Fisheries Specialist – Western Indian Ocean (WIO) at Nature Conservancy

The position will manage projects and provide technical and scientific support for elements of TNC’s Africa Fisheries Strategy. The position supports the coordination and implementation of priority projects and acts as a technical resource on sustainable fisheries and community-led conservation. The position will apply a diversified knowledge of fisheries-related scientific principles and practices to a broad variety of assignments, from research, analysis and writing, capacity building, strategy development, project coordination and management support, and engagement with private sector seafood actors and traceability systems.

The Responsibilities And Scope For This Position Are

• Providing project management support, leading desk-based research and analyses, and co-leading local and international training workshops with country programs.
• Participating in, and providing technical support towards strengthening or building successful community-led governance models (e.g. fisheries Beach Management Units, Community Conservancies, Community Forest Associations, Shehia Fisher Committees, fisher cooperatives, etc) for sustainable fisheries and coastal management
• Supporting establishment and implementation of locally managed marine areas and community-based natural resource management plans
• Supporting creation of incentives that drive community benefits, sustainable management and livelihoods that build lasting support for conservation.
• Providing team support, technical information, and assisting in coordination of key fisheries projects in priority areas in Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles, South Africa and the greater WIO region.
• Supporting development, reporting and management of the Africa Fisheries Strategy.
• Building partnerships and working with fishermen and fishing communities, internal and external scientists, and with seafood industries and NGO partners to enhance collaboration and synergy in implementation of the Conservancy’s Africa Ocean Protection and Resilience Strategy.
• Foster cross project learning and strengthen a Community of Practice for the sharing of best practices and lessons learned for adaptive management.
• Support development of program-level Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning framework for the fisheries and coastal community-led conservation initiatives.
• Help develop and manage work plans and large project budgets
• May involve working in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances.

The position will involve frequent travel domestically and internationally, evening and weekend hours.

What You'll Bring

• BA/BS degree in natural resources management, conservation, or another related field of study with 5 years of related work experience in conservation practice, project management, policy, fundraising or other related experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience on community-led conservation, fisheries management and marine science and conservation
• Experience conducting or working on fisheries-related scientific research, ecosystem interactions and coastal zone management.
• Experience in developing supportive and collaborative partnerships with other non-profits, community groups and/or government agencies.
• Excellent communication skills via written, spoken, and graphical means in English and other relevant languages.
• Knowledge of key actors and current trends, threats to fisheries and marine biodiversity in the WIO, and practices related to management and protection at a national and regional scales.
• Strong technical writing and data analytical skills, interpretation, and presentation of information to a broad range of audiences and stakeholders.
• Experience in analyzing data and using statistical packages such as Excel and other analysis tools

Desired Qualifications

• Advanced degree and 10 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with the coastal fishing communities.
• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural experience are appreciated. Fluency in Swahili is an added advantage.
• Willingness and ability to undertake extended periods of field travel (at least 40%) domestically and internationally.
• Politically savvy.