Marine Programme Manager

Location: Anjouan, Comoros              

Closing date for applications: 17th of May 2021                              

Start date: As soon as possible

Contract duration: Full time position, 12 month contract, with good opportunities for renewal

Remuneration: Competitive salary based on experience + insurance coverage and annual return flight

We rebuild tropical fisheries with coastal communities

Blue Ventures’ vision is for coastal communities to manage their natural resources effectively, enriching local livelihoods and sustaining healthy marine environments for generations to come. We work with coastal communities, where the ocean is vital to local cultures and economies, to develop transformative approaches for catalysing and sustaining locally-led marine conservation.

Our partner, Dahari, is the leading Comorian NGO working in the environmental and rural development sectors. Established in 2013, it has five areas of focus: rural development, terrestrial and marine resources management, biodiversity conservation and ecotourism. Dahari has over 60 employees and works with over 20 international technical and financial partners.

The Comoros archipelago sits at the centre of the Northern Mozambique Channel, a region with the second-highest marine biodiversity globally. This marine biodiversity is critical with many people engaged in fishing and a majority relying on fish for protein. With a young, rapidly increasing population, poor education and a largely subsistence economy, more and more people in the Comoros depend on dwindling fishing stocks for food security and income.

Since 2015, Blue Ventures has provided support to Dahari to set-up and develop their marine programme, collaborating closely to develop strategies for community-led marine conservation.

Successful management initiatives put in place since 2018 have inspired growing interest in community-based fisheries management. The programme will now expand its activities in the island of Anjouan over the next three years with Darwin Initiative funding whilst strengthening experience sharing amongst fishing communities from throughout the archipelago.

Summary job description

In order to continue the work of Dahari’s groundbreaking marine programme, we are recruiting a Project Manager, based in Anjouan, Comoros. Though reporting to Blue Ventures' Regional Partner Support Coordinator, this position will manage a project team in our long standing partner, Dahari. This position will oversee the community marine programme, implementing the strategy for community-based resource management, and overseeing the programme expansion.  The role is responsible for line-managing the Dahari marine team and assisting communities to manage local marine areas in Anjouan.

 The successful candidate will be a passionate, motivated, proactive and highly organised individual, with excellent knowledge of the small-scale fisheries, marine conservation and rural development sectors. You will have a proven track record in project design and management, as well as exceptional communication and team management skills. Ideally, you will have experience of community-based conservation and development initiatives in East Africa, as well as experience in reef monitoring programmes and a SCUBA diving instructor certification. 

Download full job description including responsibilities here