JOB DESCRIPTION
| Job Title: | PACIFIC ISLAND FISHERIES PROFESSIONAL (COASTAL FISHERIES SCIENCE) |
|---|---|
| Division/Programme: | Fisheries, Aquaculture & Marine Ecosystems Division (FAME)/ Coastal Fisheries & Aquaculture Programme (CFAP)/ Science Section |
| Location: | Noumea, New Caledonia |
| Reporting to: | Senior Coastal Fisheries Scientist |
| Number of direct reports: | 0 |
| Purpose of role: | To support the Coastal Fisheries Science Team with providing advice to governments, stakeholders and the private sector in planning and implementing coastal fisheries science activities, focusing on coastal finfish and/or invertebrate resources and their supporting habitats. |
| Date: | October 2026 |
Organisational Context
The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, proudly supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 Members. We work for the well-being of Pacific people through the effective and innovative application of science and knowledge, guided by a deep understanding of Pacific island contexts and cultures (https://www.spc.int/).
SPC's Division of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (FAME) capability has been providing scientific and technical expertise to support fisheries management and sustainable development in the Pacific for over 65 years. The goal of SPC FAME is that the fisheries resources of the Pacific island's region are sustainably managed for economic growth, food security and environmental conservation. In pursuit of this goal, SPC FAME provides scientific and management advice to Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) and regional agencies to support the management of sustainable oceanic fisheries, coastal fisheries, marine ecosystems and aquaculture development. Along with addressing the challenges in the management of the region's marine resources, there are also significant opportunities to derive greater economic and social benefits from them. Deriving greater benefits from the tuna fisheries, the development of aquaculture in the region, along with alternative livelihoods in coastal fisheries, hold significant potential. SPC FAME provides technical assistance to support PICTs to maximise these sustainable development opportunities in the marine sector and in some parts of the freshwater sector.
SPC FAME is composed of three programmes: the Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme (CFAP); the Oceanic Fisheries Programme (OFP); and the Marine Ecosystems Programme (MEP). The Director's Office
provides implementation support and strategic direction across the three programmes and cross-cutting projects. Working with all 22 PICTs, SPC FAME has strong partnerships with regional, sub-regional and national entities working in the marine and aquaculture sectors. SPC FAME staff are based in New Caledonia, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tonga, with most of the staff being based in New Caledonia.
The SPC FAME CFAP provides science and technical support to PICT governments and administrations to enhance the effective management of coastal fisheries, and the sustainable development of aquaculture and nearshore livelihoods. CFAP assists PICTs to develop scientifically informed and socially achievable coastal fisheries management policies and procedures. CFAP provides PICTs support for sustainable aquaculture, including planning, research and development, aquatic biosecurity and trade, for governments, the private sector, communities and other stakeholders. CFAP assists in developing sustainable nearshore fisheries to provide for food security, sustainable livelihoods, economic growth, assist with climate change adaptation, and address new and evolving challenges to coastal fisheries and aquaculture in the region.
The Pacific Island Fisheries Professional (Coastal Fisheries Science Team) is a key position in SPC FAME CFAP, supporting the implementation of the coastal and nearshore fisheries science work of FAME. The focus of the position will be on supporting the CFAP Science team in the development, refinement and documentation of achievable, robust methodologies to assess and monitor the status of locally-prioritised coastal fishery stocks in relation to their sustainability, to help deliver training to PICT participants during workshops and fieldwork, and to provide support to the Management and Aquaculture sections, and FAME more broadly, in their work of advising SPC's Pacific Island clients in making evidence-informed decisions.
Key Result Areas (KRAs):
KRA#1: Assist the CFAP Science team in providing support and training to PICT members to enhance science capacity and capability in coastal living resources data collection, entry, quality control, analysis, interpretation and reporting in support of sustainable management.
KRA#2: Contribute to the design and implementation of assessments of coastal living resources, the development and application of innovative tools and approaches for data collection, data management and reporting to inform coastal fisheries management.
KRA#3: Promote inter-agency networking and cross-sectoral collaboration with partners in coastal fisheries and aquaculture science in support of evidence-based management.
KRA#4: Contribute to Section administration and communication.
The performance requirements of the Key Result Areas are broadly described below
| Jobholder is accountable for | Jobholder is successful when |
|---|---|
| KRA#1: Assist the CFAP Science team in providing support and training to PICT members to enhance science capacity and capability in coastal living resources data collection, entry, quality control, analysis, interpretation and reporting in support of sustainable management. (35%) - Assists in the development of coastal fisheries survey (independent and dependent) training materials for countries through needs-based stakeholder consultations, taking into account gender, culture and human rights in the country or territory. - Assists in the training of local staff in-country and/or online in all areas of data collection, data management, analysis and reporting for coastal fisheries and associated habitats. - Ensure there are no gender or social inclusion barriers to training activities. | - Partakes in successful training of local, in-country staff to design appropriate sampling programmes for assessing their coastal fisheries and associated habitats. - Training enables participants to collect, analyse, interpret and report on all data collected by sampling programmes. - PICT-specific training materials are developed that are gender and culturally appropriate and respect human rights. |
| KRA#2: Contribute to the design and implementation of assessments of coastal living resources, the development and application of innovative tools and approaches for data collection, data management and reporting to inform coastal fisheries management. (30%) - Participates in the design of surveys based on standardised methodologies and lessons learned. - Assists in the promotion of the standardisation of data collection and assists with the expansion of standardised data collection and/or monitoring systems for coastal fisheries (finfish, invertebrates, habitat and catch and effort) and programmes at the national level - Assists in the development and implementation of data systems, tools and approaches that will improve data collection and monitoring of coastal fisheries at the national and regional levels. - Assists in the collection of biological samples to help inform coastal fisheries assessments. - Support PICTs to analyse available scientific data on coastal finfish and invertebrate fisheries and associated habitats to provide updates on the status of coastal fishery resources. | - Progress is made towards standardisation of national data collection across the region for coastal finfish and invertebrate fisheries and associated habitats. - Monitoring programmes for coastal finfish, invertebrate and associated habitats are established and operational. - Advice provided is context appropriate and understood by members and/or other relevant parties. - Assessments and problem solving are undertaken using the latest scientific knowledge and tools available and integrating this with local ecological knowledge where possible. - Biological samples are collected for priority coastal species. |
| KRA#3: Promote inter-agency networking and cross-sectoral collaboration with partners in coastal fisheries and aquaculture science in support of evidence-based management (20%): | - Assists CFAP Science Team to build and maintain good working relationships with other organisations and NGOs |
| - Liaises, encourages collaboration and works with national, regional and international organisations, research institutes and NGOs on coastal finfish and invertebrate fishery issues. - Assists in collaboration with other sections/programmes/Divisions within SPC on issues such as food security, small-scale livelihoods, climate change adaptation, etc. | - Extensive regional network of complementary experts is developed and nurtured. - Opportunities to leverage support and collaborations both within and outside of SPC are successively sought out and implemented. - Professional expertise requested and provided to internal projects or initiatives. |
|---|---|
| KRA#4: Contribute to Section administration and communication (15%): - Maintains up to date corporate and administrative procedures including training data for all activities undertaken. - Contributes where applicable to Programme, Divisional and Corporate publications, such as Fisheries Newsletters, annual reports, Programme reports to RTMCFA and HoF. - Contributes to peer-reviewed scientific publications that highlight results and/or developments of international interest. | - All operations and activities undertaken are documented and all administrative tasks completed within the set deadline. - Input or articles are provided for Project, Programme, Division and Corporate publications within the set deadlines. - Trip reports are produced within two weeks of completing an activity |
The above performance requirements are provided as a guide only. The precise performance measures for this job will need further discussion between the jobholder and supervisor as part of the performance development process. Many of the outputs described here will only be achieved through teamwork. The incumbent will not be solely responsible for achieving them.
Most Challenging Duties Typically Undertaken (Complexity):
- Assisting with undertaking surveys and biological sampling with local staff in-country.
- Assisting in developing and providing training that are technically and culturally relevant.
- Assisting in providing sound scientific advice based on the best available data for management purposes.
- Assisting in developing management recommendations from scientific advice and compile this in briefing notes or reports to governments.
Functional Relationships & Relationship Skills:
| Key internal and/or external contacts | Nature of the contact most typical |
|---|---|
| External Key external contacts are: - CROP agencies, government technical staff, NGOs and private sector - Technical partners from regional agencies, NGOs, academic institutions - Consultants | - Liaising, gaining cooperation, reporting - Collaborating, assisting, advising |
| Internal Key internal contacts are: - Deputy Director FAME (Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme) - Principal Fisheries Adviser and staff | - Keeping abreast of issues and providing support |
| - Coastal Fisheries & Aquaculture Science Section staff - Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme staff - Other SPC professional and support staff | - Training - Exchange information, seeks and provides advice and discusses issues - Liaising, collaborating |
|---|
Level of Delegation:
Routine Expenditure Budget: None.
Budget Sign off Authority without requiring approval from direct supervisor: None.
Person Specification:
This section is designed to capture the expertise required for the role at the 100% fully effective level. (This does not necessarily reflect what the current position holder has.) This may be a combination of knowledge / experience, qualifications or equivalent level of learning through experience or key skills, attributes or job specific competencies.
Qualifications
| Essential: | Desirable: |
|---|---|
| - A recognised degree in a discipline relevant to coastal fisheries science (finfish and/or invertebrates), or related field or equivalent body of knowledge and experience. | - Qualification in another relevant field (e.g. aquaculture, marine affairs, fisheries management). - Current open water SCUBA diving certificate and medically fit and able to dive in a range of environments. |
Knowledge/Experience
| Essential: | Desirable: |
|---|---|
| - At least two years' direct relevant experience in PICT coastal fisheries, particularly applied field research for coastal finfish and/or invertebrates - Demonstrated experience in undertaking surveys for coastal finfish and/or invertebrates using a range of methodologies - Understanding of current Pacific Island regional coastal fisheries management and science issues, and experience of working with gender issues relating to fisheries - Excellent communication skills (oral and written) in English - Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work in a team as well as undertake unsupervised work, and communicate with people from various ethnic, cultural and educational backgrounds - Strong PC based computer skills (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) with knowledge of software programmes for data entry and analysis | - Experience using the 'R' software environment and the open-source GIS program QGIS or its equivalent. - Prior experience or involvement with creel or market survey work - Working knowledge of French or pacific island languages - Willingness to learn new skills such as use of R software for analysis and reporting. - Valid drivers license - Experience in biological sampling of coastal fisheries resources (i.e. finfish, invertebrates) |
- Willingness to travel and undertake overseas assignments in SPC member countries, sometimes under difficult physical conditions.
Key Skills/Attributes/Job Specific Competencies
The following levels would typically be expected for the 100% fully effective level:
| Advanced level | - Scientific sampling and monitoring methodologies for coastal - Management options for coastal fisheries resources |
|---|---|
| Working knowledge | - Data analysis and interpretation of results - Creel and market sampling and monitoring methodologies for coastal and community fisheries - Crosscutting issues such as food security and climate change |
| Awareness | - Broader fisheries management and development issues - Relevant social and economic issues in the Pacific - Gender issues and human rights-based approaches to coastal fisheries management |
Key Behaviours
All employees are measured against the following Key Behaviours as part of Performance Development:
- Change and Innovation
- Interpersonal Skills
- Teamwork
- Promotion of Equity and Equality
- Judgement
Personal Attributes
- High level of professional integrity and ethics
- Friendly demeanour
- Demonstrated high level commitment to customer service
Change to Job Description:
From time to time, it may be necessary to consider changes in the job description in response to the changing nature of the work environment – including technological requirements or statutory changes. Such change may be initiated as necessary by SPC. This Job Description may also be reviewed as part of the preparation for performance planning for the annual performance cycle.