COMMUNITY OUTREACH EXTENSIONIST

Fluent Chichewa speaker and English for reporting.

Full-time, working a minimum of 8 hours per day (5 days/week). Hours will however vary depending on project needs and flexibility is essential.
JOB DESCRIPTION

Through close supervision of the Project Manager, the Community Outreach Extensionist will work with communities in order to:

Strengthen the governance of Forest Block Committees (FBCs) and Village Natural Resource Management Committees (VNRMCs) by:

Facilitating community mobilisation, organising public awareness campaigns and establishing strong institution links between FBCs and Village Development Committees (VDCs) to align forest management plans with broader community development goals and ensure integrated local governance

Coordinating and implementing forest restoration and fire management activities within co-management blocks through FBCs to enhance and restore ecosystem integrity as well as cedar maintenance at the plateau of Mt Mulanje through trained capitaos

Facilitating effective, inclusive and transparent community representation, and decision-making through these community institutions as a means for consistent community engagement;

Providing training to FBCs/VNRMCs representatives on relevant aspects of forest management, administration and governance;

Facilitating effective, transparent and equitable revenue-sharing mechanisms to distribute benefits/opportunities to ensure the maximum impact and incentives to communities from conservation and forest related business within the co-management area;

Working closely with the traditional leaders, FBCs, VDCs and any other community-based organisations in encouraging local people to support in sustainable conservation of the biodiversity of the area;

Lead FBCs and VNRMCs in participatory forest mapping, boundary demarcation, Forest Management Plans development, implementation, and monitoring.

Coordinate collaborative forest patrols across the Mulanje and Michesi forest reserves, working alongside the district forest office, forest block committees and local stakeholders to mitigate illegal logging, charcoal production and encroachment.

Enforce safeguarding protocol at all levels, paying much attention to protection of women, girls and childern.

Support valorisation of miombo NTFP and NTFP-conservation enterprises by:

Guiding FBCs in mapping where key NTFPs grow and evaluate how much can be harvested sustainably each year without depleting them

Identifying local or eco-friendly buyers who are willing to pay fair prices for sustainably sourced miombo products to promote financial autonomy of the FBCs

Embedding new co-operatives, that focus on miombo valorisation, within the existing community governance structures and ensuring community expectations are managed.

Assist in data collection for overall project monitoring, community mapping, vegetation surveys and regeneration performance

Utilize mobile data collection tools in monitoring and mapping activities (GIS Cloud/ODK/KoBoCollect/other) and GPS.

Monitor regeneration and NTFPs performance within co-management blocks through fixed-point periodic photography and field inspection for regular reporting

Support in GIS based sub-block mapping, Participatory Forest Resources Assessment(PFRA) and the set-up of Permanent Monitoring plots (PMPs) to quantitatively measure forest area, health, species richness and biodiversity evenness.

Provide regular M&E updates for all forestry and livelihoods initiatives ensuring compliance with project’s M& E framework and protocol

1. support establishment of partnerships

Map the relevant stakeholders directly involved in forest or Environmental restoration programs around Mt Mulanje and Michesi forest reserves to share data, prevent duplication of efforts, and jointly carry out awareness campaigns.

Facilitate networking and joint coordination meetings between different government law enforcement bodies, FBCs, and Traditional leaders to foster shared learning and establish formal-dispute resolution channels when conflicts arise over resource use or boundary enforcement.

Maintain a continuous, collaborative relationship with the District Forest Office, Village Development Committees, Area Development Committees, District Council, and existing NGOs to align forest restoration with broader district development plans.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Holder of Diploma or Bachelor’s degree in forestry, forest ecology and conservation, social forestry, Natural Resources Management, Environmental Science/Management, or equivalent.

Fluent in English and Chichewa (both speaking and writing)

Minimum of 3 year’s relevant field, hands-on experience in forest restoration, rural development, management and natural resource conservation in Malawi, preferably Mulanje/Phalombe.

Experience working with mobile data collection tools will be a significant advantage.

Demonstrated experience in developing forest management plans and coordinating community led forest patrols and law enforcement operations will be a valuable skillset.

Experience working with traditional authorities, governance, participatory/community-based forest management and basic miombo tree knowledge will be a significant advantage.

Sensitive to issues of gender, equality and inclusion and experience in mainstreaming these principles in community-based programmes.

Community coacher:

Communication skills: framing concepts and mindsets so the group can better understand, asking questions and listening, engaging in dialogue and discussion for constructive conflict resolution, providing honest feedback, establishing reflective practices

Networking and relationship building skills: understanding the process for creating true collaboration and trust

Planning and management skills: identifying tasks, developing timelines

Engagement and outreach skills: understanding how to create an inclusive planning process, nurturing meaningful conversation and collaboration, managing group conversations, designing meetings

Understanding human and group dynamics and group process: supporting team building, understanding group interactions, employing cultural competency

Excellent team player: cooperate, support and work well with others to achieve project goals. Share information and contribute effectively to WeForest’s objectives and solving problems

Excellent reporting skills: ability to summarize meeting minutes concisely and truthfully, to provide monitoring data clearly and transparently.

Flexibility: adaptable, resourceful, and receptive to new ideas; willing and able to adjust to changing circumstances. Flexible in terms of traveling and living conditions.

Integrity: honest, reliable, and maintain high ethical standards. Show respect and fairness when dealing with others

Problem analysis: recognise relevant and importance information. Identify problems and /or potential problems, and trace the cause of problems.

PACKAGE DETAILS

A competitive salary based on qualifications and experience will be offered,with employement contractual terms structured through our local entity, WeForest Limited, Malawi

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

WeForest is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

Women, who meet the above qualifications, are strongly encouraged to apply.

METHOD OF APPLICATION

Please apply by email recruitment.malawi@weforest.org before 11thSeptember , 2026.

Your application should include:

a Curriulum Vitae (CV) that includes names of three traceable referees

a one-page cover letter, which should tell us in not more than 500 words what attracts you to this post and why you deem yourself a suitable candidate

copies of academic certificates, professional certificates where applicale, driver’s license and a National ID

Due to the anticipated high number of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We thank you in advance for your interest.