Senior Mangroves Officer

Description

• Mozambique is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. Critical forest, freshwater and marine land- and seascapes provide important benefits to local communities and the country’s economy. Yet these natural ‘assets’ are under extreme anthropogenic pressure and impacts from climate change. WWF Mozambique Country Office (WWF-MCO) vision is “a prosperous Mozambique built on thriving ecosystems and environmental citizenship.” This vision is intended to be achieved through a Country Strategy 2020-2030 that establishes three pillars: (i) inclusive conservation of species and habitats, (ii) sustainable and equitable livelihoods and (iii) greening the footprint of economic development
• WWF MCO is implementing, through the Seascape programme, one project funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), focused on strengthening community management of important mangrove areas and strengthening climate change adaptation in coastal communities and ecosystems of Govuro district (Inhambane Seascape). It is expected that through this project, poor coastal communities will see their rights to manage and benefit from mangroves secured, their vulnerability to climate-related risks will be reduced, and sustainable, climate-resilient livelihood opportunities and enterprises will be developed for mangrove dependent coastal communities in Mozambique
• This project will put in place systems to enable long-term income and other benefits for communities. Sustainability of initiatives beyond the project lifetime will be strengthened through income and benefits generated by community-led enterprises supported by a regional accelerator providing technical support and funding opportunities to achieve investment-readiness and enable the enterprises to attract investor interest. This piloting of new approaches to attract market and investor interest will include aggregation of products from small-scale producers or aggregating small-scale projects under a unified governance structure to achieve sufficient scale to attract market and investor interest
• As part of implementation of this project, WWF MCO intends to recruit a Senior Mangroves Officer to provide oversight, leadership and coordination for the effective and efficient implementation of the project. The position requires a resourceful individual, with wide-ranging skills in mangroves program design and implementation and capability to engage with stakeholders at different levels including local communities, CSOs, decision makers and the private sector

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Internal: Interacts and works closely and on a regular basis with project implementation personnel in Vilankulo, Govuro and Maputo. Coordinates and interacts as appropriate with members of WWF Mozambique seascape team, WWF Global Oceans Practice, WWF Regional and International, and other WWF Network staff
• External: Interacts with governmental institutions, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, the media, donors, specialists/consultants, private sector in the fishing and extractive industry and other stakeholders, in collaboration with senior managers and the Country Director, as appropriate

The position

• He/she is responsible for managing the implementation of the project Mangrove ecosystem sustainable management for climate change adaptation and resilient livelihoods for remote coastal communities in the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO) Region in Govuro district (Inhambane province), ensuring that project partners tasked with leading specific tasks are managing their tasks effectively and efficiently. He/she will:
• Provide overall project coordination and oversight including planning, management, budgeting, technical and financial reporting, networking, procurement and management of third parties/consultants for all works commissioned under the project
• Supports the implementation of the WWF MCO 2020-2030 Country Strategy, ensuring its on-going alignment with National priorities and with other WWF regional and thematic priorities and focus according to the Global Oceans and Climate and Energy Practices ensuring strong delivery on the WWF MCO conservation
• Provide strategic direction and support in fundraising and donor engagement in support of Inhambane Seascape in collaboration with Inhambane Programme Manager, Seascape Coordinator and Conservation Manager
• Provide leadership and serve as the WWF MCO mangrove focal point in Inhambane Seascape, and engage with relevant local government authorities and other partners
• The position is for Vilankulo sede, Inhambane province, with travels and visits outside

Duties

Project Planning, Development and Implementation (60%)

• He/she will be responsible for day to day management of the project Mangrove ecosystem sustainable management for climate change adaptation and resilient livelihoods for remote coastal communities in the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO) Region to be implemented in Govuro district, Inhambane province including:
• Implementing activities at the field level including preparing, in coordination with key marine and natural resources management staff, annual work-plans with clear objectives and achievement benchmarks, long-term and short-term priorities, implementation timelines, financial projections and tools for evaluation - all of those tools being drawn from the WWF standards and tools
• Overseeing administrative and financial management of the project interventions including monitoring spending versus budgets and guaranteeing compliance with donor’s procedures Oversight and support of the project implementing partners in the planning and deliver of expected outputs
• In collaboration with the Inhambane Programme Manager, Seascape Coordinator, the Conservation Manager and other technical staff, reviewing project proposals/budgets prior to submission to donors to ensure that they are well designed/planned in accordance with WWF Project and Programme Management Standards (PPMS) among others
• Developing terms of reference for consultancy assignments, field missions and exchange experiences, as well as, other required contracts
• Providing technical backstopping to the WWF’s marine initiatives and in any other requested aspect
• Participating in relevant technical working groups, conservation meetings and workshops in the district, province, country and the region, and develop papers, reports and presentations on MCO work in mangroves and in other marine issues when needed
• Preparing and executing capacity building plans for communities and government officers related to sustainable management of coastal and marine natural resources, importance of conservation of marine ecosystems for a sustainable development and climate resilience
• Promoting an enabling environment at the local, district and provincial level, including strengthening Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Community Based Organizations (CBO), local government, associations and communities, and supporting the development and implementation of technical tools for their performance improvement
• Managing, supporting and monitoring research studies, baseline studies, data collection, monitoring system to protect key environmental habitats and protected species (MOMS, Community NRM committees, etc.) and build their capacities
• Ensuring the incorporation of and compliance with WWF´s Environmental and Social Safeguards framework (ESSF) in the conceptualization, design, implementation, monitoring and closure of projects within his/her responsibility in coordination with the WWF MCO Environmental and Social Safeguards Officer

Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning (20%)

• He/she will ensure the collection of high-quality data to document programme effect and impact including:
• Ensuring effective implementation of the marine program M&E systems throughout the lifetime of the project in Govuro district
• Ensuring adequate documentation (including lessons learnt and best practices) for all activities undertaken in the course of the project implementation
• Leading continuous observation, reflection, learning, iteration, adaptation and quality improvement process to identify the most salient problems and design appropriate responses, ensuring the highest quality possible of the project in close collaboration with M&E staff and external implementation partners
• Developing and implementing protocols with technical assistance from senior management staff and stakeholders for targeted monitoring and evaluation of the project performance
• Ensuring timely technical reporting to donors, WWF MCO Senior Management Team, and all relevant parts of the WWF Network, as required and according to agreed standards and timelines in coordination with the WWF MCO M&E Manager
• Cooperating with and providing support to programmatic and financial audits, and implementing audit recommendations in a timely manner
• Working closely with Communications Manager and M&E staff to publish regularly the results of field work done in relation to marine initiatives in Govuro district
• In collaboration with Communication and Policy teams, support the development of policy-related briefs, papers and guidelines
• Collaborate with other colleagues at national and regional level working on mangrove areas to align approaches and strategies, as well as promoting exchange of knowledge and information among WWF priority sites
• Providing technical support for the collection of data to inform M&E indicators, as well as their analysis to support strategic adaptive management of activity implementation
• Coordinating with the IT Officer to ensure that the latter posts all technical reports and other relevant documents onto the WWF Project Database and website
• Supporting communication campaigns in radios and schools, etc

Representation (10%)

• He/she will be responsible for representation functions in close coordination with the Inhambane Programme Manager, Seascape Coordinator and the Conservation Manager including:
• Organizing field visits to Govuro district for WWF and other stakeholders upon request
• Ensuring WWF MCO participation and engagement in the Global Oceans Practice – bring information to and from the Practice as appropriate; Specially related to mangrove work
• Ensuring that WWF MCO is appropriately represented in relevant coordination bodies at local, provincial, national and regional levels on issues that directly relate to mangrove work
• Participating in regular coordination meetings with other WWF Programs, donor and government coordination meetings as appropriate
• Ensuring that mangroves remain relevant to national priorities, and is aligned with National Conservation Plans to adequately address marine problems, challenges, needs and related targets
• Representing the WWF-MCO in meetings and conferences to which WWF-MCO is invited to attend

Team management (10%)

• Ensures that all project activities in the field are being coordinated and organized properly
• Oversees the team members implementing activities in the field
• Perform other related duties as may be assigned by the Inhambane Programme Manager, Seascape Coordinator, Conservation Manager or Country Director for the smooth and efficient implementation of the MCO conservation program

Requisites

• Master’s degree in coastal natural resource management and conservation, marine biology, fisheries, climate change or other related fields
• Additional training in project management would be an advantage
• At least 5 years of experience – including at least 3 years of fieldwork – leading, developing, and managing programmes or large-scale projects in mangroves restoration and management and nature-based solutions
• Proven experience with multi-disciplinary teams, as well as familiarity with Mozambique marine sector, would be a strong asset
• Knowledge of institutional and legal framework pertaining to mangroves management, and conservation as well as of relevant policy issues in Mozambique
• Knowledge and experience with monitoring and evaluation of programmes/projects
• Knowledge and work experience around coastal communities’ livelihoods interventions is desirable
• Knowledge of Participatory Rural Assessments (PRA) and community & government engagement and mobilization
• Knowledge of gender, governance, climate change impacts on coastal and marine resources and communities
• Excellent Portuguese and English communication skills (oral and written)
• Excellent inter-personal skills in a multicultural environment, including the ability to develop and maintain strong relationships at all levels, including with local communities, government agencies, private sector
• High ethical standards of behavior, good judgment, respect for others, confidentiality and attention to detail
• Excellent organizational, analytical and research skills
• Energetic, proactive and capable of working independently as well as being an active member of the team
• Adheres to WWF’s values, which are: Passionate & Optimistic, Challenging & In-spiring, Credible & Accountable, Persevering & Delivering Results
• Adheres to WWF’s behaviors, which are: Strive for Impact; Listen Deeply; Collaborate Openly; and Innovate Fearlessly
• Proven leadership and team management skills
• Strong skills in project planning, financing, management, implementation, and evaluation

Notes

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted