Conservation jobs shifts toward local leadership

From the newsletter

Southern Africa dominates current conservation job listings, with South Africa hosting a dense cluster of research-driven roles focused on big cat tracking, elephant monitoring, and rhino protection. Organisations are offering immersive internships and field guide apprenticeships reflecting a strong regional emphasis on skills transfer and biodiversity surveillance.

• In East Africa, conservation hiring this month highlights leadership and restoration. Positions such as Chief Operating Officer at The Pangolin Project in Kenya and Field Restoration Officer in Ethiopia indicate a shift towards integrated landscape management.

• West and Central Africa are prioritising conservation finance and governance. IUCN is seeking specialists in REDD+ and ESMS in Senegal, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. 

Southern Africa

• IUCN: Country Representative (Mozambique)

• Conservation Careers: Wildlife Conservation Internship (Madagascar)

• Natucate: Species Conservation Volunteering (Zambia)

• Conservation Careers: Climate Change & Coral Bleaching (Seychelles)

• Natucate: Volunteering, Protect Endangered Desert Elephants (Namibia)

• Conservation Careers: Big Cat Conservation Internship (South Africa)

• Conservation Careers: Wildlife Conservation Internship (South Africa)

• Conservation Careers: Wildlife Conservation Apprenticeship (South Africa)

• Conservation Careers: Wildlife Research Expedition (South Africa)

• Conservation Careers: Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo Research and Conservation (South Africa)

• Natucate: Wildlife Conservation Training Course (South Africa)

• Natucate: Apprentice Field Guide Course (South Africa)

West Africa

• IUCN: Regional Environmental and Social Management System Specialist (Senegal)

• IUCN: National Coordinator, Nature-Based Solutions Project (Côte d’Ivoire)

• IUCN: Regional Coordinator, West Africa Coastal and Marine Programme (Senegal)

• IUCN: Accounting Secretary, Forest and Climate Change Partnership Programme (Burkina Faso)

• IUCN: Assistant Accountant, Forest and Climate Change Partnership Programme (Burkina Faso)

• The Limbe Wildlife Centre: Fundraising and Communications Manager (Cameroon)

• The Limbe Wildlife Centre: Communications and Fundraising Officer (Cameroon)
  
  

Central Africa

• IUCN: Regional Coordinator, Forests (Cameroon)

East Africa

• IUCN: Field Officer, Landscape Restoration (Ethiopia)

• The Pangolin Project: Chief Operating Officer (Kenya)

• Natucate: Tools for Nature Conservation (Kenya)