Sustainable Land Management and Rangeland Specialist - Angola Demonstration Sites

Sustainable Land Management and Rangeland Specialist - Angola Demonstration Sites

Enhanced Water Security and Community Resilience in the Adjacent Cuvelai and Kunene Transboundary River Basins (CUVKUN) Project  

INTERNAL VACANCY– Internal Candidates Only

Financing Agency: Global Environment Facility (GEF)

GEF Implementing Agency: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 

UNDP Executing Agency: Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) 

Location: The Cuvelai and Kunene River Basins in southern Angola (Cunene and Huíla provinces)

Duty Station: Southern Angola (Cunene or Huíla province), with regular travel to the five CUVKUN demonstration sites and occasional travel to Namibia

Tenure:  12 months, subject to satisfactory performance and availability of project resources

1. Background

The Cuvelai Watercourse Commission (CUVECOM) was established on 16 September 2014 to promote the equitable and sustainable management of the shared transboundary waters of the Cuvelai Watercourse between the Republic of Angola and the Republic of Namibia. The CUVECOM Secretariat is currently based in Ongwediva, Namibia. Adjacent to the Cuvelai River Basin is the Kunene River Basin, which is also shared between Angola and Namibia. Transboundary cooperation for the Kunene Watercourse is undertaken through the Permanent Joint Technical Commission (PJTC), which facilitates cooperation between the two countries in the management and development of the shared water resources of the Kunene Basin. The Global Water Partnership (GWP) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1996 to support countries in the sustainable and equitable management of their water resources. The network operates globally through regional and country water partnerships and supports countries in advancing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), climate resilience, water security and transboundary water cooperation. The GWP Africa Coordination Unit is hosted by Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), based in Pretoria, South Africa. GWPSA coordinates and supports the implementation of regional and transboundary water programmes in Southern Africa and serves as the Executing Agency for the Enhanced Water Security and Community Resilience in the Adjacent Cuvelai and Kunene Transboundary River Basins Project.

2. Enhanced Water Security and Community Resilience in the Adjacent Cuvelai and Kunene Transboundary River Basins (“CUVKUN Project”)

The CUVKUN Project aims to improve water resources management and strengthen community resilience within the transboundary Cuvelai and Kunene River Basins shared by Angola and Namibia. The basins face increasing pressures associated with climate variability, droughts, floods, land degradation, ecosystem degradation, increasing water demand and limited availability of reliable hydrological and environmental information. Climate change is expected to further intensify these challenges, making improved monitoring, coordinated planning, early warning systems, sustainable land and water management and strengthened institutional cooperation increasingly important. The CUVKUN Project is financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) serving as the GEF Implementing Agency and Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) serving as the Executing Agency.
The Project supports a range of interventions aimed at strengthening joint management, planning, institutional capacity, technical information systems, community resilience and sustainable management of natural resources within the two transboundary river basins. The activities are implemented under six (6) project components:

• Component 1:Strengthening the transboundary and conjunctive water resources management in the Cuvelai River Basin 
• Component 2:Strengthening the transboundary water resources management with future development scenario analysis in the Kunene River Basin 
• Component 3:Strengthening the governance of the Cuvelai and Kunene River Basins to foster joint management by the two countries in the most cost-effective manner 
• Component 4:Strengthening institutional, technical and operational capacity in Angola to sustainably develop and manage the sub-region's water tower located in southern Angola 
• Component 5:Enhancing community participation in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) to build resilience in livelihoods 
• Component 6:Supporting outreach and knowledge management for replication, upscaling, and stakeholder engagement 

Land degradation is among the priority transboundary concerns in both basins. Poor farming practices and deforestation in the Angolan headwaters increase erosion, sediment loads and flood peaks, while bush encroachment and the loss of dry-season grazing areas are increasing pressure on the remaining rangelands. Component 5 responds through community-driven demonstration sites that link sustainable land management (SLM) to reduced sedimentation and improved livelihoods. The portfolio comprises 13 demonstration sites in Angola and Namibia, built around earth dams and water-harvesting ponds, well rehabilitation, garden and irrigation support and flood early warning stations. The Project results framework commits CUVKUN to measurable land outcomes around these sites under GEF-7 Core Indicators 4 (area of land restored) and 5 (area of landscapes under improved practices), together with targets on women’s participation and the number of farms with improved conditions. The hectares will come from how the land around and served by each site is managed. The Project therefore seeks to engage a Sustainable Land Management and Rangeland Specialist – Angola Demonstration Sites for the five demonstration sites in Angola; the eight sites in Namibia are covered by a separate assignment.

3. Sustainable Land Management and Rangeland Specialist – Angola Demonstration Sites

GWPSA seeks to recruit a Sustainable Land Management and Rangeland Specialist – Angola Demonstration Sites for the CUVKUN Project. The Specialist will be based in southern Angola and will work on a full-time basis, spending much of the time at the demonstration sites at Onanghema, Kapanda, Evale and Cuvelai (Cunene Province) and Kapelongo (Huíla Province). The Specialist will lead the SLM, rangeland management and land restoration work around these sites, working under the Regional Project Coordinator with technical oversight from the PMU Environment Expert, and with the PMU M&E, Gender and Safeguards specialists and the Project Technical Assistant – GIS, Sustainable Land Management and Demonstration Sites. The Specialist will work closely with the CUVECOM Ondjiva satellite office, the PJTC, GABHIC, the Institute of Agricultural Development (IDA), the provincial agriculture and environment cabinets of Cunene and Huíla, municipal administrations, traditional authorities and the participating communities. The CUVECOM/Joint Secretariat and the CUVKUN Project Management Unit will have overall responsibility for the work undertaken by the Specialist.

4. Duties and responsibilities:

The Specialist will lead the planning, implementation and verification of community-driven SLM, rangeland management and land restoration at the Angolan demonstration sites, so that the Project’s land, participation and livelihood targets are achieved and positioned for replication through the basin IWRM Plans. Key responsibilities will include:
• Delineate the landscape served by each of the five demonstration sites and establish baselines on land cover and condition, degradation drivers, land tenure and resource-use arrangements, and household and gender profiles, using criteria and methods proposed by the Specialist.
• Facilitate communities to prepare and adopt geo-referenced, gender-responsive SLM, rangeland and restoration plans with quantified hectare targets, available in time to serve as evidence for the Mid-Term Review.
• Establish or strengthen site committees with equal representation of women and inclusion of youth and the elderly, and work with traditional and local authorities so that grazing, restoration and land-use agreements are recognised locally.
• Design and deliver a capacity development programme for extension staff, community facilitators, lead farmers and herders, using a participatory approach such as Farmer Field Schools, with learning plots at or near each site.
• Guide communities to implement the site plans, bringing cropland, rangeland and woodland under improved practices and degraded areas under restoration, with explicit attention to collective grazing management and bush encroachment.
• Track and verify hectares against GEF-7 Core Indicator 4 and 5 definitions, maintain a sex- and age-disaggregated register of participating households and farms, and provide data for the PIR, the Mid-Term Review and the Terminal Evaluation.
• Quantify the inputs, materials and small works required by each site plan for the annual work plan and procurement plan, and coordinate with the teams responsible for the water infrastructure and early warning works at each site.
• Apply the UNDP Social and Environmental Standards, the project ESMF, site ESMPs, Gender Action Plan and Stakeholder Engagement Plan, including screening of new land-management areas, voluntary agreement on any restriction of access to grazing or land, protection of cultural heritage, and the Grievance Redress Mechanism and PSEA requirements.

• Coordinate with the specialist for the Namibian sites on a common hectare verification method and cross-border learning, and draw on the lessons of the FAO-led Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program and other SLM initiatives in the region.
• Document practices, costs, results and lessons, and prepare a costed roadmap and recommendations for scaling up SLM and rangeland restoration through the Cuvelai and Kunene IWRM Plans.
• Prepare monthly progress reports and quarterly reports against targets in English, with site plans and summaries in Portuguese for communities and provincial authorities.
• Undertake any other related technical duties assigned by the Regional Project Coordinator in support of effective implementation of the CUVKUN Project.

5.Required Skills and Experience:

Education 

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Range Science, Environmental Science or another closely related field.
• Additional professional training in Sustainable Land

Experience

• At least five years of relevant professional experience, including leading multi-site field programmes.
• Experience in communal rangeland management, grazing planning and bush encroachment control.
• Experience implementing community-based SLM or land restoration in dryland or semi-arid settings in southern Africa; experience in the Cuvelai or Kunene Basins would be an added advantage.
• Demonstrated delivery of hectare-based restoration or improved-practice results, including geo-referenced monitoring and verification, would be advantageous.
• Experience using participatory extension approaches (Farmer Field Schools or equivalent) with smallholder farmers and pastoral communities, including gender-responsive approaches.
• Experience with donor-funded projects and safeguards requirements (GEF, UNDP, FAO, World Bank or similar) would be advantageous.
• Working experience in southern Angola, particularly Cunene and Huíla provinces, would be an added advantage.
• Ability to undertake extended field assignments in remote and rural locations.

Technical Skills
• Sound knowledge of SLM practices, rangeland ecology and land restoration methods, including assisted natural regeneration, and of the Land Degradation Neutrality framework.
• Ability to design and facilitate participatory land-use and grazing planning with communities and traditional authorities.
• Competence in GPS field data collection and in QGIS or ArcGIS for mapping and verifying site areas.
• Ability to set up practical monitoring arrangements and manage household and site data.
• Good proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Good technical report-writing and presentation skills.

Language Requirements
• Fluency in written and spoken Portuguese is required.
• Working proficiency in English is required.
• Knowledge of local languages spoken in Cunene and Huíla provinces would be an added advantage.

Competencies
• Strong technical knowledge of Sustainable Land Management, rangeland management, land restoration and Integrated Water Resources Management principles.

• Ability to facilitate community-driven processes and build agreement among farmers, herders, traditional authorities and government institutions.
• Strong organisational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage work across several sites and seasons.
• Commitment to gender equality, social inclusion and safeguards, and sensitivity to land and grazing rights.
• High level of professionalism, integrity and adaptability, with willingness to spend extended periods in the field.

6. Submission Of Applications

This is an internal vacancy and is open to eligible internal candidates only.

Interested candidates should submit the following:

• Candidates should submit a cover letter, a detailed CV and a minimum of three references in English through the online application system and not via email.
• Bamboo link: https://gwpsanpc.bamboohr.com/careers/134
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted within 4 weeks after the application deadline.
  
• Questions can be directed to engeline.sebego@gwpsaf.org
• Deadline: 24 November 2026 17:00 GMT

7. Confidentiality and Data Protection 

Sustainable Land Management and Rangeland Specialist shall maintain confidentiality of all non-public information, data, and documents accessed or generated in the course of the assignment. Such information shall not be shared, or used for purposes outside the scope of this role without prior written authorization from the Responsible Party and/or the Regional Project Management Unit. This obligation shall remain in effect during and after the completion of the assignment.

8. Taxes

A withholding tax will be deducted from the Contractors invoices at the default rate of 15%, or 10% where a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) is applicable for the respective country. GWPSA will provide the corresponding tax certificates and shall not be liable for any additional taxes payable to the tax authority/authorities in the Consultant’s country of origin.