Senior Director, Tourism Finance & Conservation

Conservation International; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,800,000 - 2,900,000; Full time

Job summary

Conservation International seeks a Senior Director, Tourism Finance to lead the Tourism TAF workstream under the Keystone Protected Area Finance Initiative. You will shape strategy, mobilize resources, and coordinate with partners to scale finance solutions for priority KPAs across Africa.

You will oversee technical guidance, stakeholder engagement, and cross-functional collaboration with CI teams and external partners. Travel within Africa is expected as part of this senior role.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in Tourism, Conservation, Business, Finance or related field.
• 10+ years’ working experience in the tourism sector.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex tourism, conservation or sustainable development initiatives across diverse geographies, including East and Southern Africa.
• Strong track record in Business development, strategic partnerships, resource mobilization and client management.
• Demonstrated understanding or experience of conservation finance, trends and innovations.
• Demonstrated technical experience of market assessments, tourism diagnostics, destination management.
• Strong stakeholder management and coordination skills.
• Experience managing complex multi-stakeholder projects.
• Team player and able to work effectively with diverse works groups in a multicultural environment.
• Proven ability to multitask and meet priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Fluency in English required, Portuguese and or French are a bonus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction, performance and delivery of the Tourism TAF Facility (workstream), establishing priorities, overseeing implementation and ensuring achievement of program objectives.
• Oversee the selection, management and performance of strategic consulting partners and technical service providers appointed to support implementation.
• Serve as CI’s lead technical authority on the Tourism Technical Assistance Facility (TAF), providing strategic guidance, ensuring high quality, relevant and efficient solutions that meet the program objectives.
• Provide thought leadership and regular progress updates to internal teams and senior leadership on Tourism TAF.
• Lead resource mobilization efforts, including developing donors, investors, and partnership opportunities to support the growth and long-term sustainability of the Tourism TAF.
• Develop and deliver strategic external facing materials, briefings and engagements.
• Maintain and engage relevant stakeholder base of KPAs, industry, investors and funders.
• Effectively engage stakeholders including tourism partners, protected area managers, government partners, co-management partners and other NGOs, technical colleagues, donors / funders, and other partners important to program success.
• Provide cross-functional leadership to ensure the Tourism TAF initiatives align with other programs initiatives and CI’s conservation and organizational priorities.
• In collaboration with the Structured Nature Finance lead, roll out of complimentary structured financial transactions on tourism.
• Ensure compliance with CI policies, funding agreements, and local requirements.
• Serve as a senior representative of CI building organizational visibility, influencing sector priorities and serve as a trusted point of contact for CI.
• People & Resource Management- Directly and indirectly supervise the Tourism TAF staff and consultants, Manage the TAF operating. Budget, Accountable for achieving TAF resource mobilization targets, Responsible for oversight of complex donor compliance obligations and funding risk management.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Skills

Tourism experience

Leadership

Business development

Strategic partnerships

Resource mobilization

Conservation finance

Market assessments

Tourism diagnostics

Destination management

Stakeholder management

Multi-stakeholder management

Communication skills

English fluency

Education

Undergraduate degree in Tourism, Conservation, Business, Finance or related field

Postgraduate degree in Tourism, Conservation, Business, Finance or related field

Job description

Conservation International seeks a Senior Director, Tourism Finance to lead the Tourism TAF workstream under the Keystone Protected Area Finance Initiative. You will shape strategy, mobilize resources, and coordinate with partners to scale finance solutions for priority KPAs across Africa.

You will oversee technical guidance, stakeholder engagement, and cross-functional collaboration with CI teams and external partners. Travel within Africa is expected as part of this senior role.