General Manager — Balule Nature Reserve Association

About the Role Balule Nature Reserve Association (BNRA) is the Management Authority of Balule Nature Reserve, a 42,000 hectare declared protected area in the Greater Kruger open system, Limpopo. The reserve is a federation of regional member conservancies, each with its own landowners, committee and warden, operating under a shared constitution, a statutory Management Plan and the GLTFCA Co-operative Agreement with SANParks. The Association's central functions are funded by member levies and supported by two donor trusts. BNRA is appointing a General Manager to lead its central conservation and organisational management functions. The role turns conservation objectives, scientific evidence, governance requirements and member inputs into plans, budgets, decisions and measurable delivery. It is a management and coordination position. The General Manager works through regional structures and qualified specialists rather than in the field, and depends on cooperation from people who do not report to them. The role is based in Hoedspruit, a well-serviced Lowveld town with daily scheduled flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town, a private hospital and established schools. Candidates willing to relocate are welcome to apply. Reporting Structure - Reports to the BNRA Chairperson and is accountable to the Committee. - Direct reports: central employees and functions allocated in the approved organisational structure, including the Operations Room and the outsourced administrative function. - Oversees the Association's security function through a designated security lead, who holds tactical command of the anti-poaching unit and field operations. - Working relationships: regional chairpersons, regional wardens and the Wardens Committee through the Association's constitutional and delegated arrangements. Regional wardens are working partners, not direct reports. Key Priorities for the First Year The appointee inherits a governance and records rebuild alongside the ongoing work. The first twelve months carry four priorities. - Complete the approval of the BNRA Management Plan and bring statutory, permit, declaration and contractual records to a complete, auditable standard, taking over the handover work in progress. - Turn Committee priorities into an annual work plan with owners, deadlines and budgets, and record completion with evidence. - Build working relationships across the member regions, the Maseke community landowner, regulators and Greater Kruger partners, and settle the off-take and permit administration into a documented annual cycle. - Confirm the security, research and administrative service-provider arrangements under clear contracts, reporting and performance review. Minimum Requirements Qualifications and knowledge - A relevant tertiary qualification in ecology, conservation science, environmental science, natural resource management or a closely related field. - Sound scientific and ecological knowledge, with the ability to evaluate research, monitoring data and specialist reports critically. - Working understanding of protected-area management, open-system ecology and evidence-based conservation decision-making. - Working knowledge of South African environmental law and protected-area governance (NEMA, NEM:PAA, NEM:BA, provincial permitting and the Greater Kruger Hunting Protocol) is a strong advantage. Candidates who can show they will learn this quickly will be considered. - A management, governance or public-administration qualification is an advantage. - Legal and commercial literacy sufficient to understand contracts and service level agreements, and to recognise when legal advice is required. - Understanding of budgets, internal controls, organisational risk and protected-area security issues. Experience - Management experience in conservation, environmental science, research or a comparable organisation answerable to many landowners, members or partners. - Experience reporting to an elected committee or board of volunteers, or to multiple owners. - Experience leading people, managing performance and resolving conflict constructively. - Experience converting technical evidence into clear recommendations, plans, budgets and reports for non-technical decision-makers. - Experience managing service providers, contracts, deadlines, records and statutory reporting obligations. Advantageous - Postgraduate qualification. - Experience in the Greater Kruger or APNR landscape. - Experience working with a traditional authority or community landowner. - Research programme management, environmental authorisation processes or donor-funded conservation, including trust and s18A reporting. - Oversight of security service providers. Direct anti-poaching experience is useful but not required where the candidate shows a sound strategic understanding of it. Other - Valid driver's licence. - Based in or willing to relocate to the Hoedspruit area. - Willingness to attend regional sites and after-hours meetings when management purposes require it. Key Performance Areas Governance and committee support - Turn Committee priorities into an annual work plan with accountable persons, deadlines, budgets and reporting requirements, and follow delegated work through to completion, with evidence. - Coordinate Committee, AGM and Wardens Committee agendas, minutes, resolutions and action registers; prepare management reports and decision papers. - Maintain approved policies, standard operating procedures and governance records, and monitor constitutional compliance of the Association and member regions objectively, including regional constitutions and committee nominations. - Communicate material risks promptly to the Chairperson and the Committee. Conservation management and statutory compliance - Coordinate preparation, approval, review and implementation of the BNRA Management Plan as required by NEM:PAA, and develop annual conservation work plans from scientific advice, monitoring results and landscape obligations. - Coordinate game counts, vegetation surveys and other ecological assessments with regional wardens, the Agricultural Research Council and appointed specialists; interpret trends and recommend interventions. - Coordinate regional and central METT assessments, report results to the Committee and track prioritised corrective actions. - Maintain a compliance register covering environmental obligations, permit conditions, property declarations, cooperative agreements and reporting deadlines, with evidence of submissions. - Coordinate review of proposed camps, buildings, roads, water and power infrastructure and servitudes through the appropriate internal and statutory processes, distinguishing the Association's Management Authority role from statutory authorisation. - Ensure compliance with the GLTFCA Co-operative Agreement, including work plans and inputs to the Joint Management Committee. Research and scientific information - Develop a research agenda aligned to the Association's conservation priorities; evaluate research proposals and coordinate approvals through authorised structures. - Maintain a register of approved research and monitoring projects, and manage relationships with universities, researchers, NGOs and monitoring partners. - Maintain a central repository of research findings, game counts, survey results and monitoring data with access controls and backups; protect confidential species and security information. Off-take and permit administration - Coordinate annual off-take proposals from game counts, vegetation assessments and scientific advice, in consultation with member regions, and obtain Committee or delegated approval. - Coordinate submissions to APNR, SANParks and provincial authorities; communicate approved allocations to regions. - Maintain auditable registers of allocations, permit requests, permits issued and utilisation, including threatened or protected species permits, and track expiry dates and conditions. - Liaise with the Treasurer on financial standing and invoicing before processing allocations; collect and consolidate regional post-hunt documentation and monitor compliance with BNRA and APNR protocols. - Manage the Association's external communication on off-take matters with the Chairperson, including media and NGO enquiries. Security oversight - Maintain a working understanding of protected-area security and wildlife crime risk in the Greater Kruger landscape. - Oversee the security lead and the Operations Room: review threat assessments, strategies, budgets, provider performance and regional compliance; monitor incident reporting and escalation. - Negotiate and manage service level agreements with external security providers, subject to Committee approval. - Maintain cooperation with neighbouring reserves, SAPS, GKEPF and Greater Kruger security structures. Tactical deployment, investigations and evidence handling remain with the security lead and qualified operational personnel. People, contracts and service providers - Lead and motivate central employees; maintain current job descriptions, clear deliverables and fair performance reviews; identify training needs. - Administer recruitment, leave, payroll amendments and terminations within approved authority and labour law, supported by professional advice; ensure role-specific registrations (e.g. PSIRA) are verified. - Prepare, negotiate and administer contracts and SLAs within delegated authority; maintain a contract register and track performance, renewals and corrective action. - Verify delivery and invoice accuracy; apply procurement controls and document conflicts of interest. Finance, trusts, assets and stakeholders - Prepare budget inputs and forecasts with the Treasurer; monitor expenditure and explain variances; authorise expenditure only within approved budgets and delegated limits. - Support the Treasurer on levy reconciliation and collection across member regions, and provide the operational records and reporting the two trusts need for donor and s18A purposes. - Maintain asset registers with location, custody and maintenance responsibility; arrange annual physical verification; ensure controlled assets, including firearms where held, are managed by authorised persons. - Represent the Association at APNR, Joint Management Committee and other landscape forums within an approved mandate; maintain liaison with SANParks, LEDET, MTPA and neighbouring reserves. - Respond to member enquiries, manage disagreements impartially and escalate unresolved matters through proper structures; coordinate media and public communications with the Chairperson. Role Boundaries This is a General Manager appointment. It does not include appointment as Head Warden, field ranger, farm manager or tactical security manager. Firearms handling, tracking, patrol command, professional hunting, dangerous-game handling, veterinary procedures, practical farming, mechanical work and infrastructure maintenance are not selection requirements. The General Manager must understand these functions well enough to commission expertise, assess plans and reports, oversee budgets and contracts, and escalate risk. Attendance at regional sites and field activities may be required for management purposes; specialist operational duties remain with qualified and authorised personnel. Behavioural Competencies Shortlisted candidates will be asked for specific examples against each of the following. - High emotional intelligence: reads people and situations accurately, stays impartial between competing landowner interests, and builds trust across regions, regulators and partners. Evidence: mediating between member factions; managing a traditional-authority or community relationship. - Communicates scientific, contractual and governance matters clearly to technical and non-technical audiences. Evidence: presenting to a volunteer board; handling a media or NGO enquiry. - Coordinates and delivers through people outside their line authority; follows delegated work through to completion. - Sound judgement, integrity and discretion; handles confidential information and conflicts of interest properly. - Organised and systematic: maintains registers, records and compliance evidence to an auditable standard, and keeps that discipline while carrying a heavy external and stakeholder load. - Steady under pressure from members and committees; escalates early and manages disagreement constructively. - Credible on conservation science and open to learning the statutory and contractual framework in depth. Remuneration Market-related, in line with qualifications and experience. The package comprises a cash salary with housing, vehicle and benefit components to be confirmed with shortlisted candidates. Thrive People & Strategy is an equal opportunity recruiter. All appointments will be made in line with the client's employment equity commitments and applicable South African legislation.