Together, we have the opportunity to achieve remarkable outcomes through collaborative effort and shared commitment. This role offers the chance to contribute meaningfully to impactful projects while fostering innovation and professional growth. By joining our team, you will play a pivotal role in driving success and delivering solutions that align with our organizational goals. Your expertise and dedication will be instrumental in overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities for advancement.
The Conservation Impact System Team (IST) within the Chief Conservation Office delivers essential support for global conservation initiatives. By collaborating with conservation teams, leaders, and executives, the IST facilitates the creation and application of evidence-based adaptive management and reporting, ensuring The Nature Conservancy (TNC) advances its objectives in biodiversity, climate, and human well-being. Comprising the Conservation Data Team (CDT) and Conservation Strategy Team (CST), the IST operates as a unified unit to deliver cohesive support. The CDT’s responsibilities include strengthening conservation data capabilities, ensuring data integrity, advancing scientific methods and systems, and managing organizational reporting—such as executive and global board presentations. This position is designed to empower regional teams to consistently produce, validate, and leverage high-quality data and evidence through robust Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) systems, standards, and methodologies. The role involves close collaboration with regional MEL leads to synchronize CDT assistance with regional priorities, processes, and operational frameworks.
Essential Functions:
The Africa Regional Advisor will play a key role in enhancing the CDT’s ability to deliver tailored and cohesive support for conservation data, aligning with the needs of conservation teams and leaders across TNC’s Africa Region. This position will focus on strengthening the generation and utilization of evidence to elevate the quality and effectiveness of decision-making and conservation outcomes.
The Africa Regional Advisor will foster deep insights into the factors influencing customer satisfaction—specifically, TNC conservation teams and leaders—across the Africa region while enhancing the delivery of CDT support. Serving as a cross-cultural and organizational facilitator, the advisor will champion knowledge sharing, ensuring that solutions developed within the Africa region or elsewhere within TNC are disseminated and refined collaboratively. This approach will cultivate a unified, contextually relevant conservation data toolkit aligned with TNC’s broader objectives.
The Africa Conservation Data Advisor will cultivate and sustain robust, collaborative relationships with pivotal leadership and experts across the Africa Region, encompassing the monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) regional team, specialists, scientists, and portfolio managers. This role will partner with Africa-based MEL staff to ensure the Conservation Data Team’s (CDT) assistance aligns with their vision for conservation science data, MEL, and reporting, thereby strengthening evidence for adaptive management within the Africa Portfolio. Additionally, the advisor will engage with regional MEL leaders and partners to tailor science data support to priority needs, enhancing MEL data quality and adaptive management practices. Collaboration will be central to this position, working in close alignment with the Africa MEL lead, CDT colleagues, and the CST Africa regional counterpart to ensure cohesive support across MEL and strategic processes. The advisor will play a key role in delivering CDT offerings while providing technical and data science expertise. Embracing an iterative approach, this position will focus on the development, implementation, and refinement of CDT offerings to foster rapid learning and adaptive adjustments.
This role is designated for a fixed two-year duration.
The Conservation Data Advisor – Africa role requires the candidate to reside in and possess valid work authorization for one of the TNC Africa program locations, specifically Kenya, Tanzania, or Zambia.
We’re Looking for You:
Deliver specialized counsel and assistance tailored to the development and application of evidence-based approaches within adaptive management frameworks, ensuring alignment with regional priorities.
Deliver hands-on assistance to teams, guided by agile methodologies, data science frameworks, and implementation science tenets to ensure cohesive and efficient operations.
To guarantee that support offered to team is tailored to regional and cultural nuances, employ a collaborative method to develop solutions while engaging local contractors as necessary.
Provide conservation data science assistance to teams in a manner that aligns with and enhances regional portfolio management and reporting processes.
Provide assistance to teams in leveraging evidence syntheses to address critical science evidence gaps uncovered through their adaptive management approaches, ensuring the reliability of their reported results.
Collaborate with regional team members to facilitate the effective utilization of conservation data tools, aiding the support of other critical teams and programs.
Develop the foundational elements necessary to facilitate the creation and application of evidence within adaptive management and prioritization frameworks across the Africa Region.
Develop strong, reliable partnerships with prominent leaders within The Nature Conservancy’s Africa Region.
In partnership with the MEL Regional team and MEL Specialists, establish the foundational elements necessary to foster the utilization of high-quality evidence in adaptive management practices.
In partnership with Africa MEL staff, you will refine data analytics workflows to transform validated, evidence-based data into strategic reporting and learning outputs—including impact briefs, analytical summaries, and data reports—thereby informing program, portfolio, and leadership-level decision-making.
Partner with CDT team members to uphold the region’s conservation data integrity and reporting compliance, while assisting regional leadership in reinforcing adherence to established quality benchmarks.
Collaborate with leadership from Africa Regional Conservation and Strategies to pinpoint the most critical teams that require conservation data and learning support, directing resources and assistance toward these high-priority groups.
Partner with leadership in Africa Regional Conservation/Strategies to enhance the application of conservation data in prioritization and strategic decision-making, thereby driving greater impact across the region. This involves working closely with teams to design and implement dashboards that streamline portfolio management and inform key leadership decisions.
Partner with members of the Africa Regional leadership team to strengthen enabling conditions that enhance data quality and its application in adaptive management and prioritization, while fostering deeper integration of conservation and financial data and planning efforts.
Cultivate and expand CDT’s sphere of influence by identifying and leveraging opportunities to amplify its reach, effectiveness, and long-term sustainability.
Evaluate and track the effectiveness of CDT support services within the designated region.
Through collaborative engagement with fellow regional CDT leads, explore strategies to enhance support models, ensuring scalability to address regional demands and amplify CDT’s overall influence.
Offer constructive feedback to the CDT regarding potential enhancements to or refinements of existing support models, as identified in partnership with regional leadership.
Assist in pinpointing areas where existing CDT tools or processes could more effectively align with team requirements.
Employ a hands-on, iterative methodology to continuously evaluate, refine, and enhance CDT support mechanisms to ensure sustained improvement and effectiveness.
Support CDT’s initiatives across other regions by identifying opportunities for collaboration early, documenting and disseminating key insights, and engaging in cross-regional knowledge-sharing sessions.
What You’ll Bring:
A Master’s Degree in a science-related field, coupled with at least four years of hands-on experience in enhancing data quality and leveraging data for management and business applications, is essential. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in large conservation or development organizations, agencies, or an equivalent professional background.
Proficiency in conservation and/or development metrics, along with expertise in monitoring and evaluation data systems, is essential. Additionally, a strong background in impact measurement and results-based reporting for programs and portfolios is required.
Demonstrated expertise in upholding the rigor, consistency, and validation of program indicator methodologies is essential.
Proficiency in data analysis and visualization tools—such as Power BI, Tableau, GIS, Python, Excel, and R—is essential, enabling guidance in analytics design, thorough review of outputs, and facilitation of capacity building for regional teams.
Proven leadership experience in guiding and developing high-performing teams, fostering individual growth, and enhancing overall team capabilities.
Utilize data to substantiate conservation strategies and guide decision-making processes.
Demonstrated leadership or collaboration in multidisciplinary team environments is required.
Open to maintaining a flexible schedule in order to accommodate diverse time zones.
Skilled in independently managing intricate, open-ended initiatives to reach desired results.
Professional who demonstrates a deep understanding of and dedication to integrating equity, justice, and inclusion principles and practices into their work environment.
Developed strong interpersonal abilities through engagement with diverse individuals, ensuring effective communication across varying backgrounds and roles.
Must demonstrate proficiency in collaborating seamlessly across diverse cultural, national, and regional environments.
Strong ability to effectively communicate, collaborate, and build rapport with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels.
Proven expertise in multicultural or cross-border collaboration across diverse environments within the Africa Region.
Must be willing and authorized to live and work in designated TNC Africa program locations, including Kenya, Tanzania, or Zambia, with the capability to travel to additional countries in the region such as Gabon, Angola, and South Africa.
Proficiency in the English language is essential for this position.
Prospective candidates should possess a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as Computer Science, Engineering, or Mathematics, along with a minimum of 3 years of professional experience in a related discipline. Additionally, familiarity with programming languages like Python, Java, or C++ is essential, along with proficiency in data analysis tools and software development methodologies. Strong problem-solving abilities and excellent communication skills are also required to collaborate effectively within a team environment.
Track record of effectively scaling conservation strategies or solutions through data-driven methodologies, including the implementation of MRV systems for ecosystem markets.
Domain expertise is required in one or more of the following areas: large-scale land, freshwater, or ocean protection and management; climate or biodiversity policy development; siting for renewable energy projects; implementation of natural climate solutions; conservation finance and market mechanisms; regenerative agricultural practices; sustainable fisheries or aquaculture systems; watershed management strategies; community-driven conservation approaches; or equitable conservation initiatives.
Professionals must demonstrate a proven track record in overseeing multifaceted projects, with a particular emphasis on financial oversight and cross-functional collaboration. This includes coordinating efforts among team members and external stakeholders to ensure alignment and successful project execution.
Driven by initiative and a proactive mindset, you consistently take the lead in driving progress forward.
Proven capability to harness cutting-edge technological advancements to deliver optimal outcomes.
Eager to contribute to a dynamic agile team that continuously evolves and refines its methodologies for improved efficiency and collaboration.
Skilled in integrating Indigenous and Traditional knowledge into professional practices.
Individuals possessing a growth mindset, coupled with a strong capacity for creativity and resourcefulness, are highly valued.
Possesses a strong background in developing and executing strategic initiatives, along with a proven track record in strategic planning.
Required fluency in either French or Portuguese as a second language.
Qualifications
MBA/MSc/MA
Experience Required
4 years
