Background

The Med Sea Alliance is a new and fast-growing campaign movement, bringing together non-government organizations and networks with the mission to improve the health and productivity of the Mediterranean Sea.

Our vision is a Mediterranean Sea with a rich and resilient ecosystem, where the rules and practice of fishing support the health of the marine environment and benefit the communities that depend on it. Our goal is for the Mediterranean Sea to no longer be seen as a resource for endless exploitation, but as a shared natural treasure to be protected for generations to come.

This complex region of breath-taking natural beauty encompasses 25 countries and territories. It has been shaped by a unique geography and its history as a cradle of civilizations. Today, the bountiful Mediterranean Sea is an essential source of food, livelihoods, leisure, culture, tourism and transport for millions of people.

The Mediterranean encapsulates many things – different interconnected cultures, languages, tastes, and sounds. It is evocative and powerful and at its heart is the Sea: our Mediterranean Sea, a vibrant place of yellows, greens, and blues where the water sparkles.

But beneath that sparkle, the Sea is ailing. Its life force is ebbing away under an endless onslaught of anthropogenic threats, from overfishing to invasive species, plastic pollution to climate change.

To help reverse this decline, we are working to shift the priority in fisheries management away from unsustainable food production at the expense of the environment, and towards a focus on ecosystem restoration and resilience.

Our Alliance will support the recovery of the Mediterranean Sea by reducing the impacts of fisheries, in particular trawling, reversing the culture of non-compliance, and defending and expanding the network of marine protected and fisheries restricted areas. All our work is grounded on the principles of sustainability, transparency, and equitability.

The 15 members of the Med Sea Alliance are a mix of local, regional and international NGOs. They work together by sharing their diverse skills, strengths and resources, engaging more partners, and helping the Alliance to become a catalyst for change.

Our first project focuses on ending illegal trawling in protected areas. We started here because bottom trawling in the Mediterranean is the practice that has the most significant effect on ecosystems and fish populations in this region, the world’s most overfished sea. To build on this, our second project has launched and will strengthen transparency around fishing operations and improve governance of fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea.

The projects of the Med Sea Alliance will continue to expand and we are already considering two further projects, which will ultimately contribute to the sustainable use of marine resources and conservation of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea.

 

The position

To support the achievement of these objectives, the Med Sea Alliance is looking for a full-time campaigner with project management skills who will be responsible for the successful coordination of the first two projects of the Med Sea Alliance namely “Endling trawling in protected areas in the Mediterranean Sea” and “Strengthening transparency and governance of fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea”.

The successful candidate will have excellent campaigning, project management and organizational competencies, and be able to work with a dispersed and diverse multinational team.  Good negotiation and team building skills are essential.

Experience of working in coalitions or partnerships or projects involving multiple stakeholders is a strong advantage. Good interpersonal skills, initiative and dynamism are important.

Key responsibilities

  • Coordinate the projects with the support of the organisations involved, in line with the project strategy, objectives, outputs and available financial and human resources.
  • Align the projects with the Movement Strategy and Vision and Mission and other strategies of the Med Sea Alliance.
  • Work across the two projects and ensure coordination of both streams of work. 
  • Strengthen the implementation of both projects by integrating them into a coherent campaign strategy.
  • Advise and support the participating organisations in designing and implementing campaign strategies and projects implementation plans.
  • Support the communications manager in developing effective project communications and alignment of the campaigns
  • Support the project participants to design and implement projects activities.
  • Liaise regularly with participating organisations to create synergy.
  • Organise calls and meetings, drafts agendas and meeting notes, keeps track of agreed activities and deadlines.
  • Ensure good development of agreed work plans and activities, facilitates discussion, negotiation and decision making within the projects core groups.
  • Prepare regular updates on project progress for the Med Sea Alliance Steering Group and all members.
  • Liaise regularly with key members of the Alliance to ensure the success of the project.
  • Is a key member of the Med Sea Alliance Coordination team and works closely with other team members.
  • Support the organisations in maintaining relationships with government representatives, institutions and funders.
  • Coordinate reporting (narrative and financial) for the two projects with the finance and administration teams.
  • Liaise with and supervise external consultants, drafts Terms of Reference and contracts with the participating organisations and the finance team.
  • Keep track of budget and expenses in coordination with the finance team.

Key skills

  • An experienced campaigner and project manager
  • Excellent organizational and team leadership skills
  • Strategic and pragmatic thinker
  • Expertise in policy and advocacy
  • Positive and collaborative team player
  • Excellent written and spoken English
  • Demonstrated capacity to operate effectively in cross-cultural environments
  • Ability to work independently and remotely
  • Ability to work effectively across a dispersed team

Knowledge of the Mediterranean region’s marine policy and conservation context is strongly desirable, as is the ability to speak one or more relevant languages.

Responsible to: Director of the Med Sea Alliance

Location: Remote working in a European time zone, with a preference for a Med Coastal State location

Travel: 10%, dependent on COVID situation and protocols

Type of contract: contractual

Compensation: Commensurate with experience.

Working Hours: The position will be part of a remote team spanning different time zones and so the candidate must be able to accommodate regular early/late meetings to be able to work effectively. Periodic domestic and international travel is required.

Equal opportunities: While this position is part of the Med Seal Alliance and reports to its Steering Committee, Global Fishing Watch will act as the fiscal sponsor for the role. Global Fishing Watch is an equal opportunities employer. We hire and promote qualified professionals without regard to actual or perceived race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We believe that our mission is best advanced when welcoming the contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and cultures. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all employees and contractors of Global Fishing Watch and our partners, vendors and suppliers.

Please apply by Saturday 17 September 2022

For more information, please click here.