Rangeland Technical Specialist

Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

CI’s Africa Field Management Unit is prioritizing rangelands as a key pillar to realize the vision of a prosperous Africa by 2030, by developing and implementing nature-positive economies across 70 million hectares of oceans, forests, mangroves, and rangelands. The Africa Rangelands strategy is centered on a goal to restore and sustainably manage 10 million hectares of rangelands in Africa by 2030 in a way that advances human well-being, ecosystem resilience, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and sparks a continent-wide rangelands movement urgently needed to reverse degradation.

Herding for Health (H4H), a community development model that promotes conservation outcomes while supporting pastoralists living in rural areas to find their way out of extreme poverty, is a key pathway that will enable CI to deliver rangelands restoration at scale. The model follows a holistic, community-driven approach to address challenges faced by farmers living in and adjacent to protected areas. Core to Herding for Health’s implementation strategy is the use of stewardship agreements, which are co-developed with communities to help overcome opportunity costs associated with certain conservation practices. The Herding for Health model under CI is implemented in partnership with Peace Parks Foundation in seven countries across East and Southern Africa.

POSITION SUMMARY - This position is based in Cape Town or Johannesburg, South Africa, or Gaborone, Botswana. A remote location could be considered within South Africa or Botswana.

A dedicated focus on CI’s work in the grasslands, savanna, and shrublands of Africa is one of the core objectives of the new Africa Strategy. Under the theme, Resilient People in Resilient Places, CI’s goal is to have 10 million ha of degraded African rangelands under restoration by 2030 by scaling the adoption of Herding for Health (H4H), a partnership programme between CI and Peace Parks Foundation (PPF).

The Rangeland Technical Specialist will lead and support technical efforts by providing expert guidance, oversight, and on-the-ground testing of innovative approaches for rangeland implementation sites, with a particular emphasis on implementing the Herding for Health (H4H) model. The technical specialist will ensure all rangeland sites are adhering to the best sustainable livestock regenerative agriculture and land management practices and will directly coordinate with site-based technical staff to provide guidance and support as needed, for example, in grazing area management and farmer engagements. They will operationalize fit-for-purpose sustainable livestock management approaches across all H4H sites, considering the different ecosystem types, cultural diversity, environmental variabilities, and animal health challenges that are prevalent in the different landscapes. They will update technical learning materials based on research and experience from demonstration sites and provide input to training partners for the development and implementation of relevant training materials.

In addition to providing site-specific technical input, the Rangeland Technical Specialist will form part of CI’s Africa Rangelands Team, as well as be part of the H4H core implementation management team in collaboration with PPF.

RESPONSIBILITIES

TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION

Rangeland Management

• Lead the technical delivery on sustainable livestock management to ensure improved management and rangeland restoration.
• Oversee H4H technical operations and support field teams to implement best practices in rangeland management, including climate-smart grazing plans to ensure sustainable, healthy rangelands, and in line with the needs of the landscape.
• Together with the site teams, and relevant government departments, support the operationalization of grazing plans at the landscape level to maximize ecological impact from the intervention.
• Support field teams to implement techniques to improve soil structure, fertility, and erosion control, relevant to each ecosystem type.
• Together with field teams, map, develop, and implement fire prevention strategies and water management strategies to protect ecosystem function in the H4H implementation sites.
• Incorporate indigenous knowledge systems and science in supporting H4H implementation for restoration and better rangeland management.
• Ensure that implemented livestock production measures align with ecological imperatives to restore biodiversity and sustain ecosystem functions.
• Contribute to policy briefs on sustainable livestock management as a mechanism for climate adaptation and mitigation.
• Provide technical contributions on rangeland and livestock monitoring to access innovative finance initiatives such as Soil Organic Carbon, Payment for Ecosystem Services, among others.
• Support the Community Stewardship Director in leading a technical community of practice focused on rangelands at the landscape level.

Livestock Management

• Provide technical leadership in sustainable livestock management techniques including animal health, productivity, handling, herd dynamics, genetics, nutrition, record keeping, and traceability for communal livestock farming.
• Advise on seasonal nutrition strategies to ensure animal health during droughts or dry seasons.
• Advise on breeding and herd improvement by promoting breeds that are resilient to climate extremes and well-suited to local ecosystems.
• Together with veterinarians affiliated with the projects and landscape leads support the development of herd health plans and ensure site-specific diseases are managed as part of the H4H approach.
• Provide continuous support to field teams on early disease detection and animal welfare practices.
• Work with landscape leads / H4H site leads to develop measures and partnerships that will unlock relevant livestock value chains and provide access to markets for pastoralists and implement a market-based incentive approach for sustained implementation of the H4H model in the landscape.
• Where necessary, support the implementation of commodity-based trade in line with World Organization for Animal Health
• Provide technical input in implementing a One Health Approach at H4H sites.
• Together with policy development teams, contribute to policy briefs on enhancing livestock trade and commodity-based trade in Africa.
• Together with partners, establish market access opportunities and support farmer engagements in implementing prioritized opportunities.

Community Engagements and Governance

• Strengthen local governance to ensure equitable access to rangeland resources.
• Engage livestock farmers/pastoralists to create locally appropriate rangeland management plans.
• Provide technical leadership in community engagements to ensure farmer ownership and adoption of the H4H model in existing and expansion areas.
• Support landscape leaders to enhance farmers/ farmer groups engagements and guide the establishment of appropriate community governance structures.
• Together with the Community Stewardship Director and Site Teams, support farmer engagements on Rangeland Stewardship Agreements.

CAPACITY BUILDING

• Support landscape leads, and where needed, provide leadership in the establishment of technical advisory committees in each landscape to tap into local experience and expertise that will help improve the delivery of outcomes of the project in each implementation site.
• Provide technical input on training manuals, toolkits, online courses, and other learning-related materials.
• Work closely with training partners (e.g., Southern Africa Wildlife College, Herding Academy, Afrivet and ILRI, and other relevant training institutes in East and Southern Africa) to update existing or co-create new H4H training material.
• Support, and when needed, conduct H4H training to identified groups and stakeholders in support of the implementation of CI and partner projects.
• Capacitate and strengthen farmers to be better stewards of their land with robust governance systems.

COMPLIANCE, MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING

• Using participatory monitoring with field teams and community members, support the implementation of vegetation monitoring protocols to inform adaptive management practices.
• Support with data collection for the H4H Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning framework covering indicators such as vegetation, land cover changes, soil organic carbon, livestock, and livelihood/socio-economic impacts. Ensure that data is also transferred back to various stakeholders.
• Ensure each site is compliant with relevant organizational policies, protocols, and frameworks.
• Record and track risks for H4H sites together with the Community Stewardship Director.
• Ensure each site is compliant with Environmental and Social Safeguards in place.
• Catalogue relevant project/program information in planning, monitoring, or related systems.
• Co-develop and deliver high-quality landscape-based materials that contribute towards delivery.
• Provide periodic reports and assessments on progress against goals for internal and external audiences. Assess progress and refine action plans and outcomes as needed.
• Work closely with the CI-H4H and PPF-H4H teams to ensure harmony and synergy between teams for optimal results.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Logistics and communication

• Support the communication team with information and media presence.
• Assist with logistical support as and when needed.
• Coordinate virtual and in-person workshops, meetings that bring out and amplify voices from the field to internal and external audiences.

Team Culture

• Build camaraderie and team spirit among implementation teams.
• Create a sense of team unity across all implementation sites.
• Create opportunities for learning across sites.

People and resource management responsibilities

• This position does not have direct supervisory authority yet, but assists and mentors team members.
• Serves as a subject matter expert on effective grassland and livestock management, climate-smart livestock management, and agriculture enterprise development.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Extended work hours may be required.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to field sites within southern, and east Africa, and when needed, other countries in the rest of Africa where CI is supporting H4H implementation.
• May need to work outdoors in adverse weather conditions.
• This position follows a hybrid work structure, working some days from the office and some remotely. Guidance will be shared during the interview process.
• This role will be a 3-year fixed-term assignment.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in animal production or grasslands and savanna management, grassland ecology, rangelands grasslands and savanna, animal health or other relevant fields.
• A rangeland management and livestock production expert with at least 5 to 7 years of experience working with communities in livestock farming.
• Demonstrable experience working with farmers/pastoralism or as a livestock farmer with 5 years livestock production and land management experience.
• Demonstrable experience in linking farmers to markets.
• Experience implementing projects in communal farming systems will be an advantage.
• Livestock farming credentials will be highly recognized.

Preferred

• Master’s degree in any of these relevant fields is preferred.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, including the ability to effectively convey complex details or technical information.
• Ability to engage with farmers in at least one local language spoken in H4H sites.
• Good project management experience.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Basic administration and coordination skills are essential.
• Highly familiar with etiquette, protocol, and employing cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Proven team player.
• Self-driven with strong leadership and performance management.
• Highly organized and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously in a dynamic environment.
• A good academic record with a strong publications profile will be advantageous.

To apply for this position please submit a resume and cover letter.

Application Deadline: September 30, 2025 (11:49 PM EST); however, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position may be filled earlier if suitable candidates are identified.

See all Conservation International Career Opportunities HERE

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