Careers

About West Africa Blue

West Africa contains 14% of the world’s remaining mangroves. Along with immense carbon sequestration potential, these coastal ecosystems support a diverse amount of terrestrial and marine fauna, including IUCN Red List Threatened Species such as Hawksbill Turtles, Green Turtles, Slender-Snouted Crocodiles, the West African Manatee and the Timneh parrot. Yet these important coastal ecosystems are under increasing threat due to both climate change and human activities.

As a result, West Africa Blue (“Blue”) is on a mission to work hand-in-hand with communities and governments to preserve, restore and sustainably manage coastal ecosystems in West Africa through the development of high integrity coastal blue carbon projects. Our team is diverse, innovative, entrepreneurial, and committed. We share a love of nature and a deep, longstanding connection to West Africa. We embody a balance of efficiency and speed of implementation with strong values and a mission-driven approach. Our goal is to set the highest standards for community engagement, transparency, and sustainability in our projects.

Blue was co-founded in 2022 by Solon Capital Partners, a leading West Africa-focused investor established in 2010 to provide capital and support to high-impact organizations throughout the region.

The Role

We are looking for a dynamic and proactive Country Manager to support Blue’s team in developing blue carbon projects in The Republic of Guinea. You will be joining a team that is passionate, collaborative, and fun. We share a sense of adventure and are united by the challenge of helping overcome one of the world’s biggest challenges.

Responsibilities:

Leading the execution of day-to-day operations in Guinea in close collaboration with Blue’s leadership team, the ideal candidate would be a self-starter who can take a hands-on approach to successfully deliver multiple workstreams within the project areas. It will mean working closely with communities, local partners, government, and scientific partners to solve problems and advance project initiatives. It will also mean being ready to respond with enthusiasm to a fast-paced and wide-ranging set of requests and challenges.

Examples of responsibilities include:

• Overseeing and managing the day-to-day operations and administrative tasks

• of the projects.

• Developing budgets and monitoring and managing project expenditures, ensuring that all project expenses are tracked and within the plan.

• Leading, motivating, and managing a diverse, high-performing team.

• Building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, including government officials, local partners, donor partners, consultants, and community members.

• Developing and managing contracts with vendors.

• Identifying project risks and developing contingency plans to mitigate them.

• Ensuring compliance with all laws and regulations.

• Utilizing industry best practices, techniques, and standards throughout all facets of project execution.

• Supporting a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the company.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Experience in successfully delivering complex projects in a multi-stakeholder environment.

• Strong project management expertise including plan development, budgeting, financial management.

• Experience managing a diverse team.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including preparing detailed project reports and presenting to diverse audiences.

• In-field experience working with rural communities.

• Strong interpersonal skills and problem-solving abilities.

• In-depth knowledge of West African culture, customs, and business practices.

• Direct experience in Guinea would be a plus.

• Fluent in both French and English. Fluency in Sousou would be a plus.

• Experience with environment/forestry & carbon markets would also be a plus.

Personal Attributes:

• Interest in nature-based solutions, conservation, the environment, and international development.

• Self-starter with a thirst for learning and excited by a rapidly changing environment.

• Energetic and proactive engagement with colleagues, even when working remotely.

• Willingness to support team members as needed outside of assigned tasks.

• Empathetic in interactions with people of different backgrounds.

The Country Manager will be based in Conakry, Guinea. We offer competitive compensation packages akin to those at start-ups and fast-growing businesses.

Application Procedure:

If you are an experienced Country Manager who is passionate about communities and the environment, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity.

Please submit a CV and cover letter, outlining your interest in the role to careers@westafricablue.org indicating “Country Manager - Guinea” in the subject line.