Regional Recruitment Officer, East Africa, Madagascar, and Western Indian Ocean (EAMWIO) at Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS Rwanda): (Deadline 27 January 2026)

Job Description

Position:Regional Recruitment Officer, East Africa, Madagascar, and Western Indian Ocean (EAMWIO)

Reports to:Regional HR Business Partner, EAMWIO Region

Location:Africa Regional Hub-Kigali, Rwanda

Country Program/Sector:N/A

Position Type:Full-time

Scope/Capacity:Regional

Coordinates with: Regional HR Business Partner, Country HR Managers, Africa Talent Lead, Country Director, Hiring Managers

About Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS):

WCS stands for wildlife and wild places. As the world’s premier wildlife conservation organisation, WCS has a long track record of achieving innovative, impactful results on a scale. We run programs spanning the entire ocean and more than 3 million biologically critical square miles in nearly 60 countries. We build on a unique foundation: Our reach is global; we discover through best-in-class science; we protect through work on the ground with local and indigenous people; we inspire through our world-class zoos, aquariums, and education programs; and we leverage our resources through partnerships and powerful policy influence. Our 4,000 diverse, passionately committed team members in New York City and around the world work collectively to achieve our conservation mission.

More information at www.wcs.org

About EAMWIO Region:

EAMWIO Region is one of the largest of WCS’s 13 Global Regional Programs; it spans Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya.

About the Role

The Regional Recruitment Officer will work closely with the Regional HR Business Partner, Country HR Managers, Africa Talent Lead, and hiring managers to manage the recruitment process from approved job requisitions to onboarding new hires. This role will employ best practices to proactively source and recruit a diversity of qualified candidates. The position will partner closely with HR and with leaders to define hiring needs and then build and maintain comprehensive candidate pipelines to address those needs. The role will manage job postings in various platforms, the candidate experience through an applicant tracking system, coordinate interviews, and support virtual and/or in-person career events, if needed. The role will focus on recruiting WCS team members for regional positions and senior roles in country programs. Being motivated and driven to ensure an excellent candidate and hiring manager experience is critical to the success of this position.

Major Responsibilities

• Support the development and implementation of regional and country recruitment plans.
• Evaluate job descriptions and ensure they follow WCS standards and accurately reflect role responsibilities and qualifications in partnership with Regional HR Business Partner and/or Total Rewards Centre of Excellence (CoE) before posting.
• Manage the full-cycle recruitment process for key positions in the region in alignment with WCS’s Recruitment and Selection Policy and standard operating procedures.
• Incorporate best practices and creative sourcing strategies to identify a diversity of talent, conduct interviews and assess candidates to ensure experience and qualifications match program requirements, conduct reference and background checks, and facilitate communications with the interview team and candidate.
• Anticipate and understand the local talent market to build and maintain relationships with both passive and active candidates, developing continuous pipelines of prospective candidates.
• Continually evaluate and seek approaches to improve the candidate experience, providing clear and prompt communications, serving as a resource for WCS information, and shepherding candidates through the process to ensure an excellent candidate experience.
• Build collaborative partnerships with hiring managers and their teams, conducting thorough intake meetings, analysing hiring needs, determining effective recruitment methods and strategies, and coaching hiring managers/teams on the hiring process and interviewing techniques.
• Maintain candidate experience and records in an applicant tracking system.
• Provide recruitment data, analytics, and data-driven guidance to ensure execution against recruitment key performance indicators.
• Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in all recruitment activities.
• Extend and negotiate employment offers in coordination with the Regional HR Business Partner or Country HR Manager.
• Coordinate onboarding processes, including IT and payroll requests, utilising WCS onboarding tools and templates.
• Take on additional projects, as requested.

Minimum Requirements and Job Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources management, Business Administration, Psychology, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• 5+ years of accomplished experience in a Talent Acquisition recruiting role.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and organisational skills.
• Proven self-starter with ability to manage multiple teams’ needs.
• Experience building trusting relationships with teams and external partners.
• Experience engaging in inclusive hiring practices.
• Broad range of recruiting and coordination skills, including experience creating sourcing strategies and execution plans.
• Thorough understanding of recruitment tools, process, and technologies (e.g., BrassRing, Workday, etc.) and optimising candidate experience best practices.
• Fluency in both English and French (oral and written).
• Ability to represent WCS’s Core Values in all interactions internally and externally.

Additional requirements:

• Periodic need to work overlapping hours with teams located in different time zones.
• Additional HR certifications are an advantage.

Application Process:

Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications, should submit their application
at africaapplications@wcs.org by emailing an application letter and CV as one PDF document by the January 27, 2026 deadline. Please include ” Regional Recruitment Officer, EAMWIO” in the subject line of your email.

WCS is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all employment and labour laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and looking for future team members who share that same value. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate against employment based on age, colour, disability, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by laws and regulations.

Note: This position is open to nationals only, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.