Senior Fisheries Officer

Location: One position based in one of our African country offices (Madagascar, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania) and one position based in one of our Asia offices (Timor-Leste).

Closing date for applications: 26th March 2023

Contract status: full-time

Start date: ASAP

Contract duration: 1-year fixed-term contract (with opportunity for renewal)

Remuneration: Madagascar: MGA 16,560,000 - MGA 19,800,000; Mozambique: MZN 1,770,450 - MZN 2,000,000; Kenya: KES 2,600,000 - KES 3,000,000; Tanzania: TZS 60,240,000 - TZS 66,000,000; Timor-Leste: US $11,000 - $16,000.

A hard-to-fill allowance might be applied where needed to recruit an exceptional candidate. Salary Band: Senior Officer

We rebuild tropical fisheries with coastal communities

Blue Ventures is a marine conservation organization that puts people first. We support coastal fishers in remote and rural communities to rebuild fisheries and restore ocean life. Our work began two decades ago in Madagascar’s remote coastal communities and is growing globally.

Across a dozen countries, we’re partnering with traditional fishers and community organizations to design, scale, strengthen and sustain fisheries management and conservation at the community level. We bring partners together in networks to advocate for reform, and share tools and best practices to support fishing communities across the globe.

Summary job description

We are currently recruiting two experienced Fisheries and/or Marine Conservation officers (one in the African region, and one in the Asia region) with a passion for supporting data-driven learning and decision-making. These positions will play an integral role in our evolving operations supporting field teams and partners with community-based fisheries management and conservation.

Reporting to the Global Technical Advisor for Fisheries Management and Conservation, the new positions of fisheries senior officers are full-time roles dedicated to supporting our regional program teams to coordinate fisheries data collection, data quality assurance as well as data analysis, and a strong focus on the interpretation of data to surface the story it is telling in a way that supports local decision-making.

The successful candidate will be a motivated, proactive, and highly organized individual, with an excellent knowledge of small-scale fisheries management processes and an ability to perform statistical analyses and produce high-quality reporting.

You will demonstrate a proven track record of fisheries and/or conservation research and reporting, as well as exceptional written communications. Ideally, you will have experience in community-based conservation and development initiatives across either Africa and/or Asia.

We are looking for an individual who is open to new ideas and embraces innovation, and who can demonstrate experience in building data skills and literacy within teams through training and mentoring. Assessment of applications will include candidates’ alignment with BV’s core values and mission to support human rights-based approaches to marine conservation and fisheries management.

You will thrive in environments that are collegiate and ambitious, and be able to demonstrate experience in working independently and solving complex problems in challenging situations.

The roles are open to applicants who can work from any of our global offices in countries where Blue Ventures can employ staff, with routine travel to work closely with overseas colleagues, partners, field teams, and communities.

Responsibilities

Technical support for data collection, analysis, and interpretation

-       Support national teams to standardize data collection processes and tools 

-       Conduct and/or coordinate key analyses and reporting in collaboration with data systems & M&E team 

-       Provide training and coaching of national team members to conduct analyses and interpret results to support local decision-making, with a focus on ensuring outputs are designed with fishing communities as the primary users 

-       Coordinate national and regional contributions to global and/or external research projects 

-       Review key knowledge outputs produced by the regional programs team, including interpretation of results, copy editing, quality assurance

Coordination of learning and knowledge development

-       Support regular assessment of training needs 

-       Develop training frameworks, plans, and content and progress tracking 

-       Deliver training programs, including coordinating training events, and providing training and mentoring to team members and partners nationally or regionally. 

-       Coordinate internal and external learning and knowledge-sharing processes for fisheries management and conservation 

-       Draw on best practices and lessons learned internally and externally to support improvements to fisheries management and conservation programming

Project management support 

-       Support in-country fisheries leads on project development, grant proposals, and reporting

Skills and experience 

Required 

-       Postgraduate degree (or equivalent experience) in marine/fisheries sciences or statistics/data analytics with proven experience in fisheries management, tropical marine ecology, and conservation. 

-       Minimum of 3 years practical experience working in community-based small-scale fisheries management and/or conservation in a low-income country 

-       Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to convey complex messages clearly in presentations, meetings, and written form, and to connect with people of all seniority levels and cultural backgrounds 

-       Fluency in written and spoken English 

-       Knowledge of research design, as well as data management, analysis, and reporting 

-       Experience in data collection, management, and statistical analysis 

-       Track record of the development of guidance materials and toolkits.

-       Practical experience in drafting lesson plans, remotely guiding participants through courses, and delivering training using different teaching methods 

-       Highly organized with high attention to detail and excellent writing skills, with a proven track record in both report writing and peer-reviewed publications, and experience in preparing project reports for funders 

-       Excellent knowledge of MS Office, Google Apps

We would also love to see 

-       Experience in monitoring and evaluation, data management systems, and processes 

-       Experience in designing and using participatory/collaborative social and economic research methodologies and social data analysis 

-       Experience with the Kobo toolbox 

-       Experience using GIS and data visualization software 

-       Knowledge of database development and SQL 

-       Good knowledge of Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIPs) 

-       Proficiency in other Blue Ventures working languages e.g. French, Bahasa Indonesian, Swahili, Portuguese, Tetun, Malagasy 

 You will be a great fit if 

⇀     You show a commitment to Blue Ventures’ mission and values, evidenced by a high level of personal and professional integrity, humility, and humanity. 

⇀     You demonstrate a strong bias for action and comfort with uncertainty; you are motivated to move forward, make decisions, and finalize details quickly once information is available. 

⇀     You’ve shown a willingness and ability to challenge the status quo creatively and productively. 

⇀     You have an analytical mindset and orientation toward measurement, outcomes, and continuous improvement and learning. You value others, and yourself, data-driven and consultative decision-making. 

⇀     You think critically and put a high value on offering and receiving constructive feedback and criticism. 

⇀     You’re a natural relationship builder and have a proven ability to work collaboratively with others in a complex organization, demonstrating professional curiosity, team building, and facilitation skills. You enjoy collaboration and have a genuine interest in learning from and developing others. 

⇀     You’re a people person who takes pride and pleasure in developing talent and creating safe, happy, productive, and engaging workplace cultures and environments for staff at all levels and from varied backgrounds. You crave building teams, finding talent, nurturing relationships, and tackling challenging people-related issues. 

⇀     You’re able to engage people’s energies, hearts, and minds in service of a mission. You use exemplary interpersonal skills to establish relationships of trust and influence 

⇀     You’re detail-oriented and compliance-minded; you enjoy dotting i’s and crossing t’s 

⇀     You show self-motivation, flexibility, and the ability to work and thrive in a fast-paced, energetic, entrepreneurial environment.

We encourage applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation, and evaluate all candidates based on merit. We welcome candidates from countries in which Blue Ventures operates. We offer a supportive environment for professional development, as well as a competitive salary.

This job description details the main duties and responsibilities of the position. However, team members are required to show flexibility in their approach to work and be willing to undertake other tasks that are reasonably allocated to them but which are not part of their regular job description.

We are a mission-driven organization, and senior staff in particular are expected to show a willingness to adapt to unexpected changes that come with growth − this may include occasional work whenever or wherever requested by their line manager. Where any task becomes a regular part of someone’s responsibilities, the job description will be updated in consultation with the team member.

Blue Ventures is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young and vulnerable people and expects all members of staff to share this commitment. We take a zero-tolerance approach to anyone who contravenes our safeguarding and protection policies. All candidates will be asked questions on safeguarding and child protection.

Application process

Applicants should apply online via Blue Ventures’ website by 26th March 2023.

Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and first-round interviews may be conducted with short-listed candidates before the application deadline.

All shortlisted candidates will be contacted within two weeks of the closing date.

Why work with us

Mission: We operate at the frontline of some of the world's most pressing environmental problems, innovating effective, equitable, and scalable responses with coastal communities. We are recognized as a transformative force in our sector.

Working style: We're a fast-moving social enterprise, quick to embrace and implement promising ideas without bureaucracy.

Autonomy: We expect and support our colleagues to take a lead in their work, offering scope for creativity and strategic input.

Professional development: We challenge and support our colleagues to grow their skills, providing considerable exposure to different work experiences and training opportunities.

Adventure: We offer extensive opportunities for travel, working in diverse environmental and cultural contexts.

Family: We look out for one another as we work closely together in challenging situations, celebrating successes and spurring each other on when the going gets tough.

Values: Our organizational values are central to everything we do:

Communities first

Above all, we listen to community needs, responding in a sensitive and pragmatic way for lasting benefits.

Passion & belief

Our mission is urgent and critical, we believe that our approach works, and we’re determined to get the job done.

Valued people & effective teams

We work in diverse and inclusive teams where all members have a voice and influence.

Openness & humility

We work in a transparent and collaborative way to share what we learn.

Innovation & Courage

We’re resourceful and creative. We’re prepared to take risks and challenge broken paradigms.

Grounded in evidence

We have high standards and aren’t afraid to be self-critical. If something doesn’t work, we change tack until we’re on the right course.

How to apply:

Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to apply at the following link:

https://careers.blueventures.org/jobs/2512890-senior-fisheries-officer?promotion=598568-trackable-share-link-brighter-monday