The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Cameroon Seeks a Biomonitoring Professional Intern

Want to make a positive difference to the future of people and our one shared home, the Earth? Working with WWF could be your opportunity of a lifetime:

All around the world, people are waking up to the deepening crisis of nature loss. A growing realization that nature is our life-support system. And that nobody will be spared from the impacts of its loss. Here at WWF, we are helping to tackle this enormous global challenge. 

Our people come from hugely diverse backgrounds and with a variety of expertise, ranging from HR and finance to advocacy and conservation science. We welcome applications from anyone who believes they can help us create a better future for people and wildlife. 

What we do:

We are an independent conservation organization, striving to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife. From individuals and communities to business and government, we are part of a growing coalition calling on world leaders to set nature on the path to recovery by 2030. Together, we seek to protect and restore natural habitats, stop the mass extinction of wildlife, and make the way we produce and consume sustainable.

WWF Network has moved to the development and the implementation of 9 Practices with Global Goals to be achieved. For the Congo Basin countries to actively contribute to the Outcomes of some Practices (Wildlife, Forests, Food, Climate & Energy, Freshwater and Governance) implemented in their respective programmes, it is important to have a monitoring programme designed and implemented accordingly.

Regarding new challenges and the need to continue and extend the monitoring programme to other developed goals and objectives in alignment with the Practices, the implementation of the Congo Basin Biomonitoring Programme has been adapted. The programme has been built as an “Integrated Biomonitoring Programme” which is meant to be integrated into day-to-day activities for more efficiency. The adaptation made will support field programmes and countries in delivering conservation outcomes and impacts for an easy contribution to the Global Goals.

The SMART Approach is critical for Law-Enforcement activities contributing to the Wildlife Practice. Assessing such an approach may help in achieving conservation outcomes as well as in decision making at site, national and regional levels.  

We are therefore seeking for a Biomonitoring Intern who will assist the Regional Biomonitoring Programme in completing some key activities in Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, DRC and CAR. He will be in charge of collecting data at field level, compiling and checking the quality of key datasets related to Law Enforcement in all sites of interest and updating available databases to ensure proper data and reports management in close collaboration with the Congo Basin Biomonitoring Officer.

Location: Yaoundé, Cameroon

Duration: One year

Main responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Regional Biomonitoring Coordinator, and in close collaboration with the Congo Basin Biomonitoring Officer, the national teams and field projects, the Congo Basin Biomonitoring Intern will mainly focus on SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) approach data compilation and reporting at regional level.

He will then support in other data gathering from field sites and data extraction from SMART reports in order to consolidate the SMART-Evaluation Database. He will also participate in data processing, analysis and reporting in the SMART Evaluation process.

Specific tasks:

1. Conduct field missions and put an operational mechanism in place to collect new Anti-Poaching data and Reports. 
2. Check the quality of field data & reports and notify the results to the Biomonitoring Officer and Coordinator.
3. Support in compiling data from any other domains related to Biomonitoring activities.
4. Extract all necessary information from SMART databases to fill the SMART-Evaluation Database.
5. Read SMART reports and extract additional information needed for the evaluation.
6. Help organizing meetings, training sessions, workshops, etc.
7. Provide other support to the Regional Biomonitoring Coordinator when necessary.
8. Support any other relevant WWF programme in Central Africa as well as the Wildlife Crime Hub.

Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organizational needs

 What you need:

Required Qualifications 

• Minimum MSc Degree in Biology, Natural Resources Management, Conservation, Protected Area Management or related subjects.
• Proven experience in Law Enforcement monitoring tools and approach (SMART).
• Familiarity with GIS analysis (particularly ArcGIS or QGIS).
• Proven statistics and data analysis capacities (Excel, other relevant software).
• Ability to manage databases; experience with managing files on Google Drive.
• Proven capacity in institutional relationship.

 Required skills and competencies 

• Good skills - both written and verbal (English and French).
• Good computer skills (MS Office package, Online researches, etc.), IT skills will be an asset.
• Culturally aware and able to work effectively in various cultural environments.      Capable of working with minimal supervision.
• Adheres to WWF’s values, which are: Passionate & Optimistic, Challenging & Inspiring, Credible & Accountable, and Persevering & Delivering Results. 
• Able to demonstrate WWF behaviours in ways of working: strive for impact, listen deeply, collaborate openly and innovate fearlessly.

How to apply:

Email a Cover letter and CV to recruit-cam@wwfcam.org

The subject should read CBBI-20. 

Deadline for applications: 20^th November 2020.

Thank you in advance for your interest in this position. Please note that only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted for follow up. If you have not been contacted five (5) days after closing, consider your application unsuccessful.

WWF is an equal opportunity employer and committed to having a diverse workforce