Founded in 1976, GRET is an international development NGO working on the ground to fight against poverty and inequality. In more than 28 countries, its professionals work on a wide range of issues to provide sustainable, innovative solutions for inclusive development. It combines field actions with expertise, contributions to public policy and the capitalization/dissemination of references. More information: https://gret.org/en/
Since the 1990s, GRET has been active in Guinea in key sectors including natural resources management; as such, it has been working for several year within the Ziama landscape bordering the Liberian Wonegizi – Wologizi landscape for which the GRET has received a Grant of 9 million Euros funding to support a sustainable management of this key biodiversity hotspot in close collaboration with Fauna and Flora and the Liberian Government. To implement this project, GRET is looking for a Program Manager who will be based in Monrovia.
Context of the project
Liberia, a biodiversity hotspot in West Africa, harbors 43% of the Upper Guinean rainforest, a crucial and relatively intact ecosystem. However, the country has lost nearly 2 million hectares of forest, approximately 20% of its total forest cover, due to deforestation. To combat this, Liberia has established five protected areas and committed to expanding its protected forest area from 500 000 to 1.5 million hectares, covering 30% of its forested land with new protected area being recognized and gazetted.
The proposed grant AFD funding, amounting to nine million euros (EUR 9M) for 5 years starting in
2025, aims to support the sustainable and concerted management of the Wonegizi-Wologizi forest landscape in northwestern Liberia (approximately 127,000 hectares). It will be the first AFD financing in the sector in Liberia, complementary to the AFD support to the Ziama biosphere reserve in Guinea – which forms with WW forests the transboundary landscape of Wonegizi-Wologizi-Ziama (WWZ).
The project will be jointly implemented by GRET (lead of the consortium) and Fauna and Flora who has been active within the region for about 10 years. It will work closely with Liberia’s authorities (particularly the Forest Department Authority – FDA – and the Liberia Land Authority – LLA) in establishing a concerted and sustainable management of these forests, recognizing the rights of communities over these resources and contributing to the improvement of their living conditions. It will also provide additional capacities to the Liberian authorities in managing their biodiversity assets. Based on an integrated landscape approach, the Project will support sustainable management of natural resources in the two conservation areas as well as in their periphery, particularly in two priority corridors, to ensure forest connectivity. It will have a strong focus on tackling the roots of deforestation by providing substantial support to surrounding communities to develop economic activities that would be sustainable in the long term.
To reach its objective, the project is structured into four components:
- Protection and conservation management of forest areas in the Wonegizi-Wologizi landscape
- Sustainable livelihoods on the periphery of the proposed Wologizi and Wonegizi protected areas
- Institutional support and capacity building.
- Project management, audits and evaluations
Project Management Unit
The GRET project management team in place to implement the project will comprise in Monrovia and on the field (within a join GRET/FF Bureau) a program manager, an accountant, a procurement officer and an international officer to support component 3 as well as several field officers.
The program manager will be based in Monrovia.
Responsabilities
The Project Manager will report to GRET’s Representative in Guinea and to a GRET Project support team based within HQ in Paris. The Project Manager will be in direct daily contact (planning, coordination, monitoring) with GRET’s teams on the ground and with her/his team in Monrovia. She/He will work also closely with FF team and with key national institutions including FDA and LLA. He/she will have the following responsibilities:
i) Manage and implement project activities from an operational point of view: guarantee the technical and operational leadership of the consortium; contribute to the strategic vision of the project, planning and development of project monitoring and evaluation tools and methods, in liaison with partners; and guarantee the implementation and monitoring of field activity planning and relations between the project and its stakeholders, in line with the project’s contractual commitments;
ii) Manage the project at financial, administrative and human levels, in line with current rules and procedures and ensuring respect of the grant agreement: Guarantee the sound financial management of the project in compliance with the rules of its financial partners; guarantee the administrative and logistical management of the project; recruit and manage teams dedicated to the project; propose action plans to support capacity building of the team ; produce narrative reports and validate contractual financial reports;
iii) Ensure project communication in line with GRET’s communication policy and the project’s contractual obligations (visibility);
iv) Oversee the Monitoring and evaluation framework of the project;
iv) Ensure project capitalization;
v) Facilitate and contribute to the financial partner’s supervision mission (once or twice a year).
She/he will also be invited to contribute to the strategic vision of GRET’s “Natural Resource Management” and “Agriculture, Food and Rural Economy” departments, and identify and contribute to the development of new actions in collaboration with the GRET Representation.
Profile required
– Have a master degree in natural resources management, rural development, agro-economics or any other related topic;
– Have good knowledge and/or proven experience of natural resource management and biodiversity conservation; a good knowledge of Guinean forest ecosystem management is an asset;
– Have at least 5 years’ experience in project management (or in a management position) in sub-saharian country; having an experience in leading a project managed under a consortium is an asset;
– Have at least 1 experience in designing and deploying a Monitoring and evaluation plan for a project;
– Demonstrate team management and financial management skills;
– Have strong analytical, synthesis and writing skills;
– Have creativity and autonomy in work, and good organizational skills;
– Be flexible and adaptable, and open-minded to other cultures;
– Fluency in English (oral and written) and demonstrated ability to communicate;
– Ability to work in a remote area;
– A good knowledge of French is an asset.
GRET is committed to people with disabilities and actively fights against all forms of discrimination. This vacancy is open to anyone with the required profile.
Conditions and duration
Fixed-term contract (CDD) of 1 year, renewable, international under expatriate contract or national. Position based in Monrovia, with regular missions to the project area.
Salary: According to GRET’s salary scale
Starting date: As soon as possible, ideally from May 2025
A CV and a cover letter to be sent before the 30th of April to accueil@gret.org with mail subject: “Program Manager Libéria ”.
Only selected candidates will be invited for an interview.
Gret publishes all its job and internship offers on its website: https://gret.org/rejoindre-le-gret/ To apply, please refer exclusively to the job offer on GRET’s website.
Applications are free of charge. Any request for a financial contribution is tantamount to fraud. Please do not respond to any such requests.
Gret never uses personal data entry forms. Requests to fill in such forms could be an attempt to phish for your personal data.
Due to the urgent nature of the recruitment, GRET reserves the right to process applications as they are received and to contact candidates before the application deadline.
