Marine Fisheries Officer at Nature Conservancy

We work with local communities, governments and organizations to conserve Africa’s important places. Africa is special. Its wild lands and waters are home to incredible numbers and diversity of species living close to people. For most rural Africans, connection to place takes on unique meaning, more so than anywhere else on Earth because their daily existence depends on the productivity of their natural resources. Challenges in Africa Some 60 percent of Africa’s lands and waters – community property, in a sense – are managed by the people who live on them. These people are undoubtedly the most vulnerable on Earth. A continuing threat is their lack of control over the communal lands and waters they depend on for survival. And as the people struggle, so too does the wildlife that relies on the same resources. An absence of strong institutions and governance further compounds these challenges. Therefore, our work in Africa is focused on perfecting and exporting the best examples of community-led conservation across the continent’s vast shared lands and waters. These examples are ones that provide tangible benefits to people. Conservation has to pay to be successful.

WE’RE LOOKING FOR YOU

• The broad goal of this position is to provide strategic direction and technical support in the development and implementation of a marine and coastal conservation programme in the northern coast of Kenya, that will promote the sustainable management of marine and coastal resources. The Marine Fisheries Officer (Kenya) develops, coordinates and implements priority coastal and marine projects and serves as a technical resource on sustainable fisheries, habitats restoration (mangroves, seagrasses, coral reef) and coastal community-led conservation in the Lamu-Tana seascape, Kenya.


• TNC has established partnerships with several local organizations, including Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), in the northern coast of Kenya to support community-led conservation and development. TNC in collaboration with other partners seeks to design and implement conservation and community stewardship actions to conserve Kenya’s coastal and marine habitats, with a special focus on Lamu-Tana Seascape.


• They will be a key contributor to TNC’s growing portfolio of projects in Kenya including coastal community-led conservation, coastal fisheries (including FishPath engagement projects), large-scale fisheries (electronic monitoring activities), habitats restoration and conservation activities (mangroves, seagrass, coral reefs), gender mainstreaming in fisheries, fisheries policy as well as building fisheries and ocean governance with focus on addressing Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. . The Marine Fisheries Officer (Kenya) ensures the implementation of site-based projects, coordinates with several team members including partners, relevant TNC staff, sets deadlines and manages to completion.


• They support, coordinate and lead the design and implementation of effective co-management models for sustainable fisheries and to conserve coastal and marine habitats in Kenya. They support fisher institutions and partners develop and enforce by-laws that advances sustainable fishing practices including effective patrols, monitoring, awareness and reducing the use of illegal and damaging fishing practices. They will apply a diversified knowledge of fisheries-related scientific principles and practices to a broad variety of assignments, from engagement with key stakeholders, research, assessment, analysis and writing, project coordination and management.

The responsibilities and scope for this position are:

• 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 Kenya.


• Lead capacity building activities to strengthen governance and management of community-led institutions including Community Conservancies, fisheries Beach Management Units, Community Forest Associations, fisher cooperatives and others for sustainable fisheries and coastal management.


• Support designing and application of science-based management and monitoring plans/tools for sustainable resource use e.g marine – Conservancy Management and Monitoring System (Marine-CoMMS). Build the institutional capacity of key partners for lasting local capacity and multi-stakeholder collaboration on sustainable fisheries and coastal community-led conservation.


• Liaise regularly with relevant conservation organizations and partners to support implementation of NRT Marine Strategy.


• Support development and adoption of processes and tools for advancing sustainable fisheries and coastal community-led conservation through cross-cutting support from partners and local and global TNC teams.


• Lead planning and coordination of workshops and trainings, including FishPath engagement processes, in collaboration with local partners, TNC Global FishPath team and others to improve fisheries management and increase capacity in the management of fisheries and coastal habitats.


• Expand development and implementation of local-level resource management plans and interventions in target coastal communities including fisheries co-management areas, protected area plans and community-led monitoring and enforcement systems.


• Work closely with the Reef Resilience Network to build capacity of local community, practitioners, coral reef managers and scientists to support effective marine conservation, including reef restoration approaches and sharing of lessons in Kenya.


• Support implementation of community-based enterprises that incentivize sustainable practices including value chain improvement of fish and fisheries products and “Blue Carbon” Payments for Ecosystem Services


• 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.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• 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 Kenya.


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


• 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.


• Demonstrated experience and skills in managing complex field-related projects.


• Willingness and ability to undertake extended periods of field travel (at least 40%) domestically and internationally.


• Politically savvy within the national context.


• A passion for conservation, ocean protection and working with local communities

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