Regional Marine Coordinator At Wildlife Conservation Society

Location: Libreville, Gabon

Reports to: WCS Gabon Country Director

Start Date: ASAP

Contract: Full-time-Open ended

Travel: Frequent travel to field sites in Gabon and Republic of Congo

Purpose

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is seeking candidates for a Regional Marine Coordinator to lead the implementation of our marine activities in the Gulf of Guinea. The waters off the southeastern Gulf of Guinea are some of the most productive coastal and offshore waters for fisheries in the world. These waters harbor a number of globally important populations of sea turtles, sharks, rays, and marine mammals, including whales and dolphins. They also host Africa’s largest offshore oil fields, which are an essential cornerstone of many national economies.

The Regional Marine Coordinator will be the primary focal point and liaison between WCS and the Gabonese and Congolese government representatives, local communities, other NGOs and private sector partners to improve coastal and marine management of more than a third of a million square kilometers of territorial waters spanning the two countries in the southern Gulf of Guinea.

Responsibilities

Working closely with the WCS Gabon and WCS Congo program teams, and liaising regularly with the Senior Management teams in both country programs, the Regional Marine Coordinator will:

Project and Staff Management

• Manage the day‑to‑day operations of the marine projects in collaboration with associated Ministry staff and WCS project managers, coordinating and executing program management tasks and general personnel management.
• Identify capacity development needs for marine protected areas management, protection, and monitoring.
• Coordinate donor reporting, program development and proposal preparation
• Provide technical support and guidance to specific initiatives including the implementation of the government’s representative systems of marine protected areas and fishing reforms.
• Represent the program nationally and internationally, by participation in relevant conservation events, workshops, and symposia and in collaborations with partners.

Transboundary cooperation

• Develop and reinforce the links with Gabon Bleu and Congo marine initiatives.
• Maintain linkages and develop partnerships with governments, NGOs, partners, and private sectors working in the marine sector with a focus on Mayumba and Conkouati transboundary activities.
• Identify and share lessons learned on community activities between Mayumba and Conkouati transboundary
• Work with cross-border partners to assess cross-border threats and identify and prioritize areas for collaboration on marine sector surveillance, monitoring and research.
• Support Government counterparts with development and oversight of marine conservation strategy.
• Develop the management plans of MPAs and communities fishing zones.

Qualification Requirements

• Master’s Degree and at least 5-years’ experience in the area of marine conservation.
• Demonstrated experience (at least 5 years) in project management and implementation.
• Previous experience and technical competency with one or more of a range of marine conservation issues would be valuable. Key areas of interest include: GIS and marine spatial planning, marine enforcement, fisheries stock assessments, market chain analyses, marine mammal research, marine policy, and capacity building through training programs.
• French fluency required; English fluency a distinct advantage.
• Experience working, coordinating and collaborating with diverse sets of stakeholders – such as local NGOs, government officials, donor representatives and the private sector
• Committed to conservation and to the mission of the Wildlife Conservation Society.