Conservation Synergies (CS) is seeking a Project Implementation Manager to be responsible for the day-to-day coordination and implementation of the project “Developing evidence- based approaches to improve financial literacy and reduce ranger indebtedness in priority Protected Areas” (PAs). The initiative will explore systemic issues including debt traps, online gambling, scamming, identity theft, and credit accessibility, while developing evidence-based interventions to support rangers in achieving financial stability.
This is an ambitious project with a tight timeline and CS need a delivery-based manager to test approaches and report on results. This is new and novel work and the role requires a unique blend of project management execution, exceptional interpersonal skills, strong analytical capability, learnability and drive for social impact.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Project execution:
• Ability to meticulously plan, organise and execute project deliverables.
• Develop and maintain detailed work plans and activity schedules – translate the agreed project workplan into a concrete delivery schedule aligned with the grant period.
• Monitor project progress and prepare regular status reports.
• Lead the establishment and functioning of an expert group on ranger financial wellbeing, including scheduling, agendas, minutes and follow-up actions.
• Coordinate the design, piloting and documentation of site-level financial literacy and indebtedness interventions in at 2-3 priority PAs, including plans, training schedules and simple monitoring frameworks.”
• Plan and coordinate endline data collection in participating sites, working closely with CS technical staff and site partners.
Key deliverables:
• Consolidated implementation workplan with milestones and responsibilities for all Outcomes, refined with CS team and partners, within one month of contract start.
• At least two expert group meetings convened and documented.
• Intervention plans for each agreed site, with stakeholder roles, timelines, and simple M&E indicators.
• Inputs to RRF progress reports and a short internal ‘implementation learning note’
capturing what is working and what needs adjustment.
Stakeholder engagement:
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to coordinate busy people, successfully encouraging them to fulfil their agreed-upon roles. This must be done politely, diplomatically, and collaboratively.
• Facilitate meetings, workshops, and consultation sessions as required.
Research and writing:
• Conduct research on financial issues affecting rangers, including online gambling, debt mechanisms, credit systems, and financial scams.
• Gather, analyse, and synthesise information from multiple sources.
• Produce well-referenced, evidence-based written outputs including briefing notes, case studies, and reports.
• Identify emerging issues and trends relevant to ranger financial wellness.
Relationships and reporting
• Reports to: CS Managing Director with close collaboration with the CS Technical Lead and Grants & Operations Director.
• Works closely with: Site-based PA leadership, HR/wellness focal points, and financial literacy partners (e.g. local training providers, NGOs, or financial institutions).
PROFILE AND REQUIREMENTS
Education
– Degree in conservation with a strong interest behavioural sciences/behavioural economics OR
– Degree in behavioural sciences/behavioural economics with a strong interest in conservation.
Experience
– 3-5 years of relevant professional experience
– Proven project management experience: Must have been responsible for implementing and managing a project. Applicants must provide project budget size, direct management responsibility, and referee details for verification.
– Demonstrated research and writing capability: Applicants must submit a writing sample – a well-referenced research piece that demonstrates analytical thinking and clear communication.
– Experience working in or with conservation organisations, PAs, or allied sectors (e.g. rural development, community conservation, law enforcement) is strongly preferred.
– Experience working with sensitive topics such as indebtedness, staff welfare, or integrity / misconduct issues will be an advantage.
– Experience in applying ethical research and data management protocols.
Knowledge and interests (essential)
– Strong interest in conservation and the wellbeing of people working in conservation.
– Understanding of or genuine interest in financial issues affecting individuals (debt, credit, banking systems).
– Awareness of financial challenges such as debt traps, online gambling, scamming, identity theft, and predatory lending practices.
– Interest in behavioral economics and how financial decisions impact individuals and organisations.
CORE COMPETENCIES AND ATTRIBUTES
The successful candidate will be assessed on three key competency areas:
1. Project management ability: Planning, organising, and delivering project activities on time and to standard.
2. Interpersonal and diplomatic skills: Engaging stakeholders professionally, motivating participation, and managing relationships tactfully when people are busy or facing competing priorities.
3. Research and analytical thinking: Gathering information, conducting research, analysing complex issues, and producing well-written, well-referenced outputs.
Attributes required include:
1. High levels of discretion and integrity – for dealing with confidential personal financial or integrity-related information.
2. Self-discipline and excellent communication skills – to work independently in a virtual and multi-country context, with proactive communication and self-management.
3. Learnability – to be able to absorb new skills and ways of working and start working with them immediately.
4. Emotional awareness and empathy – to be able to connect with and understand field
rangers’ situations without imposing external values and judgements.
DURATION AND LEVEL OF EFFORT
– Six month fixed term contract requiring 20 hours per week.
– A deliverables-based contract and fee will be agreed with the successful consultant.
– The role is primarily home-based but will likely require short field trips within Southern Africa to at least one or two project sites.
– The CS team works remotely so you will need to be self-motivated and able to work from home and deliver timeously. We regularly meet virtually and in-person whenever possible.
HOW TO APPLY (SINGLE PDF, MAX 5 MB)
Closing date: 27 March 2026, 17h00 CAT . Please email your application to alison@conservationsynergies.org with ONE PDF file (max 5 MB) containing ALL of the following components:
Cover letter (max 1.5 pages)
Your cover letter must address the following:
• Motivation: Explain why you want to work on ranger wellbeing, indebtedness support and financial resilience within conservation organisations.
• Concrete project example: Describe ONE specific project where you were directly responsible for implementation (even if small-scale). Include:
– Brief context: organisation, location, project focus, and your exact role.
– Budget size and which parts you directly managed.
– Key challenges you faced (e.g., stakeholder coordination, time constraints, sensitive issues) and the actions you took to address them.
– At least one trade-off or difficult decision you made (e.g., budget reallocation, timeline adjustment, stakeholder prioritisation) and why.
– One thing that went wrong or proved harder than expected, and how you adjusted your approach.
• Interest in financial issues: Briefly describe your interest in financial issues affecting individuals (such as debt traps, online gambling, scams, identity theft, and access to credit) and why this matters in a conservation context.
CV (max 3 pages)
• Focus on relevant experience in project implementation, coordination and stakeholder engagement.
• Highlight any work in conservation, protected areas, ranger support, financial wellbeing, behavioural economics, or organisational/social science.
• Clearly list your research, analysis and writing experience (including any short research reports, policy briefs or similar outputs), and note any specific tools or methods you are comfortable using.
Referees
Provide details for two referees who can comment on your project management ability, reliability and interpersonal skills:
• Name, position, organisation, email and phone number.
• At least one referee must be able to confirm your responsibility for implementing a specific project and managing its budget.
Note: We will contact referees during the short-listing stage, not only at the end of the process.
Writing task: Analytical piece (500 words maximum)
To help us identify genuinely experienced candidates and minimise generic or AI-generated applications, submit a short analytical piece on the following prompt:
“In max 500 words, outline how online gambling and debt traps could undermine ranger integrity in a priority protected area, and propose two practical interventions for one site.”
Your piece must demonstrate:
• Well-structured argument or analysis.
• Use of at least two credible references, with preference for sources grounded in African or Southern African contexts (e.g., reports, laws, NGO work, academic research).
• Clear, professional writing style.
• Ability to identify and explore complex, real-world issues.
Note: We are looking for evidence of your own thinking and understanding of how rangers, protected areas, HR systems, and financial issues actually work in practice, not generic or theoretical responses.
SELECTION PROCESS
Applications will be reviewed in three stages:
Stage 1: Document review
We will assess your application materials for completeness, relevance of experience, quality of the analytical piece, and clarity of the concrete project example.
Stage 2: Short-listed candidates (live exercise + verification)
Short-listed candidates will be invited to participate in:
1. A 30–45 minute live exercise via Zoom/Teams where you will be asked to:
• Organise a set of project activities into a realistic 6-month workplan with dependencies and milestones.
• Identify likely risks and suggest mitigation approaches.
• The scenario will be shared at the start of the call; you will have 10–15 minutes to think, then walk us through your approach.
2. Verification of project management claims: We will contact at least one of your referees to confirm the budget size, your exact role, and the challenges you managed in the project you described.
Stage 3: Final interview
Final candidates will participate in a 45–60 minute behavioural interview focusing on:
• Your approach to managing this specific project given current delays and sensitivities.
• Your experience dealing with sensitive topics (indebtedness, staff welfare, integrity issues).
• Your ability to coordinate busy stakeholders diplomatically and persistently.
IMPORTANT NOTES
• Verification: CS will verify all project management claims with the organisations and referees provided. Misrepresentation of responsibilities, outputs, or experience will result in disqualification from this and future opportunities.
• Confidentiality: All application materials will be treated confidentially.
• Timeline: We aim to complete short-listing by 3 April 2026, live exercises by 10 April 2026, and final interviews by 17 April 2026, with a contract start in late April 2026.
For questions about the application process, contact alison@conservationsynergies.org.