[Hiring] Large Scale Fisheries Project Director @The Nature Conservancy

Role Description

The Large-Scale Fisheries Project Director leads The Nature Conservancy's efforts to work with governments and other stakeholders to design, implement, and scale electronic monitoring (EM) programs that improve fisheries management, transparency, and accountability across industrial fisheries operating in Africa and Europe. The Project Director serves as a principal representative for TNC's fisheries transparency initiatives, providing strategic, technical, and partnership leadership to advance the adoption of effective EM strategies and the use of fisheries data to support sustainable management decisions.

The location for this position is flexible within countries in Europe and Africa where The Nature Conservancy is a registered NGO and has an established office in Europe (these include Croatia, Belgium, Germany, and the UK) and in Africa (these include Angola, Gabon, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia).

Essential Functions:

• Establish TNC as a trusted partner in the design and implementation of electronic monitoring programs.
• Build strategic partnerships with government agencies, industry stakeholders, regional fisheries management organizations, technology providers, and civil society organizations.
• Provide technical support for the design, implementation, evaluation, and scaling of EM programs, including policy frameworks, operational models, governance arrangements, financing approaches, and implementation roadmaps.
• Work collaboratively with stakeholders to identify barriers, develop practical solutions, and integrate EM data into fisheries management, compliance, and decision-making processes.
• Develop and manage multi-stakeholder collaborations, build technical and institutional capacity, negotiate complex solutions, and facilitate policy dialogue.
• Represent TNC in national, regional, and international forums and communicate best practices, lessons learned, and innovative approaches that accelerate fisheries transparency and accountability.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree and 5 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience managing complex or multiple projects, including staffing, workloads and finances under deadlines.
• Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives and managing performance.
• Experience in partnership development with non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies.
• Experience negotiating.

Requirements

• 5-7 years of experience in fisheries management, marine conservation, natural resource governance, environmental policy, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, or scaling electronic monitoring, fisheries transparency, monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS), or related fisheries management programs.
• Demonstrated experience influencing, developing, and implementing fisheries management policies, regulations, standards, or implementation frameworks.
• Experience working with government fisheries agencies, regional fisheries management organizations, seafood industry stakeholders, and international partners.
• Demonstrated success building and managing complex partnerships and multi-stakeholder collaborations across diverse political, cultural, and institutional contexts.
• Experience securing and managing grants, contracts, and donor-funded programs.
• Knowledge of current trends, best practices, and emerging issues related to electronic monitoring, fisheries transparency, sustainable seafood, and industrial fisheries management.
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working in a highly matrixed, decentralized, and collaborative organization.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Proficiency in French or Swahili is preferred.
• Politically savvy, with demonstrated ability to influence decision-makers and build consensus among diverse stakeholders.

Benefits

• Competitive and comprehensive benefits packages tailored to the individual countries where we work.
• Health care benefits, retirement benefits, parental leave, paid time off, life insurance, and disability coverage.
• Employee assistance program and other life and well-being benefits.
• Flexible work environment that supports the health and well-being of employees.