Director – Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine

Director – Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine

SPC – Secretariat of the Pacific Community

Noumea, New Caledonia

The Director – Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems Division will provide leadership and, management of SPCs Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (FAME) capability. The Director will ensure the delivery of high-quality services to member countries, the region and SPC. The role will be guided by the SPC FAME Business Plan and the SPC Strategic Plan in the context of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

The key responsibilities of the role include the following:

Across SPC Leadership:

• Actively participate as a member of the SPC Senior Leadership Team and apply the team charter;
• Make an effective contribution to SPC strategic plans, business plans and budgets;
• Provide concise briefs on fisheries, aquaculture and marine ecosystems science, science policy and ocean issues to the DG and DDGs;
• Effectively represent SPC and regional members at regional and international fora;
• Encourage and facilitate better planning, evaluation, reflection and learning processes;
• Initiate new approaches to improve results by improving organisational culture, systems, programmes and services.

Vision, Leadership, Direction and Strategic management of SPC FAME:

• Ensure SPC internal reporting requirements are met for the requirements of finance, audit and risk reporting;
• Ensure the business plan provides a useful framework for work programmes and reporting;
• Make sure SPC FAME is actively engaged in integrated programming work, with sectoral concerns addressed in cross‐cutting projects and SPC FAME integrating cross‐cutting issues into its work;
• Ensure that funding for major projects are progressed and funding to maintain/increase budget is approved each year;
• Project reporting is completed as required and project reviews and evaluations are favourable.

People Management:

• Assure that SPC FAME recruits and retains staff with an appropriate mix of expertise to implement its business plan;
• Ensure corporate requirements are met individually and as a team including the performance planning and assessment cycle;
• Manage staff performance and ensures consistency;
• Conduct fair, consistent, timely performance planning and review meetings and encourage open communication to discuss performance;
• Create an environment which encourages the resolution of performance issue;
• Create a positive work environment, promote collaboration within the team and across functions and other divisions in the organisation;
• Support the health, safety and well‐being of employees in the way they lead and manage and monitor the team.

Strategic and Collaborative Relationships with Members, Donors, CROPS and Other Stakeholders:

• Develop and maintain good working relationships with SPC member heads of fisheries, senior fisheries officials and senior officials in other related agencies;
• Engage with and effectively communicate with regional fisheries Ministers in member governments and territories;
• Maintain a good working relationship with key partners, in particular Australia and New Zealand, and key donors, including the USA and the EU;
• Develop and maintain a good working relationship with FFA, SPREP, PIFS, USP and OPOC;
• Develop and pursue Divisional, organisational and multi-agency funding proposals;
• Develop and pursue the case for increased long-term funding for core programme activities;
• Strengthen linkages with non-CROP agencies active in fisheries that can complement SPC strengths.

SPC Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Marine Ecosystems Thought Leadership, Innovation and Outreach:

• SPC FAME maintains, develops and evolves its reputation as the fisheries aquaculture and marine ecosystems centre of excellence for the Pacific Community;
• Lead the scientific and technical direction of SPCs fisheries, aquaculture and marine ecosystems work;
• Identify and pursue key emerging sectoral themes and translate into the day-to-day work of SPC FAME;
• Identify, share and incorporate in regional agenda emerging sectoral issues with members;
• Ensure that SPC FAME regularly and fluidly moves into evolving key regional public good areas, and, where appropriate transfers capability and capacity to members.

Key selection criteria:

Qualifications:

• Postgraduate qualifications in fisheries science or an equivalent field covered by the SPC FAME mandate; or, alternatively, a postgraduate qualification in management/administration with an undergraduate qualification in fisheries, science or an equivalent field covered by SPC FAME or equivalent body of knowledge and experience.

Technical expertise:

• At least 15 years of demonstrated increasingly senior management experience, including in personnel, project and financial management;
• At least 15 of experience in fisheries, with a minimum of 5 years in managing a government technical department or scientific agency;
• Highly developed leadership and planning skills, including demonstrated experience in change management;
• Demonstrated knowledge of at least one of the subject matter areas of the division (Western Central Pacific oceanic fisheries, Pacific islands coastal fisheries and Pacific Islands aquaculture) with a good understanding of at least one of the others;
• Demonstrated knowledge of key regional and global frameworks and plans for and impacting on oceans and fisheries;
• Demonstrated experience with the raising of external funding (resource mobilisation);
• Demonstrated experience with the development of policy and the provision of policy advice;
• Demonstrated effective communication, networking and coordination skills to operate and represent effectively at local, national, regional and international levels.

Language skills:

• Excellent communication skills in English.

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness:

• Good knowledge of the socio-political situations in Pacific Island countries and territories;
• Cross-cultural skills and the ability to work with team members from different cultural backgrounds.

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