Senior Fishery and Aquaculture Officer

Key Functions

• Plans, manages, or leads highly specialized or multidisciplinary teams; leads, coordinates, and/or participates in regional committees, project teams, and working groups, and/or provides technical leadership/secretariat services in technical networks and/or international technical policy and standard setting bodies.
• Analyses global and country specific requirements and relevant technical issues to provide critical inputs into the FAO Strategic Framework, Programme of Work, work plans and the supporting budgets and/or resourcing strategies.
• Implements and monitors programmes of work involving the development of the approach, evidence-based strategies, and related tools, methodologies and supporting system/database, monitoring and reporting frameworks.
• Conducts, designs and oversees research and analysis of activities to support the development of technical standards, international instruments, innovation, technical reports, publications and/or on-going programme development as well as the provision of technical and/or policy advisory services.
• Provides technical and policy advice to Members and technical support to Decentralized Offices in the development and implementation of their programmes.
• Leads and/or collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to and ensures the quality/effectiveness of capacity development and knowledge sharing activities within Members such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events including preparation of related information, learning, online tools.
• Represents the Organization at international meetings and conferences, identifies and implements strategic partnerships, advocates best practices and increased policy dialogue, develops and negotiates effective working relationships/consensus and agreements with international and national stakeholders.
• Leads and/or participates in resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.

Specific Functions

• Contributes to the regional dimensions of the three pillars of FAO's Programme of work on Blue Transformation.
• Monitors the fishery and aquaculture situation in countries and groups of countries in the region, and analyses their technical assistance needs, identifying major problems of fisheries and aquaculture in marine and inland waters, including issues of social and economic nature at national and regional levels.
• Plans and implements programmes for the development and management of fisheries and aquaculture value chains in the region, in close cooperation with the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI), the Regional Office for Africa (RAF) and in liaison with the FAO Subregional Offices for Central (SFC), Eastern (SFE), Southern (SFS) and West (SFW) Africa.
• Leads field programme missions, including sector review missions, to identify and formulate field projects and programmes which are consistent with the Country Programming Framework (CPF).
• Identifies possible sources of extra-budgetary funding for fishery and aquaculture projects.
• Analyses, assesses and disseminates information and policy advice concerning the technical, social and economic aspects of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture development in the region.
• Provides guidance, technical support and capacity building of FAO staff, Member Nations and regional economic bodies on issues related to sustainable fisheries and aquaculture development.
• Provides technical and policy advice to Member Nations and technical support to Country and Subregional Offices in the development and implementation of their programmes of work.
• Collaborates with and supports regional fishery bodies and regional networks, international partners, development finance and other institutions concerned with fisheries and aquaculture to deliver coordinated information, sound policy advice and comprehensive strategies to strengthen and harmonize fisheries management and aquaculture development in the region.
• Participates in the sessions of the FAO Committee on Fisheries.
• Acts as Secretary of the Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF) and of the Committee for Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture of Africa (CIFAA).

 CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Advanced university degree in natural resource economics, fisheries or aquaculture economics or marine sciences or marine affairs, or related fields such as veterinary science or food science, with a specialization in fisheries and/or aquaculture management and/or governance or other field related to fields related to fisheries and aquaculture and/or aquaculture and/or aquatic sciences or related discipline.

Ten years of relevant experience in fisheries management, aquaculture development, fisheries economics or trade, safety and quality of fisheries products, or management of data and information in fisheries and aquaculture.

Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Competencies

• Results Focus
• Leading, Engaging and Empowering
• Communication
• Partnering and Advocating
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
• Strategic Thinking

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is essential.
• Extent and relevance of experience in providing technical assistance in fisheries and aquaculture including related areas which may include sustainable management, capacity building, fisheries policy, economics or trade, post-harvest processing.
• Demonstrated results-based management capabilities with an ability to manage programmes, budgets and human resources efficiently under shifting priorities and to deliver against deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to mobilize resources and plan and implement development programmes related to fisheries and aquaculture.
• Experience of international and inter-governmental processes for dialogue and setting of norms, including UN, Regional Commissions or intergovernmental bodies.
• Extent and relevance of experience in organizing international workshops, meetings and training courses.
• Ability to write clearly and concisely; to write and present technical material for science to policy communication.