Position: Asia Regional Coordinator: Innovative new global initiative to combat illegal fishing
Location: EJF offices in Bangkok, Thailand (Other locations in Asia considered)
Type of appointment: Full-time, permanent
Salary range: USD 31,000 to USD 40,000, dependent on experience and proven track record.
Reporting to: Programme coordinator
Position overview
Supporting fishing communities to tackle illegal fishing and manage their precious resources.
A rare and exciting opportunity to work with the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), coordinating a ground-breaking new programme of work in five Asian countries that will combat illegal fishing and enhance participatory governance of coastal resources.
You will play a key role in developing, implementing and refining an innovative approach to tackle the profoundly damaging practice of illegal fishing. Our ocean covers 70% of our planet, serving as a critical source of food and income in many countries in the Global South. Yet global fisheries are being pushed to the brink.
Over one-third of fisheries are now considered overexploited, in part due to unscrupulous criminals who continue to pillage our ocean. They fish without licenses and in protected areas, use banned fishing gear, and target protected species.
Operating outside of the law, they steal from the world’s poorest people, undermine fish populations, and decimate ocean wildlife. These illegal practices often take place within sight of the very small-scale fishers whose livelihoods they are damaging.
You will help coordinate the delivery of the Asia component of a new, multi-year global programme supported by the European Union. You will contribute to the development and oversee the implementation of a toolkit that gives fishing communities and their representatives in five Asian countries the means to document illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and increase their role in the management of coastal waters. The toolkit will draw on EJF’s innovative phone app, DASE, which enables small-scale fishers to document industrial illegal fishing. It will also include the production of films by EJF’s award-winning video unit.
You will be supporting the Programme Coordinator, based in London, and drawing on EJF’s decades of experience in activist training. You will coordinate the introduction of the toolkit in up to five Asian countries. This will entail regular travel and building close partnerships with national and community-based civil society groups in each country.
You will need demonstrable experience working on relevant issues across multiple cultures and a professional history in campaigns or international development.
A personal and professional commitment to EJF’s Mission and Values, alongside a strong sense of ethics, is essential.
About the successful candidate:
- You enjoy and have extensive experience in advocacy or international development and understand the fundamental need for attention to detail, factual accuracy and intellectual rigour.
- You are able to work internationally across Asia, across cultures and engage effectively with potential partners and contacts to deliver on programme objectives.
- You are an inspiring leader and have the necessary skills and experience to effectively distance manage multiple individuals and teams in diverse locations and across different cultures and settings.
- You are able to deliver to the highest professional standards on agreed outcomes on time and on budget, at times managing multiple projects and tight deadlines, prioritising your workload according to the direction given, and reflecting the needs of the campaigns and projects.
- You are entirely comfortable taking and giving direction and feedback, working in an international, multicultural team, with equal ability to work independently, and taking initiative and responsibility.
- You are able to travel internationally, occasionally at very short notice and for extended periods.
- You are solutions-oriented and able to provide cost-effective, appropriate skills, equipment, and capacity building to get the best out of grassroots partners.
- Committed to making change happen, you are also able to make swift judgement calls in challenging situations and keep people safe and secure.
Essential skills and experience:
- A minimum of three years of relevant work experience (NGOs, government, or international development).
- Ability to manage relationships with partners.
- Superb written communication and organisational skills.
- Experience delivering projects or programmes to a high standard, within budget.
- Fluency in written and spoken English
- Demonstrate a strong commitment to EJF’s Mission, values and vision.
Desirable skills:
- Experience of working in difficult environments/training in personal and situational security.
- Documentary/journalistic experience.
- Fluency in other relevant languages strongly desired.
Applications: Submit your CV and a cover letter explaining why you are the right person for this job to [email protected]. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Deadline: 21st November 2023 at 5pm. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
EJF is an open, and inclusive, multicultural, multilingual and multi-ethnic team. As an employer EJF is committed to diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace.
