Regional Human Rights Specialist, Africa

Reports To: Director, Africa Protected Areas Management Unit (APAMU)

Location: Kigali, Rwanda (or another WCS Africa hub location)

Country Program/Sector: APAMU /Africa Program

Position Type: Full-time

Scope/Capacity: Africa-wide

Coordinates with: APAMU Team, Rights & Communities, Rights & Communities Regional and National Staff, Regional Leadership Teams, Country Directors, Landscape Leads, Protected Area Managers, Law Enforcement Advisors, Program Development Teams, and Technical Working Groups

About Us

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a private, nonprofit U.S. organization founded in 1895. Its mission is to preserve wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, developing science-based solutions, and taking conservation action that benefits nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, a presence in more than 60 countries, and experience creating more than 150 protected areas worldwide, WCS has accumulated the biological knowledge, cultural understanding, and partnerships necessary to ensure that wildlife and wild places thrive alongside local communities. WCS recognizes that nature and people are intrinsically linked, and that biological and cultural diversity are interdependent, mutually reinforcing and often co-evolved. Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities frequently represent the most active defenders of nature, and we believe that respecting and protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities reflects our global commitment to equity and justice and is our best pathway to achieving durable conservation.

About the Africa Program

WCS manages one of the largest conservation portfolios in Africa, supporting protected and conserved areas, community-led conservation, key biodiversity landscapes, species conservation initiatives, and wildlife law enforcement efforts across multiple countries. Globally, WCS also supports Indigenous and Traditional Territories, a growing opportunity to center guardians of nature and to secure their rights.

The Africa Protected Areas Management Unit (APAMU) seeks to ensure that conservation outcomes are achieved in a manner that applies WCS policies, principles and commitments. The Global Rights and Communities (R&C) unit provides guidance and tools across WCS countries to promote community conservation, ensure social safeguards and promote respect for human rights and positive relationships with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and other rights holders.

This position will play an important role in coordinating and contributing to a standardized approach to human rights protection in Africa, with the guidance of APAMU, Global R&C and close collaboration with regional and country teams.

Job Purpose

The Regional Human Rights Specialist will lead and support the standardization of human rights integration and rights-based approaches across WCS conservation programs throughout Africa. The position will provide strategic and technical guidance to country programs and field sites to support human rights integration in conservation law enforcement, conduct human rights impact analyses, assist in investigation or fact-finding around human rights issues as requested, develop recommendations for country programs or landscapes to address human rights issues and risks, and oversee the review of rights-respecting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for field operations.

This position reports to the Director of Africa Protected Areas Management Unit (APAMU), and will play a critical role in the APAMU team in fulfilling the needs of a human rights based approach. The position will maintain a dotted line of reporting to the Senior Human Rights Specialist in Rights & Communities Global, for final approval and review of substantive human rights products and in order to coordinate with broader WCS policy and approaches outside of Africa. The position will also coordinate closely with regional and country level human rights, law enforcement, safeguards and communities staff.

This position will require significant travel to remote field locations and sites where WCS works, and working with diverse teams from different country programs. The candidate will be expected to undertake planning and coordination as necessary with global, regional and country or site-level counterparts.

Major Responsibilities

1. Human Rights Strategy and Integration

• Work with Senior Human Rights Specialist to ensure the implementation of WCS's rights-based conservation approach across all Africa programs.
• Coordinate with Regional Social Safeguards leads to support country programs and landscapes to integrate human rights into conservation planning, project design, budgets, monitoring, and reporting.
• Provide technical guidance on international human rights standards applicable to conservation programming.
• Promote alignment between WCS sites, country and regional level management, APAMU, and Rights & Communities.
• Support the development and review of organizational guidance, tools, frameworks, and operational procedures related to human rights.

2. Human Rights Impact Analysis and Risk Management

• Conduct human rights impact assessments and analyses for new sites and other situations as needed.
• Identify actual and potential human rights risks associated with conservation interventions and recommend practical mitigation and management measures.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of systems for tracking human rights risks, corrective actions, lessons learned, and emerging trends across Africa programs.

3. Human Rights and Conservation Law Enforcement

• Work closely with the APAMU Law Enforcement Strategist and Senior Human Rights Specialist to provide strategic guidance on the integration of human rights principles into conservation law enforcement operations.
• Support law enforcement teams, site managers, and country programs to ensure that internationally recognized human rights standards are observed, and protocols are adequate for monitoring, and training.
• Support the development, review, and implementation of rights-respecting law enforcement policies, protocols, and operational guidance.

4. Development of Rights-Respecting SOPs

• Review Africa-level Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that embed human rights principles into field operations as needed together with regional safeguards leads, based on WCS institutional policies.

5. Training and capacity building

• Design and deliver human rights trainings with a focus on practical application of human rights protection and human rights-based approaches in the context of field implementation, community conservation and conservation law enforcement (or equivalent)

6. Other tasks as needed

• Review protocols and process relating to mainstreaming of gender equity, respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and underrepresented groups in program design and management.
• Contribute technical content for donor reports and organizational reporting related to human rights commitments and achievements.

Qualification Requirements

• Advanced degree in Law or other relevant field with a specialization in human rights; a first degree with relevant experience and certificates can be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in human rights advocacy, research, policy or monitoring and reporting.
• Proven experience working directly with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, civil society organizations, and/or government stakeholders in the context of Africa.
• Fluency in English and ability to work professionally in French.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience in conservation programs or issues relating to conservation.
• Experience with grassroots advocacy or human rights defenders.
• Fluency in Portuguese or African languages relevant to program areas.

Core Competencies and Skills

Technical Competencies

• Strong knowledge of international human rights standards and frameworks, and regional African frameworks
• Knowledge of both civil law and common law based systems for law enforcement.
• Understanding of human rights-based approaches to conservation and development including institutional due diligence practices.
• Demonstrated experience conducting human rights assessments and risk assessments and to develop appropriate methodologies.
• Understanding of gender integration, Indigenous Peoples rights.
• Experience developing policies, guidance documents, and operational procedures.

Professional Skills

• Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Effective at organization, time-management, and self-directed field work.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and interview skills.
• Ability to work effectively across cultures and multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to influence and support change across diverse country programs.

​​​​​How to apply

Interested candidates who meet the above qualifications, skills, and experience should apply through the application tab by October 30, 2026. We review received applications on a rolling basis.

WCS is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all employment and labor laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensure that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and looking for future team members who share that same value. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate against employment based on age, color, disability, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by laws and regulations.