Integrated Ocean Management Advisor - Tuvalu

Overview

Job Description

Position
:
Integrated Ocean Management Advisor - Tuvalu

Reports to
:
Pacific Partnerships Director

Location
:
Funafuti, Tuvalu

Country Program/Sector
:
Southeast Asia Pacific

Position Type
:
Full time, 12 month contract (with possibility of extension)

Scope/Capacity
:
Country

Coordinates with
:
Permanent Secretary of the Tuvalu Office of the Prime Minister, Director of Fisheries at the Tuvalu Fisheries Authority, Fisheries Technical Advisor at Tuvalu Fisheries Authority, Deputy Secretary at Tuvalu Environment Department, Tuvalu Government Ocean Specialist, WCS Conservation Social Scientist, WCS Director Ecosystem Science and Planning, WCS Executive Director Marine Conservation, WCS Financial Analyst and WCS Project Manager in Tuvalu.

Job Purpose
:

The Tuvalu Government is committed to developing a National Ocean Policy for integrated ocean management. The National Ocean Policy will improve sectoral coordination, enhance climate change resilience and evidence-based decision-making, foster connectivity to regional and global policies and frameworks including the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) instrument, provide for national Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), and support fisheries contribution to socio-economic development and quality of life.

With a grant from the Bezos Earth Fund, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) will assist with the marine conservation aspects of the National Ocean Policy, by: supporting the inclusive and participatory development of a climate-proof national MSP; assisting the Tuvalu Fisheries Department and other agencies to strengthen community management of existing Marine Protected and Conserved Areas (MPCAs); and supporting the Tuvalu Government to establish sustainable financing to ensure the long-term health and stewardship of Tuvalu’s marine environment.

The Integrated Ocean Management Advisor (IOMA) is a senior position that leads high-level coordination and strategic alignment across government ministries, Kaupule, development partners, and Non-Government Organisations to support the effective implementation of marine spatial planning (MSP)/MPCA policy, and sustainable financing for long-term marine stewardship in Tuvalu, aligned to the National Ocean Policy. The role collaborates with the WCS Project Manager to ensure project activities lie within project budget, targets and milestones.

The entire project is financed through 31 August 2030. The IOMA role is initially for a 12-month period, but may be extended to project completion.

In response to a request from the Tuvalu Government, in the first year, the IOMA will assist with the legal designation of MPCAs already agreed by communities prior to the project. In parallel with this work, the IOMA will collaborate with SPC and oversee a legal analysis and legal drafting to determine and fill legislative gaps for MPCA designation and marine spatial planning in Tuvalu.

The IOMA will collaborate with the Tuvalu Government Ocean Specialist, during national consultations led by OPOC and the Tuvalu OPM, to develop Tuvalu’s MSP policy under the National Ocean Policy. The position will work with the WCS Director of Ecosystem Science and Planning to assist government agencies to gather existing spatial data and support delivery of an MSP training workshop for stakeholders, including MPCA champions.

Also in the first year, the IOMA will determine capacity needs in Funafuti and the outer islands for practitioners to manage and enforce regulations for MPCAs. The IOMA will collaborate with the WCS Project Manager and WCS Conservation Social Scientist to design, organize and deliver a Local Knowledge Spatial Data collection workshop. The role will work with the WCS Financial Analyst and others to review existing Tuvalu sustainable financing mechanisms and explore potential mechanisms for long-term marine stewardship.

Major Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead government liaison to the Tuvalu Ocean Policy Steering Committee for MSP/MPCA coordination
• Ensure strong alignment between Tuvalu Government national and sectoral plans, the developing National Ocean Policy, and the Bezos Earth Fund project goals,…