Senior Director, Tourism Finance

Conservation International; Johannesburg; Hybrid; ZAR 400 000 - 500 000; Full time

Job summary

An international environmental organization is seeking a Senior Director of Tourism Finance to lead efforts in ecotourism and conservation finance. Based in Johannesburg or Cape Town, this role requires 10+ years of experience in the ecotourism sector, strong financial skills, and the ability to work in diverse locations. The successful candidate will develop innovative financing solutions and assess ecotourism opportunities across protected areas, ensuring collaboration with stakeholders. Fluent English is essential.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of working experience in ecotourism or related fields.
• Demonstrated understanding of ecotourism challenges and stakeholder involvement.
• Ability to work effectively in diverse geographies and difficult conditions.

Responsibilities

• Conduct rapid assessments of priority KPAs to identify ecotourism opportunities.
• Lead the design and implementation of an ecotourism financing facility.
• Manage CI Africa's concessional lending program for protected areas.

Skills

Ecotourism experience

Financial acumen

Stakeholder management

Multicultural teamwork

Excellent communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in (Conservation) Finance

Postgraduate degree in (Conservation) Finance

Job description

Conservation International (CI) protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

Position Summary - This position is based in Cape Town, Johannesburg, or Nairobi

CI is launching an initiative to strengthen the financial stability of Africa’s Keystone Protected Areas (KPAs). These KPAs are critical for biodiversity conservation and serve as the core of larger ecological systems in landscapes. This will be achieved through technical assistance facilities/workstreams that will develop conservation finance capacity (at the global, national, and KPA level). CI will lead the strategy and management of the program, while working in partnership with co‑management partners and local stakeholders to develop, execute, and mobilize conservation finance transactions, resulting in financial flows to targeted KPAs during the project period. One of the key roles in achieving this effort is the Senior Director of Tourism Finance. This pillar will focus on supporting the development of ecotourism so as to capture/direct ecotourism cash flows in support of the sustainable management of KPAs and their surrounding ecosystems. Activities will be aimed at de‑risking nascent ecotourism destinations from a private tourism sector investment perspective, to unlock the tourism revenue‑generating capacity of such KPAs. The successful candidate’s primary role will be to map out the ecotourism opportunity in priority KPAs on the continent, and lead the design of an ecotourism finance facility that targets the financing of this opportunity, including a technical assistance focus. The work will build on CIs existing, very successful, concessional loan facility (CIV Ventures) for protected areas that will need to be scaled to maximize impact and include KPAs, but will also include developing innovative financing solutions for solving for specific ecotourism challenges in direct collaboration with our Structured Nature Finance lead. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of protected area finance at scale, working at the intersection of ecotourism, finance, and conservation.

Responsibilities

• Conduct rapid assessments of priority KPAs to identify and determine viable ecotourism opportunities.
• Perform gap analysis for KPAs with viable tourism potential (policy, infrastructure, biodiversity, access to capital) to identify specific funding needs and develop roadmap to implementation.
• Lead the design and implementation of an ecotourism financing facility.
• Collaborate and align with other program facilities to align with CI’s conservation and organizational priorities.
• Responsible for the development and scale‑up of CI Africa’s concessional lending program for protected areas (CI Ventures), including deal and pipeline management of new and existing tourism‑linked transactions.
• In collaboration with the Structured Nature Finance lead, structuring of structured financial transactions and management of internal approval processes, including risk assessments.
• Development of alternative, innovative funding strategies for the tourism finance facility.
• Ensure compliance with CI policies, funding agreements, and local requirements.
• Effectively engage stakeholders, including tourism partners, protected area managers, government and NGOs, technical colleagues, funders, and other partners important to program success.
• Represent the organization externally and serve as a trusted point of contact for CI.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Working Conditions

• Typical office environment
• Local and/or international travel of 30% or more time, often in difficult travel conditions.
• Ability to work in remote locations or under difficult working conditions.
• This position follows a hybrid work structure, working some days from the office and some remotely. Guidance will be shared during the interview process.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in (Conservation) Finance.
• 10 or more years of working experience in the ecotourism sector, (conservation) finance, or a related field.
• Experience working and/or traveling in diverse geographies, including East and Southern Africa.Business development and client management track record.
• Ability to work in remote locations or under difficult working conditions.
• Strong financial skills with in-depth knowledge of and experience with various financial product offerings, incl. debt, equity, and the design of innovative financing structures.
• Demonstrated understanding of the complexities around the challenges of ecotourism as a contributor to conservation, including potential unintended consequences in specific ecosystems, as well as the involvement of a multitude of stakeholders.
• Team player and able to work effectively with diverse work groups in a multicultural environment.
• Strong stakeholder management and coordination skills.
• Proven ability to multitask and meet priorities.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced environment with changing priorities and under minimal supervision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Fluency in English required.

Preferred

• Postgraduate degree in (Conservation) Finance

To apply for this position, please submit a resume and cover letter.

Application Deadline: December 22, 2025 (11:49 PM EST). The position may be filled before the deadline, as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

See all Conservation International Career Opportunities HERE

Conservation International is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals. We believe in hiring based on merit and qualifications, ensuring a fair and inclusive hiring process for everyone.