!" to email an application letter and CV with names & contacts of 3 referees no later than 30 September 2016. Please include "WCS Senior Scientist, Gabon" in the subject line of your email.
• Also, send a copy of these application materials to: africaapplications@wcs.org.
• Candidates must also apply online via the WCS career portal by searching job title. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.