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Stewardship Facilitator (Fixed-Term Contract)

A vacancy currently exists for a team-oriented and highly motivated Stewardship Facilitator: Arid Region to support the expansion of the system of National Parks through voluntary agreements with communities and landowners. The successful candidate will report to the Manager: Park Expansion and will be based at the SANParks Kamieskroon offices.

Requirements

  • NQF level 7 in Environmental Management or Equivalent qualification.
  • 3 years’ experience in implementing protected area expansion and biodiversity stewardship.
  • 3 years’ experience in stakeholder engagement with rural and agricultural farming communities.

Knowledge and Skills Required:

  • Understanding of SANParks policies and reporting framework.
  • Knowledge of good Corporate Governance practices.
  • Good knowledge of the protected area expansion legislative and policy frameworks.
  • Knowledge of the policy environment underpinning protected area management and land use planning and management.
  • Good knowledge on implementing biodiversity stewardship in South Africa.
  • Knowledge of landscape scale conservation initiatives.
  • Understanding of GIS or related spatial planning instruments.
  • Understanding of Data management systems and associated monitoring and evaluation.
  • Knowledge of land use and regional planning instruments and processes.
  • Understanding of the Biodiversity economy and socio-economic development.
  • Strong Stakeholder engagement and management.t
  • Computer literacy in MS Office.
  • Budget management.
  • Knowledge and experience of rural development frameworks and programme.
  • Extensive travelling.
  • Physical fitness.

Added Advantage:

• NQF level 8 – post graduate qualifications.

Responsibilities

  • Undertake due diligence and LIPC governance processes completed.
  • Verify land claims status, land tenure, title deed & SG diagrams of properties.
  • Complete the desktop assessment of each new individual property.
  • Conduct site visits to relevant properties to orientate & ground-truth.
  • Support the veld condition assessments and bioblitz for priority properties.
  • Conduct and coordinate biodiversity site assessments for properties.
  • Landowners or rights holders signed letters of commitment.
  • Develop property operational plans (zonation maps, aerial images & shapefiles of properties, biodiversity information, socio-economic information).
  • Maintain properties & stakeholder databases.
  • Contribute towards the implementation and review of relevant Park Management Plan.
  • Negotiate conclusion of co-management and written agreements for landowners and rights holders.
  • Set up and conduct landowner or community meetings.
  • Engage landowners – presenting to landowner workshops, forums and functions (all relevant platforms).
  • Support with secretarial duties for the Land Inclusion and Planning Committee meetings and present when needed.
  • Convene formalised stakeholder engagement workshops.
  • Support stewardship efforts from strategic partners in the buffer area and Park expansion footprint focal areas.
  • Support and attend provincial Stewardship Forums (mega living landscapes vision).
  • Maintain stewardship stakeholder databases.
  • Contribute towards funding opportunities for extension support for landowners.
  • Support the complementary partner projects aimed at providing sustainable benefits for landowners.
  • Convene SANParks panel review meetings.
  • Contribute towards the development of various agreements & declaration feedback between to private landowners (intention to declare, legal declaration agreements, panel review decision etc).
  • Participate in the National Cross Sectoral Extension Group.
  • Unlock extension opportunities for landowners, communities and emerging farmers through collaboration. with partners.
  • Liaise with the representative institutions (DALRRD, local municipalities, Deeds offices etc.).
  • Attend relevant local municipality programs and events.
  • Conduct awareness interventions.
  • Lead on the development of cross sectoral collaborations and platforms.
  • Attend and participate in relevant project management meetings.
  • Contribute towards the development & implementation of M&E of projects.
  • Support Park Expansion manager with project management.

Please Note

The remuneration package includes an all-inclusive cost to company salary, based on the scale of a position with a Paterson D1 job grade, allowances, and benefits as specified in the HR tariff Document and Conditions of Services of SANParks.

Paterson Grade

D2

How To Apply

Interested candidates who meet the above requirements should forward their applications accompanied by the required documentation listed below to the following:

Documents Required

E-mail to: [email protected]

If you have not been responded to within 14 days of the closing date, please accept that your application has been unsuccessful.

Closing Date

20 July 2026