SPECIALIST IN MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION OF MARINE AND INLAND FISHERY RESOURCES

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Department promotes policies and strategies aiming at the sustainable and responsible management and development of fisheries and aquaculture in inland and marine waters. For this purpose, the Department provides discussion fora, information, legal and policy frameworks, codes and guidelines, options for strategies, scientific advice, and training material, among others. The Marine and Inland Fisheries Branch (FIAF) is responsible for the assessment and monitoring of the world fishery resources and all programmes and activities related to assessment, management and conservation of fishery resources, including biodiversity, threatened species, vulnerable habitats, and ecosystem concerns in fisheries management through the ecosystem approach to fisheries. The Branch provides information, advice and technical assistance to FAO Members and Regional Fisheries Bodies in support of the sustainable management of marine and inland fisheries, including the development and implementation of management plans, in accordance with modern assessment and management standards, international agreements, and best practices for responsible fisheries; monitors the global status and trends of fish stocks; provides information, advice and technical assistance to FAO Members on reducing the impact of fisheries and on mitigation and adaptations measures to climate change, in the context of the contribution of capture fisheries to food and nutrition security and livelihoods globally; ensures cooperation and coordination with other institutions and programmes in and outside FAO, both governmental and non-governmental, concerned with responsible fisheries.
International consultants and PSAs represent an important source of expertise for FAO, making their specialist contributions towards the achievement of the Organization’s strategic objectives indispensable. For FAO to be able to attract and employ the best possible experts in the wide range of technical areas of its mandate, a competitive selection process has been introduced. This process is intended to create a pool of candidates which can be called upon when their expertise is required, ensuring a transparent and rigorous selection process.

Reporting Lines

The Consultants will work under the overall supervision of the Branch Head of FIAF and the direct supervision of a relevant Officer of FIAF.

Technical Focus

The Consultant or PSA Subscriber will work as part of a closely collaborating team to conduct activities, research and analyses on issues related to the management and conservation of marine and/or inland fishery resources, including ecosystems related aspects. This work typically requires some specialization in the one or more of the following areas of FIAF’s Branch work on marine and inland fisheries\:

• Global monitoring and analysis of status and trends of fishery resources
o Assessment of the state of capture fishery resources and the ecosystems which support capture fisheries (including impacts of climate change);
o Assessment/modelling tools to support decision-making in fisheries management;
o Assessment and reduction of the negative environmental and/or social impacts of fisheries;
o Development of tools and models for decision support and tools to facilitate management and research related to FIAF’s areas of work;
o Drafting of technical papers and technical guidelines.

• Promotion of sustainable use and conservation of fishery resources
o Capture Fisheries-Ecosystem Integration\: Mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystem concerns in fisheries management;
o Support to regional and international cooperation, in support of the SDGs, fishery agreements and MEAs (CBD, CMS, CITES, RAMSAR), also in cooperation with other organizations;
o Identification of marine organisms of actual and potential interest to fisheries.

• Provision of advice and implementation of capacity-development activities to support member countries in fisheries research and management including
o Assessment of the status and likely consequences of management on fisheries and on wild fish stocks;
o Application and provision of guidance on the development and implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF);
o Advice on fisheries management;
o Design and conduct of scientific research surveys and monitoring programmes;
o Application and provision of guidance on the development and implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF);
o Delivery of training courses;
o Development of capacity development materials.

Tasks and responsibilities

The detailed tasks and responsibilities of each selected Consultant or PSA will be defined in the Terms of Reference as part of the recruitment for the specific assignment. Depending upon that assignment, the designated tasks and responsibilities will typically cover one or more of the following duties related to FIAF’s areas of work and in relation to the specific assignment\:

• Support of the delivery of FIAF’s programme of work;
• Represent FIAF at internal and external meetings (Only for Consultants);
• Project formulation or evaluation in accordance with FAO’s Strategic Framework and the FAO project cycle;
• Project management and monitoring, including advice on operations, financial and administrative aspects to ensure the smooth and timely implementation of project’s activities; Organization and participation in internal and external meetings/workshops or other events (including consultation, training, capacity building and technical assistance);
• Conduct field missions as part of delivery of the objectives of the assignment;
• Coordination and implementation of assigned activities in accordance with FAO rules and procedures;
• Provision of substantive technical inputs to the elaboration of studies, publications and analyses, knowledge products and dissemination materials (including guidelines, manuals, research papers, capacity development and training materials);
• Collection, management and analysis of data;

Collaborate with relevant UN agencies, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations.

Minimum Requirements

• An advanced university degree (for Consultants) or University degree (for PSA subscribers) in the field of aquatic/marine biology, fisheries Science and management, marine/freshwater ecology, oceanography, environmental management or closely related disciplines
• Relevant experience in the field of management and conservation of marine and inland fishery resources, the ecosystems they depend on and of the fisheries exploiting them, and preferably in one or more areas of FIAF’s work
o For PSA or base-level consultants (C level)\: one to four years of relevant experience
o For middle-level consultants (B level)\: at least five years of relevant experience
o For senior level consultants (A level)\: at least 12 years of relevant experience
• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian
o For PSA only working knowledge of one of the above mentioned languages is required.

FAO Core Competencies

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