International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is hiring an Intern to support the Coastal and Ocean Resilience (COR) Programme in Mombasa.
Unit: ESARO – Coastal and Ocean Programme
Expected start date: 01 August 2026
Type of contract: Fixed-term (up to 3 months)
The IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) operates in twenty-four countries. The ESARO region is extremely rich in biodiversity with high number of endemic species and the largest remaining populations of iconic wildlife left on the continent. IUCN ESARO’s Programme focuses on biodiversity conservation through a diverse portfolio of projects and programmatic initiatives ranging from activities at the level of individual protected areas to shaping regional policy on biodiversity conservation. ESARO defines and delivers on its programmatic priorities in collaboration with IUCN members, commissions and other strategic partners.
The Coastal and Ocean Resilience (COR) Programme in Kenya focusses on strengthening area-based management measures working closely with Marine Parks and Reserves and Joint Co-management, conservation and management of critical ecosystems advancing mangrove, coral reef and seagrass actions, and accelerating regenerative blue economy for people’s livelihoods.
To scale up these efforts, IUCN is implementing the Great Blue Wall (GBW) initiative, a Western Indian Ocean-born, Africa-led movement to achieve a nature-positive world by 2030. The GBW aims to establish a connected network of regenerative seascapes, forming a “living blue wall” of conserved and restored ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs. These ecosystems will serve as natural buffers against climate change, enhance biodiversity, and support sustainable livelihoods.
The GBW initiative is structured around four strategic pillars:
- Strengthening governance frameworks and area-based conservation measures, including Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs).
- Restoring and conserving critical blue ecosystems through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to enhance climate resilience and ecological integrity.
- Ensuring that coastal communities benefit directly from conservation and regenerative blue economy initiatives, fostering stewardship and inclusive development.
- Building innovative coalitions and partnerships to mobilize resources, share knowledge, and scale impact.
IUCN Kenya Country Office has been on the forefront of advancing mangrove actions through strengthening institutional and policy frameworks, supporting establishment of coordination mechanisms, advancing best practices for restoration and supporting upscaling of nature-based enterprises. Coordination of the Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA)-Kenya chapter is a notable initiative that has helped bring together members towards advancing joint programme of work encouraging sharing of knowledge and expertise and avoiding duplication of efforts.
The Programme Intern will primarily provide technical, logistical, and administrative support to the COR Kenya projects including supporting coordination of the GMA-Kenya chapter activities and delivery of Mangrove Champions Initiative. The position entails overall support to the COR-Kenya programme delivery, day-to-day support agenda setting of GMA-Kenya chapter activities, member coordination, monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
Technical support;
- Agenda setting, preparation of background documentation, and contribute to preparation of technical reports and knowledge products for all programme activities.
- Support data collection and analysis for the programme.
Stakeholder engagement;
- Support in keeping an updated GMA-Kenya chapter member database and engagement plan.
- Support the organization of community meetings, workshops, and consultations.
Strategic communication and visibility;
- Assist in drafting communication materials (e.g., newsletters, social media content, success stories).
- Support collation and dissemination of impact stories including from members and partners.
- Prepare communication for the GMA-Kenya chapter and the programme.
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning
- Prepare MEAL plan for the Mangrove Champions Initiative.
- Develop accountability plan for GMA-Kenya chapter.
- Support preparation of GMA-Kenya chapter annual report.
- Track the implementation of Mangrove Restoration Tracker Tool and the Global Mangrove Watch platforms in Kenya and develop outreach plan.
Administrative and Logistical Support;
- Support travel arrangements, procurement requests, and event logistics.
- Maintain organized records of project documentation and correspondence.
Perform other duties as may be assigned from time to time
POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
Education;
Bachelor’s degree marine biology, environmental science, natural resource management, or related field
Work Experience;
- Experience in assisting with project delivery and planning fieldwork in the coastal and marine space.
- Understanding of the Kenya coastal and mangrove stakeholder landscape.
- Demonstrated experience working with GMA-Kenya chapter and National and County Mangrove Management Committee an added advantage.
- Demonstrated experience with organising meetings, workshops and training.
- Good organizational and communication skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Computer literacy (MS Office, internet research, data entry and GIS).
Language Proficiency;
Fluency in English and Swahili, both written and verbal.
Core Competencies;
- Transparency: Able to build trust and contribute to informed and responsible decision making by carrying out the work of IUCN in a transparent manner; provides clear guidance to ensure that objectives and desired measurable results are understood by members of the team.
- Inclusiveness: Understands and accepts cultural diversity, and provide a tolerant, positive and supportive working environment that fosters respect for diversity, demonstrates ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
- Professionalism: Promote the organization’s interests, objectives and values in a diligent and professional manner.
- Accountability: Takes responsibility of individual and collective actions, promotes the IUCN One Programme approach.
Functional competencies;
- Adheres to IUCN ESARO core values of Transparency, Inclusiveness, Professionalism and Accountability;
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, modern office methods, practices, and procedures with a proven ability to edit and proofread
- High proficiency in working with relational databases, Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, as well as Adobe PDF
- Ability to establish and maintain effective and appropriate working relationships with staff, members, the general public, and outside organizations
- Proven ability to follow deadlines, accuracy and attention to detail
- Demonstrated ability to work with limited supervision to prioritize tasking and manage workflow in a high pressure environment;
- Excellent time management and ability to adhere to deadlines
- Excellent interpersonal skills and a strong team player with proven communication and diplomacy with the ability to work effectively with multicultural and multidisciplinary teams with sensitivity and respect for diversity;
- Committed to continuous learning and proactive and mature attitude towards self-development;
About IUCN
IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.
Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.
IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.
Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.
