Programme Officer - Conservation and Rural Livelihoods

Country: Madagascar Organization: SEED Madagascar Closing date: 31 Aug 2026 Position Overview This is a rare opportunity for an ambitious development professional to contribute directly to frontline conservation in one of Madagascar’s most biodiverse and threatened landscapes. SEED’s conservation programme works alongside communities living at the edge of the island’s last remaining littoral forests - ecosystems of extraordinary ecological value. Through reforestation, biodiversity research and community-led conservation action, we support locally driven solutions that protect forests while strengthening livelihoods. We are seeking a motivated Programme Development Officer with 1–3 years’ experience to play a central role in securing and sustaining this work. You will lead on developing high-quality funding proposals, managing donor relationships, producing compelling reports and supporting programme monitoring and evaluation. Working closely with both national implementation teams and international colleagues, you will ensure projects remain compliant, financially sound and strategically aligned. This role is ideal for someone with field experience and a genuine passion for forest conservation and/or rural livelihoods, who is ready to take ownership of donor engagement and contribute meaningfully to long-term conservation impact. Strong grant writing skills and exceptional written English are essential. Applicants without demonstrable experience in producing high-quality funding proposals and reports will not be considered. *Title:*Programme Officer Location: Fort Dauphin, Anosy Region, Madagascar *Timeframe:*2 years, potential to extend Contract Type: Local salary to support with accommodation and living costs (field-based food/transport provided); £1,200 contribution to flights and £650 towards insurance Core Duties • Support Junior Programme Officers and interns in compiling funding proposals based on past evaluation, team discussion and international best practice in an engaging and professional manner • Support Junior Programme Officers and interns in writing project reports that clearly demonstrate the successes and challenges of the projects, learning from the project and providing clear budgetary information • Provide first-stage editing of all proposals and reports across the Department to a high standard and providing detailed, constructive feedback to interns and Officers • Support in the management of donor compliance across several projects, working with the Programme Manager and the implementation team to ensure that project milestones are being met • Work alongside the Programme Manager and Head of Department in problem-solving and providing additional support in line with emerging issues from project implementation • Manage pieces of long-term project work that require a higher level of expertise and experience across the Department • Support in the recruitment of new staff and provide support, management, review and professional development to your team of Programme Interns, Junior Officers and specialists • Foster essential cross-cultural collaboration, providing support to both the national and international teams to bridge gaps in understanding and priorities for project development and implementation • Provide pastoral care, guidance and act as a role model, both professionally and personally, for a team of early career professionals living in country • Work alongside the Head of Department, Programme Manager and Head of Finance in developing and managing the budgets relating to projects • Develop and update resources to support project development processes, including proposal and budget templates and style guidelines • Assist MEL specialists in developing MEL tools and analysing data, including the writing of MEL reports when needed • Support the development of project development procedures, guidelines and trainings and provide project-specific information to inform policy development across the organisation • Work with the Junior Programme Officers and interns to ensure that statistics, research, funding trackers, photo database and handovers relating to the projects are accurate • Coordinate the project-specific website and social media content, ensuring a constant flow of information to donors and supporters • Work with the national team and external partners in increasing their skills and capacity, providing mentoring or training where appropriate • Take an active role in project management meetings, leading discussions and standing in for the Programme Manager where appropriate • Form part of the team representing projects or SEED when required • Liaise closely with the UK team in London ensuring clear communication at all times • Ensure all of SEED’s policies and procedures are evident throughout the work of the department, including those for safeguarding, whistleblowing and anticorruption, and undertake continual training to ensure these are promoted at all times • Complete any other tasks required by the Programme Manager, or Director of Operations and Heads of Departments commensurate with this role. Person specification • Degree-level qualification or equivalent experience in conservation, ideally with a focus on reforestation, forest ecology or rural livelihoods • At least two years’ experience with similar programmes • Minimum of one years’ professional experience of securing funding, project management, donor compliance and donor reporting • Experience of working in a similar environment would be an advantage • Familiarity with the use of project management tools including Logical Frameworks, Theory of Change models, Budgets, Activity Plans and Monitoring & Evaluation frameworks • Fluency in written and spoken English with excellent written communication skills, to the level of editing English documents for publication to a very high standard • Excellent proposal and report writing and editing skills, with previous experience compiling project proposals and reports and the ability to tailor written information to various audiences • Ability to communicate in French would be an advantage • Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to SEED’s ethos and approach and be a good ambassador for the organisation at all times • Have passion, curiosity and motivation for the job and the ability to enthuse others • Experience of living and working in a developing country with the ability and desire to work with teams from different economic and cultural backgrounds and across multiple language barriers • Demonstrate proven ability to recognise and appropriately deal with challenging situations and problem solve • Demonstrate an awareness of and comfort with increased social and professional responsibility, working at all times with cultural sensitivity and respect • Demonstrate the ability, social skills and confidence to give clear guidance and support to other members of the team in respect of the philosophy and procedures of SEED in order to protect both their safety and the reputation of the NGO • Be able to work to and advocate for all of SEED’s policies and procedures, safeguarding those that SEED works with and reporting any concerns appropriately • Be punctual and be able to work to tight deadlines in an organised manner and to a high standard • Be able to work both independently and as part of a team • Excellent listening and verbal communication skills and a flexible and patient attitude • Ability and desire to develop and support a team of staff and interns • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint How to apply Application procedure Interested applicants should send a CV and covering letter in English outlining why they wish to take up this position and how their skills and experience match the requirements in the job description criteria to SEED Madagascar Director of Programmes and Operations, Lisa Bass by email on lisa@seedmadagascar.org. Please note: AI generated cover letters and recruitment exercises will not be processed. We value concise and focused applications. To help us review all submissions efficiently, please limit your CV to a maximum of four pages. Unfortunately, longer CVs cannot be considered. Application Deadline: Monday 31st August at 23:59 GMT. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis throughout this period. Candidates will complete an exercise, long-listed applicants will have an initial informal interview with Madagascar based staff and short-listed applicants will then be offered an interview with the London team. SEED Madagascar actively encourages equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and aims to create a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation, and unlawful discrimination, where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued.