Community Tourism Development Specialist (CTDS), Africa

Job Title: Community Tourism Development Specialist (CTDS), Africa

Location: Remote work (company is based in Canada), however candidates will ideally be based in one of the following countries: Ethiopia (Addis Ababa), Kenya (Nairobi) or Tanzania (Arusha)

Start Date: no later than September 1st, 2026.

Reporting to:  Regional Manager, Africa and Middle East

Contract: Independent Contract (to start) Full-time.

Required Languages: English fluency, KiSwahili or French beneficial

Planeterra is the leading non-profit worldwide using tourism to uplift communities. Registered as a non-profit organization in Canada and a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in the United States, Planeterra operates on a global scale, making a tangible impact through responsible tourism initiatives. Planeterra is committed to uplifting local communities in travel destinations to establish successful community tourism enterprises that benefit from the tourism industry.

Reporting to the Africa and Middle East Regional Manager, the Community Tourism Development Specialist (CTDS) represents the Planeterra Foundation in Africa and in the Middle East; the CTDS is responsible for coordinating and maintaining strong relationships between Planeterra, its travel partners, and community partners in the Africa region.

The CTDS is required to ensure smooth operations aligned with the priorities of Planeterra’s corporate partners and the needs of Community Tourism Enterprises. They support the development and enhancement of community tourism experiences by managing capacity-building processes and ensuring new and/or improved community tourism experiences are achieved. Acting as the primary point of contact for community partners in the region, the CTDS serves as the local representative of the Planeterra Team.

Responsibilities include developing and integrating new community tourism enterprises into travel partners' value chains and traveling - at times - for training and quality assurance purposes, including, but not limited to, managing the implementation of Planeterra’s Climate & Biodiversity Strategy in the region; supporting the stewardship of the Planeterra.

Global Community Tourism Network (GCTN) in the region; supporting in recruiting and onboarding new communities onto the GCTN; creating content and engagement opportunities on the network, and supporting communications promoting the Global Community Tourism Network to communities in the region.