Community Development Officer – Dja Landscape

Division:                            Conservation Strategy, Impact and Learning                            

Reports to:                       Senior Landscape Manager      

Matrix Management :  N/A      

Supervises:                      Community Development Assistants (Djoum and Lomie)        

Location:                           Somalomo, Cameroon             

Job Summary

The Community Development Officer (CDO) is responsible for promoting equitable and sustainable community-based natural resource management, supporting adaptive biodiversity conservation in the Dja landscape, and improving livelihoods of communities surrounding the Dja Faunal Reserve.

Based in Somalomo and reporting to the Senior Landscape Manager, the CDO provides technical leadership and direct supervision to Community Development Assistants in Djoum and Lomié, ensuring coherent, high-quality implementation of community-focused interventions across the landscape. The role serves as a key interface between communities, conservation authorities, AWF technical teams, and partners.

Responsibilities

Community Engagement and Livelihoods

• Support communities to access information, resources, stakeholders, and opportunities that empower them to improve livelihoods (including but not limited to Non-Timber Forest Products) and sustainably manage natural resources.
• Facilitate inclusive participation of Indigenous and local communities in conservation decision-making, (including human–wildlife conflict (HWC) mitigation and land-use planning) by supporting Indigenous and local representatives to engage effectively in stakeholder forums and ensuring feedback from these platforms is communicated back to communities in accessible formats.
• Promote equitable benefit-sharing from conservation and livelihood initiatives, with particular attention to vulnerable groups (women, youth, Indigenous Peoples).

Supervision and Field Coordination

• Provide direct supervision, coaching, and performance oversight to Community Development Assistants in Djoum and Lomié.
• Plan, coordinate, and harmonize community development activities across sites to ensure alignment with landscape strategies and donor commitments.
• Conduct regular field visits to Djoum and Lomié to support implementation quality, troubleshoot challenges, and mentor field staff.
• Review and validate field reports, workplans, and activity documentation produced by Community Development Assistants.

Institutional Coordination, Governance and Rights-Based Conservation.

• Strengthen inclusive governance and institutional coordination by working closely with the Conservation Service (especially the Participatory Management and Eco-Development Unit) to promote transparency and compliance with national laws and international safeguards.
• Support the operationalization of the grievance and conflict management systems, including community-based committees and Grievance and Conflict Management Mechanisms (GCMM), to ensure complaints are received, documented, and resolved fairly, timely, and in culturally appropriate ways.
• Build community capacity on rights-based conservation, including awareness of rights, responsibilities, grievance redress procedures, protection against retaliation, and the application of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) principles.
• Strengthen trust-based relationships with Indigenous and local communities, traditional authorities, women, youth, and other community structures, ensuring respectful engagement and upholding AWF’s ethical standards and reputation.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• In collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation team, support the collection, collation, and analysis of gender, socio-economic, and wellbeing data.
• Ensure timely updating of monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) matrices for landscape projects.
• Facilitate documentation of lessons learned, best practices, and community success stories for internal learning and external communication.

Program and Donor Compliance

• Ensure community-based activities comply with donor requirements, approved workplans, and expected outcomes.
• Support preparation of narrative inputs for donor reports and audits related to community interventions.

Other Duties

• Undertake any other related duties as assigned by the Senior Landscape Manager.

 Requirements and skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, Environmental Science, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Forestry, Natural Resource Management, Conservation, Eco-tourism, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience working with communities on natural resource management and social development.
• Proven experience working in forest landscapes in Cameroon, particularly with Indigenous and local communities, is a strong advantage.
• Demonstrated experience in conservation enterprises and value chains, particularly NTFP valorisation.

• Strong understanding of community-based natural resource management and rural development in Cameroon.
• Experience in participatory research and co-design of conservation or development initiatives.
• Knowledge of or familiarity with human rights-based approaches to conservation is an advantage.
• Cultural sensitivity and demonstrated commitment to gender equality and social inclusion.
• Ability to build trust and work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including vulnerable groups.
• Strong supervisory, coordination, and mentoring skills.

•  Fluency in French and English, with excellent report-writing skills.
• Strong planning, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Self-driven, proactive, and able to work with minimal supervision.
• Willingness to travel frequently and work in remote field conditions.
• Strong adherence to AWF’s values and ethical standards.
• Ability to meet deadlines and deliver quality results under limited supervision.

Deadline: July 30, 2026

Please submit your application directly through the careers page on our website, or to jobs@awf.org with the subject line: Community Development Officer Dja Landscape– [Your Name]