Fisheries Officer

Description

• Blue Ventures is an award-winning marine conservation organization working to rebuild tropical fisheries with coastal communities. We’re committed to protecting marine biodiversity in ways that benefit coastal people. We work in places where the ocean is vital to local cultures and economies, and where there is a fundamental unmet need to support human development
• We are currently recruiting a Fisheries officer to support our efforts in assisting local partner organizations in East Africa, based in Mozambique
• The role will entail providing technical assistance to partner organizations involved in community-based fisheries management, and sharing technical and marine resource management experiences. The successful candidate will provide bespoke training and technical support to local partners in all aspects of fisheries assessment and management, including monitoring and evaluation of landings − particularly in the design and use of mobile-based data collection systems − and supporting local partners in efforts to assist communities in the management of target small-scale fisheries The
• Additional responsibilities will include working with partner organizations and colleagues in Blue Ventures’ conservation team to plan community exchanges to share learning and best practice in tropical small-scale fisheries management and locally-led marine conservation
• Provision of technical support to partners and facilitation of grassroots learning through community exchanges forms a key part of Blue Ventures’ outreach strategy throughout East Africa. This role will include regular field visits to community-based marine and coastal conservation sites in Mozambique as well as throughout East Africa and the broader western Indian Ocean region
• The successful candidate will be a motivated, proactive and highly organized individual, who enjoys independent working. She or he will have an excellent knowledge of the small-scale fisheries, marine conservation and development sectors in East Africa, as well as a proven track record of project management and partnership building, and excellent communication skills. Practical experience of community-based conservation and development initiatives in East Africa will be valuable to the role
• We are looking for a new colleague who thrives in environments that are dynamic, fast-paced, collegiate and ambitious and is able to demonstrate experience of working independently and solving complex problems in challenging situations
• ThePartner Support Technician will report to Blue Ventures’ UK-based partner support team and be based at field locations alongside local partner organizations, with regular national travel to work with partners and field teams
• Blue Ventures is a fast growing and mission-driven social enterprise, offering excellent opportunities for further professional development
• Location: Mozambique with significant travel throughout East Africa
• Start date: January 2019
• Contract duration: Full time position, 12-month contract, with opportunities for renewal
• Remuneration: Competitive salary based on experience

Duties

• Technical support and guidance for partner organizations:
• Providing direct support to partner organizations in Mozambique and East Africa with fisheries monitoring and management, identifying key capacity gaps and partner needs for technical support, and developing and reviewing work plans
• Liaising with UK-based partner support team to ensure correct and timely technical support is provided, and interacting with technical colleagues both within Mozambique and internationally
• Coordinating monitoring plans and smartphone data collection systems using Blue Ventures’ fisheries monitoring framework, and adapting existing toolkits and methods to local contexts
• Training local partners and community resource monitors to manage mobile data systems with the eventual handover and autonomous management of monitoring
• Supporting local partners and community members in discussions around improving local fisheries management practices, providing best practice insights and recommendations from other fisheries in similar contexts
• Facilitating learning and Exchange:
• Identifying opportunities for cross-learning and exchange within Mozambique and internationally, and facilitating dialogue and the exchange of best practices around community-based octopus fisheries management
• Supporting the growth and development of a ‘community of practice’ around locally led fisheries management and fishery improvement projects
• Identifying further opportunities for partnership development regionally
• Exchanging and interacting with Blue Ventures colleagues supporting similar fisheries elsewhere, including preparing for and managing domestic and international fisher exchanges where possible and appropriate
• Documenting learning & communication:
• Gathering feedback from community partners to guide efforts to improve the performance and impact
• Evaluating and documenting key learning, best practices and relevant fishery/country information, including broader contextual learning around management experiences
• Working with partner organizations and Blue Ventures’ conservation team to plan and coordinate outreach and communication efforts around partnership activities, including blogs and news articles as required

Requisites

• Postgraduate level qualification in a relevant subject (rural development, or environmental, fisheries or conservation science)
• At least five years’ practical experience in field-based conservation
• Experience of small-scale fisheries assessment, ideally through participatory (community-based) methods
• Strong analytical skills, and experience in data collection management and interpretation
• Experience of teaching and mentoring in data systems, analysis and interpretation
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office
• Experience of Android data collection systems (ideally including Open Data Kit)
• Experience in financial and budget management
• Experience of developing multi-sector partnerships, including with communities, fisheries authorities, and NGOs
• Sensitivity to partner and community needs and interests; humility and commitment to identifying needs and leading local capacity development for conservation
• Experience working with and reporting to donors, including corporations, trusts, foundations, and agencies (desirable)
• Work experience in tropical developing contexts, including knowledge of marine environmental and Mozambique cultural contexts
• Fluency in English and Portuguese (required)
• Excellent writing skills, with a proven track record in both reports writing and ideally peer-reviewed publication
• Excellent communication skills and ability to give strong public presentations
• Experience of teaching and/or delivering training, both to groups and one-to-one
• Dynamic, enthusiastic, hardworking, efficient and proactive
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail and an ability to complete tasks to deadlines
• Self-motivated, confident and self-reliant
• Ability to take initiative and solve problems quickly
• Enjoys problem solving and new challenges

Notes

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
• 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

How to Apply

• Apply online: goo.gl/HnPCoz