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Transboundary Freshwater & Fisheries Manager
The Nature ConservancyUnited Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 10 Aug 2026
About the role
What We Can Achieve Together:
The Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Landscape teams of Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are partnering to develop and implement strategies to conserve and manage freshwater ecosystems and fisheries as well as freshwater biodiversity. TNC and NNF do this by working with KAZA Partner States, International and National NGOs, as well as local communities. The Regional Lead: Transboundary Freshwater & Fisheries will be part of this team and will provide technical and programmatic support and leadership for freshwater ecosystem conservation, freshwater fisheries and biodiversity programs and projects across the KAZA Landscape, with a focus on the Cubango-Okavango, Cuando and Zambezi River systems. The position will report to TNC’s KAZA Landscape Director, coordinate closely with Angola and Zambia TNC Country Directors and work with other NGO partners, KAZA Partner States and key institutions to support freshwater ecosystems protection and management, community-based fisheries, aquatic biodiversity assessments, freshwater fisheries management, and monitoring and reporting.
We’re Looking for You:
Are you looking for a career to help people and nature? Guided by science, the collaborating partners create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that people and nature can thrive together. We’re looking for someone who is passionate, motivated problem-solver.
The Transboundary Freshwater & Fisheries Manager will support multiple field programs in their development of freshwater and freshwater fisheries programs, including the deployment of freshwater conservation plans. They will develop and implement monitoring and evaluation programs, creating and adapting tools to support project implementation and adaptive management. This position will also work with NNF and TNC teams in promoting the importance of fisheries and freshwater biodiversity protection and conservation in international fora and will develop and cultivate relationships with key partners and stakeholders.
The Transboundary Freshwater & Fisheries Manager will serve as a strategic integrator between NNF and TNC, facilitating collaboration, strengthening institutional alignment, and improving engagement with KAZA structures, ZAMCOM, OKACOM, SADC, Member States, and other relevant actors.
The role will ensure that community-based fisheries management remains central within broader freshwater and watershed-scale strategies, while supporting basin-scale science, policy harmonization, and sustainable finance approaches.
The Transboundary Freshwater & Fisheries Manager will be responsible for the following:
Strategic Coordination & Partnership Strengthening (25%)
Build strong collaboration and coordination with TNC Angola and Zambia country teams and with partners in the rest of KAZA Partner States on freshwater and fisheries
Work closely with TNC Africa Business Units (e.g. Science and Freshwater Protection and fisheries) and Global Freshwater Fisheries teams
Facilitate alignment between NNF and TNC freshwater and fisheries workstreams.
Maintain momentum of agreed coordination actions and track follow-ups.
Support structured engagement with WWF and other NGOs as appropriate.
Contribute to the development and implementation of partnership norms and principles.
Fisheries Governance & Community-Based Management (30%)
Strengthen and support community-based fisheries management.
Promote transboundary fisheries policy integration across KAZA Member States.
Support co-management systems linking communities to basin and regional policy platforms.
Ensure fisheries remain embedded as a core component of freshwater resilience strategies.
Basin-Scale Freshwater Integration (20%)
Support basin-scale approaches addressing connectivity, environmental flows, and habitat integrity.
Integrate community priorities within broader freshwater ecosystem protection frameworks.
Strengthen linkages between groundwater science, climate adaptation, and source water protection initiatives.
Science, Monitoring & Knowledge Systems (15%)
Promote standardized monitoring protocols across partner landscapes.
Support socio-ecological monitoring linking fisheries, biodiversity, and watershed health.
Improve data-sharing systems and support evidence-based decision-making processes.
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