Specialist on fishery value chain and project assistance

Organizational Setting:

The Government of Japan and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations signed an agreement on 28 August 2019 to implement the project entitled “Project for Enhancing Livelihoods, Food Security and Maritime Safety through Increased Resilience of Fishing Communities Dependent on Coral Reef Fisheries in the African Coastal Countries of the Indian Ocean” – REEFFISH project (Project Symbol: GCP/RAF/520/JPN). The selected countries for the project are Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles.

The overall impact of the project is "resilience of coral reef fishing communities" by targeting the following outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Improved management of fisheries around coral reefs and FADs, both for restoration and protection and for income generation.
• Outcome 2: Improved fisheries value chains and market access for coral reef and FAD fisheries products.
• Outcome 3: Reduction of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and enhancement of maritime safety.

In Mauritius the project is implemented through a collaboration between FAO and the Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping. The project sites in Mauritius are located in the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues.

The Work Plan and Annual Budget of Mauritius for 2022 has been validated during the National Steering Committee in May 2022. In this framework, a project assistant will be recruited to assist the National Project Coordinator of the Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping in the implementation of activities related to the Outcome 2 and in particular:

• Fisheries value chains developed, upgraded, and strengthened (Output 2.1) through value chain assessments for selected fisheries products and value chain equipment installation.
• Improved Capacity of Youth and Women groups on business development and management (Output 2.2) through identification of specific intervention, trainings and capacity building.

Furthermore, the project assistant can also provide technical and administrative assistance in other activities related to the project if relevant.

Reporting Lines:

The project assistant will work under the general supervision of the FAOR in Madagascar, to Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles, the direct supervision of the Deputy FAO Representative, and the technical guidance of the Regional coordinator and National Project coordinator, in close collaboration with the national project team.

Technical Focus:

Activities implementation, field visits and meetings, administrative and technical support, delivery and reporting of the activities of the project.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Day-to-day assistance for the implementation of project activities in Mauritius;
• Prepare and follow up closely and timely on implementation of project activities in close collaboration with the National Project Coordinator
• Participate in the project team meeting (regional and national)
• Follow-up the activities in the field and work closely with the fishers communities in the selected project sites and the relevant partners
• Promote the organization of the fishers groupment in the different project sites
• Prepare the management of the value chain equipment
• Organize field meetings, workshops as targeted in the Annual Work Plan
• Provide technical and administrative assistance for the related activities implementation;
• Write the Terms of reference for field mission or workshops;
• Write the relevant technical notes and reports
• Assist in the implementation of awareness, communication and visibility plans of the projects;
• Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in fisheries or related field to this assignment.
• At least 1 year of work experience in fisheries and preferably in value chain development.
• Experience in project implementation with artisanal fishers’ community
• Working knowledge of English and French
• Nationality of Mauritius or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Strong administrative and organisational skills,
• Computer literacy
• Relevance of qualification
• Extent of relevant experience (project implementation, fisheries and/or value chain fields)
• Personal skills: Self-driven, team player, patient, self-confident, reliable and empathetic
• Demonstrated analytical and organizational skills