Community and Livelihoods Officer

Organization Background

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, presence in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding, and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and organizations, that knowledge is applied to address species, habitat, and ecosystem management issues critical to improving the quality of life of vulnerable communities whose livelihoods depend on the direct utilization of natural resources.

Program Background

WCS's office for the Southeast Asian Archipelago (SEAA) region is based in Singapore and is responsible for WCS conservation programs in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The SEAA region contains the third largest expanse of tropical rainforests and the majority of the Coral Triangle, the global center of marine biodiversity. The region includes over 25,000 islands and comprises the world's second, third, and sixth-largest islands (New Guinea, Borneo and Sumatra). Our current efforts focus on protecting Nature's Strongholds, including the Leuser Ecosystem and Endau Rompin landscape and some of the region's most important coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses, and tidal wetlands, including in the Bohol Sea (Philippines), North Sulawesi, North Maluku, Aceh, West Nusa Tenggara (Indonesia), and Sarawak (Malaysia).

Within the SEAA region, WCS has operated for many years in Indonesia and Malaysia. In the Philippines, WCS has recently opened a branch office and, leveraging its historical project-based legacy, is now, together with local partners, designing a conservation program that will complement the many ongoing terrestrial and marine efforts in the Philippines. We are initiating efforts to build a small and impactful team, develop government, civil society, and NGO partnerships, and build out the knowledge base to inform WCS's broader conservation strategy and approach in the Philippines (for example, marine conservation, illegal wildlife trade, rights and communities, forests and climate change, and health).

WCS's initial program focus is on marine conservation and management of the Bohol Sea, adopting an integrated (land-sea) and ecosystems-based approach to conservation. The work will be implemented in partnership with the local community, peoples' organizations, and other NGOs/academe and delivered in close coordination with government agencies.

Job Purpose

The Community and Livelihoods Officer is responsible for integrating socio-economic considerations into WCS's conservation program in Tawi-Tawi, ensuring that initiatives address community needs and priorities. The role involves conducting socio-economic assessments, engaging stakeholders, and supporting the design and implementation of sustainable and Nature-based Solutions livelihood strategies that contribute to both community well-being and conservation outcomes.

Major Responsibilities:

1. Socio-Economic Analysis

• Conduct socio-economic surveys and assessments to understand the community livelihoods, income sources, and economic challenges of communities in project areas.
• Analyze data to identify potential financial mechanisms and socio-economic impacts of conservation activities and propose actionable recommendations.

2. Community Engagement and Capacity Building

• Identify potential partners and engage with various stakeholders to support equitable, inclusive, and transparent food production business initiatives between the fisherfolk, fisherfolk organizations, and the public and private sector.
• Facilitate discussions and consultations with local communities to incorporate their perspectives and needs into project planning.
• Build strong relationships with community members, leaders, and stakeholders to foster collaboration and trust.
• Promote awareness of the socio-economic benefits of conservation initiatives within communities.
• Organize and deliver training sessions for community members on sustainable practices that align with both conservation and economic development.

3. Project Planning, Implementation and Evaluation

• Develop and implement strategies that enhance local livelihoods while supporting conservation goals, such as sustainable agriculture, eco-tourism, or alternative income-generating activities.
• Monitor and evaluate the socio-economic outcomes of conservation projects, ensuring that they meet the intended objectives and deliver positive impacts.
• Prepare detailed reports on socio-economic activities, outcomes, and lessons learned, and present these findings to internal and external stakeholders.
• Document project and socio-economic activities, ensuring that reports are thorough, accurate, and submitted in a timely manner.
• Ensure safeguards are integrated into all livelihood initiatives to promote inclusivity, equity, and compliance with WCS standards.

4. Others/Ad-hoc

• Support organizing of public forums, consultations, events, and activities of Philippines country program.
• Contribute to the development of proposals and reports for donors
• Ensure compliance with financial, procurement, and record-keeping systems.
• Support vendor and procurement processes and reporting.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the line manager

Minimum Requirements and Job Skills:

• A university degree in development studies, social sciences, economics or other relevant disciplines.
• Minimum three (3) years of relevant experience with non-profit, government, or private sectors working on project management, related to community-based livelihoods, gender, and/or health programming.
• Strong skills in socio-economic and needs analysis and data interpretation
• Knowledgeable on conservation finance
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing livelihood programs or projects
• Experience working with rural or indigenous communities, and understanding of their socio-cultural contexts
• Excellent project management, communication, writing, negotiation, and facilitation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to apply culture and gender-sensitive approaches to project activities and programs.
• Willing to be based in Tawi-Tawi and travel internally/locally and within project sites in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written Filipino, Bisaya, Tausug, Sama, and English.
• Start-up and service-oriented mindset, willing to support a dynamic team and a variety of tasks to ensure program growth and sustainability.
• Flexibility to work overlapping hours with teams located in different time zones.
• Alignment to WCS Core Values of respect, accountability and transparency, innovation, diversity and inclusion, collaboration, and integrity.

WCS is an equal opportunity employer, and the organization complies with all employment and labor laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and engaging in a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share the same values. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate for employment based on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, caste, genetic information or any other covered status or characteristic protected by laws and regulations/and similar categories.

It is everyone's responsibility to ensure that we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based upon a person's membership in one of these protected categories in areas such as recruitment, selection, job assignment, supervision, training, promotions, job grading, transfers, termination, compensation, benefits, educational opportunities, WCS sponsored recreational activities and facilities.

The organization complies with the spirit and intent of relevant local laws and WCS's employment policies.

Job Type: Full-time

Experience:

• Community-based livelihoods, and/or health programming: 3 years (Required)

Work Location: In person