Strengthening sargassum management and valorisation “Sargassum value chain manager” (M/W) At Expertise France

Mission description

The Sargassum value chain manager will report to the Team Leader in Fort-de-France.

Based in Fort-de-France, Martinique, and under the supervision of the Team Leader, the Sargassum value chain manager will be responsible for the detailed planning, operational and budgetary monitoring of activities under Component 2 of the project, as well as relations with partners involved in implementing activities within this component. In this context, the main tasks of the Sargassum value chain manager are as follows:

Strengthening public-private governance capacities and mechanisms:

– In collaboration with the officer in charge of technical assistance to the OECS,

o assesses the technical and equipment capacity-building needs of public, private and public-private actors in the various thematic areas relevant to sargassum management;
o supports OECS, the project’s implementing partner, in defining its activities to strengthen public policies as well as the technical and equipment capacities of public players and governance mechanisms in the 4 target islands;
o ensures consistency between the activities implemented by OECS and the other activities under Component 2.

– In collaboration with the environmental and social risks expert, provides training for partners under Component 2 (OECS and project leaders selected under the call for projects) on the reduction and management of environmental and social risks, and on the development of sustainable economic models;
– Develop tools to integrate the gender dimension into the planning and implementation of public policies for Sargassum management;
– In collaboration with the grants officer, ensures that project leaders understand the administrative and financial procedures related to Expertise France grants;

Awarding grants as part of a call for projects:

– Prepares the call for projects on the structuring of sargassum management and valorization sectors:
o analyses, on the basis of existing studies, sector needs in the 4 target countries and the environmental and social risks associated with sargassum management and valorization,
o drafts the terms of reference of the call for projects including specific provisions to reinforce the inclusion of women and the management of the environmental and social risks of the selected projects,
o defines the financing schemes and the grants implementation schedule (with the support of the grants officer),
o defines the eligibility and selection criteria,
o formalizes the selection committee.
– Supports the dissemination of the call for projects in coordination with the grants officer;
– Oversees the project evaluation and selection process;
– Contributes to compliance checks in accordance with current procedures;
– Selects projects on the basis of eligibility criteria such as economic, social and environmental viability, and management of the environmental and social risks associated with the project;
– Appraises selected projects and reviews the contracts and internal documentation required for approval.

Operational monitoring of grant contract implementation:

– Ensures operational monitoring of selected projects, support of project leaders and the proper application of procedures;
– Ensures the implementation of necessary risk prevention and reduction measures, in collaboration with the environmental and social risk management expert;
– Supports the organization of monitoring committees and field visits;
– Checks and validates technical reports and deliverables.

Monitoring administrative and financial execution:

– In collaboration with the grants officer:
o Checks the consistency of financial reports;
o Ensures partner(s) compliance with EF administrative procedures (purchasing and contracting, supporting documents, etc.);
o Supports the preparation of annual grant audits in collaboration with the admin/finance team and partner focal points.
– Consolidates monthly budget monitoring for component 2 (budget allocations, monitoring of commitments, forecasting) ;

Monitoring and evaluation:

– Supports the implementation of the monitoring-evaluation plan;
– Supports field evaluation missions;
– Supports the project capitalization process.

Project or context description

CONTEXT

Expertise France is the public agency for the design and implementation of international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four priority areas:
• democratic, economic and financial governance;
• peace, stability and security;
• climate, biodiversity and sustainable development;
• health and human development.

In these areas, Expertise France engineers and implements capacity-building projects, mobilizes technical expertise and coordinates projects involving public expertise and private know-how.

With a volume of activity of 324 million euros and over 500 projects in its portfolio in around 100 countries, Expertise France’s action is part of France’s policy of solidarity, influence and economic diplomacy.

In the Caribbean, Expertise France is mainly involved in regional projects to support governments in fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity.
Launched in 2023 following the success of “Euroclima” in Latin America, the “Euroclima Caribbean” program contributes to the region’s green transition through climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts as well as the protection and conservation of biological diversity in the Caribbean.
Expertise France also implements the “RESEMBID” program in the region, which promotes resilience, sustainable energy and marine biodiversity, as well as the “Green Overseas” program aiming to accelerate the energy transition and increase the climate resilience of overseas countries and territories.
Funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), the Sargassum regional management and coordination project aims to foster regional cooperation dynamics in the Caribbean and support small island developing states in structuring a framework for the management and valorisation of sargassum.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The aim of the project is to minimize and limit the negative impacts of stranded sargassum on local economies, communities and coastal ecosystems. To achieve this, the project consists of three main components and a cross-cutting component:

1. Strengthen regional cooperation in the Caribbean on sargassum planning and management approaches, contributing to the development of joint advocacy. This component aims to engage communities of practice and capitalize on the experiences and knowledge developed at all levels of the sargassum management chain: prediction and monitoring of sargassum drifts, collection methods, pretreatment and characterization of sargassum components, transport, storage, and their valorization into marketable products.

2. Assist small island states of the Caribbean (Saint Lucia, Grenada, Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) to implement integrated sargassum management and valorisation operations. In partnership with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), this component aims to strengthen the capacities of public and private actors in sargassum management operations. This component will enable the definition and deployment of a roadmap for the management of collection operations, through training and equipment of the personnel involved. It will also allow the development of early warning mechanisms for coastal communities and coordination with transporters, as well as the development of suitable pretreatment systems, and biomass storage at secure sites. To support private actors in the structuring of sargassum value chains, the project will launch a call for projects in the 4 targeted islands.

3. Support regional scientific cooperation to maximise global understanding of the sargassum phenomenon and feed into the framing of research-based public policies. The project will deploy a collective expertise network to bring together a group of scientists and experts from different Caribbean research centres to mobilize all knowledge and build scientific consensus on the complex issues around sargassum. In addition, the project will launch a call for research projects to strengthen regional dynamics around scientific cooperation and the implementation of concrete solutions adapted to the Caribbean context.

The project also includes a cross-cutting gender outcome, aiming to integrate gender into the integrative management operations of sargassum.

The main implementing partners for the project will be:
• The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States: a direct grant will be awarded to the OECS for the implementation of certain activities under Component 2 and Component 1, focusing on strengthening public policy on sargassum, governance and the technical and equipment capacities of public actors working on sargassum.
• Private or public-private actors involved in the sargassum management/valorisation sector on the 4 islands supported under Component 2 of the project. They will receive grants via a Call for Projects for the development of sustainable economic models for the management and valorisation of sargassum.
• The Research and Development Institute (IRD), which will provide a summary of scientific knowledge to date on sargassum (Collective Scientific Expertise mechanism) and producing science-based recommendations for political decision-makers.
• The laboratories and research centres of the various research hubs in the Caribbean and Central America, which will receive grants following a Call for research projects under the Component 3.

THE PROJECT TEAM

Situation/position: Operations Department – Sustainable Development Department – Biodiversity Division

A specific team will be deployed in Fort-de-France and Saint Lucia. It will consist of:

• In Fort-de-France, Martinique:
o Team Leader in charge of the project technical and operational management
o Sargassum value chain manager (Component 2)
o Grants Officer
o Scientific knowledge building and learning officer
o Administrative and Financial officer or manager

• In Saint Lucia:
o Technical Assistance Officer to the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)

• Short term expertise based in the Caribbean:
o An expert in Environmental and Social Risk Management
o A MEAL expert
o A Gender expert

Required profile

Education

– Master 2 or equivalent in political science, international relations, biology, conservation biology, development economics, agronomy, environment, geography;
– Additional training in the following areas would be an asset: biomass or waste recovery, conservation and management of the marine and coastal environment.

Experiences

– Minimum 7 years of general professional experience in the implementation of international cooperation projects or programs;
– Operational experience and sound knowledge in the field of preservation and/or restoration of biodiversity and marine and coastal ecosystems, threatened and/or endangered species;
– Experience in setting up and managing calls for projects, managing and awarding grants for international cooperation projects;
– Experience in leading activities and engaging the private sector in cooperation projects.
– Experience in multi-country, multi-actor projects or programs;
– Experience of cooperation projects/programs in the Caribbean.

Skills

– A very good knowledge of the sargassum issue in the Caribbean, of the different approaches to sargassum management, value chains, and of the regulatory framework;
– Knowledge of the basic issues related to gender equality and/or human rights in the biodiversity and ecosystems protection sector would be an asset;
– Excellent interpersonal and diplomatic skills;
– Excellent organizational skills;
– Strong capacity for autonomy and adaptation; responsiveness and flexibility; teamwork;
– Ability to work fluently in English and French (written and spoken); fluency in Spanish is an asset;
– Perfect command of office software.