Associate Director, Lions and Landscapes

About the role

The Associate Director, Lions and Landscapes will act as the operational “force multiplier” for the Director of the Lion Recovery Fund (LRF) and the Africa Keystone Fund (KF). Based in Africa, this senior leader will keep the LRF running at full capacity while establishing the operational infrastructure for the new Keystone Fund, supporting landscape‑scale conservation across the continent.

Key responsibilities

• Partner with the Director to execute LRF and KF strategies, grantmaking priorities, and new initiatives.
• Maintain close relationships with grantees, monitoring progress, challenges and opportunities.
• Conduct field‑based due diligence trips (approximately 20% travel) to inform grant decisions.
• Lead proposal solicitation, due‑diligence, pre‑review, grant preparation and performance assessment for committee review.
• Review grantee reports, assess outcomes against funded objectives, and prepare performance summaries.
• Provide programmatic metrics and performance data to the Funds Manager for database entry.

Required profile

• Self‑organiser with deep knowledge of wildlife conservation in African savannahs.
• Extensive grantmaking experience and ability to manage complex, multi‑stakeholder relationships.
• Demonstrated leadership skills to guide communities of practice.
• Citizenship or permanent residency in an African savannah range state.
• Willingness to be based in Africa and travel up to 20% of the time.

Required skills