Job Description

Vacancy #:	7508
Unit:	ESARO -Drylands Resilience Programme(DRP)
Organisation:	International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Location:	Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office, Nairobi, Kenya
Reporting to:	Country Representative, Kenya / Regional Head, Land Systems
Work percentage:	100%
Grade:	SP
Expected start date:	01 April 2026
Type of contract:	Fixed-term (up to 24 months)
Closing date:	17 February 2026

BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND:

IUCN’s Kenya Country Programme supports priorities defined under Kenya's National Development Plan, National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, National Climate Change Strategy, Agriculture and Water Sector Development Strategies and Marine and Fisheries Action Plans, Blue Economy Policies and Strategies, IUCN 20-year vision (2026-2045), IUCN programme 2026-2028 as well as relevant multi-lateral environmental agreements. Our 2026-2030 strategic goals include sustainable land and landscapes management, conservation of critical natural habitats, Integrated water resources management, capacity building for climate change adaptation and mitigation, sustainable urban resilience and coastal and ocean resilience (COR) building.
Under the Land Systems Programme, IUCN’s Kenya is currently implementing a project called “BUILDING RESILIENT COMMUNITY CONSERVANCIES FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION, RESILIENCE, LIVELIHOOD IMPROVEMENT AND PEACE/SECURITY IN CHURO-KIRISIA-MUKOGODO- OLDONYIRO-NDOTO-MATHEWS RANGES-SABARWAWA ECOSYSTEMS IN NORTHERN KENYA – in short form “REPLAN”. This is a 4-year project (2026 – 2029) with the overall objective of enhancing the resilience of communities across the four micro-landscapes (Melako-Shurr, Mathews-Ndoto Ranges, Mukogodo–Naibunga-Oldonyiro and Ruko-Kaptuya-Mukutan) through identification and scaling-up livelihoods and biodiversity conservation innovations. The project consists of four components:
• Component 1: Improved biodiversity and ecosystems conservation across the four micro-landscapes.
Component 2: Improve livelihoods and resilience of communities.
Component 3: Strengthened multi-stakeholder coordination and dedicated mainstreaming of human rights, gender and security across the micro-landscapes and beyond. Inclusive natural resources governance in the project landscapes and advocacy strengthened.
Component 4: Project management, Coordination and Acceleration of Impact.

The REPLAN project is part of NaturAfrica programme which is an EU International Partnerships (INTPA) initiative to support biodiversity conservation in Africa by taking an innovative people-centred approach. By structuring support around landscapes that are crucial for conservation and human development and target these areas to boost job creation and improve security and livelihoods while also protecting ecosystems and biodiversity.
The Programme Manager, Land Systems-Kenya/The Chief of Party, REPLAN will have the responsibility of managing and building Land Systems Programme in Kenya. She/he will have executive responsibility for the REPLAN project, including resource allocation and supervision of technical staff and delivery of results. She/he will serve as a member of the Kenya Country Management Team that helps set strategic directions and define priorities for IUCN’s broader engagement on Land Systems issues at the country level and, accordingly, works with the other members of the team in strategic planning; monitoring and evaluation; and learning, innovation and knowledge generation at the overall programme level. She/he will also support other country programmes on request basis.

The Programme Manager-Land Systems/Chief of Party, REPLAN project will be based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel to project sites and across the country.

JOB DESCRIPTION

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under direct supervision of the Country Representative, Kenya (and advisory support from the regional head of Land Systems), Programme Manager, Land Systems-Kenya/Chief of Party, REPLAN project will work closely with other country programme managers and officers, relevant regional and global team to further develop Land Systems Portfolio for Kenya. As Chief of Party for REPLAN project, She/he will work closely with designated focal points from relevant Ministries, Government Institutions, Academic and Research Institutions, partner NGOs and donors. The Chief of Party will be responsible for the overall planning, budgeting, technical management and monitoring of the project in collaboration with the Government of Kenya, Service providers and within the scope laid down by the Project Steering Committee (PSC) and landscape level actors in project sites.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

The specific duties and responsibilities for the Programme Manager, Land Systems-Kenya/Chief of Party, REPLAN project:

As Programme Manager, Land Systems- Kenya;

Land systems programme strategy and development;
Lead the development, implementation, and periodic review of the Land Systems country programme strategy, ensuring alignment with IUCN’s global strategy and national development frameworks.
Identify priority landscapes, thematic areas, and delivery approaches that maximize conservation, livelihoods, and governance impacts.
Translate strategic priorities into a coherent high-quality project pipeline.

Resource mobilization and programme growth;
Lead resource mobilization efforts to grow and diversify the Land Systems portfolio including engagement with bilateral and multilateral donors, relevant government institutions, NGOs, foundations, and private sector partners.
Lead concept development and proposal preparation, ensuring strong technical quality, donor alignment, and competitive positioning.
Support innovative financing approaches (e.g. PES, blended finance, nature-based solutions).

Partnerships and stakeholder engagement;
Establish and maintain strong strategic relationships with key government institutions, donors, NGOs, research institutions, private sector actors, and community organizations.
Position IUCN as a trusted, go-to partner on land systems, conservation governance, and sustainable landscapes, sustainable urban resilience.
Represent IUCN in national, regional, and international policy and technical forums related to land systems.

Programme leadership and oversight;
Provide strategic leadership and oversight to the Land Systems programme team, fostering a high-performing, collaborative, and inclusive working culture.
Ensure effective programme delivery, quality assurance, risk management, and compliance with IUCN policies and donor requirements.
Promote adaptive management, learning, and evidence-based decision-making across the programme.

Policy influence, thought leadership and visibility;
Lead policy engagement and advocacy on land systems, conservation governance, and sustainable development at national and sub-national levels.
Strengthen science–policy–practice linkages and promote uptake of evidence into policy and planning processes.
Contribute to IUCN’s regional and global knowledge products and strategic initiatives.
Increase the visibility and profile of the Land Systems programme through strategic communications, partnerships, and knowledge dissemination.
Support the development of compelling impact stories, learning products, and communications materials in collaboration with communications teams.
Strengthen IUCN’s brand and reputation as a leading authority on land systems and sustainable landscapes.

Cross-programme collaboration;
Work closely with other country and regional programmes (e.g. IWRM, COR, Climate and Biodiversity) to promote integrated, nexus-based approaches.
Support coherence and synergies across projects, partners, and landscapes.

As Chief of Party, REPLAN project;

Project management;
Lead the development of annual activity and procurement work plan, as well as budget based on expected outputs
Work closely with the finance and procurement team on matters including financial planning, expenditure tracking, sub-contracting to implementing partners and procurement of goods and services to ensure IUCN policies are applied and EUD requirements are followed
Supervise agreed project management procedures to facilitate project implementation and ensure delivery of high-quality outcomes;
Supervise the project team, service providers and consultants that work for the project;
Prepare any required updates / summaries on the projects and participate in project-related meetings with the EUD, project steering committee, service providers, private sector, development partners working group etc.

Policy and partnership management;
Build, maintain and manage effective working relationships with partners and donor.
Ensure that service providers deliver to the highest standards, support project objectives and targets.
Ensure landscapes team and related stakeholder platforms work coherently.
Facilitate communications and linkages at sub-regional and national levels, as well as within the REPLAN partners, service providers and EUD.
Ensure continuous liaison with the relevant Government agencies, NGOs and private sector.

Technical direction and capacity building;
Provide technical inputs to the implementation of the different project activities and outputs – by providing technical inputs to workshop presentations, to studies, to advisory services and to other activities and outputs of the project.
Provide economic, scientific, technical and administrative leadership to the project team and act as the main representative of the project.
Oversee all cross-cutting activities and ensure their strong support of and synergy with technical implementation objectives and vision, including, but not limited to: communications and outreach; gender and youth mainstreaming, knowledge management.

Monitoring, evaluation, reporting and safeguards oversight;
Monitor and report the implementation of environmental and social risk management measures including human right based approaches undertaken through the project cycle.
Coordinate and contribute to the preparation and publication of national scientific and technical outputs from the project.
Ensure project monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework is developed and operationalized to track progress and measure impact;
Follow up on 1) the compliance of project implementation with EUD policies, IUCN policies and safeguards 2) the performance of the projects with the target indicators, logical framework, workplan and budget through regular reporting and on-site supervision missions.
Perform other duties as may be assigned from time to time;

REQUIREMENTS

• POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

Education;
A post graduate degree preferably in Natural Resources Management, Climate Change, Environmental Science, Ecology, Project Management, Forest Management, or related fields;
Computer literacy in relation to office applications (word processing, spreadsheets, PowerPoint) use of internet and online communication tools.

Work experience;
We’re looking for an outstanding, hands-on, highly motivated, autonomous, innovative, solution oriented, results driven and resourceful individual with at least twelve (12) years of proven experience in:

Sound expertise in large scale resources mobilization;
Sound expertise in the development, implementation, monitoring and reporting of large environmental projects;
Experience in engaging with donors, partners, central and local government authorities;
Skills and experience of advocating and influencing policies that support conservation and address the social dimensions of conservation, including community engagement, livelihood, indigenous rights, and social equity;
Experienced in network development and alliance building for synergistic action;
Must be a proactive individual committed to continuous learning and attitude towards self-development;

Language requirement;
Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Swahili.

Core competencies;
Transparency: Able to build trust and contribute to informed and responsible decision-making by carrying out the work of IUCN in a transparent manner; provides clear guidance to ensure that objectives and desired measurable results are understood by members of the team.
Inclusiveness: Understands and accepts cultural diversity, and provide a tolerant, positive and supportive working environment that fosters respect for diversity, demonstrates ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
Professionalism: Promote the organization’s interests, objectives and values in a diligent and professional manner.
Accountability: Takes responsibility of individual and collective actions, promotes the IUCN One Programme approach.

Functional competencies;
Adheres to IUCN core values of Transparency, Inclusiveness, Professionalism and Accountability.
Demonstrated computer skills in Microsoft Office Suite applications.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Good organizational, administrative, reporting and communication skills.
A motivated self-starter with ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines without compromising the quality of outputs.
A team player with a strong interest to work in an international environment.
Be willing to undertake frequent travel and interact with different stakeholders at national/sub-national levels.

APPLICATIONS

Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System, by opening the vacancy announcement and pressing the "Apply" button.

Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The vacancy closes at midnight, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST). Please note that only selected applicants will be personally contacted for interviews.

Other job opportunities are published in the IUCN website: https://www.iucn.org/involved/jobs/

About IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

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