Location:        Garoua, Cameroon
Duration:       2 years (renewable)
Report To:       Landscape Director and Regional Social Safeguards Coordinator.
Field Mobility: 60%

Context:
Wildlife Conservation Society works to protect wildlife and natural habitats through a rigorous scientific approach, an environmental education program, and the management and protection of National Parks. These activities contribute to changing people's attitudes towards nature and aim to promote viable and sustainable interaction between people and wildlife on a local and global scale. WCS is committed to this work because we believe it is essential to the integrity of life on earth.
WCS has been present in Cameroon since 1988, and since then has worked with the Cameroon government to create several protected areas and train numerous conservationist managers. Currently, the WCS Cameroon program is working on three main landscapes: the Takamanda-Mone Technical Operational Unit, Mbam & Djerem National Park, and a large landscape in Northern Cameroon: the Binational Complex of Bénoué, Bouba-Ndjida (Cameroon) and Sena Oura (Chad) National Parks. 
In Northern Cameroon, WCS, in support of the Ministry in charge of Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF), is implementing activities aimed at conservation, stability and sustainable development with an integrated landscape approach. The Northern landscape covers two Operational Technical Units: the Bouba Ndjidda and Bénoué National Parks and the hunting zones adjacent to the parks.
Since 2016, WCS has benefited from significant financial support from KfW to strengthen the Binational Complex of Sena Oura (Chad) and Bouba Ndjidda (Cameroon) - BSB Yamoussa project. Since 2021, WCS has been receiving support from the European Union to strengthen capacity for wildlife conservation and enhance its role in the sustainable management of natural resources for Bénoué National Park and its surrounding protected areas - EcoNorCam project. 
To prevent, monitor and mitigate potential harm to people that could result from the implementation of its projects in Northern Cameroon, WCS is planning to recruit a Senior Social Safeguards Officer to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of its social safeguards policies.

Purpose:
The purpose of this position is to oversee the successful implementation and management of WCS’s Social Safeguards mechanisms and policies in WCS Cameroon’s Northern landscape.
The Social Safeguards Officer will provide general social safeguards support in all operations in WCS Cameroon’s Northern Landscape, ensure effective programming in this landscape, especially as it relates to engagement with and safeguarding of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP & LCs). A primary responsibility for the Officer will be the oversight and management of the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) of the landscape while ensuring proper training and mentoring of GRM focal points. 
 
The Officer will report to the Landscape Director and his Deputy and work closely with other core competences of the landscape. Technical supervision and guidance will be provided by the Regional Social Safeguards Coordinator based in Kigali, Rwanda.
 
The Officer will be based at WCS Cameroon Northern Landscape head office in Garoua, with frequent visits to its field sites (Bénoué and Bouba Ndjidda National Parks and the surrounding hunting zones, and the towns of Tcholliré and Rei Bouba) Candidates will need to clearly demonstrate they have the necessary experience, skills, and mindset with which to operate effectively in this complex environment. 

Generic and Specific Responsibilities:
 
For the GRM:
The Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) is a first-of-its-kind system for Protected Areas designed to understand, manage, monitor, and mitigate concerns and conflicts within the community related to activities conducted by the landscape. Working with the Regional team, the Officer will:

• Support the initial pilot phases of the GRM in the WCS Cameroon Northern Landscape and adapt specifically the GRM based on lessons learned from other WCS sites using the GRM system elsewhere throughout the region.
• Train WCS staff, partner staff, and communities  on GRM procedures, and delegate GRM responsibilities appropriately.
• Ensure timely feedback from the pilot phase to Landscape Directors, the Coordinator for Community Conservation, the Cameroon Program Manager, the Cameroon Country Deputy Director and Director, the Regional Social Safeguards Coordinator, and all GRM implementation partners.
• Ensure extensive coordination with partners internal and external regarding GRM implementation throughout the landscape.
• Provide operational oversight (including workplans and quality control) of the GRM field activities.
• Ensure regular and timely reporting and coordination on the GRM to the Regional Social Safeguards Coordinator, Landscape Director, the Community Conservation Lead, and other relevant staff and stakeholders.
• Hold quarterly Pause & Reflect sessions with GRM focal points for the landscape, and the Regional Social Safeguards Coordinator, to discuss and plan for adaptations or improvements of the GRM systems.
• Record, report and disseminate lessons learned from the roll out of the GRM in the landscape, and contribute to donor reports regarding GRM and other safeguards initiatives.
• Monitor at the best extent possible how the GRM implementation influences the perception of communities on the Landscape activities and also how the feedback from communities informs the development of the Landscape activities for the benefit of communities.
• Work with the Cameroon Deputy/Country Director to ensure regular feedback of the GRM implementation progress in those sites to inform the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) to influence positively the national GRM framework.
• Manage and monitor the GRM database, ensuring that all submissions are properly documented and tracked in a timely way.

 
 On Broader Social Safeguards matters:
 

• Support relevant aspects of implementation of all WCS Social Safeguards policies and procedures amongst field staff and partners – especially as it relates to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.
• Ensure WCS Social Safeguards policies align with the commitments of the Ministry of Forests and Fauna towards safeguarding IP & LC rights.

• When necessary for project implementation, support the field teams in implementing a thorough Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process, and ensure proper documentation of the FPIC process.
• Support the Regional Social Safeguards Coordinator and the Landscape Director in the development of an Early Warning System adapted to the Northern landscape.
• Work with the Landscape Director to develop conflict mitigation strategies.
• Work with the Regional Social Safeguards Coordinator to ensure field teams are abiding by WCS’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols and submitting IRB applications when appropriate.

• Support the Community Conservation Team in conducting socio-economic surveys and assessments and ensure ethical data collection processes.
• Conduct gender analyses or assessments for project activities, and with support from the region, lead on ensuring gender equality and social inclusion in WCS activities in the Landscape.
• Train WCS staff and partner staff, and community members, on gender equality and social inclusion
• With the Regional Safeguards Coordinator, design indicators to monitor the effectiveness of social safeguards mechanisms.
• Conduct regular training on social safeguards for WCS staff and partners and work with the Regional Social Safeguards Coordinator to develop modules for these trainings.
• Assist the Cameroon program to ensure that the best international standards are applied to our activities, in line with donor requirements regarding social safeguards.
• Attend meetings with local government authorities and NGO partners to represent the landscape on Social Safeguards matters upon authorization from management.
• Support in project proposal writings.
• Work any other assigned tasks by management.