The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a private, nonprofit U.S. organization founded in 1895. Its mission is to preserve wildlife and wild places through science-based solutions and conservation action that benefits nature and humanity. WCS believes that respecting and protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities is the best pathway to durable conservation.
The Regional Human Rights Specialist will lead and support the standardization of human rights integration and rights-based approaches across WCS conservation programs throughout Africa. The role reports to the Director of the Africa Protected Areas Management Unit (APAMU), with a dotted line to the Senior Human Rights Specialist in Rights & Communities Global. It is based in Kigali, Rwanda (or another WCS Africa hub location) and requires significant travel to remote field sites.
Key responsibilities:
- Human rights strategy and integration: help implement WCS's rights-based conservation approach across Africa programs. Support country programs and landscapes to integrate human rights into conservation planning, project design, budgets, monitoring and reporting. Provide technical guidance on international human rights standards.
- Human rights impact analysis and risk management: conduct human rights impact assessments for new sites. Identify human rights risks of conservation interventions and recommend mitigation measures. Contribute to systems for tracking risks, corrective actions and lessons learned.
- Human rights and conservation law enforcement: work with the APAMU Law Enforcement Strategist to integrate human rights principles into law enforcement operations. Support the development and review of rights-respecting policies, protocols and operational guidance.
- Rights-respecting SOPs: review Africa-level Standard Operating Procedures that embed human rights principles into field operations.
- Training and capacity building: design and deliver practical human rights trainings for field implementation, community conservation and law enforcement.
- Other tasks: review protocols on gender equity and the rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities and underrepresented groups. Contribute technical content to donor reports.
Qualifications:
- Advanced degree in Law or another relevant field with a human rights specialization. A first degree with relevant experience and certificates may be accepted instead.
- At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in human rights advocacy, research, policy, or monitoring and reporting.
- Proven experience working with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, civil society organizations and/or government stakeholders in Africa.
- Fluency in English and the ability to work professionally in French.
- Desirable: conservation experience, grassroots advocacy or human rights defender experience, and Portuguese or African languages.
Core skills: knowledge of international and regional African human rights frameworks, civil and common law enforcement systems, human rights-based approaches to conservation, human rights and risk assessment methodologies, gender integration, and policy development. Strong analytical, communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
Salary: $70,000.
Interested candidates who meet the above qualifications, skills, and experience should apply through the application tab by October 30, 2026. We review received applications on a rolling basis.
HOW TO APPLY:
Apply through the application tab on the WCS careers page by October 30, 2026. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.