PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A LOCALLY RECRUITED POSITION

BACKGROUND:

The IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) operates in twenty-four countries in the Horn of Africa, covering Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). The ESARO region is extremely rich in biodiversity with a high number of endemic species and the largest populations of iconic wildlife left on the continent. ESARO’s Programme focuses on biodiversity conservation through a diverse portfolio of projects and programmatic initiatives ranging from activities at the level of individual protected areas to shaping regional policy on biodiversity conservation. ESARO defines and delivers on its programmatic priorities in collaboration with IUCN members, commissions and other strategic partners.

The Coastal and Ocean Resilience (COR) Programme is in charge of marine and coastal issues, including biodiversity conservation, development and management of marine protected areas and their networks, ecosystem and fisheries management, marine spatial planning, marine pollution, integrated management and governance of coastal areas, adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction. The WIO region faces a number of challenges, including the degradation of coastal ecosystems and habitats, climate change impacts, marine plastics pollution, with emerging pressure from port development and oil and gas exploration. Aware of this reality, IUCN has redesigned its WIO coastal and marine resilience program strategy so that it can efficiently address current and emerging challenges. The new strategy, “Towards a Blue Future”, aims at rolling out IUCN ESARO’s Blue Resilience Framework comprised of three key pillars: Blue Planet, Blue People and Blue Partnerships. The three pillars respectively aim to secure the integrity of critical blue natural capital features, increase ocean and coastal conservation benefits and stewardship; and establish innovative and ambitious partnerships to dramatically increase impact. The strategy aims at responding to the needs of the WIO region, both in terms of conservation and development by unlocking the potential of WIO’s natural capital through a blue economy.

IUCN has had its operations in Tanzania for more than four decades working with many partners and supporters to implement a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects ranging from management of protected areas, forest ecosystems, coastal and marine resources, aquatic ecosystems and climate change resilience. The Tanzania Office of IUCN is one of the fastest growing unit in the region. Over the past 12 months, the programme development momentum, development partners interest, government relations obligations at the policy level, conservation science support, membership growth and engagement and project management requirements have brought to bear the need for a higher grade.

The IUCN Tanzania office seeks to hire a COR Field Assistant to provide for support for the implementation of the Tanga-Pemba Seascape Project at field level.

JOB DESCRIPTION
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Field Assistant will work under the supervision and guidance of Program Manager – COR Prgramme in Tanzania. The major role of the Field Assistant will be to establish strong coordination and linkages amongst all the major stakeholders in the field / district and at the Regional level to ensure that program activities are implemented successfully. The Field Assistant will be responsible for managing the field-level program implementation and for achievement of the field level outputs.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

Set up and manage the project office at field level in accordance with the project work plan.
Coordinate the implementation of project activities at field level as per the project document as well as the annual work plan and budget.
Maintain close coordination with the Tanga Regional Secretariat and Pangani District Council and local actors in planning, implementation and monitoring of project activities
Support the production and sharing of project reports to relevant stakeholders through appropriate channels.
Establish linkages with other initiatives at the field level that the Irish Embassy in Tanzania supports in order to maximize synergies and complementarities.
Ensure a coordinated and collaborative approach at field-level in implementing project interventions.
Assist the Program Manager in organizing various workshops, trainings and meetings.
Update and report to the Program Manager on a regular basis about the progress and constraints and try to resolve implementation problems, if any, in consultation with advice/guidance of the Program Manager.
Act as a field level representative of the Program Manager and of IUCN during project meetings and external events.
Supervise the activities of field-based community enterprises including administrative work
Maintain close coordination/linkages with targeted project stakeholders at Regional and District level as well as development partners, NGOs and private sector, keep them fully appraised of the project activities.
Prepare annual work plan, quarterly progress report, annual progress report and other plans as required and ensure timely submission to the Program Manager.
Support the development, coordination and supervision of ocean/ blue venture enterprises to operate as desired.
Supervise, coach and mentor project beneficiaries (coastal enterprises) to achieve intended results.
Support data collection and monitoring of project activities at field level.
Assist the Program Manager on coordination, facilitation and supervision of subcontracts/consultants in the field.
Represent IUCN at relevant events
Perform any other duties as may be required
REQUIREMENTS
• Education;
Bachelor degree in fisheries, aquaculture, environmental sciences, political sciences, business administration, sustainable development or any other discipline that is relevant to nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources;

• Work Experience;
3 years of sound working experience in the field of fisheries / aquaculture
A good understanding of community development and expertise in self-reliant and participatory development process.
A track record of working with District governments, fisheries groups, women and youth groups
Able and willing to travel frequently
Computer literate

• Language Proficiency;
Excellent verbal and written communication skills in Swahili and English;

• Language Requirements;
Fluency in English and Kiswahili (both written and verbal).

• Core Competencies;
Transparency: Able to build trust and contribute to informed and responsible decision making by carrying out the work of IUCN in a transparent manner; provides clear guidance to ensure that objectives and desired measurable results are understood by members of the team.
Inclusiveness: Understands and accepts cultural diversity, and provide a tolerant, positive and supportive working environment that fosters respect for diversity, demonstrates ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
Professionalism: Promote the organization’s interests, objectives and values in a diligent and professional manner.
Accountability: Takes responsibility of individual and collective actions, promotes the IUCN One Programme approach.

• Functional Competencies;

Adheres to IUCN ESARO core values of Transparency, Inclusiveness, Professionalism and Accountability
Excellent report writing skill
A strong delivery-oriented work ethic with the ability to meet competing demands and challenging timelines;
Computer literacy in relation to office applications (word processing, spreadsheets, power point) use of internet and online communication tools
Demonstrates strong leadership and people -management experience including supervision of staff, consultants and coordination of programme/projects teams in an multi-disciplinary environment and effective management of virtual team settings;
Must be strategic thinker, highly motivated, results driven and able to energize and motivate teams
Excellent interpersonal skills to support building networks and partnerships;
Must be a strong team player with proven communication and diplomacy skills and ability to work effectively with multicultural environment displaying sensitivity and respect for diversity
Committed to continuous learning, proactive and mature attitude towards self-development;
Willing to travel and work in rural areas frequently within Tanzania