Marine Fisheries Officer – Tanzania- Readvertised

The Marine Fisheries Officer (Tanzania) leads development, implementation, and coordination of TNC’s Africa Marine Fisheries Program in Tanzania in collaboration with TNC’s Africa Ocean Strategy team and other TNC staff as appropriate. They will advance TNC’s role in a national ocean conservation agenda in Tanzania by providing technical and scientific support to advance Fisheries Program goals under TNC’s Shared Conservation Agenda. They will support development and implementation of sustainable fisheries and coastal and marine conservation interventions in Tanzania. They will work to demonstrate effective community-based fisheries practices, improve monitoring and transparency systems, lead resource surveys, advance supportive policies, and assess and if appropriate, create market incentives that reward sustainable use of coastal and marine resources.

They will work closely and in partnership with an interdisciplinary team of conservancy staff, fishers, local communities, conservation partners, fishing industry, scientific community, and government to advance sustainable fisheries and coastal community-led conservation in Tanzania. They will advance replication and adaptation of lessons and success models in fisheries and coastal and marine conservation across Tanzania’s coast. The position is within TNC’s Africa Ocean Strategy team and will be based at TNC’s Dar Es Salam Office in Tanzania, reporting to the Africa Fisheries Strategy Manager. No employment visas or assistance is being offered with this position except for the local labor employment requirements. This is an initial 3-year term limited position with an extension of tenure subject to performance and availability of funds.

Responsibilities

• Support monitoring and establishment of baselines on socio-ecological systems including fisheries and coastal habitats to inform conservation planning and adaptive management at target geographies in Tanzania
• Lead capacity building activities to strengthen governance and management of community-led institutions including fisheries Beach Management Units, Shehia Fisher Committees, fisher cooperatives, etc. for sustainable fisheries and coastal management.
• Build the institutional capacity of key partners for lasting local capacity and multi-stakeholder collaboration on sustainable fisheries and coastal community-led conservation.
• Support development and adoption of processes and tools for advancing sustainable fisheries and coastal community-led conservation through cross-cutting support from partners and TNC team.
• Lead planning and coordination of FishPath engagement processes including workshops and trainings in collaboration with local partners, TNC Africa staff and the Global FishPath team to improve fisheries management and increase capacity in the management of data-and capacity-limited fisheries.
• Expand development and implementation of local-level resource management plans and interventions in target coastal communities including collaborative fisheries management areas, protected area plans and community-led monitoring and enforcement systems.
• Lead implementation of TNC’s electronic monitoring and commercialization interventions in Tanzania to advance sustainable fisheries management within the EEZ.
• Working closely with the Reef Resilience Network to build capacity of local community, practitioners, coral reef managers and scientists on effective reef restoration approaches and sharing of lessons to support reef restoration and marine conservation in Tanzania.
• Assess if appropriate, implement community-based enterprises that incentivize sustainable fishing practices including value chain improvement of fish and fisheries products
• Foster cross learning between coastal communities and projects for sharing best practices and to leverage cross-fertilization of knowledge for adaptive management
• Ensure development and management of 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.
• Under minimal supervision, make independent decisions based on analysis, experience, and context.
• The position will involve frequent travel domestically and internationally, including evening and weekend hours

Qualifications

BA/BS degree and 5 years of experience in coastal/marine fisheries management, conservation; or related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience

Demonstrated knowledge and experience on collaborative/co-management approaches and marine science and conservation

Familiarity with national fisheries and other marine-management policies and frameworks in Tanzania.

Understanding of key contextual issues and dynamics relating to fisheries and coastal ecosystems conservation and relevant work experience in Tanzania.

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.

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 over 7 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with the coastal fishing communities.
• Experience in development and implementation of online and in-person trainings and workshops.
• 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 within the national context