Africa Oceans Strategy Director at Nature Conservancy

YOUR POSITION WITH TNC

The Africa Oceans Strategy Director leads design, development and implementation of ocean protection across the TNC Africa Region. The strategic focus is securing large scale ocean protection through national debt restructuring and marine spatial planning science that known as Blue Bonds. Current focus is in Seychelles, Kenya, Tanzania and Mauritius with planned expansion into Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Angola and potentially West African countries.

The ideal candidate will have experience in conservation, policy and sustainable programs for oceans and/or coasts. He/she will have experience facilitating and leading multiple objective planning processes and working across matrix organizations within African Region.

This position will report to the Africa Conservation Director and work closely with TNC’s Global Oceans Team and Africa Fisheries team. The position will be based in Mombasa, Kenya and may involve about 50% domestic and international travel.

Essential Functions

The Africa Oceans Strategy Director supports strategy leadership by managing priority projects and serves as a technical resource on relevant ocean and coastal strategies and/or projects. He/she will serve as a key liaison and informational contact between the Africa Region, Global Oceans Team and other TNC staff, and develops relationships with government agencies, local and international NGOs and other groups as needed to advance our ocean protection goals. The position holder will assess conservation opportunities, governmental policies and decisions, and the practices and views of other stakeholders and their potential impact on organizational conservation goals. He/She shall report, present and assess topics related to the Africa ocean conservation and advise TNC communications, marketing and philanthropy staff on issues related to oceans work in Africa and help ensure that TNC’s internal and external communications accurately reflect the strategy and conservation goals.

Responsibilities And Scope

• Advancing national level planning efforts that increases conservation outcomes, including climate mitigation and resilience plans, marine spatial plans and coastal zone plans in Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Seychelles and Mauritius.
• Reforming fisheries and building local capacity for sustainable and legal fisheries management while supporting policies at national, regional and local levels to enable fishery reform.
• Supporting efforts to create and advance community-based strategies for better managed coastal and marine areas.
• Help identify and establish alternative income schemes to reduce overharvesting and pressure on natural resources and habitats.
• Conducts research and analysis to support development and implementation of oceans projects and strategies
• Assists in developing reports, presentations and assessments on related topics, as well as internal and external communications materials that reflect the program’s objectives and priorities.
• Coordinates learning exchanges and conferences.
• Serve as a team leader for Africa oceans; may require gaining cooperation of team over whom there is no direct supervisory authority.
• Works within a budget to complete projects, negotiates and contracts with vendors and assists with budget development
• Supports fundraising by contributing to proposals and representing the Africa Ocean Program to public and private donors.
• Explores and creates long-term revenue streams to ensure effective management of coastal habitats.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Resource Management or related and 7 years of related experience or equivalent combination in a private sector environment, such as management consulting and investment banking.
• Experience leading and managing complex projects and strategic initiatives in an unstructured environment.
• International work experience.
• Project management experience and experience meeting deadlines.
• Experience in research, critical analysis, and evaluating information from divergent sources and compiling it into cohesive reports.
• Experience writing and editing promotional and informational material.
• Experience presenting to and/or communicating with government or legislative staff, community or business leaders, program leadership and/or similar audiences.
• Excellent time management skills.

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Ocean or Conservation science, public policy, international relations, international development, social science, natural science, ecology and resource management.
• Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• Self-starter with ability to generate work plans with limited support in line with the overall Conservation Strategies Team outcomes, goals, strategies, and plans.
• Experience developing business plans or major strategy assessments, particularly with conservation forms of valuation, deal structuring, negotiations support, financial modeling and analysis, business planning.
• Fluency in language other than English (e.g. Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese).
• Knowledge of politics and society with respect to environmental and international affairs.
• Willingness to learn and develop expertise in new conservation strategies, economic drivers, management tools, and global affairs.
• Strong team player who can build relationships and work collaboratively across the organization, including with senior management, and with Conservancy partners.

To apply to this position, please visit www.nature.org/careers and click on Current Job Opportunities. Please submit your resume (required) and cover letter separately using the upload buttons.
The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of men and women of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.
The successful applicant must meet the requirements of The Nature Conservancy’s background screening process.