Mangrove Restoration Lead

West Africa Blue

West Africa Blue (“Blue”) is on a mission to work hand-in-hand with communities to preserve, restore and sustainably manage coastal ecosystems in West Africa. Our first blue carbon project is under development in Sierra Leone and will be the largest in Africa, building on 12 years of trusted relationships with our community partners. In neighboring countries, we have agreements in place or work underway to develop similar, nature-based carbon projects.

Blue was co-founded in 2022 by Solon Capital Partners, a leading, West Africa-focused investor established in 2010 to provide capital and support to high-impact organizations throughout the region. Our team is diverse, innovative, entrepreneurial, and committed. We share a love for nature and a deep, longstanding connection to West Africa. We embody a balance of efficiency and speed of implementation with strong values and a mission-driven approach. Our goal is to set the highest standards for equitable benefits sharing, transparency and sustainability in our projects.

The Role

Blue is seeking a dynamic professional to take on the exciting and critical role of Guinea Mangrove Restoration Lead to lead in the development and implementation of a restoration and rehabilitation plan for severely damaged mangrove regions. The Mangrove Restoration Lead will be responsible for implementing the following core functions:

• Conduct rehabilitation assessments studies at multiple large-scale restoration sites
• Develop and implement a detailed rehabilitation plan for the restoration efforts, with a focus on community-based ecological mangrove restoration techniques
• Manage detailed budgets for restoration work
• Train and manage local teams conducting restoration work
• Implement work plan on time and on-budget
• Regularly update and engage with, as well as provide written updates and reports to the relevant West Africa Blue country teams

The Candidate  

The successful candidate will have the following qualifications and experience: 

• Experience in conducting wetland assessments and providing appropriate recommendations for the restoration of mangrove habitats and related ecosystem services, with a focus on Community-based Ecological Mangrove Restoration techniques and best practices
• Experience with designing and implementing hydrological alterations to mangrove sites associated with land agricultural use
• Expertise in wetland ecology and knowledge of the policy frameworks as well as the scientific and technical underpinnings of the Convention on Wetlands
• Experience in developing workplans and writing concise reports 
• Experience working in West Africa
• Proficiency in French and English (Soussou is a plus)

It will be beneficial for candidates to have the following: 

• Experience with community livelihood projects
• Experience interacting with communities to convey the importance of environmental and restoration initiatives
•  Experience with drones and drone analysis software

The following attributes will be critical for success in this role: 

• An open mindset and a strong sense of cultural awareness
• Comfortable spending significant amounts of time in the field and in underdeveloped areas
• Passion and sense of urgency around nature-based solutions and communities
• Hands-on problem solver
• Energetic, proactive, respectful, and patient engagement with colleagues

Applying

If you are an experienced mangrove restoration expert who is passionate about communities and the environment, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity.