Conservation Technology Officer

Context of the Upemba National Park

Upemba National Park, protected by law since 1939, is one of the oldest parks in Africa. The park is linked to Kundelungu National Park and a number of game reserves, together forming a huge mosaic of protected areas. Upemba has a high diversity of habitats, including a complete transitional gradient from highland steppe through Miombo forest to woodland and grass savannah. There are many rivers, waterfalls, wetlands and gallery forests. The Lufira River and Lake Upemba, both located within the park boundaries, form a key watershed for the region as well as the source of the mighty Congo River. The Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN) has signed a public-private partnership with the Forgotten Parks Foundation (FPF) delegating management responsibility to the Foundation for the next 15 years. Under this agreement, Forgotten Parks is responsible for the management, monitoring and protection of the park, as well as the development of sustainable financing mechanisms to meet ongoing management costs.

Description:

Under the direct supervision of the Field Operation Manager, the Conservation Technology officer will be responsible for all Communication Systems, Networks and IT support for the Upemba Landscape. This role will include tasks such as maintaining the VHF radio system and the associated backbone network, internet provision in multiple locations, solar installations relating to connectivity / IT and IP camera systems in the Upemba Landscape. Moreover, the Conservation Technology Officer will work closely with other colleagues that are working on technology. This includes (but is not limited to) EarthRanger, Camera traps and data collecting applications.

Key Responsibilities

Hardware related responsibilities:

• Ensure that the backbone and all connected equipment is fully operational. This includes power equipment, backbone network management, radio repeaters.
• Radio network management, including repeaters, radio fleet, codeplug management, Motorola programming and system management software.
• Internet connection management to ensure the best possible user experience where work applications are prioritized. This includes site routers, point to point WiFi network connections, WiFi access points and wired network points.
• Technology hardware management, including spare equipment (all technology related hardware).
• Management of specialized LE equipment, incl. sat comms, NVG, etc.
• Ensure fully operational control room hardware and systems.
• Provide IT support to end users.
• Management and setup of Android field data collection devices.

Software related responsibilities:

• ArcGIS management and integration (Including data collections applications such as Survey 123, Quick capture etc..)
• Anti-virus and Windows update management
• Unifi, UISP and Mikrotik management systems.
• Manage all radios in radio dispatcher application (TRBOnet)

Important to note: The Prospective Candidate Must:

• Have a hands-on problem-solving mentality
• Strong personal integrity and dependability
• Be someone who is physically fit. Be someone who is not afraid of heights, as the job entails someone who is capable to climb radio towers to repair and replace components.
• Be someone who is not afraid of wildlife and be willing to live and camp remotely in the wild with no access to running water or bathroom facilities.
• Be a team player
• Experience in the conservation sector is an advantage

Qualifications and Experience:

1. Degree in computer science, GIS or Conservation
2. Minimum of 3 years’ experience in network management, maintenance and technological support to conservation or another applicable sector.
3. Experience on managing networks and PTP links
4. Knowledge of digital radio systems (preferably Motorola)
5. Experience in GIS/Esri
6. Proven ability to train and build capacity in multi-cultural context
7. Computer Literacy.
8. Fluency in French and English (read and written)
9. Proven ability at working both individually and in a team
10. Willingness to live and work in a remote area with basic living conditions
11. Driver’s license will be an advantage