Internship | Job Vacancies at Nature Conservancy

Conservation Data Advisor – Africa at Nature Conservancy

Description

What We Can Achieve Together:

The Conservation Impact System Team (IST) in the Chief Conservation Office plays a critical role in supporting global conservation implementation. The IST supports conservation teams, leaders, and executives to generate and use evidence in adaptive management and reporting so that TNC can achieve its goals for biodiversity, climate, and people. The IST is comprised of the Conservation Data Team (CDT) and Conservation Strategy Team (CST) that partner closely to provide support. The CDT is responsible for conservation data capacity building, data quality, science & systems, and organizational reporting, including reporting and recommendations to executives and the global board. This position focuses on enabling regional teams to consistently generate, trust, and use high‑quality data and evidence through strong MEL systems, standards, and practices. The role works as a close partner with regional MEL leads to align CDT support with regional MEL priorities, processes, and ways of working.

Essential Functions:

The Africa Regional Advisor will help the CDT provide more direct and integrated support for conservation data that meets the demand of conservation teams and leaders within TNC’s Africa Region to generate and use evidence to improve the quality of their decisions and their impact.

The Africa Regional Advisor will cultivate an understanding of what drives customer satisfaction (customer = TNC conservation teams and leaders) in the Africa region and contribute to effective delivery of CDT support. The lead will serve as a cross-cultural/organizational broker and learning advocate, ensuring that the products and practices developed in the Africa region or in other regions of TNC are shared and co-evolve, resulting in a conservation data toolkit that is common to TNC and contextually relevant.

The Africa Conservation Data Advisor position will build and maintain strong, trusting relationships with key leadership and experts in the Africa Region, including monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) regional team and specialists, scientists, and portfolio managers. They will collaborate with MEL staff in Africa to ensure CDT’s support is aligned with their vision for conservation science data, MEL and reporting to support evidence for adaptive management in Africa Portfolio. The Africa Conservation Data Advisor will work with regional MEL leaders and partners to align science data support with priority needs to improve MEL data quality and adaptive management practices. The position collaborates closely with Africa MEL lead, CDT colleagues, and the CST Africa regional counterpart to ensure aligned support across MEL and strategy processes. This position will help deliver CDT offerings and provide technical and data science support. This role uses a learn-by-doing approach to the development, implementation, and iteration of CDT offerings to quickly learn and adjust.

This is a 2-year termed position.

The Conservation Data Advisor – Africa must reside and have work authorization in one of the TNC Africa program locations (Kenya, Tanzania, or Zambia).

We’re Looking for You:

• Provide targeted guidance and support focused on the generation and use of evidence in adaptive management, aligned with regional needs.
• Provide direct support to teams, grounded in agile, data science, and implementation science principles and values.
• Ensure support provided to teams is regionally and culturally appropriate, using a collaborative approach to design offerings and engaging local contractors as needed.
• Ensure conservation data science support provided to teams is aligned with and supportive of the regional portfolio management and reporting processes.
• Support teams to use evidence syntheses and close key science evidence gaps identified through their adaptive management processes and to ensure confidence in their reported outcomes.
• Support other members of the regional team to use conservation data tools as they support other high priority teams and programs.
• Build enabling conditions for the generation and use of evidence in adaptive management and prioritization in the Africa Region.
•  Build trusting relationships with key TNC leadership in the Africa Region.
• In collaboration with MEL Regional team and MEL Specialists, build the enabling conditions for use of robust evidence in adaptive management.
• In close collaboration with Africa MEL staff, enhance data analytics processes to convert quality assured and evidence-based data into useful reporting and learning products (such as impact briefs, analytical summaries, and data reports) to inform program, portfolio, and leadership decisions.
• Collaborate with staff in CDT to ensure the region’s conservation data meets data quality & reporting standards and support regional leadership to drive accountability to these standards.
• Work with Africa Regional Conservation / Strategies leadership to identify top priority teams needing conservation data and learning support, and focus support on them.
• Collaborate with Africa Regional Conservation / Strategies leadership to support the use of conservation data in prioritization and strategic decision-making to advance impact in the region, including partnering to develop dashboards that support portfolio management and specific leadership decisions.
• Collaborate with other Africa Regional leadership team members to help influence and advance specific enabling conditions in the region for improving data quality and its use in adaptive management and prioritization, including further integration of conservation and financial data and planning.

Grow CDT’s impact

• Measure / monitor value provided by CDT support in the region.
• Identify opportunities to scale up support models to meet the needs of the region and expand CDT’s impact, working in partnership with other regional CDT leads.
• Provide feedback to CDT on opportunities to improve or enhance support models identified in collaboration with regional leadership.
• Help identify opportunities where CDT tools or processes could better meet team needs.
• Use a learn‑by‑doing approach to test, adapt, and improve CDT support over time.
• Support CDT’s work in other regions by proactively recognizing potential collaboration areas, capturing and sharing learnings, and participating in cross-regional exchanges.

What You’ll Bring:

• Master’s Degree in science related field and 4 years of experience in advancing data quality and the use of data in management / business, preferably in a large conservation or development organization or agency or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with conservation and/or development metrics and their monitoring and evaluation data systems, impact measurement and results-based reporting for programs and portfolios.
• Proven experience in supporting rigor, consistency, and validation of program indicator methodologies.
• Strong working knowledge of data analysis and visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, GIS, Python, Excel, R), sufficient to guide analytics design, review outputs, and support capacity building across regional teams.
• Experience leading and mentoring teams and building capacity of team members.
• Record of supporting conservation strategy and decisions with data.                   
• Experience leading or participating on cross functional teams.                                       
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule in order to align with a variety of time zones.
• Experience with self-directed navigation of complex and open-ended projects to achieve outcomes.
• Knowledge of, and commitment to, centering equity, justice and inclusion principles and practices in a professional setting.
• Experience working and communicating with a wide range of people.
• Ability to work effectively across cultures, countries, and regional contexts.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Deep multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience within the Africa Region.
• Willingness and authorization to reside and work in designated TNC Africa program locations (Kenya, Tanzania, or Zambia) with travel to other countries in the region (Gabon, Angola, and South Africa).
• English language proficiency.

Desired Qualifications:

• Record of helping scale conservation strategies or solutions using data, such as through MRV systems for ecosystem markets.
• Domain area expertise in one or more of the following: large-scale protection or management of lands/freshwater/oceans, climate or biodiversity policy, renewable energy siting, natural climate solutions, conservation finance and markets, regenerative agriculture, sustainable fisheries or aquaculture, watershed management, community-based management, or equitable conservation.
• Experience managing complex projects including the financial aspect and coordinating the work of peers and partners
• Self-driven with a bias towards action.
• Ability to leverage the latest technology to achieve desired results.
• Excitement about working on an agile team that is continually adapting their own ways of working.
• Experience with Indigenous and Traditional knowledge.
• Experience with a growth mindset, creativity, and resourcefulness.
• Experience with strategy or strategic initiatives.
• Second language proficiency in French or Portuguese.

Salary Information:

The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is generally within the range of $83,700 – $125,700. This range only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. Where a successful candidate’s actual pay will fall within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including, for example, the candidate’s location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. Please note countries outside the USA would have a different pay range in the local currency based on the local labor market, and not tied to USA pay or ranges. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment. This role is not eligible for VISA assistance or relocation assistance into countries where we are a registered entity.

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Associate Director of Finance at The Nature Conservancy (Africa)

Are you looking for work you can believe in? At TNC we strive to embody a philosophy of Work that You Can Believe in where you can feel like you are making a difference every day. We’re looking for someone with strong experience in leading a diverse, multi-disciplinary team.  

The ideal candidate should have exceptional communication and collaboration skills and experience in management of data and personnel. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the ongoing mission of conservation by directing and shaping the work of our team! 

Roles & Responsibilities

• Manage the day-to-day functional activities and personnel in the Africa Business Unit’s Accounting, Treasury, Audit and Compliance, budgeting, and reporting areas and provide financial analysis to senior management.
• Responsible for managing, maintaining, and reporting financial data, and monitoring management controls and processes to ensure compliance with TNC policies and procedures, relevant legal and regulatory frameworks, and financial/management best practices.
• Co-lead the fiscal year budgeting process, ensuring the accuracy of budgets and their completion within set deadlines with a focus on developing budget templates, alignment to proposed activities, and staffing plans as well as ensuring requisite cost recovery.
• Manages overall financial activities to achieve the Africa program’s strategic goals.
• Work toward meeting the program’s strategic priorities by developing and coordinating plans and related tactics and overseeing day-to-day tasks in the various areas of the finance function.
• Lead and support budget development for proposals, private award management, cost assignments, and award modifications and ensure proposal compliance check, adequate coverage of operational costs, and alignment to donor requirements and TNC policies.
• Provide high-level financial analysis to senior organizational leadership, on budgets, financial performance, and other specific areas.
• Support finance team in periodic financial reporting and annual key tasks – Council, Leadership reports, and annual revenue allocations – to ensure accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
• Co-lead the fiscal year budgeting process with the Conservation Director by overseeing preparation and maintenance of BU multiyear operating budget; ensures cost coverage for operating costs and oversee updates to the operating budget actions, and changes regularly
• Engage cross-functionally with other business development activities, which includes tracking business forecasts, and budget performance to ensure alignment with annual strategic plans
• Highlight any key challenges or opportunities influencing the BU’s performance against goals
• Ensure programmatic commitments, TNC policies and procedures, financial standards, and legal requirements are met and managed for compliance.
• Manage, support, and monitor new financial initiatives in the Africa Business unit.
• Reinforce consistency in the organization’s policies and procedures and provides support related to the relevant field.
• Supervise professional and finance staff and build their capacity.

What You’ll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Business Administration or related field and 7 years related work experience.
• MBA and CPA(K) or ACCA qualification.
• Experience working with computer and information management systems, Excel spreadsheets and databases for financial analysis, fiscal management, and financial reports.
• Experience recruiting, supervising, and developing staff.
• Experience in developing, managing, and implementing multiple projects.
• Experience managing a large finance department in the not-for-profit organizations.
• Experience working in complex contexts and dealing with complex situations.
• Experience developing budgets, performing high level financial analysis, and recommending corrective action as appropriate.
• Experience acting as an advisor to senior executives.
• Experience with GAAP and not-for-profit accounting principles, practices, and regulations, including government grants accounting and reporting.
• Experience working with major public donor regulations and local regulations.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Over 10 years’ work experience in large international not-for-profit organizations.
• Highly skilled in analysing, manipulating, and interpreting data, developing, reporting, and implementing solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to work well in a team environment and build relationships with diverse departments, collaborators, and field staff.
• Technical expert on complex accounting/financial issues.
• Advanced financial modelling, excel skills and proficiency in other Microsoft Office Suite applications including Power BI, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook.
• Advanced Proficiency in ERP systems and financial software
• Ability to model and synthesize complex financial information and operating and KPI data into appealing presentations (to a nonfinancial audience) to facilitate understanding of operational results and drive performance improvement decisions.
• Ability to manage finances or budgets of multiple projects concurrently. Ability to quickly come up to speed on new concepts by synthesizing research for deeper analysis.
• Service oriented. Courteous, personable, tactful, and experienced dealing effectively with all levels of staff.
• Multi-lingual skills and/or multi-cultural experience appreciated.

Salary Information:

This position may be based in any country in Africa where TNC has an established entity, ( Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, South Africa, Gabon or Angola taking into consideration legal restrictions, such as non-national ratios and immigration processing times.

Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment and used to determine your actual pay range. Additionally, for all applicants, actual pay will fall within a range based on a variety of factors including, for example, the candidate’s qualifications, specific skills, and experience.

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Africa Regional Lead, Conservation Strategy at The Nature Conservancy

YOUR POSITION WITH TNC

The Conservation Impact System Team (IST) in the Chief Conservation Office plays a critical role in supporting global conservation implementation by managing TNC’s conservation system that supports teams in planning, measuring and adapting their work to accelerate progress and maximize impact. There are two core practices and learning areas the Impact System Team supports as TNC works to achieve our 2030 Goals: 1) monitoring, evaluation and learning to improve data quality and drive accountability to impact; and 2) adaptive management at the strategy and portfolio level to drive accelerated impact. The Conservation Strategy Team (CST) is dedicated to this second core practice & learning area of the IST (adaptive management to drive accelerated impact). The team is responsible for the continued development and implementation of TNC’s strategy and portfolio management guidance and support to conservation teams, managers, and the Chief Conservation Officer.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• The Africa (AFR) Regional Lead, Conservation Strategy will lead the work of the CST in TNC’s Africa region, supporting conservation teams there to adaptively manage their strategies towards scaled impact, and supporting conservation leadership to manage and resource teams towards enabling that impact.
• The AFR Regional lead will cultivate an understanding of what drives customer satisfaction (customer = TNC conservation teams) in AFR and will be charged with ensuring customer success. The lead will serve as a cross-cultural broker, ensuring that the offerings and methodologies are culturally relevant and meaningful to teams across Africa.
• The AFR Regional Lead will build and maintain strong, trusting relationships with key leadership in AFR, collaborating with them to ensure regional leadership and TNC conservation teams have support in strategy development, adaptive management and portfolio management as they work towards impact. The AFR Regional Lead will also work with regional leadership to make prioritization decisions about where to focus time and resources, and how to influence enabling conditions in the region. The Africa Regional Lead will also collaborate closely with their Africa Regional counterpart on the Conservation Data Team.
• The AFR Regional Lead will oversee the delivery of CST support, including directly providing support to teams, and as needed, the vetting, hiring and management of external consultants to augment delivery of CST support. They will take a learn-by-doing approach to the development, implementation, and iteration of strategy development, adaptive management & portfolio management support, to quickly learn what works and what doesn’t work and adjust accordingly.

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

Build enabling conditions for adaptive management in the AFR Region

• Build trusting relationships with key TNC leadership in the AFR region 
• Work with Africa regional leadership to identify top priority teams needing adaptive management support, and focus support on them
• Collaborate with AFR regional leadership, supporting prioritization and strategic decision-making to advance the impact and mission of adaptive management in the region
• Collaborate with other AFR leadership team members to help influence and advance specific enabling conditions in the region for adaptive management

Provide targeted adaptive management coaching, aligned with regional needs

• Provide customized conservation strategy, implementation and/or adaptive management coaching, facilitation, and/or training support to teams, while staying grounded in agile/adaptive management principles and values
• Ensure support provided to teams is regionally and culturally appropriate, using a collaborative approach to design approaches and engaging local contractors as needed
• Take a holistic view of support for conservation teams, identifying approaches that are well suited to the context teams sit within
• Ensure conservation strategy and adaptive management support provided to teams is aligned with and supportive to the regional portfolio management process, and supports teams to close key evidence gaps identified through that process
• Support other members of the AFR regional team to use adaptive management toolsets as they support other high priority teams and programs

Grow Conservation Impact

• Measure / monitor value provided by CST support, ensuring that our work is leading to magnified conservation impact in the Africa region  
• Identify opportunities to scale up support models that meet the broader needs of the region and expand conservation impact at landscape scale.
• Collaborate cross-conservancy to bridge, co-create, recommend, and create pathways to the regional needs that require collaboration to achieve beyond personal or CST scope
• Identify potential opportunities to expand CST’s value proposition in a way that expands conservation impact while staying true to the mission of the CST
• Support CST’s work in other regions by proactively recognizing potential collaboration areas, capturing and sharing learnings, and participating in cross-regional experimentation

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• BA/BS degree and 7 years related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
• 2 years experience acting as a project lead
• Deep understanding of agile methodology and experience working in a hyper-agile environment.
• Deep understanding of human-centered design and experience utilizing it for product design.
• Experience coaching and/or facilitating teams in agile collaboration settings.
• Experience in managing and tracking complex and/or multiple projects.
• Experience collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Deep multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience within Africa
• Current resident of any country in Africa in which TNC is registered (Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Gabon, Angola)
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule to align with a variety of time zones
• Experience with self-directed navigation of complex and open-ended projects to achieve outcomes.
• Knowledge of, and commitment to, centering equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion principles and practices in a professional setting.
• Experience with and/or commitment to nature-based solutions for the climate and biodiversity crises, which also benefit people and communities. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• undefined

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in Conservation and/or development space
• Experience in the entrepreneurial and/or innovation space
• Experience working in a learning-driven organization
• Experience with organizational change, systems thinking, and/or systems change
• Ability to leverage the latest technology to achieve desired results
• Disciplined with a high say/do ratio (frequently does what they say they are going to do)
• Excitement about working on an agile team that is continually adapting their own ways of working
• Experience with a growth mindset, creativity, and resourcefulness
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning experience
• Fluency in French and/or Portuguese

This position may be based in any Africa region where TNC has an established entity. The region has a strong preference for someone in Nairobi, Zambia or Cape Town.

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Director of Finance, Africa at Nature Conservancy

We’re Looking for You:

• We’re looking for someone with strong experience leading a diverse, multi-disciplinary team to serve as a Finance subject matter expert on our team. The ideal candidate should have exceptional communication and collaboration skills and experience designing, organizing, and directing complex projects. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the ongoing mission of conservation by directing and shaping the work of our Finance and Operations team.  

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction and leadership for all finance functions for the Africa Program and TNC Africa related entities.
• Responsible for the financial management and fiscal sustainability of the Africa Program.
• Oversee the day-to-day functional activities and personnel in the Africa Program’s Accounting, Treasury, Audit and Compliance, budgeting, and reporting areas.
• Manage complex programs and projects and develop practices and processes to improve finance operational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Facilitate and lead strategic dialogues with senior-level stakeholders, identify key issues, requirements, operating efficiencies to develop actionable solutions.
• Co-lead the fiscal year budgeting process, ensuring the accuracy of budgets and their completion within set deadlines with a focus on developing budget templates, alignment to proposed activities, and staffing plans as well as ensuring requisite cost recovery.
• Prepare and present financial analysis and management report to the TNC Leadership Teams, and the Africa Council.
• Responsible for managing, maintaining, and reporting financial information, and monitoring management controls and processes to ensure compliance with TNC policies and procedures, relevant legal and regulatory frameworks, and financial/management best practices.
• Serve as the sponsor for the enhancement of financial function and tools used by the Africa program. They will manage priority vendor relationships.
• Ensure programmatic commitments, TNC policies and procedures, financial standards and legal requirements are met and managed for ethical compliance
• Work closely with central finance for TNC wide initiatives and compliance needs
• Manage the development and implementation of a strategic, integrated, and collaborative approach to maximize success, including organizing communications.
• Provide consultation, guidance, and oversee training programs related to the Business Unit.

What You’ll Bring:

• Over 10 years of progressive experience leading Finance functions at a senior leadership level within international NGOs or multinational organizations, with regional or global operations in Africa.
• Advanced Accounting or Finance degree and professional certification.
• Experience conceiving, developing, and managing multiple projects and strategic goals.
• Management experience of a large multidisciplinary team, including planning and delivering budgetary responsibilities
• Experience in developing and presenting business strategy, marketing, and financial plans.
• Experience generating financial reports and analyzing and interpreting data.
• Experience developing and administering departmental budget or equivalent.
• Experience working in a large, complex organization.
• Experience handling confidential information.

​​​​​​​DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Non-profit GAAP accounting experience.
• Experience in developing and enhancing diversity and inclusion recruitment, retention, and workplace culture.
• Multi-lingual skills, multi-cultural and/or cross-cultural experiences are appreciated.
• Advanced understanding of financial best practices in non-profit management.
• Persuasive and effective communication via presentations, conversations, and documents.
• Experience managing a geographically dispersed team.
• Expert knowledge of current and evolving trends in finance
• Proficiency in synthesizing materials from multiple sources into a coherent and accurate summary.
• Proficiency in working independently as well as jointly with colleagues on a team

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Financial Compliance Officer Job at Nature Conservancy

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

• Ensures programmatic commitments, TNC policies & procedures, financial standards & legal requirements are met & managed for compliance.
• Responsible to lead and coordinate external, internal, country, donor, tax, statutory and government regulatory audits to ensure responsiveness, accuracy & timeliness of audits, monitoring and completion of corrective action plans and submission within timelines as required by local laws.
• Lead person for audit engagements, planning and managing auditors to ensure they carry out audit activities promptly; guide audit implementation, and support in development and signing of audit reports.
• Provides audit and financial preparation support to the Africa Region by reviewing financial statements and audited reports.
• Promote and monitor a complete audit trail culture in the support documentation of all financial transactions.
• Maintain register of audit recommendations from financial audits, follow up & keep track of implementation of audit recommendations until they are closed. Anticipate & identify financial compliance risk issues & challenges and the most appropriate solutions to address them. Lead and support region and country programs to implement these solutions.
• In collaboration with management, plan and perform regular transaction processing reviews, other control reviews, fraud allegation reviews, and compliance assessments. Analyze results and provide recommendations.
• Reinforces consistency in the organization’s financial policies & procedures and provides support related to relevant field. Regularly performs spot reviews to ensure these are adhered to.
• Occasionally support in the review of accounting transactions such as journal entries and adjustments in line with internal guidelines and ensure proper procedure and support documentation for such entries are maintained.
• Ensure tax and statutory filings, regulatory compliance requirements, other regulatory certifications and internal financial certifications for the region are made timeously.
• Liaise with regions accounting vendors, Operations Administrators and Finance Specialist on audit, tax & regulatory filings and financial compliance certifications.
• Maintains current knowledge of local government requirements related to finance and align with tax & other legal/regulatory requirements.
• Provide advisory support and training to staff and partner organizations on financial compliance aspects e.g., Standard Operating Procedures, tax & statutory matters, regulatory matters and updates in accounting reporting framework.
• Collaborate with World Office finance, audit, technical accounting and compliance leads and the regional level leadership in implementing and strengthening systems and continuous programmatic and process performance improvement. Participate in implementing finance initiatives rolled out to international BUs, on ERPs and accounting processes.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or related field and 4 years’ related experience or equivalent combination.
• Experience with relational databases especially MS Excel and accounting packages.
• Experience using accounting and financial reporting systems.
• Experience in manipulating, analyzing & interpreting data.
• Technical experience of spreadsheet programs, general ledger reports and other financial management tools.
• Experience in supporting multiple projects in various locations and/or countries.
• Experience with government regulations related to Not-for-Profit Sector, tax, reporting framework, grants and contracts.
• Professional certification such as a CPA, ACCA or CIA, or an equivalent for the same.
• Experience in auditing and tax matters.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Multi-lingual skills and/or multi-cultural experience appreciated.
• Advanced expertise in Microsoft Excel.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Non-profit accounting experience preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and reporting skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, cooperative team player with the ability to multi-task.
• Knowledge of current trends in finance, accounting and regulatory environments.
• May require fluency in a foreign language to support global operations.
• Technical expertise on complex accounting/financial issues with attention to detail and keenness for accuracy

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