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29 Jan 2022

Conservation Tourism Environment & Social Officer at Nature Conservancy

Job Description

A LITTLE ABOUT US

Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change and conserving lands, waters and oceans at unprecedented scale.  One of our core values is our commitment to diversity. Therefore, we strive for a globally diverse and culturally competent workforce. Working in 72 countries, including all 50 United States, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners.

TNC Africa and TNC’s NatureVest impact investment team have developed the Africa Conservation & Communities Tourism (ACCT) Fund in collaboration with ThirdWay Partners, an Africa-focused investment management firm.  The ACCT Fund’s mandate is to raise and deploy impact investment capital to support conservation tourism operators through the COVID-induced economic downturn, which has reduced tourism footfall, resulting in job losses and decreased funding for conservation areas. The ACCT Fund has been structured to deliver on certain conservation outcomes and support to local communities, including local employment opportunities. The Fund’s investment capital must be deployed in the next several years. TNC is the Conservation Advisor to the Fund and, in that capacity, reviews and monitors each investment for conservation and community outcome potential and delivery and sets a suite of conservation covenants that each operator must adhere to over the life of the loan. TNC will also chair the Fund’s Conservation Committee, which will include members from ThirdWay Partners and third-party experts. Finally, TNC is also primarily responsible for managing and monitoring any environmental and social outcomes and risks associated with the Fund’s work on the ground and providing detailed reports to investors and other partners. The Fund’s priority geographies include: Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa and Botswana but other countries may be considered.

More about The Nature Conservancy Africa: The Nature Conservancy Africa program follows a holistic approach to protect vital lands and waters, transform the way natural resources are used and managed, and inspire to equip others to contribute to the shared vision of a healthy and sustainable future for Africa’s lands, waters, wildlife and people. We use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature press on Twitter.

More about NatureVest: NatureVest is the impact investment unit of The Nature Conservancy. NatureVest’s mission is to create and transact investable deals that deliver conservation results and financial returns for investors. Our vision is based on the conviction that capital markets, businesses and governments must invest in nature as the long-term capital stock of a sustainable, equitable and more efficient economy. To achieve our mission, we source and structure investment products that support TNC’s global strategies, raise capital for these investments, and share our knowledge and experience with the investment and conservation communities to amplify our efforts in this emerging area. To learn more, visit www.nature.org/naturevest.

YOUR POSITION WITH TNC

The Conservation Tourism Environment & Social Officer (E&S Officer) shall be primarily responsible for implementing the ACCT Fund’s Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) as part of TNC’s conservation advisory services to the ACCT Fund. This includes working closely with the Fund’s portfolio of tourism operators to ensure that E&S principles are integrated appropriately into the governance and day-to-day decision making of the Fund to help deliver environmental and social outcomes. In addition, they will be responsible for developing, implementing and reporting on detailed environmental and social risk management and monitoring processes to key cornerstone investors and ensuring that any potential investment would meet the environmental and social risk requirements over the life of the investment. The E&S Officer will work closely with tourism operators, TNC’s local country programs in the target geographies, ThirdWay Partners, and the third-party investment management team.  They will report to the Conservation Tourism Manager on TNC’s NatureVest team. This position will ideally be based at the TNC Regional office in Nairobi, Kenya, but other locations in Africa where TNC has existing projects may be considered.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The E&S Officer shall manage all aspects of TNC’s conservation advisory services to the ACCT Fund related to the ESMS. In this capacity, the E&S Officer shall be responsible for conducting detailed environmental, conservation and socio-economic diligence on conservation tourism companies. This shall include leading detailed desktop and onsite diligence related to environmental and social matters on tourism companies under consideration to receive investment from the Fund. For existing investments in the portfolio, this shall include ongoing monitoring, such as on-site meetings and review of the operators’ environmental and social performance against the benchmarks set by the Fund, and regular evaluation of each company’s efforts to manage any environmental and/or social risks identified during review.

The E&S officer shall support the Conservation Tourism Manager to develop detailed written recommendations to the Fund’s Conservation Committee outlining (i) whether a conservation tourism company meets the Fund’s conservation and E&S criteria, (ii) what mitigation measures may need to be implemented to adequately address identified E&S risks and impacts, (iii) what outcomes (impact metrics) each conservation tourism company should seek to achieve over the life of their loan, and (iv) what conservation/E&S covenants should be put in place to hold the tourism companies accountable to these impact metrics. The role  will also work closely with the Conservation Tourism Manager and key cornerstone investors to review and amend the ESMS as needed during the term of the Fund based on lessons learned and incorporate any new developments in global trends in this area.

They shall also be responsible for preparing regular summary performance reports to the Fund’s Conservation Committee and its investors and support the  Conservation Tourism Manager in coordinating the Conservation Committee’s meetings, developing any necessary materials (including the conservation recommendation memos) in advance of those meetings, and providing any necessary follow-up to the Conservation Committee.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE

  • Undertakes detailed conservation, environmental and social diligence (assessment) on selected tourism operators in eastern and southern Africa.
  • For new investments, prepares summary recommendations to the Conservation Tourism Manager on the environmental, conservation and social impact potential of a given investment based on the results of their diligence processes and the overall impact objectives of the ACCT Fund.
  • Supports the Conservation Tourism Manager in preparing detailed recommendations to the Conservation Committee for environmental and social activities to be undertaken by tourism operators, including specific environmental and social impact criteria for investments on a case-by-case basis, in formal memoranda.
  • Works with the tourism operators and third-party investment manager to ensure that appropriate environmental and social considerations, including covenants, are incorporated into loan agreements for each operator.
  • Monitors on a bi-annual basis the impact of the environmental and social activities being undertaken by tourism operators receiving investment from the Fund, assesses performance against targeted Fund benchmarks and monitoring and mitigation plans, and details that assessment in formal memoranda.
  • Monitors as necessary the environmental and social risk profile of the companies that have received investment from the Fund and works closely with cornerstone investors to meet their risk and outcome reporting needs.
  • Provides technical guidance and assistance on E&S issues to the Conservation Tourism Manager, the Conservation Committee and tourism operators receiving investment from the Fund.
  • Reviews, and if necessary, revises E&S guidelines each year in coordination with the Conservation Tourism Manager, the Conservation Committee, the third-party investment manager and related investors.
  • Works closely with TNC Africa staff and/or other key partners, as necessary, to identify opportunities where the diligence process and any targeted impact requirements may be designed to advance TNC’s existing priorities in the region.
  • Willingness and ability to travel up to 50% both domestically and internationally, and to work on occasional weekends and/or evenings.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Conservation, Finance, Tourism Management or related field and 3 years of related experience such as tourism, conservation, or conservation finance focused on the landscapes of Africa, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Experience in global environmental and social monitoring standards, frameworks and procedures (such as those developed by World Bank and International Finance Corporation).
  • International work experience.
  • Experience in project management and tracking and meeting deadlines for multiple projects simultaneously.
  • Experience making written and oral recommendations and presentations.
  • Experience developing end products with software such as PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • At least 3 -5 years of relevant professional experience with environmental and/or social impact monitoring or risk management systems.
  • Strong team player who can build relationships and work collaboratively across the organization, including with senior management, TNC Africa conservation staff and with Conservancy partners.
  • Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience.
  • Confident self-starter with ability to generate work products with limited support.
  • Experience developing, presenting and writing-up complex materials in briefing notes and/or memoranda.
  • Knowledge of environmental and social safeguards and/or risk management issues as applied to conservation in Africa.
  • Willingness to learn and develop expertise in new conservation strategies, economic drivers, management tools, and global affairs.

APPLY NOW

To apply for job ID 50928, submit your materials online by using the Apply Now button at https://careers.nature.org/. Need help applying? Visit our recruitment page or contact applyhelp@tnc.org.

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

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TNC is committed to offering accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please send a note to applyhelp@tnc.org with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.

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