The Officer in-charge will personally carry out the core nursery and field work that keeps GRENCHI's trees alive. This includes but not limited to potting, germinating seed, hardening off seedlings, marking, planting and diagnosing and replacing diebacks.
You will equally coordinate, field assistants, labour and logistics on-site.
This is the right role for someone who is comfortable with soil under their nails on a weekly basis and takes personal ownership of survival outcomes and not just planting numbers.
Key Duties and Responsibility:
Lead all on-ground restoration activities in all GRENCHI's project sites
Personally lead the preparation of germination beds, sow seed, pot seedlings and nurse the seedlings at GRENCHI's community nurseries. You will work hand-in-hand with field assistants, community members and volunteers.
Lead the day-to-day nursery upkeep like watering, weeding, shade management, pest and disease checks through to hardening-off before transplanting.
Identify and prepare restoration and agroforestry sites in coordination with communities, farmers and or other partners.
Physically walk planting sites to check survival, personally identify the cause of each dieback. It could include pest damage, drought stress, poor planting technique or livestock damage and carry out replanting to close the gap.
Coordinate transport of seedlings, tools and materials to project sites and work directly alongside day labourers and community volunteers engaged in planting activities.
Work with community leaders, schools and farmers to mobilise participation in tree planting, agroforestry training and all related restoration activities.
Provide technical guidance to smallholder farmers participating in GRENCHI programmes. Demonstrate technique in the field rather than only advising.
Maintain accurate field records (planting numbers, survival rates, dieback causes, site conditions) and contribute to project monitoring reports.
Follow GRENCHI's safety practices and any relevant environmental or land-use permissions during field activities.
Any other responsibilities assigned to the candidate by the Executive Director as required
Qualification required:
BSc/HND in Forestry, Wildlife, Ecology, Agriculture, Environmental Science, or a related field.
Additional certification or personal development in this field, is an added advantage
Experience and Ideal Requirement:
A minimum of 1 - 3 years hands-on, personal experience in restoration or any field-based activity.
Practical, working knowledge of seed germination, potting, hardening-off and planting technique for tree.
Ability to diagnose common causes of seedling loss and take corrective action in the field.
Genuine willingness to do physically demanding outdoor work on a weekly basis.
Basic proficiency with GPS tools and mobile data collection apps (e.g. KoboCollect) is an advantage.
Good interpersonal skills and experience working directly with rural communities and smallholder farmers.
Ability to coordinate labourers, other field workers and logistics on-site with minimal supervision.
Excellent organisational, problem-solving and multitasking skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including field report writing.