Community Development Project Management Officer

Peace Parks; Stellenbosch; On-site; ZAR 300 000 - 400 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading conservation organization is seeking a Community Development Project Management Officer in Stellenbosch. This role focuses on project lifecycle management and quality assurance for community development initiatives. Ideal candidates will have a relevant qualification and over 5 years of experience in project management or community development. The position involves collaboration with various stakeholders to ensure effective program implementation and reporting, including direct support to project teams. The organization offers a competitive salary package with additional benefits.

Benefits

Competitive salary package

Contributions to retirement fund

Medical aid

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in project or programme management within a donor-funded context.
• Demonstrated experience in project lifecycle management and donor compliance.
• Experience in community development or multi-stakeholder programmes is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Implement and support the project lifecycle management framework.
• Ensure alignment of projects with strategies and frameworks.
• Support project teams in preparation of concept notes and funding applications.

Skills

Project lifecycle management

Donor compliance

Monitoring and evaluation

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Capacity building

Education

Relevant tertiary qualification in project management or related field

Job description

Background

Reporting to: Chief Community Development Officer

Location: Stellenbosch

BACKGROUND

Peace Parks Foundation, founded by President Nelson Mandela, HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and Dr. Anton Rupert, is a leader in large-scale ecological restoration across southern Africa. Through co-management partnerships that unite governments, communities and donors, it restores vast transboundary landscapes that deliver measurable conservation and livelihood outcomes. Vision 2050 will secure 18 functional landscapes spanning 980,000 km², one of the world’s largest land-conservation initiatives.

Visit: www.peaceparks.org

Job Profile

The Community Development Project Management Officer (PMO) provides portfolio-level project management systems support, coordination, and quality assurance across Peace Parks Foundation’s Community Development Programme.

The role focuses on strengthening project lifecycle management, planning quality, reporting, compliance, monitoring, and internal coordination across community development projects implemented within and around Transfrontier Conservation Areas. The PMO supports Programme Managers and project teams to ensure projects are aligned with the Community Development Strategy, organisational frameworks, and donor requirements.

This role is non-operational and does not hold direct budget or line management authority unless formally delegated.

Job Purpose

To ensure that Community Development Programme projects are well designed, consistently implemented, effectively monitored, and accurately reported, enabling strong programme oversight, accountability, learning, and strategic decision-making by the Chief Community Development Officer (CCDO).

• Supports the full Community Development Programme project portfolio
• Focuses on systems, standards, coordination, and quality assurance, rather than field-level delivery
• Provides more intensive support to priority, complex, or high-risk projects, as identified by the CCDO
• Acts as a central coordination point between Community Development project teams and internal support functions
• Contributes to continuous improvement of community development project systems and practices

The Community Development Project Management Officer works closely with:

• Chief Community Development Officer
• Community Development Coordinators and Project Managers
• Finance, Fund Development, and Risk & Compliance teams
• Project Systems & Compliance Office
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team (MEL)
• Community governance and landscape-level stakeholders, where relevant

This role will require travel to projects in the field on a regular basis.

Duties and Responsibilities

Community Development Project Systems and Lifecycle Management

• Implement and support the organisation’s project lifecycle management framework across all Community Development Programme projects.
• Ensure alignment of projects with:
  • the Community Development Programme Strategy
  • Peace Parks Foundation’s organisational strategy
  • approved project management and account management frameworks
• Support project teams to develop, maintain, and update core project documentation, including:
  • theories of change
  • objectives, outputs, outcomes, and deliverables
  • logical frameworks and implementation plans
• Promote consistent application of project tools, templates, and minimum documentation standards across the programme.
• Support the CCDO and Programme Managers in tracking programme-level priorities, gaps, and unfunded needs.

Project Coordination, Governance, and Capacity Support

• Support Community Development Programme Managers and project teams in the preparation of concept notes, proposals, and funding applications in collaboration with the Fund development team.
• Support project inception processes, including:
  • inception meetings
  • handover of contractual, reporting, safeguard, and compliance requirements
• Assist with the start-up of new Community Development projects by supporting systems set-up, documentation, and internal coordination.
• Develop and maintain a working understanding of Community Development project funding agreements and contractual obligations.
• Support coordination between project teams, community governance structures, park management, and Peace Parks Foundation support departments, where relevant.
• Contribute to the refinement and improvement of project management tools, methodologies, and guidance used within the Community Development Programme.
• Provide orientation, coaching, or training to project teams on project management systems, reporting requirements, and organisational standards.

Monitoring, Reporting, Risk, and Compliance

• Support the preparation and consolidation of periodic technical progress reports, annual reports, and project close-out reports for Community Development projects, in collaboration with Finance and Fund Development.
• Provide additional oversight and coordination support to priority or complex Community Development projects to ensure:
  • timely and accurate reporting
  • compliance with donor, safeguard, and organisational requirements
  • appropriate maintenance of project documentation (e.g., stakeholder registers, grievance records, risk logs, etc.)
• Coordinate the regular collection, verification, and submission of monitoring and evaluation data from Community Development project teams.
• Review Monitoring and Evaluation data for accuracy, completeness, and consistency, and support corrective actions where required.
• Synthesise project performance, learning, and impact data to support:
  • donor reporting
  • programme-level reporting
  • strategic decision-making by the CCDO
• Support the project system and compliance office (PSCO), MEL team, and safeguards functions in identifying, documenting, and escalating project risks, compliance issues, or performance concerns.
• Assist programme managers in proactively flagging emerging risks, delays, or resourcing constraints within the Community Development portfolio.

Authority and Accountability

• The PMO operates in a technical coordination and quality assurance role.
• The role does not hold direct authority over project budgets, procurement, or staff, unless formally delegated.
• Decision-making authority remains with Programme Managers and the Chief Community Development Officer.
• The PMO is accountable for:
  • consistency and quality of project documentation
  • coordination of reporting and monitoring processes
  • timely escalation of risks and compliance concerns

Key Performance Indicators

• Improved quality, consistency, and timeliness of Community Development project reports
• Consistent use of approved project management tools and templates across the programme
• Reduced reporting revisions and audit findings related to Community Development projects
• Improved reliability and completeness of monitoring and evaluation data
• Strengthened coordination between Community Development project teams and internal support functions

Qualifications and How to Apply

• Relevant tertiary qualification in project management, development studies, social sciences, environmental management, or a related field
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in project or programme management within a donor-funded development or conservation context
• Demonstrated experience in:
  • project lifecycle management
  • donor compliance and reporting
  • monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems
• Strong organisational, coordination, and communication skills
• Experience working in community development, livelihoods, governance, or multi-stakeholder programmes is a strong advantage

Interested candidates are invited to submit a Curriculum Vitae, with full address, telephone number and email address. These should be submitted by 16 February 2026

The company offers a competitive cost-to-company salary package, which includes contributions to a retirement fund and medical aid, ensuring holistic support for your financial and personal well-being.

Please apply online.

We appreciate the time and effort taken by all applicants in expressing their interest in this role. Due to the high volume of applications received, we are only able to contact candidates who are selected for further consideration. If you do not hear from us within 3 weeks, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion. We encourage you to apply for future opportunities that match your skills and experience.