Organizational Setting

Indonesia produced almost 10 million tonnes of seaweed in 2023. This contributed around 30 percent of the global production. Despite Indonesia being the largest global producer of tropical seaweed, the sector has seen a steady decline in production since its peak in 2015. This decline is primarily due to deteriorating seed stock quality, climate change-induced sea-surface temperature rise, immature processing technologies, and volatile seaweed prices. Under the TCP/INS/4003, FAO and the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs are working together to address the critical gaps in the ongoing efforts to revitalize the Indonesian seaweed sector through the various project outputs including production and value chain aspects.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of FAOR-Indonesia and direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (A-FAOR Programme), technical supervision of Lead Technical Officer of the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) and FAO HQ Technical Officer

Technical Focus

The Expert will be responsible for assessing, designing, and implementing two pilot seaweed nursery units to strengthen seedling production capacity in Lombok under the TCP/INS/4003 project.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Review and evaluate existing government nursery units (UPTs), their seedling production capacity, and identify operational bottlenecks (Activity 2.1).

• Lead the technical design and the establishment of two pilot seaweed nurseries, considering environmental and socio-economic suitability (Activity 2.1).

• Provide on-site technical guidance for proper nursery setup and operation (Activity 2.2).

• Conduct capacity building training for farmers and extension workers on innovative seaweed nursery techniques (Activity 2.3).

• Contribute to the development of an illustrated guide booklet on nursery best practices (Activity 4.3).

• Participate in the final workshop of the project (Activity 4.5.)

• Prepare related reports including training reports, Back-to-Office-Report and End-of-Assignment-Report under her/his responsibility (cross cutting outputs).

• Undertake any other tasks as required by FAO-Indonesia.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in aquaculture/fisheries related subjects with specialized knowledge in seaweed seedling production and nursery development.

• Minimum 5 years practical and long-term experience in seaweed aquaculture from seedlings to growing.

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Bahasa Indonesia

• National of Indonesia

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus

• Teamwork

• Communication

• Building Effective Relationships

• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Proven experience in evaluating and improving the performance of seaweed nurseries, ideally including familiarity with vegetative propagation techniques, seed quality management, and site selection for nursery establishment

• Strong understanding of the Indonesian aquaculture institutional landscape, along with field-based experience in coordinating with government technical units and coastal communities, is highly desirable

• Demonstrated ability to open up to new approaches and new practices on the relevant programme development.

• Demonstrated commitment to participatory and bottom-up approaches.

• Strong analytical skills.

• Demonstrated detail orientation, proactive attention to outcomes and expectations, and the ability to understand and effectively use information and data.