Overview

Job Title: PROGRAMMES OFFICER (DIGITAL PRODUCT SPECIALIST)
Location: Dumaguete City, Philippines (option for role to be partially remote)
Starting salary: £12,000 GBP per annum
Contract Length: Permanent (Full Time) following a 3-month probation period
Job Start Date: 5th June 2023
Reporting to: Programmes Manager
Closing date for applications 30th April 2023 (23:00 UK BST time)

For more information and full job description download this PDF.

ABOUT REEF-WORLD
Hi! We’re The Reef-World Foundation, a registered UK charity which delivers practical solutions for marine conservation around the world. We are a small but highly effective team of passionate and dedicated individuals who are driven by achieving lasting conservation impacts in areas of the world where it is needed the most. We started working with local fishing communities in Thailand in 1999. Today we operate across 14 countries, supporting governments, businesses and communities to sustainably develop their coastal resources.

In partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), we are the international coordinator of the Green Fins initiative, which aims to protect and conserve coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines that promote a sustainable diving and snorkelling tourism industry. The reality is that coral reefs could be gone in your lifetime – if they go, the health and wellbeing of people and the planet go with them. Reef-World is working to buy more time for coral reefs to thrive by mobilising collective, urgent and wilful action through the marine tourism industry.

Our work involves supporting, inspiring and empowering governments, businesses, communities and individuals around the world to act in conserving and sustainably developing coral reefs and other coastal resources.

The Reef-World Foundation is subject to UK employment law.

Main Purpose of the Role
Reef-World’s Programmes Officers provide technical support for the development and delivery of assigned Reef-World Programmes. This Programmes Officer role is tied specifically to overseeing Green Fins digital products including but not limited to the public website (greenfins.net), Green Fins Hub and Green Fins e-Courses.

As a key member of the Programmes team, you will be helping to protect one of the world’s most valuable ecosystems – coral reefs – by building the knowledge, capacity, and motivation for the global marine tourism industry to become more sustainable.

Programmes Officers supporting the Green Fins programme are passionate about protecting coral reefs and the incredible marine life they support because of their ecological value as well as for the benefit of our stakeholders – local communities, visitors, and future generations.

REEF-WORLD’S CORE VALUES

• We empower our colleagues, our stakeholders, our partners and our supporters to have conservation impact.
• We collaborate. Our approach is not competitive – the more we collaborate, the stronger the conservation impact we will have.
• We are innovative. We explore new ways to grow and harness new technology that helps us do so. We are not afraid to break from the norm and use innovative approaches, to achieve conservation impact.
• We stay optimistic in our decision-making and in our approach to tackling global conservation issues.
• We seek to inform. The messages we bring to the public’s attention are based on sound science. We strive to keep ourselves informed and in tune with the latest science and approaches.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Role Specific Responsibilities

• Ensure Reef-World’s digital product portfolio increases awareness and uptake of environmental standards and generates a sustainable source of income for the charity.
• Serve as an in-house expert for our digital products and become the go-to person for functional issues.
  Own the product roadmap for Green Fins Hub.
• Interact directly with end users to understand their needs in the context of wider conservation and tourism industry needs.
• Pitch product design enhancements to gain consensus and approval from the wider Reef-World team – draft these into technical requirements where appropriate.
• Work directly with software engineers to oversee software development and testing.
• Maintain working relationships with external agencies and consultants for software development as needed.
• Work with Reef-World’s network of stakeholders (Green Fins national teams, trusted experts, partners, etc) to facilitate their use of RWFs digital products.
• Manage and maintain Reef-World’s Green Fins online courses platform to achieve maximum uptake and knowledge sharing.

Programmes Officer Responsibilities

• Support Reef-World’s Green Fins active country operations and assigned national teams by being the key point of contact, supporting strategy development and implementation, and overseeing quality control
• Support the training and capacity building for Green Fins (certified and digital membership) across active and new countries (from a national to a local level), including planning and logistics
• Act as one of the implementation contacts for the Green Fins network (dive, snorkel, freedive and liveaboard operations, NGOs, national and local authorities) to share lessons across active and non-active countries, support implementation and provide technical advice for enhanced conservation impact
• Support the Programmes Manager to develop and implement the Programmes strategy and workplan
• Support the Programmes Manager in the development and oversight of new programmes to further the Charity’s mission and strategic plan

Internal Communication

• Utilise internal communication platforms and channels to maintain regular communication within the Programmes team and to other staff members.

Personnel Coordination

• Manage project staff, interns and volunteers as directed
• Support the induction and orientation of new staff
• Support the Reef-World team in creating and maintaining the conditions to ensure effective teamwork and morale following Reef-World’s core values and in line with our Culture of Care.

Culture of Care

• Make use of wellbeing days as necessary
• Ensure communication and methods of working with other staff is informed by insights gained from TypeCoach personality analysis
• Make use of the support provided by the Reef-World team coach where applicable, and advocate for this among co-workers.

Office Maintenance

• Support the upkeep of the SE Asia Office (e.g., cleaning, monthly bills payment, maintaining communications systems)
• Support opportunities to improve the office and create positive working environments for staff as directed
• Support the maintenance of Reef-World’s vehicles and equipment in SE Asia HQ.

Communications

• Support Reef-World’s Communications team in ensuring Reef-World‘s communications and digital assets are adequately representing assigned Reef-World’s Programmes and any branding guidelines
• Support Reef-World’s Communications team in ensuring assigned Reef-World’s Programmes’ communications align to and deliver on Reef-World’s strategic plan and charitable objectives
• To represent Reef-World at conferences, dive and travel shows and international conservation events.

Administration

• Ensure organised accounting and reimbursement of all Reef-World expenses to the Directors
  Support reporting of Reef-World activities to the Trustees, UNEP and other grant sources.

General

• To follow all international, regional, national and local laws at all times
• To ensure Reef-World staff follow all international, regional and local laws at all times.

The employee’s duties may from time to time be reasonably modified as necessary to meet the needs of the Charity and/or associated project.

 

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for an experienced Digital Product Specialist to oversee the Green Fins Hub and take it to the next level. The successful candidate will understand user needs, design ongoing product iterations and lead digital product development including testing, product strategy and delivery. Enhancements will be user-centred, intuitive, functional and achieve desired outcomes.

You should be a proactive and resourceful leader and team player, able to work independently and remotely across multiple time zones while maintaining strong communication with international team members. You will naturally approach tasks with a sense of curiosity, patience and the ability to consider the bigger picture impact of your work. You’ll be open to new experiences and adventures, adaptable and have a good sense of humour!

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• A certified scuba diver
• A Bachelor’s degree in the area of business, international development, technology, information systems, product, digital or any other relevant field (2 additional years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree)
• 3 years experience scaling and enhancing proven digital products
• Ability to assess and understand digital products
• Ability to engage effectively with relevant stakeholders to plan and implement to product roadmaps
• Understanding of different contexts and experience working in developing countries
• Technical proficiency including design thinking, agile methodology, web application development, product development and community management
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, excellent technical communication with peers and non-technical stakeholders
• Fluency in English is required
• Self-motivated with a positive and professional approach to work
• Highly developed attention to detail
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Committed to diversity, equity and inclusion

Desirable

• Prior experience in conservation / environmental management
• Prior experience working with governments and/or NGOs
• Previous knowledge of the diving or marine tourism industry
• Multilingual
• Experience using Google Workspace including Drive, Docs, Gmail and Calendar

Reef-World believes that a team with diverse experiences and backgrounds generates richer discussions and more nuanced thinking that will magnify our conservation impact. We strive to be an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome and respected. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from anyone with the required skills and experience: whatever their background or location. We actively encourage applications from those whose identities reflect the diversity of the communities and networks we serve and whose identities are traditionally underrepresented in the conservation sector.

BENEFITS

• Holiday entitlement – 30 days a year.
• Flexible working – The Directors are based in an office in Bristol and we have a field office in Dumaguete in the Philippines. As an international team working across timezones our working policy is flexible and hybrid.
• Pension – For UK employees, we’ll pay a minimum of 3% or match up to a maximum of 8% per month. You’ll pay a minimum of 5% of your qualifying earnings per month.
• Staff – A small, friendly (but ambitious) staff team

HOW TO APPLY
Please email your CV and a separate attached cover letter specific to this position to apply@reef-world.org.

In your cover letter, please include how you meet the job specifications and why you feel you’re the best person to help us boost our global conservation impact. If you’re a diver, please include details of your qualification and the number of dives.

We will then get back to you after the team has reviewed your application and let you know if we would like to pursue your application. Due to the expected volume of incoming enquiries, the charity does not have the resources to provide feedback on applications that have not been accepted. If you do not hear from us, then take note that we have decided not to take your application further, and we wish you the best of luck in your career.

Applications close 30th April 2023 (23:00 UK BST time). 

Round 1 of interviews (online) week commencing 8th to 19th May 2023. 

Round 2 of interviews (online) week commencing 22nd May to 2nd June 2023 (you will be expected to complete a short assignment if you reach this stage).

For more information and full job description download this PDF.