Conservation Strategy Senior Manager

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.

POSITION SUMMARY - This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya

The Conservation Strategy Senior Manager serves as a strategic leader within Conservation International’s Africa Field Management Unit (FMU). The role is responsible for driving the design, implementation, and adaptive management of integrated conservation strategies across priority landscapes, aligned with CI’s new strategy for Africa, which aims to unlock finance to support up to 20 iconic landscapes across the continent.

The postholder will lead strategic projects, translate organizational priorities into actionable programs, and ensure rigorous performance management. They will also contribute to thought leadership, guide team development, and support strategic alignment between country programs and global goals. Reporting to the VP for Africa, the role is cross-functional, requiring strong analytical, stakeholder engagement, and communication capabilities.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Project Leadership and Delivery

• Lead the end-to-end design, delivery, and adaptive management of CI’s conservation strategies in Africa.
• Define project scopes, develop workplans, manage timelines, and allocate resources across cross-functional teams.
• Own delivery quality across regional initiatives, ensuring rigorous execution, learning, and iteration.
• Translate high-level goals into operational workplans, KPIs, and reporting dashboards.

Performance Monitoring and Decision Support

• Oversee regional delivery monitoring systems to track progress across CI’s Africa portfolio.
• Identify cross-landscape trends and performance gaps requiring systems solutions.
• Lead data integration and visualization initiatives (using tools like Power BI) to enable real-time strategic decision-making.
• Provide analytical support for strategic initiatives, including financial modeling and investment planning.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Facilitate multi-stakeholder workshops, landscape planning sessions, and strategy reviews with internal and external actors.
• Anticipate Africa leadership needs and proactively provide insights and solutions.
• Serve as a trusted thought partner to country and sub-regional leaders in aligning strategy with on-the-ground realities.
• Communicate key strategy updates, risks, and recommendations through compelling presentations to executive leadership.

Team Management and Capacity Building

• Directly supervise a Senior Coordinator for project delivery and evaluation; guide their growth and effectiveness.
• Build and coordinate high-performing cross-functional teams or task forces, as needed.
• Coach and mentor team members, promote feedback culture, and support professional development.
• Foster collaboration across departments and countries to drive integrated results.

Systems, Process, and Organizational Effectiveness

• Drive continuous improvement of internal systems, tools, and processes for strategy delivery and tracking.
• Support financial planning tools to enable multi-year conservation investments and alignment with funding strategies.
• Lead or contribute to organization-building initiatives, including recruitment, training, and team culture efforts.

Additional Responsibilities

• Support proposal development and donor reporting by contributing strategic content and analysis.
• Represent CI in strategic fora where appropriate, supporting visibility of the Africa strategy and impact.
• Oversee multiple project streams simultaneously and contribute to global strategic initiatives.

People and Resource Management Responsibilities

• Directly supervise one Senior Coordinator.
• Lead a cross-functional strategy team as needed, providing clarity, coordination, and accountability.
• Support performance management, hiring, and capacity development across the Africa strategy function.
• Collaborate with finance, operations, and technical teams to align people and budgetary resources with strategic priorities

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This position follows a hybrid work structure, working some days from the office and some days remotely. Guidance will be shared during the interview process

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in conservation, environmental policy, public administration, strategy, business, or a related field.
• 5 to 7 years of progressively senior experience in strategy, organizational planning, or conservation program management, in the private sector, consulting, conservation, or international NGO contexts.
• Up to 2 years of supervisory experience. 
• Experience working in or with African countries, and a strong understanding of conservation-development dynamics in the region.

Skills / Knowledge

• Proven ability to lead complex strategy design and implementation projects.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, including systems thinking, excellent taste in data, and strong command of AI tools to enhance efficiency.
• High-level communication skills, including preparing executive presentations and reports.
• Expertise in monitoring and evaluation, performance management frameworks, and adaptive learning.
• Strong command of Excel, PowerPoint, Copilot, and data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Monday.com).
• Effective interpersonal skills and ability to manage cross-functional, multicultural teams.
• Demonstrated experience in mentoring and managing individuals and teams in a matrixed environment.

Preferred

• Master's degree

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

Application Deadline: July 14, 2025 (11:49 PM EST) 

See all Conservation International Career Opportunities HERE

Conservation International is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals. We believe in hiring based on merit and qualifications, ensuring a fair and inclusive hiring process for everyone.