The Conservation Planner, will be responsible for planning and execution of conservation strategies with the AWF Zimbabwe programs, develop and monitor the implementation of ward level Land Use Plans in the Save Valley landscape including preparation of statistical, spatial and GIS data and project impact reports, working closely with the Senior Community Natural Resources Management Officer and Project Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEA)L Officer. The Conservation Planner will facilitate the development and implementation of Land Use Plans including GIS and spatial analyses of other AWF Project in Zimbabwe including the Mid Zambezi Valley. This position will be based in Harare will report to the Project Manager, Save Valley Landscape and work closely with the Country Director and other AWF’s technical teams at HQ and Harare.

Key duties and responsibilities:

Responsible for developing and applying tools for conservation planning within the AWF Zimbabwe Programs including micro and macro-land use planning:

• Serve as the focal point for the development and application of planning tools within AWF working closely with the Country Director, Director Land Conservation, GIS and other relevant Program Directors;
• Develop and support implementation of ward level land use plans for communal areas adjacent to the Save Valley conservancy;
• Prepare statistical, spatial and GIS data and project impact reports, working closely with the AWF Project MEAL Officers;
• Develop and support the use of micro zoning tools in Zimbabwe;
• Develop tools I guidelines for monitoring conservation planning processes within AWF Zimbabwe priority landscapes;

Conservation planning implementation

• Work with Program Design, Director Land Conservation and GIS team to provide support for scoping missions, including providing information on the AWF sites in Zimbabwe;
• Working with the AWF Country Director in the development of detailed Zimbabwe conservation plans;
• Work with the Conservation Strategy team to support other aspects of programs as needed;
• Lead work in spatial and urban planning with good understanding of legal framework and processes as required;
• Carry out spatial data capture and analysis, scanning and geo-referencing, evaluation and analysis of data for update and development;
• Conduct data analysis and visualization (GIS & Geodata base management) as well as to evaluate, transform and model data;
• Ensure efficient documentation of AWF's conservation planning processes through reports and storage;
• Be responsible for maintaining a comprehensive inventory of Zimbabwe Program conservation plans ensuring their access by all staff at AWF.

Technical design and effective management support

• Provide support on proposal design and development; engage in technical areas of the program on as-needed basis;
• Conduct capacity-building and training sessions for field officers, technical staff, partners and other relevant stakeholders on portfolio related tools and products;
• Provide high quality reports in a timely manner;
• Support data generation in SMART/Cyber tracker systems and other field relevant tools for reporting and showing AWF’s work in implementation landscapes;
• Operate and maintain GIS systems hardware, software and plotter;
• Manage the collection, cleaning, consolidation and documentation (metadata) of relevant spatial and attribute datasets in line with organisational standards

Learning and best practices documentation

• Draw lessons and best practice from the design and application of conservation planning tools and ensure results are written professionally and shared.
• Commit to respect, protect and promote Human Rights at all times irrespective of ethnic group, gender, race, sexual orientation, age or class by adopting a rights-based conservation approach.

Representing AWF at strategic forums

• Ensure AWF is visibly represented at key conservation planning forums in Zimbabwe and captures appropriate insights/opportunities;
• Inform AWF policy inputs including relevant local, national and multilateral;
• Supervisory and any other responsibilities as designated by the supervisor.

REQUIREMENTS

• Graduate (BSc degree) or advanced qualification with strong GIS skills as required in relevant field;
• Good knowledge of MS-Office packages (Microsoft SQL server-spatial), knowledge of ADOBE design suite (ID, Illustrator, Photoshop) and/or standard GIS software (ArcView, ENVI, ArcGIS, QGIS), and AutoCAD programmes,
• Experience in web cartography across multiple web mapping platforms, and experience with other non-spatial database systems;
• Minimum of four years in conservation/development field;
• Direct experience in conservation or development work in Africa;
• Experience in engaging partners and other stakeholders in Planning and /or NRM;
• Verified experience participating in managing program operations and budget;
• Demonstrated knowledge and practice in systematic conservation planning and capability of producing cartography in print and digital formats;
• Knowledge of laws and regulations governing NRM management in Zimbabwe;
• Proven ability to coordinate complex assignments including designing of work plans, facilitate the cooperation of partners, build consensus in land use planning, data generation, mapping, and analysis to inform decision making processes.
• Commitment to AWF’s vision and mission.