Overview

Location: Either in one of our global offices (Bristol or London – UK, Belize, Timor-Leste) or home-based within countries where Blue Ventures has administrative capacity (Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania)

Closing date for applications: 16th December 2023

Contract status: Global Post, Full-time

Start date: As soon as possible

Contract duration: 2 years fixed term (with the possibility of extension)

Remuneration: Competitive salary based on experience as per national salary range at Senior Officer level

Salary Band: Senior Officer

We rebuild tropical fisheries with coastal communities

Blue Ventures is a marine conservation organisation that puts people first. We support coastal fishers in remote and rural communities to rebuild fisheries and restore ocean life. Our work began two decades ago in Madagascar’s remote coastal communities and is growing globally.

Across a dozen countries, we’re partnering with traditional fishers and community organisations to design, scale, strengthen and sustain fisheries management and conservation at the community level. We bring partners together in networks to advocate for reform, and share tools and best practices to support fishing communities across the globe.

Summary job description

Our Technical Knowledge team oversees Blue Ventures’ technical pillars (Secure Rights, Community-Based Fisheries Management, Better Returns, Financial Inclusion, and the crosscutting theme of Gender) and supports the use of data for decision-making, providing tools, training, and guidance to partners and Blue Ventures’ staff around the world. This team integrates expertise and deep practical experience with pragmatism and a desire to enable others to deliver lasting change, by distilling global best practices and knowledge into usable tools, appropriate training, and responsive guidance and support. The team is also responsible for delivering peer learning exchanges and knowledge-sharing events both online and face-to-face across the organisation, in addition to overseeing technical publications.

We are currently recruiting for an exceptional individual to join this global team, supporting field teams, partners and coastal communities to collect, manage, analyse and visualise data to inform fisheries and ecosystem management. With support from the broader Technical Knowledge and Organisational Monitoring & Evaluation teams, this individual will be responsible for populating and maintaining a global spatial database linking communities and LMMAs with their associated data. They will also be responsible for mapping the extent of reef, seagrass and mangroves within the global network of LMMAs we support using best available datasets, and supporting colleagues in communicating and interpreting these findings.

The Blue Ventures Technical Knowledge team has a unique vantage point, gained through supporting dozens of partners working with hundreds of communities across South East Asia, the Western Indian Ocean, West Africa, and the Caribbean, as well as being part of international fora and members of expert panels. As such, our technical team plays a key role in identifying, collating, sharing, and transferring key insights and successful approaches, updating information, training, tools, and guidance around the world, and building a community of practice around each of the pillar themes.

At the heart of Blue Ventures’ 2030 strategy is an unwavering commitment to empowering communities through participatory collection, feedback, and use of fisheries and ecological data for adaptive management, and playing a leadership role in our sector to make this the norm. Over the next few years we are continuing to build and improve our spatial data to strengthen our ability to interpret changes to the fisheries and ecosystems where we work.

The Senior Officer – Data for Decision Making will support the Technical Knowledge team in ensuring there is accurate and reliable spatial data to inform conservation decision making across all pillars of our work. The candidate will have a background in managing spatial data within international environmental contexts, and ideally have knowledge of fisheries ecology. They must have an excellent understanding of geographic information systems, and technical experience of managing spatial databases with a good understanding of data system processes. The candidate will be confident in using ecological data for analyses and reporting, producing outputs for a range of different audiences, including running statistical analysis. You should be confident and have experience in communicating scientific methodological concepts, tools and processes, in a simple way for non-technical audiences.

Blue Ventures recognises the key roles that women play in fisheries management and conservation as fishers, gleaners, processors, sellers, and negotiators and seeks to highlight the important value of their roles in fisheries governance, that are often invisible, so that they also benefit. An understanding of the challenges faced, particularly by women in fisheries, and experience working in communities to find some practical solutions are desirable for this role.

The successful candidate will have an understanding of the complex challenges facing coastal communities monitoring their fisheries and coastal ecosystems. They will thrive in environments that are dynamic, fast-paced, collegiate, and ambitious; they will have a proven track record in distilling complexity into easily interpretable material, be able to deliver high-impact written work, and communicate effectively with diverse audiences, ranging from fishing communities to practitioners, academic institutions, governments, and other technical experts.

The role will support interdisciplinary and international teams in building, maintaining and interpreting their data. This position will report to the Manager – Data for Decision Making, and will be based in one of our regional hubs, with regular overseas travel to work with partners and teams around the world.

Responsibilities

Support in the development and delivery of spatial data across Blue Ventures, under the Technical and Knowledge function:

Update and maintain spatial databases + systems

• Work with Global teams to develop, populate and maintain a GIS database for across every existing community, linked to community level metadata with ability for instant access and use by communities
• Work closely with the Organisational Monitoring & Evaluation team to ensure spatial databases and data meets organisational evaluation and reporting requirements
• Support the Manager – Data for Decision Making to ensure spatial data is accurately collected throughout fisheries and ecological data collection processes
• Advise and coordinate how Blue Ventures manages its spatial data, including naming conventions and folder structures, and ensure spatial solutions are interoperable with existing database tools (e.g. Snowflake).

Map areas of work

• Collate spatial data across all countries of work
• Map areas of operation and areas under management in all sites, disaggregated by shallow marine habitat (including reefs, seagrass, mangroves), and establishing and creating geographical data, with community-level metadata and partner profile information stored in a standardised and shared programme management system.
• Work closely with the Technical Knowledge team to embed mapping results in our programmes

Analyse and use spatial data

• Provide support to field teams to analyse fisheries and ecological data to support community-led decision making for fisheries and ecosystem management
• Supporting Blue Ventures colleagues with ad-hoc GIS and data analysis tasks
• Facilitate spatial data requests – compiling data, administering data sharing agreements and providing information on methods and background

Coordinate training materials

• Support the creation of training materials and useful tools that build skills to enable partners to use spatial data for small-scale fisheries management and habitat protection.
• Contributing to technical rigour on knowledge products, reports, and other external documents and ensuring adaptation and evolution of strategies and approaches where needed by sourcing data from field teams and partners, maintaining databases, and providing it to wider team
• Undertake and coordinate training in spatial data management and analyses when necessary
• Building connections among partners across different geographies, with a particular focus on ensuring information, lessons learned, and best practices are identified and proactively shared

Skills and experience

Required

• Graduate level qualification in geography, natural resource management, fisheries science, ecology, or related computer science, or data science
• Two years experience working in a field relating to natural resources mapping and monitoring, with a strong focus on data
• Excellent, demonstrable ability to work with GIS
• Experience building and maintaining databases with a range of types of data
• Experience conducting statistical analyses, as well as visualising ecological and spatial data using technical software (e.g. Excel, GIS/ArcGIS, Tableau, PowerBI, R, Python or similar)
• Excellent communication, analytical, and writing skills, as well as an ability to communicate technical information in a clear and concise manner for a general audience
• Experience providing teaching, coaching, or mentoring in technical areas
• Ability to work well as part of a multicultural team, demonstrating empathy and adaptability
• Willingness to travel and spend time in remote and challenging environments for work
• Experience working in Blue Ventures’ target regions, including knowledge of marine environmental issues and cultural context.
• Blue Ventures seeks candidates fluent in English for this role.

We would also love to see

• Experience working specifically with fisheries and marine ecosystem data
• Experience of monitoring and evaluation in international development contexts
• Adaptability: The successful candidate should be adaptable and able to navigate through diverse and dynamic environments, being open to change, embracing new ideas, and adjusting based on feedback.
• Empathy: The Senior Officer should have the ability to understand and relate to the challenges and aspirations of local communities, fostering trust and constructive engagement.
• Collaborative Approach: The ideal candidate would demonstrate a collaborative leadership style. Working effectively with a multi-disciplinary, international team and building strong relationships with external partners and stakeholders.
• It is a desired requirement that the candidate is fluent in at least one other language spoken in our operating regions, including French, Malagasy, Swahili, Portuguese, Spanish, or Bahasa Indonesia.

You will be a great fit if

• You show a commitment to Blue Ventures’ mission and values, evidenced by a high level of personal and professional integrity, humility, and humanity.
• You demonstrate a strong bias for action and comfort with the uncertain; you are motivated to move forward, make decisions, and finalise details quickly once information is available.
• You’ve shown a willingness and ability to challenge the status quo creatively and productively.
• You have an analytical mindset and orientation towards measurement, outcomes, and continuous improvement and learning. You value in others, and in yourself, data-driven and consultative decision-making.
• You think critically and put a high value on offering and receiving constructive feedback and criticism.
• You’re a natural relationship builder and have a proven ability to work collaboratively with others in a complex organisation, demonstrating professional curiosity, team building, and facilitation skills. You enjoy collaboration and have a genuine interest in learning from and developing others.
• You’re a people person who takes pride and pleasure in developing talent and creating safe, happy, productive, and engaging workplace cultures and environments for staff at all levels and from varied backgrounds. You crave building teams, finding talent, nurturing relationships, and tackling challenging people-related issues.
• You are a passionate professional who combines strong leadership skills with patience and a humble approach.
• You’re able to engage people’s energies, hearts, and minds in service of a mission.
• You use exemplary interpersonal skills to establish relationships of trust and influence
• You’re detail-oriented and compliance-minded; you enjoy dotting i’s and crossing t’s
• You demonstrate excellent organisational skills, an ability to marshall resources, and a desire to continually improve systems and processes.
• You show self-motivation, flexibility, and the ability to work and thrive in a fast-paced, energetic, entrepreneurial environment.
• You’re trustworthy in managing sensitive situations and information; you are discrete, professional, and possess excellent judgement
• You are comfortable with a playfully professional workplace culture.

We encourage applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, religion, or sexual orientation, and evaluate all candidates based on merit. We welcome candidates from countries in which Blue Ventures operates. We offer a supportive environment for professional development, as well as a competitive salary.

Gender equality and equity is a key priority for Blue Ventures and its mission to secure more sustainable fisheries management and conservation for communities. It is the responsibility of all employees to ensure that equal opportunities are available and accessible for all and that no one is excluded or further discriminated against due to the multiple identities they may hold including: sex, gender, age, ethnic origin, disability, religion or belief, socio-economic status or geographical location. Any conduct that prevents the promotion of equality and equity will be dealt with in accordance with BV’s policies and procedures and we encourage all colleagues, partners, trustees, and communities to report violations to our code of conduct via the safeguarding committee or +44 7950 182475.

This job description details the main duties and responsibilities for the position. However, team members are required to show flexibility in their approach to work and be willing to undertake other tasks that are reasonably allocated to them but which are not part of their regular job description.

We are a mission-driven organisation, and senior staff in particular are expected to show willingness to adapt to unexpected changes that come with growth − this may include occasional work whenever or wherever requested by their line manager. Where any task becomes a regular part of someone’s responsibilities, the job description will be updated in consultation with the team member.

Blue Ventures is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young and vulnerable people and expects all members of staff to share this commitment. We take a zero tolerance approach to anyone who contravenes our safeguarding and protection policies. All candidates will be asked questions on safeguarding and child protection.

Application process

Applicants should apply online via Blue Ventures’ website by 16th December 2023

All shortlisted candidates will be contacted within two weeks of the closing date.

Why work with us

Mission: We operate at the frontline of some of the world’s most pressing environmental problems, innovating effective, equitable, and scalable responses with coastal communities. We are recognised as a transformative force in our sector.

Working style: We’re a fast-moving social enterprise, quick to embrace and implement promising ideas without bureaucracy.

Autonomy: We expect and support our colleagues to take a lead in their own work, offering scope for creativity and strategic input.

Professional development: We challenge and support our colleagues to grow their skills, providing considerable exposure to different work experiences and training opportunities.

Adventure: We offer extensive opportunities for travel, working in diverse environmental and cultural contexts.

Family: We look out for one another as we work closely together in challenging situations, celebrating successes and spurring each other on when the going gets tough.

Values: Our organisational values are central to everything we do:

Communities first
Above all, we listen to community needs, responding in a sensitive and pragmatic way for lasting benefits.

Passion & belief
Our mission is urgent and critical, we believe that our approach works, and we’re determined to get the job done.

Valued people & effective teams
We work in diverse and inclusive teams where all members have a voice and influence.

Innovation & courage
We’re resourceful and creative. We’re prepared to take risks and challenge broken paradigms.

Openness & humility
We work in a transparent and collaborative way to share what we learn.

Grounded in evidence
We have high standards and aren’t afraid to be self-critical. If something doesn’t work, we change tack until we’re on the right course.