MaMaBay Land and Seascape Director

Reports to: Country Director
Positions Managed: Field Operations Manager, Protected Area Manager, Sciences Manager
The Director of Makira National Park
Location: Maroantsetra-Madagascar
Country Program/Sector: Madagascar
Position Type: Full-time
Scope/Capacity: MaMaBay, Madagascar
Coordinate with: Madagascar Senior Management Team, and local Communities.

Organisation Background

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit organisation established in 1895 and based in New York that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science-based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With presence in more than 60 countries, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. The WCS Madagascar program is located within and managed by the WCS East Africa, Madagascar & Western Indian Ocean (EAMWIO) region, through our Africa hub in Kigali, Rwanda.

Job Profile

The MaMaBay Land- and Seascape consists of three contiguous protected areas: Makira Natural Park, Masoala National Park, and Antongil Bay and their adjacent community-managed lands, totaling over nearly 500,000 ha. It supports a large proportion of Madagascar’s remaining lowland tropical rainforest, an incredible diversity of endemic species and globally significant primate populations. Most of WCS’s work is focused on Makira NP and its community-managed buffer zone, in which nearly 90,000 people live. Makira NP has been a REDD+ project since 2005; it aims to protect forest carbon stocks, biodiversity, strengthen local livelihoods, and uphold human rights and sustainable land management through the implementation of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks in line with international safeguards and carbon standards. The MaMaBay Land and Seascape Director will be responsible for the overall management and delivery of the MaMaBay 5-year Strategy (2025-2030) to ensure adherence to strategic objectives and performance requirements, and adaptively manage activities as needed.

This position will play a pivotal role in driving the next phase of growth and scaling of conservation action across the landscape. The role has overall oversight of WCS field staff across MaMaBay from an office in Maroantsetra, including direct supervision of the leaders of the MaMaBay Program Manager. Building on a strong foundation of success, the position will be instrumental in expanding the project’s impact and ensuring its continued leadership in global REDD+ implementation. The incumbent will also be responsible for the continued development of technical support by overseeing an experienced team of Team Leaders specialising in law enforcement, logistics, rights and communities, and science and monitoring. The MaMaBay Land and Seascape Director is responsible for building and maintaining a strong team and will contribute to fundraising, reporting and ensuring high-quality delivery on grants. S/he will at times represent the MaMaBay Landscape & Seascape at senior levels within WCS and with government, donors, and other partners.

Major Responsibilities:

• Provide overall management oversight for all components of the MaMaBay Strategy 2025- 2030, including the direct supervision and coordination of internal technical teams, implementing partners, and grantees; and management of properties, including office(s), vehicles and equipment.
• Ensure timely delivery of workplans, outputs, and performance indicators in alignment with both WCS’s strategic priorities and the project’s long-term REDD+ objectives.
• Lead and motivate the MaMaBay staff to consistently achieve high standards of performance, and create an organisational culture based on performance, accountability, transparency, and goal achievement to ensure that organisational objectives are achieved and staff achieve high levels of job satisfaction.
• Lead and manage the development, execution, and monitoring of annual and multi-year workplans and budgets, ensuring that all activities, staffing, and resource allocations directly support project objectives and institutional priorities.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reports as required, in collaboration with the Country Director, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, Finance Manager, and other field staff.
• Coordinate the implementation of activities closely with the Makira Natural Park Director and maintain strong collaboration with government officials at the park level.
• Represent WCS in strategic engagements with carbon investors, government partners, and key stakeholders, providing authoritative input on project strategy, investment structures, and governance to ensure alignment with long-term REDD+ sustainability, equity, and integrity goals.
• Provide strategic leadership on funding proposals for MaMaBay and collaborate closely on their development with other members of the WCS Madagascar team, EAMWIO program and technical staff, and WCS’s global cross-cutting teams.
• Assist the Country Director and other staff, where necessary, with the development, implementation, and review of plans for the project and the national program.
• Oversee and control all fiscal management functions for the MaMaBay landscape, including the preparation, approval, and administration of site-level budgets, sub-grants, contracts, and cash-for-community mechanisms. Ensure full financial accountability and compliance with WCS, donor, and government regulations.
• Establish and enforce robust financial and operational systems that promote transparency, efficiency, and risk management, supporting the effective scaling of landscape interventions and the sustainable growth of program staffing and partnerships.
• Identify and manage third-party service providers, as needed, for specific technical inputs.
• Lead implementation of the project’s Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS), ensuring effective risk identification, mitigation, and compliance with ESG standards, donor requirements, and WCS policies.
• Oversee human rights, child protection, and security safeguards, including implementation of Human Rights strategy, Security Management Plan delivery, and adherence to VPSHR and child protection protocols.

Qualification Requirements

Minimum Requirements and Job Skills:

• Post-graduate degree or equivalent experience in Conservation, Natural Resource Management, or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience relevant to on-the-ground conservation in developing countries, preferably in African countries.
• Solid technical skills in conservation biology, protected area management, REDD+ and/or Marine Conservation.
• Proven ability to achieve success on the ground in tropical developing countries.
• Demonstrated experience in the design, writing, management, and reporting of multi-million-dollar workplans and budgets.
• Ability to effectively deal with the challenges of field-based tropical conservation and local community and conservation politics.
• Ability to work sensitively and effectively with people of diverse cultures, value systems, perspectives, and levels of education, and to manage staff in these contexts.
• Ability to build capacity in community-driven natural resource management, field research, conservation biology, conservation advocacy, and project management.
• Excellent leadership, team management, and cross-cultural communication skills.
• Fluency in French required; English language proficiency is an asset.

How to apply

Interested candidates who meet the above qualifications, skills and experience should apply through the application link by 23rd April 2026.

Please send a detailed application/cover letter and a detailed CV. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.

WCS is an equal opportunity employer, and the organisation complies with all employment and labour laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and engaging a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share that same value. The organisation provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organisation does not discriminate for employment based on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, colour, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, caste, genetic information or any other covered status or characteristic protected by laws and regulations/and similar categories.

It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based upon a person’s membership in one of these protected categories in areas such as recruitment, selection, job assignment, supervision, training, promotions, job grading, transfers, termination, compensation, benefits, educational opportunities, WCS-sponsored recreational activities and facilities. The organisation complies with the spirit and intent of relevant local laws and WCS’s employment policies.