Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, South Africa

Vacancy #: 7511 Unit: ESARO - South Africa Conservation Areas and Species Organisation: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Location: South Africa Country Office, Pretoria, South Africa Reporting to: Team Leader, SADC Transfrontier Conservation Areas Facilities Work percentage: 100% Grade: P2 Expected start date: 01 May 2026 Type of contract: Fixed-term (up to 24 months) Closing date: 02 April 2026

BACKGROUND

THIS IS A LOCAL CONTRACT WHERE THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE CAN BE BASED IN ANY IUCN OFFICES
• Background

The IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) operates in twenty-four countries in the Horn of Africa, eastern Africa, southern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. IUCN ESARO engages directly in biodiversity conservation in the region through its innovative Biodiversity Conservation programme). The Biodiversity programme draws on evidence-based and best practice approaches to enhance the conservation and management of biodiversity and ecosystems in Eastern and Southern Africa. IUCN ESARO operates through a “One Programme” approach working closely with IUCN members and Commissions to engage in a diverse set of biodiversity conservation actions ranging from the implementation of field projects to influencing policy and institutional frameworks at local, national, regional and global levels. The Biodiversity programme is focused on enhancing management effectiveness, governance and equity of protected and conserved areas, strengthening multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder engagement to improve biodiversity conservation at landscape and seascape level, and supporting effective local community engagement in biodiversity conservation. The thematic programme also contributes to building the capacity of IUCN Members and partners, as well as the ESARO Secretariat to tackle new and emerging biodiversity conservation challenges in the region and to implement relevant international conventions, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The programme also links closely to relevant work and regional priorities of Regional Economic Communities, the African Union and the United Nations Environment Assembly.
• Summary

IUCN ESARO is the Project Executing Agency (PEA) for two Southern African Development Community (SADC) Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) financing facilities, with IUCN administering grants funded from the two Facilities. IUCN ESARO seeks to recruit a highly qualified M&E Officer to provide technical support to the two SADC TFCA Financing Facilities. A summary of the two SADC TFCA Financing Facilities is as follows:
• SADC TFCA Financing Facility;

The development and establishment of a regional and sustainable Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) financing mechanism is a major component of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) TFCA programme (2023-2033). The initial funding for the SADC TFCA Financing Facility has been provided by the German Government (BMZ through KfW), with additional commitments made by EU under the NaturAfrica programme. The intention is to leverage additional funds from various partners, to reach an operational funding volume of approximately EUR 100 million in the medium to long term.
The SADC TFCA Financing Facility (FF) is intended to foster closer collaboration between stakeholders supporting TFCAs and provide the basis for longer-term and more sustainable funding opportunities to develop all TFCAs. The SADC TFCA FF is fully aligned with the objectives of the SADC Programme for TFCAs (2023-2033) aiming at contributions to various objectives and goals in other relevant SADC strategies and protocols.

Through The TFCA Financing Facility, Investments In Tangible Measures Strengthening Ecological, Economic, Cultural And Institutional Connectivity Within SADC TFCAs Will Be Leveraged In a Flexible, Demand-and Performance Driven Way.

The Measures Shall Integrate Three

Dimensions

• improved habitat connectivity, especially for elephants and large carnivores as flagship species (“species” dimension),
• improved management effectiveness and governance of TFCAs and protected areas PAs (“habitat” dimension) and
• improved livelihoods for communities affected by human-wildlife co-habitation (“people” dimension)

The SADC TFCA FF aims to contribute towards: (i) faster implementation of projects, (ii) better dissemination and multiplication of innovative approaches, (iii) a pipeline of bankable projects, ready for funding and able to absorb additional funds, (iv) faster response and reaction to upcoming challenges, crises or opportunities, (v) better coordination and harmonisation of national, bilateral and multilateral programmes. Further, the financing mechanism shall contribute to the institutional d